Carriage House Auto Restorations

I can’t say enough good things about Fluid Motor Union. Every single time I bring my car in, I’m met with kindness, honesty, and genuine care. They take the time to explain everything clearly, never make me feel rushed, and always make sure the job is done right. It’s rare to find people you can truly trust with your car, and I honestly wouldn’t go anywhere else. Their professionalism, attention to detail, and friendly attitude make the entire experience stress-free. You can tell they genuinely care about their customers, not just the work. If you’re looking for reliable service from people who treat you like family, this is the place. I’m so grateful to have found them and highly recommend them to anyone looking for top-quality work and even better people!

I had custom exhaust work, a tune, blow-off valves, and a lowering kit installed at Fluid MotorUnion, and the experience exceeded every expectation. OJ is a genius and a perfectionist in the best sense of the word. He and his team are not satisfied until the work is right. Not “good enough,” not “close,” but right. Every detail mattered, and it showed in both the process and the final result. What sets Fluid MotorUnion apart is how they collaborate with you. They listen, challenge ideas when it makes sense, explain options clearly, and work with you to achieve your vision rather than pushing a preset solution. If you care about quality, craftsmanship, and working with a shop that treats your vehicle like their own, I highly recommend Fluid MotorUnion. This is where you go when you want it done right.

$12k, 14 months, the main problems not fixed, several thousand dollars in additional damage caused, and no desire to take accountability for their mistakes was my experience. Note, no response to this review. I tried to resolve my issue with Fluid Motorunion before posting this, but they never called me back and I was only able to speak with them if I dropped in. At first they pretended to care and said they had insurance, then told me their insurance wouldn't cover the problems because of the amount of time that had passed, then "we want to make it right," and finally, why didn't you tell us sooner. I took my 98 M3 Turbo to Fluid Motorunion after a problematic custom turbo build at another shop. The car was stalling occasionally and the check engine light was coming on for a cylinder misfire every 100 - 200 miles. They did a complete inspection and were able to fix a few of the easier items they discovered along the way, like replacing a control arm and bushing, but I received the car back with the same problems 14 months and $12k later. Here are the details: Fluid Motorunion sighted I had a head gasket leak. They sold me a stage 3 cylinder head that they said belonged to one of their customers who had bought it for a project, but never used it. I said no, but after waiting 6 months for parts on back order from VAC I agreed and asked for the original receipts. Donny told me they had no receipts, but I agreed anyway with the promise they'd send me lots of pictures. I asked for the pictures several times over the next few months and was finally told, oops, we already put the engine back together. I was upset to say the least, but the worst is yet to come. When I picked up the car, the rear seat was not installed, the fog light was dragging on the ground and the engine oil catch can filter was smashed, like someone had leaned on it. I also experienced the same issues of stalling and the check engine light coming on. At this point I felt Fluid Motorunion was not going to be able to resolve my issues and I was wasting my time and money there. I did a lot of research and was lucky to find CES Motorsports in Monroe, NC. Here's a quote from the owner, John at CES about what he found when he opened up my motor: "We pulled the motor and broke it down and have news… I have pics attached. The cylinder head is built, but not quite ideally. The valves are upgraded, and upgraded retainers, but when the cams were installed, they must have stripped a couple of the stud holes that hold the cam trays and bridges in place, and they ended up tapping the head and installing bigger and also different threaded studs to try and fix their mistake. These bigger studs also required them to bore out the cam bridge holes to a larger size to fit the bigger studs, and they were also tapped crooked. To make matters worse, the cam journals in some areas are heavily scored with pretty deep scratches in them, which would suggest the motor was never primed properly when it was cranked, and damaged them before oil could get up to the cams to lubricate them. Or there was excessive debris in the motor when it was built and broken in." So YES, the head Fluid Motorunion sold me for $2400, $6,416 installed, was leaking, and more importantly not useable because of it's condition. Maybe the head was already a mess from the customer and they didn't see it, or maybe they did the damage themselves. I don't know. HERE'S THE BEST PART. I emailed the owner Marilyn with this information and received no reply. When I called a couple of weeks later she was very apologetic about everything and asked me to give her a couple of days so she could investigate the matter and told me that they had insurance for this sort of thing. It’s been 2.5 months - I've sent multiple emails and left voice mails, but received no response. Now when I call Fluid Motorunion, the phone goes straight to voicemail. Maybe they can do good bolt on mods or custom exhausts, but I would never take my car there again solely because they won't even discuss their mistakes.