TurtleJames
Go Kart Champion
Redline Speed Worx - RS Worx
www.redlinespeedworx.com
They are a repair and performance shop located in Washington, NJ (soon to be Greenbrook). Owners are JR and Pat. Pretty heavy presence on the forums. Authorized APR dealer and specialize in European automobiles.
I've been debating whether or not to post a review of these guys for a while now. I've had some good and bad experiences with them, so I'll try to be as objective as possible.
Work Completed There:
APR Intercooler
Carbon Valve Cleaning
Timing Belt Tensioner / Chain
Water Pump
The Good
Owner's JR and Pat are both really nice guys and are easy to speak with. JR always get back to you in a timely fashion, and is very patient to go through all your questions even though they are very busy.
They have some of the best paperwork I've seen in a private shop. All part numbers are clearly stated. And they email you copies.
They have a good reputation, work on all sorts of high end vehicles, and seem to have a loyal and steady consumer base.
Although seemingly not important, these things add up to instill confidence. You may not have an R8, but you want somebody that treats you and your car as carefully as you do.
They take their time working on your car, and nothing has failed so far.
The Bad:
Location and facility niggles are moot since they are moving soon to what appears to be a much nicer / convenient place.
Pricing for labor and parts is roughly 20-30% more than other shops. (At least for the work I had done). I don't mind paying a premium if everything is done right and on time. More on that later.
These guys are very busy, and I think that's where most of my complaints about them stem from. The ratio of work being done, space, and technicians seem to be skewed. I think this causes some quality control and timing issues.
**************************
When I had the APR intercooler done, JR took my car out on a final spin and gave me the all set. I paid and left, only to stop a few blocks away due to some rattling I heard. I tried to pop my hood, but no go. I noticed the tech left all of the screws on my windshield cowl and left the hood release cable detached. They were rolling around and some wedged in my hood causing some paint damage.
I went back, and JR and Pat scolded the tech who was working on my car. Pat put the screws in a baggy for me and spent another couple hours with JR getting the hood unlatched. All in all I was very displeased, but was cool about it. JR apologized and promised to take care of me next time.
There were no negative reviews on the forum about them, and they seemed to be such nice guys, I didn't even bother writing anything about it. Besides it was so ridiculous and amateurish, I figured it had to be a fluke.
***************************
Recently, I was shopping around for a place to do the timing chain tensioner update and carbon cleaning. I had some local shops I've been to quote me estimates. Redline's estimate was so high, I dismissed it. But JR called me, and talked me through it. I figured I'd spend the extra $500 and at least not lose sleep over a shoddy job. I ended up going for the full timing change (chain and tensioner), belts, water pump, gaskets, etc. Ended up spending over 1K more than I originally intended, but figured might as well do it right.
So I made an appointment with JR and confirmed with him the following that were very important to me (The below was confirmed multiple times through out the whole process almost to the point of making me feel bad for nagging):
1) Accurate ETA as I needed to purchase a rental and schedule time off work.
2) All my original parts back. Some I sell, but I like to keep most of my original parts.
3) Pictures of my valves before and after to share with you all.
4) And for him to check out a leak in my turbo outlet hose.
Results:
1) Brought car in on Monday. Assured it would be completed Wednesday. Snow storm on Tuesday. Reassured it would still be on schedule. Wednesday morning reassured again. Wednesday evening apologized and assured it will be done Thursday morning. Thursday morning assured again it would be done. Took the morning off work, drove out and returned the rental. I ended up sitting there until 5:30 pm and got reamed by the boss.
It was apparent they were swamped and even were nice enough to take a walk-in while I waited. But the techs were working double time trying to get every thing done. I know shit happens and things take longer than anticipated, but would've preferred a more realistic estimate so at least I wouldn't have had to take unscheduled time off work and sit on a couch all day.
2) Noticed only after I got home, my water pump and water pump belt were missing. Emailed JR and called this morning. JR called me back and said the tech threw it out and apologized for not telling him to give it back to me. I told him I was disappointed because it is the most expensive part on the list of what I had replaced, and didn't understand how that could be thrown out so quickly.
I also wanted reassurance it was replaced since I knew things were so hectic. I didn't mean to be accusatory, but JR said it would be offensive if I suggested that they didn't change it and charged me. And asked me why I wanted the part back. I agree it is offensive, but with everything combined, I didn't think it would be out of the question for the tech to not have known about replacing it while doing the valve cleaning. He told me he helped replace it himself. So I'm satisfied with his assurance, but it is my part, and if I was promised it back then it shouldn't matter why I wanted it back. He then told me he'd take care of me next time. This kind of set me off, since this is what he said last time. I don't want to be taken care of next time. Take care of me this time by delivering promises.
3) Pictures yet to come. Was told Pat had to edit them first, but will share once I receive.
4) Was told by JR the turbo outlet hose would be the first thing they check for before they begin any work. On Thursday was told they just looked at it and there's a hole in it. Didn't have a spare and couldn't order it because they looked at it Thursday and not Monday, Tuesday, or even Wednesday... I'll replace it myself no biggie, but would've been nice to have it done while all the parts were out anyway.
Results:
Car seems to be fine. A little nervous... probably unnecessarily so. I want to like this place, and keep going back, but I'm always left with a bad taste. Maybe it was just bad luck on my part and everything individually isn't a big deal. It's only when you combine them and add to the fact they charge a premium for their quality and reputation. I think if they get a bit more organized, things would be better.
I know they're always featuring their shop with the high end cars they service. Maybe if you own one of these cars, you won't ever have a problem with them. Or can at least afford to take days off work, or have the spare Bentley to ride in. But I'd like to think my lowly GTI deserves the same amount of attention as well.
