Hey, as a dedicated fan of the sr20 and Nissan in general I wanted to congratulate the moderators and contributors of this forum on doing a very nice job.

That being said I would like to benefit from your experience. I would like to discuss the realistic expectations we should entertain when contracting the services of a "performance" shop. For Example:

1) Do we request an estimate, if so do we expect it to be honored?
2) Do we set a time frame (i.e. it will take 2 weeks, we promise...)?
3) Do we put money down, if so how much, 20%?
4) What delays are acceptable (missing parts, staff is all sick, we got busy, etc.)?
5) If parts are required do we pay for those as they are ordered, or de we expect the shop to order and float the expenses as part of their business expense?
6) Do we pay at the end when the job is finished, do we pay up-front, or do we pay monthly on longer projects?

Those are just a few of the complications I have encountered, and I wanted to compile a little information for both myself and the rest of this community. All comments are welcome.

Thanks

1. An estimate should be given. However, it should be just that. Too often the estimate becomes the final price regardless of how much was actually done.
2. Any shop with experience should be able to give a time frame barring any complications that may arise.
3. Money down is a must. Companies can't always float the cost of parts for extended periods of time. Labor expenses could be floated. A percent down on the parts such as the amount it cost the shop for them as opposed to the cost for you to buy. This will cover the shops upfront costs.
4. Delays due to manufactures and back orders are acceptable.
5. Required parts that were overlooked by the shop should be floated till final billing. Parts unrelated to the specific job quoted that may need replacing should be paid up front.
6. Final payment should be received at the completion of the job. Some businesses do payment plans. This would be OK for the labor side but the parts should be paid in full.

Thanks, at what point should we entertain the "adjustment" of an estimate. What I mean is this: Do we expect the shop to be pfoficient enough to accuratly quote the cost involved with the job? In my case an engine istall became a point of contention. The quote I was given differed from the final bill by about $600, of an increase of 35%. I felt that given the experience of the shop they should have been able to give an accurate quote at the start. The same with parts. If you do enough work wouldn't you have an accurate idea of the parts required to do the job? The same with labor. How many times must you do a job before it is clear the time involved?