Effective 1/1/08

By doing business with Thunder Works, you are agreeing to these policies. Make sure you know what our policies are and how they relate to you and your job. 

1. Thunder Works reserves the right to refuse business with any person (or company) for any reason. You don’t have to bring your work here; we don’t have to take your job just because you did. Our services and pricing may not meet your needs. You as a potential customer may not meet ours. Business is a partnership and only works when BOTH sides agree in all aspects.
2. No Job will be released without being Paid-In-Full.  Credit will only be extended to established businesses that previously have set up billing.
3. Estimate pricing is good for 30 calendar days. Approval of the estimate, and receipt of full deposit, are required within those 30 days, to start any work. Expired estimates will be re-quoted with new pricing or will be considered disapproved.
4. Full Deposits are required to START any job. A Full Deposit is: 100% of parts and 50% of labor, payable before estimate's expiration date, which is one calendar month from the date on the estimate.
5. Thunder Works will NOT match other shops’ labor rates and prices. This is non-negotiable. There are shops that charge more; there are shops that charge less. They have their reasons for pricing as they do; so do we. We don’t care what they think about our prices just like they don’t care about our views on THEIR pricing.
1. A potential customer complaining, whining, wheedling, cajoling, bitching, etc., about our prices vs. Shop X’s prices will NOT get us to lower our prices.
2. The above-noted complaining, whining, wheedling, etc., will NOT make us want to do business with you. (Refer to Policy #1.) If you like another shop’s prices so much, go there. It’s a free country.
6. Thunder Works does NOT warranty other shops’ work. This is also non-negotiable. If you have a problem with another shop, get it resolved with them. If they won’t resolve it, neither will we. Nor will we intercede with them on your behalf.  We don’t have problems with them. You do. Be a ‘grown-up’ and deal with it.
1. We will not give you a discount just because you ‘already’ paid for a job that was done at another shop. We’re sorry you went there first and had problems with their work. It’s up to you to get them resolved with the responsible parties. We’re not one of the responsible parties.
7. Thunder Works does NOT warranty parts purchased from anywhere else, regardless of whether we carry that line. If you supply alternate-source parts for your job and they fail, it is up to YOU to contact your source for resolution and warranty.
1. Your parts’ failure will void OUR warranty on parts we supply and will affect our labor warranty if your parts caused further damage or failures. It was your decision to supply your own parts; it is your responsibility. Decide if it's worth the bucks.
8. Thunder Works does NOT warranty R&R (removal and re-installation), Engine Break-in, Tuning, or any other work not performed at our shop. Especially if done by your buddy, neighbor, co-worker, relative, yourself, etc., and then that work causes problems. All aspects of engine-work require knowledge, experience, and technical expertise. Don't assume that the tough stuff is only the internal machining and clearances, and everything else is easy after that. It's not.
1. There are qualified shops in the Southern California area capable of proper installation, break-in, and tuning. Ask for a list if you don’t know them. And no, we don’t get anything for recommending these shops, other than the knowledge (hope) that the work gets performed correctly. And we still don't warranty their work, although THEY should.
2. Any work done by unqualified persons will void what warranties we do offer. Engine failure is caused by a hundred reasons, very few of which are the fault of proper machining, assembly, and parts. If you paid for a quality job by us, don’t get cheap and let your buddy install and tune it just because he said he knew what he was doing. We guarantee your buddy isn’t going to pay for his mistakes if they cost you money. Neither will we.
3. Improper installation, improper break-in, and improper tuning are the main reasons for most problems upon initial start-up; some problems won’t show up for months (or years, depending upon engine use). None of this do we have control over and none of this do we warranty.
4. All Add-ons should be rebuilt or replaced. ‘Failure due to improper installation’ also applies to not replacing add-on components: hoses, belts, air- and fuel-filters, spark-plugs, etc., and even starters, alternators, radiators, spark plug wires, transmissions, fuel injection systems or carburetors, etc. Certain items SHOULD ALWAYS be replaced; other components need to be checked and rebuilt, flushed, re-tuned, or replaced as needed. If you paid thousands of dollars to get an engine rebuilt, finish the job RIGHT by eliminating potential problems. An OEM engine (can) last so long initially because EVERYTHING WAS NEW. Give your freshly rebuilt engine a fighting chance by updating the whole system. So what if those belts or hoses are only three months’ old. Three months’ use on an old engine with problems will affect things for the worse. Change 'em.
9. Don’t get cheap, at the beginning, middle, or end of the project. If you wonder whether you CAN afford to do it right then you probably really CAN'T afford to do it over. We can’t afford to cover your lack of judgment or funds during any step of this process. And we don’t.
10. Thunder Works will NOT do a job halfway. We have over 25 years’ experience in this field. We want to make the best engine possible for our customers, within a price range that meets our and our customers’ criteria.
1. Don’t try to find nit-picky ways to cut costs. It will affect the overall quality of the job, not to mention our attitude about working on it.
2. Don't ARGUE about Thunder Works' recommendations for your job. Questions and discussions about your options are welcome; arguments about the absolute minimum you can get away are not. We don't recommend unnecessary work or parts. If you don’t like our estimate about what we believe your job needs, then we may not be the right business for you. You may not be the right customer for us. There are other shops whose pricing will better meet your needs. Find them.
11. Parts, labor, or engines supplied by Thunder Works are not guaranteed to meet ANY federal or state smog emissions requirements. Some parts we provide are 'approved' as meeting CA or Federal emissions requirements. We will give you whatever documentation we've been provided with by the manufacturer for you to show the appropriate officials. But since so many factors affect a vehicle's emissions, we will not guarantee or warranty that it will pass emissions tests, documentation or not.
12. Payment Responsibility: if you bring in a job for your buddy, (relative, neighbor, co-worker, etc.) and you are the only one we are dealing with, then you are responsible for all costs incurred by the job. And you are the one who owes us. Regardless of whether your buddy gives you money to pay us or not.

By doing business with us, you agree to settle any unresolved disputes by arbitration. Arbitration will be binding on all parties and will be used to finalize all disputes with no further litigation. If a customer truly feels he/she has a valid dispute that Thunder Works can’t/won’t/doesn’t fix, arbitration is the fastest, fairest, and most logical way to FULLY resolve things. If you don’t want to agree to this, we don’t want your business.