"Its just nuts and bolts"
The term “its just nuts and bolts” is technically true, this usually implies that working on cars is simple and anyone can do it. Their is a large difference between a technician who sees your pride and joy as just nuts and bolts is very different to one who views it as an engineered to perfection design, where each and every component works together to deliver something special. These two types of technicians will deliver a very different quality of work.
Repair tools
Just because they are available doesn’t mean that you can use just any old tool for the job. Which is why we invested into our tools, only choosing the best brands. This means repair work is easier, as we are certain we will have the right tool for the job, and if something is to go wrong, the correct tool to make it right. Having the best tools means we are able to do the best job.
“If you cant find the right tool in this garage Mr Arizona, you don’t belong near a car” – Dominic Toretto. This is also true at Motorsport And Performance. Our day to day hand tools are handled with just as much care as your vehicle, these tools are very expensive, so taking care of them is part of the fabric of who we are, this obviously draws a clear coloration to the way we feel about maintaining and repairing vehicles.
The aqua blaster, is like a shot blaster but uses media mixed with water, to give a more gentle thorough clean. This allows us to not only repair a vehicle, but clean it whilst doing so. Take engine building as an example, when the block has been stripped down, some metal components that aren’t being replaced (as there is nothing wrong with them) can look dirty and old, putting these components through the aqua blaster means anyone would be hard pushed to know whether they had actually been replaced or not. Doing this shows our love for the job, that we want the job to be so perfect that every individual component is as clean as can be, delivering the best quality result.
Dynos aren’t just used to measure power. When we have carried out a substantial engine repair, we will take the vehicle to the dyno, to essentially test the engine before taking it out on the road before handing it back to the customer. This means that if any issues are to arise, it is in the controlled and monitored environment of the dyno cell.
When carrying out suspension repairs, theory suggests that no matter what suspension component you have replaced, you must perform a four wheel geometry setup. At Motorsport And Performance, we use sensible discretion when applying this rule, as some components don’t affect wheel alignment and some workshops will charge you for alignments even when they don’t need to be done as an upsell. On the other hand, if a suspension component affects wheel alignment, we will always recommend a four wheel geometry setup, so the vehicle will perform exactly as it should, after the repair has been carried out.
Engine Repairs
Because we cut our teeth building Rotary Engines … let’s just say we have a fair amount of experience building engines. When hundreds turn into thousands, it starts to become pretty ‘normal’, and we were surprised to see how much of that experience transferred across to building piston engines.
While we don’t carry out in house exhaust fabrication, through our good friends in the performance industry we are able to offer this as an option, which most of the time results in a huge saving over buying an off the shelf system however, if an off the shelf exhaust is what you require, this is something we have a huge amount of experience in, being one of the largest installers of performance exhaust systems in the UK for huge names such as Quicksilver, Brooke Race Exhaust (BRE) and many others.
Intake repairs can mean a number of things, MAF sensor, seals on the manifold, solenoids controlling intake runners, or even runners themselves. There probably isn’t an intake issue we haven’t seen or fixed. Whichever it may be you can be sure our team have got you covered.
Fuel systems are critical to the running of an engine, obviously. So when a fuelling component fails, its often going to leave you without a working vehicle. if its an injector, we can test, service and repair with our injector testing machine, meaning there is a huge saving if the injector can be repaired, or if necessary we can replace. Fuel pumps are also another point of failure, which usually if it happens will result in a replacement pump.
Turbos are designed to withstand extreme stress due to the nature of the design, unfortunately they don’t always hold up to this. Going to a dealer for a turbo repair will result in paying for a new turbo, which in some cases is okay, but most of the time it can be way more cost effective to have the turbo rebuilt. This is a service we offer through some of our good friends in the industry of performance tuning. Knowing this can be a life saver when a turbocharger fails, and could even save you thousands.
Chassis And Suspension Repair
The term suspension repair is usually wrong, as there aren’t many suspension components that if failed can actually be repaired. This usually means replacement parts which can be quite expensive, especially for high end cars. Take the rear springs on a McLaren 720s as an example, known to failure, and costs of around £2500 for one rear replacement spring and shock setup (yes, they don’t come as individual components from McLaren) and basic practice is that of replacing both on the same axle, so that means replacing the other equalling a jaw dropping £5000! All for a broken rear spring. Due to being in the performance industry, we can offer replacement springs for a fraction of this cost, usually sub £1000 fitted.
Replacing a coil spring or Damper is a fairly basic mechanical skill, but it is not to be snuffed at as an “anyone can do it” job. The components that determine how your vehicle behaves on the road include and surround the coil spring and damper. Making a mistake in this process at best will give you some creaking or knocking, worst case will cause instability in the car resulting in a serious safety issue. Taking all this into account we would recommend that the person replacing the coil spring or damper actually understands the physics of suspension and geometry, as we do in the performance industry.
Suspension bushes are used on vehicles to dampen the noises, vibrations and shock of the road surface. They in turn make cars comfortable and quiet to drive and constantly working under stress when you drive they can wear out or fail. You may have a worn suspension bush if the car feels “loose” or you can hear a knocking noise. Going to the dealer for this replacing usually results in a full new control arm or whatever component houses the bushing. This isn’t always the only option, most bushes can be replaced independently of its housing component, meaning greater saving over replacing the whole thing.
If your car has ever been in the workshop for “tracking”, you may have been presented with a sheet with red and green highlighted numbers. This sheet is so the person carrying out the alignment can understand if they even have to bother adjusting it. However, being in the performance industry, these tolerances from some manufacturers are, at best, broad. Some alignment specifications from manufacturers include a tolerance as okay (in the green) that will prematurely wear your tyres, so understanding the impact of the toe camber and caster on your day-to-day drive and how you use the car is paramount when undertaking this task.