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  • In-House Installation

SPEED + STYLE + SERVICE + SUPPORT

The GMP Performance Installation Philosophy:
Upgrading the driving experience... Our focus is installing aftermarket accessories designed to upgrade the driving experience and improve on the durability of vehicles under intensified driving conditions. We want to make sure to offer and install the best products that coincide with dealer warranties protecting both the consumer and dealerships from unnecessary frustrations found with under-engineering and over marketed accessories. At GMP Performance, our installation philosophy is to respect the original manufacturer's design and determine the opportunities for improvement. Upgrading a vehicle with aftermarket products must blend the design philosophies of automobile manufacturers and tuners. Automotive manufacturers such as Audi, BMW, Mercedes, Porsche and VW must balance budgets with engineering desires. Even on the top models, there are often areas for improvement. However, major manufacturers also devote an indefinite amount of resources to product design and testing. Often, aftermarket companies offer a solution that may increase a vehicles performance short term, but lack the resources to thoroughly test the products and vehicles longevity. We have partnered with the industries most distinguished brands and offer their products based on many factors including not only design and performance, but also manufacture and logistic integrity. We focus on appropriate aftermarket products and installs that everyday enthusiasts can enjoy and the new car dealers are comfortable referring clients seeking additional performance options.

Maintain before you modify
+ Alignments + Oil Change Scheduled MaintenanceMounting & Balancing

A properly serviced vehicle is crucial to getting the most out of your performance upgrades. We offer scheduled maintenance plans for drivers and their vehicles that are tailored around their style and use. We base our recommendations off the factory service schedules and adjust them to account for the increased demands of car and driver. An example of this is the increased engine power requires cooler plugs and more frequent oil changes with more robust fluids. Stock plugs and engine oil are recommended to meet OEM requirements but our knowledge and expertise guide us to offer a solution for longtime enjoyment of high performance and upgraded vehicles. For details on your vehicle's maintenance intervals, please contact one of our locations.

Speed is for the track, not the install... Aftermarket products can only perform if they are installed properly. Our installation philosophy encompasses a "No Air Tools" policy combined with a thorough installation process, and unique pay plan for the technicians to encourage thoroughness. - Hand Tools Only: Today's European vehicles have been designed and engineered with a variety of materials. Traditional steel of various qualities along with aluminum, magnesium, , carbon fiber and titanium can be found throughout the chassis and very specific torque specifications and install techniques are required. "Stretch-bolts" are often used for assembly and must be replaced with each removal and even rotated a certain number of degrees for proper installation. In addition to the nature of the techniques, this assembly hardware is typically made from a harder tensile strength than the product itself and it is absolutely critical that the hardware is correctly threaded.

We believe that the best method to install products and hardware is threading the nuts and bolts by hand and then tightening to the manufacturers specifications with a hand-operated digital torque wrenches.

Hand Tools Only - No Air! Hand tools require more finesse and take longer to perform a job and many technician prefer the air-tools. Most traditional shops use compressed air to operate "air-tools". This type of tool operates at a high rate of rotational speed as well as an extreme amount of torque which increase the speed of the installations. However, we have seen these "air-tools" overtighten and strip threads on components. Some "air-guns" boast a 700lb/ft torquing ability when an engine bolt may need as little as 8lbs and a wheel bolt requires 85-100lb/ft . A prime example is on a wheel install. The hub threads can be cross-threaded if bolts are carelessly forced into the thread with an "air-gun". Cross-threaded bolts will not be an issue until the components are removed later and the head off the bolt will break-off inside the hub and replacement of the entire hub may be necessary. Not to mention, using an "air-gun" also known as an "impact-wrench" spins the wheel lugs off at a high rate of speed and can burr the wheel lug bolt holes of a custom set of wheels marking the custom finishes.

Installation Process: Our technicians perform a driven vehicle inspection prior to installation to determine a baseline for modifications. During the install, we clean affected areas so that we can determine any reoccurring issues that need to be addressed. We apply penetrating lubricants prior to the removal process to aid in hardware removal and will retap any threads as needed. We document our installations and provide daily updates with images so that our clients are able to follow the installation from their homes or offices. Also, during our installation process, our technicians will make a list of the manufacturer's torque specifications and procedures for tighteneing all the loosened items. Once the job is completed, we will drive the car around a pre-determined route to get the vehicle to operating temperature and test the vehicle and its installed parts.

Hybrid Technician Pay Plan: Our installers are here because they have a passion for performance. Most of our installs are based around improving the vehicle and not simply replacing worn-out components. Repetition is uncommon and performance upgrades often dimensionally enlarge or reduce the area of the replaced component and require outside of the box thinking for install to ensure that they will function smoothly with existing and future performance upgrades. Our technicians receive an hourly wage plus a commission on completed installations, unlike the industry standard, which is 100% commission based on a "book-time". This book-time is pre-determined and a technician receives the same amount whether he is under or over. flat-rate rewards speed and it often comes at the expense of thoroughness as technicians cut corners to save time in order to be more profitable. Our hybrid pay plan was established so that a technician is encouraged to be thorough and attentive during an install. First and foremost, the upgraded items need to be installed and perform. If a corresponding maintenance component appears to be failing, we want to notify the customer and replace it. If a worn out bolt breaks, a technician needs to replace it with a new one from the manufacturer and not a used one in a "spares" bin that "matches". We want the install to be right, and our technicians want to make it this way.

