Kaizen Tuning

Kaizen Tuning has an awesome mechanic (Malcolm) but their customer service and management are absolutely horrible, to say the least. The service manager is an arrogant bastard with an attitude problem. Scott, the owner, is very partial towards customers, depending on what car you drive, or how much money you’re spending at his shop. Whoever usually picks up the phone at Kaizen is also not doing a very good job either because they usually never call back after they say «I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.» Their parts and labor are seriously way overpriced than a lot of other places around, and in addition to that, they like to charge you more hours than they actually worked on the car. I know this because, unknown to the service manager (who wrote the bill), one time I was actually waiting at their shop. It took no more than 3 hours for Malcolm to swap my brake pads and bleed the brakes but on the bill I was charged for 4.5 hours of labor. And every time I take my own parts to them, they don’t seem to like it too much because I didn’t buy it from them. And they try to push their piece of crap Sakura parts on you. I do acknowledge the fact that if you want any real jdm goodies immediately in MA, these guys are your best bet. However, personally I just hate giving my money away to these guys because I don’t think what they have to offer comes remotely close to what they charge you. Last but not least, the parts prices they offered me on the phone were a couple hundred dollars more expensive than what they had listed on their website, and they can’t really tell me exactly why. Go figure.

Ever since I got my 350z I’ve been running into problems. My car is supercharged and has a lot of work done to it. The guys here or more than familiar with tuners and imports and are very professional. Enough good things can’t be said about them. They are a little pricey but you get what you pay for without a doubt! Two thumbs up.

I can’t say enough good things about Kaizen Tuning.
In the year that I lived in New England, the People at Kaizen and the people I’ve met at Kaizen events are what I will miss the most about the area. As a shop, Kaizen was a multiplying factor in the enjoyment of my vehicle during my time in New England. From routine service to modification and tuning, they have consistently delivered a fantastic customer experience.
The personal touch is something that comes down to the people at Kaizen. As you’ll learn with just a little bit of Google searching, Kaizen’s knowledge, accountability, and friendliness has fostered a very loyal fanbase of advocates of their work. Although I’ve moved across the country, I still order parts from Kaizen when possible in an attempt to keep supporting this fantastic team and their efforts to promote passion for motorsport across the country.

I am extremely anal about who is allowed to drive my car, much less work on it. There are very few people out there who genuinely care about your car as much as you do.
The folks at Kaizen Tuning are one of those people that I have come to trust. When I drop off my car to have some new parts installed and tuned, I don’t worry for a second that the mechanics will perform a second rate job and abuse my vehicle. I don’t worry that they will take my car out for joy rides outside of what is needed to ensure their job has been completed properly.
At many shops, you are simply treated as «that guy» with «that car». No one knows your name, and you are nothing more than a person with a wallet looking to hand over some money. At Kaizen, everyone from the sales staff, to the mechanics, and even the owner, puts forth the effort to get to know both you AND your car.
Scott, the owner, is a very honest man that will never try to sell you something you don’t need for your application. He’s not going to try to sell you a triple plate clutch for your stock power car nor would he recommend you slap on a gigantic turbo onto your stock motor car. He’s the driver of the shop’s Time Attack winning Evo X too, so don’t assume that he doesn’t know anything about racing.
As far as the labor goes, don’t expect to pay cut rate labor rates. Why? Because you aren’t paying Joe Schmoe from down the street to build your motor based on his experience fixing lawnmowers. You are paying for a premium level of service from a shop that has pumped out an insane number of fast Evo’s, GT-R’s, STi’s, etc. The results don’t lie. I challenge you to find one person that hasn’t been satisfied with the quality of work performed on their cars. They don’t exist — the car doesn’t leave the shop until it’s perfect, and if by some anti-​miracle something isn’t right, Kaizen will take care of it.
Picking the right shop for your car is no easy feat. That is why I encourage you to visit the shop, talk to the people working there, and talk to some of their many happy customers before you make your decision. Tell them Vince sent you :)

