I just wanted to put up a post about DC Performance. I recently had a PCM issue and spoke to Dan. There was some confusion on what was to be done with it, and in the end, Dan made everything right. I truly appreciate the integrity that Dan and DC Performance has shown me and will not hesitate to recommend or do business with them again.
Dan is honest and available. He has a good habit of putting the car on the rack and fully inspecting it and letting you know everything that needs fixing. It is easy to assume everything is fine on this cars as they age, and then go an outrageous rate of speed.
Now Dukeman, there is a section to post this called Viper tuners, but it nice to see a plug for one of the good guys,
Dan is honest and available. He has a good habit of putting the car on the rack and fully inspecting it and letting you know everything that needs fixing. It is easy to assume everything is fine on this cars as they age, and then go an outrageous rate of speed.
Now Dukeman, there is a section to post this called Viper tuners, but it nice to see a plug for one of the good guys,
Thanks for pointing that out. And I knew it too. Damn short term memory.
He has a good habit of putting the car on the rack and fully inspecting it and letting you know everything that needs fixing. It is easy to assume everything is fine on this cars as they age, and then go an outrageous rate of speed.
He has a habit of finding a lot of stuff to charge for that doesn't need to be done.
It looks like I should comment on this. First of all, thnaks Dukeman for your comments.
I do not frequent this site, but will start to. FE065, I have responded to your message and apologize for not seeing your PM.
In response to Makara. I have been in this business for a long time and would not be around if I sold work that was not needed. For those who know me or are involved in the Viper world, I think would agree that I take pride in my reputation. Makara I never knew you had a complaint till I saw your post on this site. When I saw the post I PM'd you and offered to reinspect your car, show you exactly what we found and why it should be done. I also offered a free service for good will. When you were refered by Ali at Easystreet, he told me you tracked your car and to check it out carefully, which we did. I did take care of your warranty work (subleted by the dealer) and made sure your car was washed and delivered properly. I would like a chance to make this situation right, please call me.
It looks like I should comment on this. First of all, thnaks Dukeman for your comments.
I do not frequent this site, but will start to. FE065, I have responded to your message and apologize for not seeing your PM.
In response to Makara. I have been in this business for a long time and would not be around if I sold work that was not needed. For those who know me or are involved in the Viper world, I think would agree that I take pride in my reputation. Makara I never knew you had a complaint till I saw your post on this site. When I saw the post I PM'd you and offered to reinspect your car, show you exactly what we found and why it should be done. I also offered a free service for good will. When you were refered by Ali at Easystreet, he told me you tracked your car and to check it out carefully, which we did. I did take care of your warranty work (subleted by the dealer) and made sure your car was washed and delivered properly. I would like a chance to make this situation right, please call me.
Dan Cragin
DC Performance Inc.
310-841-6996
I spoke with Ali afterwards as he is one of my best friends and he said that he never told you about tracking the car. In fact, I was having lunch with him when he called you about bringing my car in. He said to take care of me as I am a good friend, not that I was bringing a track car in and replace everything. When I brought the car in for warranty work and an oil change, I ended up getting told that I had about $1,800 of fluid changes scheduled. That seemed pretty damn high for a car with 11,000 miles but said to go ahead if they were scheduled. You also said that I was in dire need for new pads and rotors. I told you to hold off on that. You said you would do it but I would need to get the new brakes on very soon and that the rotors could not be turned. You also said that you needed to put gas in the car and would add that to the bill.
The car was done after a few weeks. I was told that it was because you had to wait on a part. I can understand that but what I can not understand is why after waiting a few weeks for my car with no definite answer as to when it would be completed, when you called to say that the car was ready, that it had to be picked up immediatly and seemed to care little about my schedule which was pretty nuts at the time. I left work and had a PA to drive me from Hollywood to Santa Monica to pick up the car and when I left your place, my tank was bone dry. There were only a few miles put on the car (if that) so I have no idea how the gas that you charged me for just didn't make it to the tank but when I went around the corner to fill up my tank, it had less than half a gallon left in it.
Further more, when I got back I called around about the brakes on the car. JonB said that 11,000 miles was pretty early to change rotors but I should be able to turn them if I wanted to put new pads on. I went ahead and just ordered new rotors and had them swapped out. When I picked up my car, I was shown the old rotors and told that they still had at least 40% on them and there was no need to change them. If I remember right, the pads were still good too. Once I had my car back, I had access to my owner's manual which would have told me that I didn't need any of the fluids changed yet with the exception of I think one which was about a 1,000 miles from being due.
Dan, you did take care of my warranty work but, I don't know, do you want a cookie for that? That is why I brought the car down there and why Ali called ahead to make sure you did warranty work. Washing the car is nice but the dealer does that as well so it isn't something that blew me away, especially why the car was covered in dust when I picked it up.
__________________
You're gonna need a bigger bat!
Last edited by Makara : September 11th, 2007 at 11:42 AM.
Makara,
I appreciate your comments and do not want to make this drag on. I do think it is important that I try to explain my position here and would like you to call me so we can have a frank discussion about this. My only concern is that you think I have acted dishonestly.
Your car had shown signs of being on the track, the pads had overheated and the rotors would be at the service limit if turned. The fluids showed signs of being overheated. I treated the car as if It would be on the track frequently.
If I represented myself wrong and did not meet your expectations I apologize.
I just wish you would have brought this to my attention. I respect your concerns.
I would have to say that there is not a more honest and concerned Viper Tech in the Nation than Dan Cragin. His calm composure and willingness to try and rectify things you are concerned about is a different approach than many would take in this situation. The items I would comment on , is that like Dan we do not go by the owner's manual for many fluid changes , as many years of racing show us that some need to be changed much, much sooner. If Dan stated that some fluids needed changed, he did it out of years of experience with some of the best drivers in Snakes ( Eric Messeley, Paul Mumford, John Dearing , etc. ), and out of a genuine concern you might be going on the track. Just go back in on his offer to chat about your issues, as I am sure he will be able to give you a good account of the situation. The problem with Jon B's assessment of the rotors is simple, because though he is quite knowledgeable , he was not there to see the rotors. This is a something I would definitely take Dan's word and experience on, as rotors can go bad alot sooner than we as consumers believe - I destroyed one complete set in 30 minutes at Road America in 2000, and they had 500 miles on them when I started. Hang in there as DC wants to work with you , and keeping customers happy has always been their credo.
Best Regards,
Bill Pemberton
Woodhouse Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Viper
I've got a lot of cars, track and street, serviced in many shops. I've been ripped off by some, especially by a Viper shop in Socal. Dan is one of the good guys. Give him a call, I'm sure it's only a communication issue.
These cars put out exotic car performance numbers, and the level of maintenance necessary to keep us safe at speed is a lot higher than that of an ordinary car. Dan has brought to my attention things that have kept my butt safe. If your car is a garage queen, great, just change fluids and check belts. If you are running it hard problems can show up quickly.
Last edited by sundiego : September 11th, 2007 at 03:39 PM.
I guess not everyone has the same experience.
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