much better than the *******

[paguilera]

I think a good money saving trip is to avoid the dealer/stealers and work to find a good shop in your area. I try not to have anyone work on my truck, but my knowledge and tools have their limits.
There really were not any cummins focused performance shops (they still make their bread and butter doing rountine stuff) in the Santa Rosa area. I found a great one just starting up about 6-8 years ago in Santa Rosa California. I have stayed with them and even had them do small jobs to help them (and me). I have never been disappointed, Drake treats customers like friends, and he has grown and been setting some of his own records on the strip. They now also have their own dyno and their last dyno day will be in one of this or next months diesel rags.
Try them out, you will not be disappointed. Total Performance Diesel. Owner: Drake Swett
2985 Dutton Ave. 707 545-3835.

 

[Grizzly]

A good honest mechanic, who's not a dealer, is hard to find. Stay with him. Wish we had one in Albuquerque.



george

 

[AEdelheit]

Ya Ive meet Drake, I would drive my truck to left coast diesel long before letting Drake even change my oil, Ive seen some decent stuff from there but I have seen some real sketchy stuff too. I knew a guy that worked for him for a while, didint have great things to say.

 

[paguilera]

Tpd

left coast is super, great guys who know what they are doing. Also, friends of Drake's. Far away for me, and Drake has never let me down. Paul

 

[paguilera]

Tpd

Oh, and btw... I also know the guy who worked for him. Every time a bolt was left out or a leak occured... guess who had done the work on the truck... stripped my new deep pan... . left out oil pan bolts... crossed a head stud . yep, I think Drake was most happy to see him go, tho' he did it with a day's notice. The mech drake has working for him now is an incredibly bright young lad. P

 

[AEdelheit]

I dont think we are thinking of the same person but eitherway im glad your happy with him, Im guessing Drake told you all the problems were the other guys fault?

 

[paguilera]

not exactly

I found Drake way back when he first opened. Since I am retired, I hung around the shop a lot, especially when my truck was there. Learned a lot that way and Drake taught me a lot. He was quite tolerant of my watching and learning. I even helped him with his race truck and attended quite a few events. The point being that I watched his mech make three different sets of mistakes, from mis-threading a head stud, to cross threading the drain in my new mag-hytec pan, to not putting in pan bolts. Of course, it is Drakes resp' to see things leave properly completed. But it always got made right.

Now I must say that no shop I have ever dealt with was perfect. The dodge shop up here had a great mech before they closed down. They even let him give me advice... not the new boss. He still works fairly locally, but at a dealer. With $130. an hour rates and no talking to the mech for free. Nuff said. More than once Drake has helped me with issues on my truck and not charged me a cent. Try that with the dealer. No one is perfect... . I am somewhat of a perfectionist... but I am trying to get cured of that. Paul

 

[AEdelheit]

I found Drake way back when he first opened. Since I am retired, I hung around the shop a lot, especially when my truck was there. Learned a lot that way and Drake taught me a lot. He was quite tolerant of my watching and learning. I even helped him with his race truck and attended quite a few events. The point being that I watched his mech make three different sets of mistakes, from mis-threading a head stud, to cross threading the drain in my new mag-hytec pan, to not putting in pan bolts. Of course, it is Drakes resp' to see things leave properly completed. But it always got made right.

Now I must say that no shop I have ever dealt with was perfect. The dodge shop up here had a great mech before they closed down. They even let him give me advice... not the new boss. He still works fairly locally, but at a dealer. With $130. an hour rates and no talking to the mech for free. Nuff said. More than once Drake has helped me with issues on my truck and not charged me a cent. Try that with the dealer. No one is perfect... . I am somewhat of a perfectionist... but I am trying to get cured of that. Paul

Ah right on, I belive the guy you are talking about is the same one that screwed up a Fass install on one of my buddies truck pretty bad, but that was quite a few years back and not the same guy im thinking of. Maybe Drakes gotten better, In the past I just heard too many iffy things and every truck I saw at the RPM Dyno day a few years back just blew a bunch of smoke and didint make any impressive numbers. Sounds like he has been improving quite a bit then, glad to hear.

 

[Big Bird]

Drake seemed to be making good progress last time I was in there. I bought my 01 for almost a song with a wasted front end. Drake and Stevo (the mechanic that was working on the truck) slaved on that thing for about 10 hours total to replace the ball joints. in the process of the replacement the wheel bearings were very stubborn. they took their time and got them out without destroying them, cleaned the mating surfaces up and made everything work as it should. he could have just said "you need new bearings" when they were being a pain, like other places I know of, but he did not. he also stood by the book time and did not charge extra.



Drake is not trying to bill TDP as a performance only shop, but rather as a general diesel shop. Yes they know more and deal more with dodges than anything else, but he will gladly do work on anything.



The mechanic he had working there this year previously worked on heavy equipment in the mines, he is very inteligent, and a hard worker who really loves diesels.



I wish there was a shop like that out here where I am now, but alas I will have to religate myself to ordering the parts I need at a dang good price from him and having them shipped.