*******************************
Once again this is only my experience, and is limited to two jobs. If you had any experiences with RS Worx, please feel to post.
www.redlinespeedworx.com
They are a repair and performance shop located in Washington, NJ (soon to be Greenbrook). Owners are JR and Pat. Pretty heavy presence on the forums. Authorized APR dealer and specialize in European automobiles.
I've been debating whether or not to post a review of these guys for a while now. I've had some good and bad experiences with them, so I'll try to be as objective as possible.
Work Completed There:
APR Intercooler
Carbon Valve Cleaning
Timing Belt Tensioner / Chain
Water Pump
The Good
Owner's JR and Pat are both really nice guys and are easy to speak with. JR always get back to you in a timely fashion, and is very patient to go through all your questions even though they are very busy.
They have some of the best paperwork I've seen in a private shop. All part numbers are clearly stated. And they email you copies.
They have a good reputation, work on all sorts of high end vehicles, and seem to have a loyal and steady consumer base.
Although seemingly not important, these things add up to instill confidence. You may not have an R8, but you want somebody that treats you and your car as carefully as you do.
They take their time working on your car, and nothing has failed so far.
The Bad:
Location and facility niggles are moot since they are moving soon to what appears to be a much nicer / convenient place.
Pricing for labor and parts is roughly 20-30% more than other shops. (At least for the work I had done). I don't mind paying a premium if everything is done right and on time. More on that later.
These guys are very busy, and I think that's where most of my complaints about them stem from. The ratio of work being done, space, and technicians seem to be skewed. I think this causes some quality control and timing issues.
**************************
When I had the APR intercooler done, JR took my car out on a final spin and gave me the all set. I paid and left, only to stop a few blocks away due to some rattling I heard. I tried to pop my hood, but no go. I noticed the tech left all of the screws on my windshield cowl and left the hood release cable detached. They were rolling around and some wedged in my hood causing some paint damage.
I went back, and JR and Pat scolded the tech who was working on my car. Pat put the screws in a baggy for me and spent another couple hours with JR getting the hood unlatched. All in all I was very displeased, but was cool about it. JR apologized and promised to take care of me next time.
There were no negative reviews on the forum about them, and they seemed to be such nice guys, I didn't even bother writing anything about it. Besides it was so ridiculous and amateurish, I figured it had to be a fluke.
***************************
Recently, I was shopping around for a place to do the timing chain tensioner update and carbon cleaning. I had some local shops I've been to quote me estimates. Redline's estimate was so high, I dismissed it. But JR called me, and talked me through it. I figured I'd spend the extra $500 and at least not lose sleep over a shoddy job. I ended up going for the full timing change (chain and tensioner), belts, water pump, gaskets, etc. Ended up spending over 1K more than I originally intended, but figured might as well do it right.
So I made an appointment with JR and confirmed with him the following that were very important to me (The below was confirmed multiple times through out the whole process almost to the point of making me feel bad for nagging):
1) Accurate ETA as I needed to purchase a rental and schedule time off work.
2) All my original parts back. Some I sell, but I like to keep most of my original parts.
3) Pictures of my valves before and after to share with you all.
4) And for him to check out a leak in my turbo outlet hose.
Results:
1) Brought car in on Monday. Assured it would be completed Wednesday. Snow storm on Tuesday. Reassured it would still be on schedule. Wednesday morning reassured again. Wednesday evening apologized and assured it will be done Thursday morning. Thursday morning assured again it would be done. Took the morning off work, drove out and returned the rental. I ended up sitting there until 5:30 pm and got reamed by the boss.
It was apparent they were swamped and even were nice enough to take a walk-in while I waited. But the techs were working double time trying to get every thing done. I know shit happens and things take longer than anticipated, but would've preferred a more realistic estimate so at least I wouldn't have had to take unscheduled time off work and sit on a couch all day.
2) Noticed only after I got home, my water pump and water pump belt were missing. Emailed JR and called this morning. JR called me back and said the tech threw it out and apologized for not telling him to give it back to me. I told him I was disappointed because it is the most expensive part on the list of what I had replaced, and didn't understand how that could be thrown out so quickly.
I also wanted reassurance it was replaced since I knew things were so hectic. I didn't mean to be accusatory, but JR said it would be offensive if I suggested that they didn't change it and charged me. And asked me why I wanted the part back. I agree it is offensive, but with everything combined, I didn't think it would be out of the question for the tech to not have known about replacing it while doing the valve cleaning. He told me he helped replace it himself. So I'm satisfied with his assurance, but it is my part, and if I was promised it back then it shouldn't matter why I wanted it back. He then told me he'd take care of me next time. This kind of set me off, since this is what he said last time. I don't want to be taken care of next time. Take care of me this time by delivering promises.
3) Pictures yet to come. Was told Pat had to edit them first, but will share once I receive.
4) Was told by JR the turbo outlet hose would be the first thing they check for before they begin any work. On Thursday was told they just looked at it and there's a hole in it. Didn't have a spare and couldn't order it because they looked at it Thursday and not Monday, Tuesday, or even Wednesday... I'll replace it myself no biggie, but would've been nice to have it done while all the parts were out anyway.
Results:
Car seems to be fine. A little nervous... probably unnecessarily so. I want to like this place, and keep going back, but I'm always left with a bad taste. Maybe it was just bad luck on my part and everything individually isn't a big deal. It's only when you combine them and add to the fact they charge a premium for their quality and reputation. I think if they get a bit more organized, things would be better.
I know they're always featuring their shop with the high end cars they service. Maybe if you own one of these cars, you won't ever have a problem with them. Or can at least afford to take days off work, or have the spare Bentley to ride in. But I'd like to think my lowly GTI deserves the same amount of attention as well.
*******************************
Once again this is only my experience, and is limited to two jobs. If you had any experiences with RS Worx, please feel to post.
. It's a fun learning experience. 
