anonreview

I have written a review on all the bay area shops I have had experiences with & rated them from 1 to 10.
I would like to start of by saying that I wrote this for positive things to come from this post.
I do not want to see anyone take anything I wrote personal.
Also PLEASE excuse the grammar, grammar is not my priority on a forum.


1. Automotive Engineering - Largo - Rating: 8.0
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Corey Thomson used to work at A&E then moved to Gearhead, now he is on his own doing work out of CRT racing which is his own shop.
A&E is now ran by Guy. Guy is cool & usually will provide you with good advice on products etc.
The pricing at A&E can be good & bad, it all depends on the product.
The facility that A&E has is huge, but the import department looks so tiny.
Looks can be deceiving, the stock that A&E has for imports is a lot larger then the import department looks.
Just ask Guy for a product & more then likely he will have it in stock.
A&E is very good when it comes to stocking things.


2. Automotive Engineering - New Port Richie - Rating: 0.0
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This place is ran by a grumpy old man that does not like imports.
Hence the stock at this store for imports is horrible.
The pricing is the same as the Largo A&E.
I recommend staying away from this place. (Keep the old man happy)


3. Xtreme Image - Palm Harbor, Fla 727-785-2894 - Rating: 4.0
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Xtreme is located in a very nice & new building with the latest technology etc. The staff at Xtreme is ok, it could improve.
The knowledge the staff has varies from employee to employee.
I do not recommend going to them for any real advice on you're car, primarely because 1/2 the people that work there do not know shit.
Everything in this store is a completely overpriced except a few items.
Xtreme Image has common things in stock & usually has multiple brand names of the items.
The only good thing Xtreme Image has going is the location, show room & stock.


4. Gear Head Performance - Duneden, Fla 727-733-8590 - Rating: 8.5
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Gear Head Performance is a nice little shop, they used to have a good guy named Corey Thomson work for them.
Well he jumped ship to open his own honda/acura performance shop doing tons of swaps, building motors etc.
Now the Import part of the shop is ran by Mike, he is kind of new to the performance shop scene but he is cool.
The pricing is good, it can vary from product to product.
The customer service is ok, it could be better. The knowledge Mike has does not match Corey Thomsons or Guys at A&E.
The stock that gearhead has is limited primarily because of the space they have.
I do not recommend going to Gearhead if you are scared of small places


5. Racing Zone - Tampa, Fla 813-936-0206 - Rating: 9.0
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Racing Zone, also known as raping zone.
Believe it or not Racing Zone kills anyone in pricing on most products.
They have been around for ever & will work with you on package deals etc.
I know a lot of you guys do not like "Raping Zone". But honestly check them out lately within the past 8 months every price & quote I have gotten from them has blown everyone else out of the water.
The facility Razing Zone has is state of the art & is by far the nicest show room I have been to.
Racing Zone has most things in stock if not they usually have it at the orlando store.


6. Auto Xtras - Tampa, Fla - Rating: 7.9
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My first impression of this store was good.
I walked in had good customer service, knowledgeable staff etc.
There prices are good & so is they're service.
Carlos was very knowledgeable & polite.
The advantage this shop has is they're installation services
& the awesome body shop that owns them (German Auto Haus)
Auto Xtras has most common things in stock.



Before buying a product for you're vehicle you should always:
a. Read magazines & online forums/websites with information on you're car & the product.
b. Look at dyno results etc.
c. Talk to people that have used the product.
d. Use common sence.


If you have been to a shop that I have not listed feel free to write some comments about the place.
Please include the name & location & how you rate it from 1-10.
Any comments or you're own reviews in you're opinion are welcome.


Good luck with you're performance accessory shopping.

m0nk3y

don't forget about the fun service at auto x-tras, where carlos orders you a set of tires at 53$/apiece, and invoices you for 78$/ea.