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SRTforums Member
Join Date: Nov 2003
Member Number: 5585
Location: Glen Burnie, MD
Posts: 21
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Darrell Cox Racing
Darrell Cox Racing
As everyone knows it is almost an extinct concept that has been long forgotten, of course I am talking about service or more importantly called “customer service.” No matter if you go to a restaurant and receive cold food, service is slow, order is wrong, or bill is incorrect, Or if you have a dealership or shop give you a quote and render service on your automobile and the problem still exists, they sell you more work than is needed (which would be very easy in our countries financial situation), or they just plain and simple do not know how to talk to a “Paying” customer, it is all reduced to how customer service is, and is accepted by us as consumers. I can tell you that all of these things went through my mind when looking for someone to help address some of my concerns and problems that existed with my SRT-4.
My experience with DCR all began with an email to Jennifer Cox at DCR. I described the various issues that I was having and hoping that someone would be able to point me in the right direction. Not long after my first email I received one back. Jennifer simply said that the first thing they would need to do is trouble shoot it and figure out why its doing what it is doing, makes perfect sense. The only problem was that I am located near Baltimore Maryland and they are located in Ridgeway, Virginia…about a 4 ½ to 5 ½ hour drive. I was stuck in a problematic situation as I would have to drive there, have it diagnosed, then they would need time for the repair. This is the point at which my experience with DCR started its upswing from good to “World Class.” I received an email from Jennifer letting me know that they would be traveling up to Maryland International Raceway for the domestic vs. imports day and that if I would like they would bring a flatbed up just to take my car back to Virginia. It sounded wonderful!! As I am sure anyone who is reading this feels like I do about my SRT…I absolutely love it!! It is my baby and I take very good care of it and because of this I did have some concerns. I did not know the person who would drive it, pick it up, ect., so I conveyed my concerns to Jennifer. In return she sent me pictures of their shop from their machine shop and dyno room to the lobby area. She also individually addressed every single concern that I was having. I arrived at the track that morning and talked to Darrell for the first time on the phone as they had not yet arrived and explained the problems that I was having Even in my first conversation with him he made me feel comfortable because of the confidence in his voice citing exactly how he was going to figure out what was wrong in addition to reassuring me that he would get my baby back to great form. I left the car their all by its self turning it over to someone I had only spoken with over the phone and contacted through email (pretty scary feeling initially).
With the untypical problem that I was having and through another person for whom I respect (Aaron from Realtune) telling me that he would have my head checked I gave DCR free reign to drive, test and anything else to figure out why the car was doing what it was doing. Darrell drove the car and could not get my symptoms to reoccur after he simply changed the thermostat. What wonderful news!! He told me about the different tests he ran and also the different places that he had driven my car and in the end told me that my bill was less than $100. How easy would it have been for Darrell to tell me that I needed a head or work to the head. How easy could he have taken a $100 bill and increased it to $2000 after I bought a head from him. Keep in mind he did also flatbed my car to Virginia and then would be rewarded by a $100 bill (t-stat, cap, pressure check, dyno check to see if he could replicate the problem there sense he could not on the street).
With the new information about it only being a thermostat, I had room for Darrell to do what EVERYONE knows him for “HORSEPOWER,” I later found out during my pickup visit its even on the banner above his Dyno “We sell horsepower.” Keeping in mind that the only work that has been done on my car is Realtunes 300whp stock setup, I asked Darrell about possibly porting my intake manifold, exhaust manifold and turbo. He said that he would not do that and that if it were him he would put an E1 on as that was what he originally had on his daily driver which would get me somewhere around 330whp to 340whp. That sounded awesome!! I decided to go with his recommendation and have had no regrets. He also cleaned a few things up under the hood and took care of a few other things that I had been meaning to do (catch cans, ect.). I had room for approximately $1000 worth of performance upgrades. Without Darrell even knowing what I was hoping my bill would be he simply said over the phone that we could call it even at $1000, music to my ears!!
The first pickup day that we had scheduled fell through due to the untimely death of Darrell and everyone at DCR’s close friend Mark (God let his soul rest in your hands). It was a very tough time for everyone. Then my 8 month old son had surgery, then Darrell and his entire family got the flu and here came within a week to the third scheduled pickup day. We arrived at DCR and no one was around (the lobby). So I walked around the back and found Kevin Van Natten. He introduced me to the DCR family and a couple guys stepped in and gave us the grand tour of the facility. We then went to the lobby and looked at the Darrell Cox timeline of accomplishment that surrounded us on the walls, impressive. Darrell came back from lunch and introduced himself. We talked about my car, other cars (as we were surrounded by hp making machines), and various other stuff. The car got finished up and Darrell put her on the dyno. Within minutes everything that has been said about Darrell being the best came to fruition from the base pull of 280hp to the last of 340hp and 343tq. Step by step he told my friends and I why and what the car was doing and how we would get the hp where it should be. The delivery and expectation that he had set had been delivered exceptionally.
More so than even my car, this is what sets the standard for what makes a business “World Class.” In my eyes and in my heart is feeling like a valued customer and not just a paycheck. it’s the people skills. Most do not possess these skills it seems now a days, but when you encounter it, you find yourself asking yourself questions like, did that just happen? I do not think that it is something that is taught in a class, as it is something that an individual is born and raised with. The specifics that I am talking about to name a few are no matter how tough things were for Darrell and DCR, he still found it important to ask about my 8 month old son during 3 separate phone calls and also in person when I first met him. They greeted my friends and I with open arms allowing us to hang out in the shop while they were working on cars, gave us a tour, explained who Darrell was and where he came from (motorcycles to srt’s). Keep in mind I was surrounded by other customers cars, there must have been 20 or 30 it seemed, and I felt that I was not just a number to him and his staff. I am a fellow who works hard for his money and does not give it away for free. However if someone earns it I feel the need to be generous when I financially can. I was “WOW’D” and therefore I felt that they earned my gratitude’s. I attempted to give Darrell and his employee who was working on my car a decent tip but Darrell would not allow that. He said, “More so than money we are here for our people,“…for our people he said. I knew that at that very moment this was a very humble and caring person no matter who you are. Right before I walked out the door he made sure that I knew if there were any problems of any kind during my trip back to Baltimore to call him and he would come and get me no matter where I was.
In conclusion, I hope that this is the standard for excellent service that all people hold businesses to as we give them our hard earned money. Be treated as a person and not a dollar sign. If you have managed to read through this entire message and take only one thing away from your time invested, remember that if you want to be treated in this manner and you want the best for your SRT, then go to Darrell Cox Racing. DCR is where you will without fail get the most value for you money in addition to “World Class” customer service.
Thank you DCR,
Your Lifetime Customer
Kevin C. Webb
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Yup... You just got beat by a NEON!!
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, he told me to follow him back to the shop and knowing that I had to get back home within that day for work, he gave me the cap off the Hot Rod drag car and i was good to go!! 
, and this was early morning AFTER a loooong night wrenching on my car! 
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