There’s so much to say about KT this one review will not do it justice.
I have been going to KT for 4 years now, at least a few times a month, and can say without a doubt this is the best shop in the North East. I’m about as anal as the come when it comes to my car so its been really comforting knowing my baby is always in good hands.
If you’re thinking of doing business with KT, do this. Go to their new 8,000 sqft facility and meet the sales staff. They will take the time to help you set your goals and direct you to the parts that will get you there.
Their Tuner is a very smart knowledgeable person, if you’re scared of getting tune come talk to KT. They’re philosophy on tuning is safely then performance. No one wants a blown motor so KT makes sure they spend the time needed to get your ride running faster safely. Don’t be fooled by competitors pricing, tuning is a very important and you get what you pay for.
Now, stop reading and call up /​go in. You wont regret!

I had my 2008 VW Passat upgraded with APR’s stage 1 ECU flash and an upgraded diverter valve here. The staff is awesome, I emailed Rob back and forth about the chip and DV, and he answered all of my questions, even though I asked a lot! I asked him if upgrading the DV was necessary, and he told me that it wasn’t, but that it was a good idea. He didn’t try to sell it to me, and I appreciated that. Diana at the front desk is lovely, and their new shop in Boxborough is beautiful! Ron tuned my car to a T and now I love it even more. I highly recommend Kaizen for any tune or mod you need done to your car. I’ll be coming back soon for an exhaust upgrade and maybe a stage II flash.

My recent experience with Kaizen Tuning out of Acton, MA has been so positive that I want to share.
I’ve owned a Golf TDI for about a year and have enjoyed the fine handling of the car, but on the track, it had some issues. The brakes were not strong enough for rapid braking before turns, and the suspension had a lot of body roll and under steer. I slid into a lot of corners and ended up having to replace the rear rotors after the event.
Through word of mouth I went to visit Kaizen Tuning. I met with Scott the owner, Chris and Malcom the main mechanics. Malcom started explaining to me the various things he could do to help with the cars track drivability. To some degree it sounded like a lot of things that can be done, so after discussion we decided to work on the car in stages.
We decided to deal with the suspension first, then the brakes. They replaced the front and rear sway bars with stiffer components and replaced the shocks with H&R sport cup suspension kit. As for the brakes, we ended up replacing the front pads with HP + racing/​street pads as new rotors were not yet available for this car.
Well, driving on the street I could tell the car was different and more agile. It certainly looked better too. But driving on the track is when I finally understood how good Kaizen Tuning is. The car handled like it was on rails and corned better than much more expensive cars on the track. The car had perfect balance. There was a bit of under-​steer for safety and because I have yet to get the tire upgrade they suggested. Then there was over-​steer when I needed it.
In the past, when I read car and driver I never understood when and how over-​steer can be good on a track and why a front wheel drive usually can’t get there. This week at Lime Rock I finally felt how a slight lift of the accelerator pedal allowed the car’s rear end to rotate just enough to aim toward the apex of a tight turn. It’s an amazing feeling that the guys at Kaizen made happen. Their expertise in cars is what I expect when I see a surgeon: Perfection, Knowledge and Execution.
Thank you Kaizen Tuning. See you for the wheel and tire upgrade soon.

I have nothing to say but great things about Kaizen Tuning. I have a 2010 Camaro SS/​RS that was modified by Kaizen and tuned. The car was well taken care of. wrapped the front before they even touched the car. Stand by their work 150%. Looking for more modifications to do to my car, would’t think of letting anyone else work on any of my cars, period.

Kaizen Tuning is the place to go for high performance modifications.
They can do everything from routine maintenance to full blown hypercar builds. They have developed a reputation for their work on the Nissan GTR, having built multiple 700+ HP cars, but I have also seen vintage Aston Martins and Ferrari Challenge cars lurking in their garage bays.
Scott, the owner stays up to date on all the latest parts available, and has access to hard to find JDM parts. Kaizen also hosts a very impressive open house every year, and is a big part of the local enthusiast scene. Highly recommended!