New parts make old parts jealous!... Today's vehicles have so many items that are working harmoniously that everything must be right. An upgraded part is designed to improve the performance of a vehicle that is operating 100% efficiently. Since every vehicle's service and maintenance history is unique, vehicles with higher mileage may have factory components that are reaching the end of their designed "service" life. These items must be replaced or upgraded to thoroughly enjoy the benefits of the aftermarket upgrade. During an install, we take care to document, with images and videos, areas of maintenance concern and suggest repairs. We work with local dealerships and factory parts suppliers to replace maintenance items with original equipment components. Our performance service program revolves around caring for an individuals vehicle accelerated maintenance needs. Spirited and high performance driving may require additional maintenance and we do offer specialized service and repairs to support our performance installs.

Straight-Time Custom Installations... A straight-time project is one where there is no predetermined book-time available or we are installing a product from an aftermarket product manufacturer we are not familiar with. We are committed to installing an item properly and to the best of our abilities but cannot offer an up front cost due to the nature of the customization. Installations are often unique to a specific job/project as we are combining products from various schools of thought. We have experience with many custom installs and the one thing that remains the same, is that there are no two alike. These types of projects are generally detail intensive and involve a lot of client and vendor interaction. Ultimately, there are three parties involved; 1. the client, 2. the business 3. the technician and in order to be completely fair, we use a simple timesheet to "punch in" on a project during installation and "punch out" when worked has stopped. At the completion of the project, the time is totaled and billed accordingly. Seats are the best example. Most seat installs are completely custom. Although the brackets bolt to the seat, they often require modification due to the options of the seat (power, heat, memory, etc.) to install in the car. Once installed, a client may want additional modifications to lower or raise the seat height to get it 100% perfect. A seat may have to be installed and removed half a dozen times until its correct and then custom seat brackets still need to be made to fit the seat comfortably and correctly with safety in mind. This is the type of custom install in which a time cannot be pre-determined and straight time is recorded.

Vehicle & Project Logistics... In an effort to accommodate busy schedules, we offer a number of logistic options. We are located in a quiet business park convenient between Uptown (Center City) and Charlotte-Douglas International Airport. A short drive gets you from uptown Charlotte and surrounding suburbs via our two major interstates, I-77 and I-85. For local clients, our showroom is available during business hours for walk-in and phone-in consultations and to drop-off and pick-up vehicles. We are also available to come to your home or office for your convenience and a senior company representative will personally drive your vehicle to and from the shop. In addition, we designed a custom built, single car, enclosed trailer to offer a private transportation option for longer distances keeping the mileage down and protecting the vehicles from road hazards. Our trailer is operated by a company employee and not a third party contracted driver. Understanding the critical nature of our clients schedules, we can arrange a pickup and delivery to any address at any specified time. We even have some clients repeatedly utilize our transport to have their completed vehicles delivered to vacation destinations. Furthermore, we are also more than happy to arrange transportation for airline clients and have on many occassions had a client fly-in to drive their enhanced vehicle back to their respected State.

Dealer Warranties... A new car warranty is serviced by the dealership and one of our greatest concerns is that this remains intact, even after upgrades are performed. We are often posed with the question, "Is this going to void my warranty?" Many aftermarket upgrades work harmoniously with a vehicles factory components but it is ultimately up to the dealerships discretion to honor a warranty. Overall, our suggestion is to establish a working relationship with your dealership. We have great relationships with our local dealers and strongly suggest supporting them in your area. Generally, the manufacturers warranty is applicable to factory components only. For example, if an exhaust, including cats and a muffler, is upgraded, then you no longer have the factory warranty on the original cats and muffler. However, with the new exhaust installed and your O2 sensor is defective, then a dealership can say that the higher-flowing cat and muffler exhaust system could be the cause of it. At this point, it will be up to the dealer to accept or deny the warranty claim and it truly depends on your relationship with your dealer.

Storage Options... Our 14,000 square foot facility has designated areas for vehicle storage as well as shelving for wheel and tire sets. Our building is a cement warehouse (not a quick-fab sheet-metal box) with sound and motion detection to protect our inventory and yours! Monthly and yearly storage plans are available as well as service maintenance.

Recycling... At GMP, we make every effort to recycle all oils, metals, plastics and cardboard. We have dedicated bins and containers to house removed items that are then collectively disposed of at the appropriate recycling centers. In addition, stock components that are deemed re-usable, are sold on Ebay to service and repair shops so that new products don't have to be generated. The proceeds from these sales are used to support our racing outreach programs at track events offering ride-alongs for individuals.

A saying that we came across a long time ago:  “It's unwise to pay too much, but it's worse to pay too little. When you pay too much, you lose a little money -- that is all. When you pay too little, you sometimes lose everything, because the thing you bought was incapable of doing the thing it was bought to do. The common law of business balance prohibits paying a little and getting a lot -- it can't be done. If you deal with the lowest bidder, it is well to add something for the risk you run, and if you do that you will have enough to pay for something better”