Corvette-Top Flight

First and foremost, I’ve never given a one star review. I feel it was a necessity in this case though. People need to know about the unfortunate dealings this «shop» is into and how the generally procure new customers. I’ve had multiple friends in the San Diego area go to meets where representatives of Top Flight were bad mouthing other shops but singing praises for Top Flight. Extremely unprofessional in my opinion. Usually shops will let their work speak for itself rather than resort to bad mouthing shops for new work.
This brings me to a customer of theirs that I saw at Shift-​S3ctor in California this October. Lance owns a ZL1 and frequently attended San Diego meets. After Top Flight reps bad mouthed the shop he was currently working with (Cunningham Motorsports), they told him they should inspect the vehicle. When Top Flight inspected the vehicle, they found «zip ties holding wires to the exhaust», «kinked fuel lines» and «unmounted fuel filter». Though the car seemed to be running great until that point, Lance decided it was better to go with Top Flight than a shop that does these unprofessional things outlined by Top Flight.
Lance let Top Flight fix everything and install a new clutch. Two weeks later, Lance went to Shift-​S3ctor in California. His car ended up very hurt after a couple of passes. The engine now has to be rebuilt. Lance complained the gearbox was locking him out of fifth gear (this is after Top Flight installed the new clutch). If Top Flight was aware of this shops shotty work, why would they let him push the car so hard? Why wouldn’t they fix all problems first and make sure their customer was taken care of? Seems awfully coincidental that two weeks after Top Flight has the car, it needs a new motor.
Cunningham Motorsports (the shop that Top Flight maintains is a unprofessional and inexperienced shop) walked away with 5 trophies at Shift-​S3ctor this passed October including the world record for a N/​A vehicle. Top Flight walked away with a blown up car and nothing to show for it.
Be very careful and do your research when considering a shop to take your car. Words are just that, words. Check results and real world data first!

This place really took care of my C4. They lifted my C4 Corvette back to stock. The prior owner took it to some other Corvette shop which did a hack job and slammed the hell out of the suspension. Top Flight raised it back to stock and did an excellent job! I’ll be back when it’s time to do some major work.

I brought a diff in for a gear swap and the parts I provided disappeared shortly after. Lawton at first insisted the gears were wrong for the application, and several other stall tactics before I confronted him in person. Unfortunately this ratio is available from the factory only, is discontinued and hard to find. He later find a worn out set for me, and I took it to Pro Gear for the work. They warned me due to the wear they’d be noisy and they were right. In hindsight I should have just called the police.

Top Flight Corvette is a LIFE-​SAVER! Marvin K Brown misdiagnosed issues with my 2005 Cadillac XLR. They wanted $ 4900 to replace the magnetic ride control shocks, as well as another $ 1500 to replace the rear control arms and rear spring. Top Flight was able to properly diagnose the REAL issue and repair it for $ 200!!! It’s a family-​run business, and they absolutely know their stuff. I will no longer go to MKB, and will have all future repair and maintenance work performed at Top Flight. Wish I would have discovered them earlier before being robbed by the dealership. If you have a GM car– this is the place to go in San Diego!
April 02, 2015 update– very happy with the 90k service– changed my transmission, rear diff, and coolant fluids. Price was much better than dealership, and they didn’t try to up-​sell any unnecessary services or repairs. A+++

Great service if you have a GM vehicle bring it to top flight. They have to be the best shop I’ve ever been to. Thanks for the great service

Top Flight has real mechanics and are genuine Corvette /​LS platform experts. Took care of a C5 bolt lowering job for me in just a couple of hours, although the money I paid for a suspension lube was wasted; on the C5, creaks pretty much only come from the stabilizer bar bushings, which I had to remove and Super Lube myself. Simple job, and he should have done it– not charge me to spray grease all over the outside of various links. Lost a couple stars on that one. But overall a good solid shop, although I personally won’t be back.

I would never trust these guys again! They are shady and do poor work.
DO NOT RISK YOUR HEALTH with these guys.!!
(see my last comments)
I took my car into the last summer to have work done on my exhaust. I went with these guys based of other good reviews i saw on Unilocal,plus the fact they were the only people i could find locally that could do 4in piping. When I first met these guys I felt pretty comfortable with them, they seemed friendly and knowledgeable however…
This is my experience with them:
Issue #1 I had wanted them to install test pipes so that I could swap my cat out when I wanted to track my car. I was quoted a price and told they would use 4 bolt flanges, and that they would have to buy new 12 foot 4in pipe for the install. I dropped off my car and came back a few hours later. They never bought any new piping (which I was charged for something like 125). They used 3 bolt flanges in stead of the 4 bolt ones they told me they were going to use.
Issue #2 Their welding job was poor. They melted part of the outer casing to catalytic converter. Welds were very sloppy. I was there when he was just finishing up the job and did the final welds, cat’ converter install. After everything was bolted back onto the car they never preformed any leak tests. They just simply lowered the car and handed me the keys.
Issue #3 And this is the BIG ONE! I drove my car around for the next to days to get a feel for the work they did on the car. After driving the car for about 30 minutes I would get home with CRAZY headaches. I took the car back to their garage and informed them about what I was smelling and the headaches I was getting. I talked with Lawton Jr. and he swore his welds were PERFECT! and it would probably a leak from my headers. I sat their and argued with the guy and he gave me this attitude that he really didn’t care. He quickly tried the jack up the car to take a look at the welds and still claimed his work was flawless and the problem I was smelling had nothing to do with his work.
So fast forward a few months later. I decide to do some work on my exhaust and after i lift up my car i do just a simple visual inspection on the pipes. I notice that 1 gasket is practically disintegrating and i could see pieces falling out. I take my car to Miramar base and throw my car on their lifts. I pull the test pipes and inspect both gaskets. The rear gasket was in perfect shape but the front one was cracked and breaking apart, you could see where carbon was leaking from the gasket. there was heavy deposits of carbon.
Granted I dont know everything about cars but I’ve never seen a gasket go bad that quick. So he either purposely put in a cracked gasket or broke it during his installation. Either way he put no care in his work and put the safety of my health and the health of anyone that rides in my car at risk!
Carbon monoxide was slowly leaking into my car, and poisoning me they didn’t care. I would recommend that you NEVER trust these people.

Top Flight is the ultimate Corvette mechanic in San Diego. Lawton, Lawton Jr, and Dom are not just some of the nicest mechanics that I have met in my life, but they are so welcoming that I would come here just to hang out with them if they were located closer to me in OB!
When I first moved to San Diego, I needed to adjust my ride height so I could navigate this lovely California infrastructure without bottoming out everywhere. Called up Top Flight for an appointment and came in the following day. Before even talking about my car, Lawton spent an hour introducing me to everyone in the shop (including their cuddly shop dog), showing me every single station they had in the garage, letting me in on some of their current high-​horsepower projects, and simply making both my girlfriend and I feel comfortable and welcome. Lawton has many incredibly funny stories – ask him about bringing his first Corvette to school and having to have his teacher park it, or ask him about the time he was heading to Las Vegas with his son – both are classics. This is the only shop my girlfriend will actually come with me to!
So far, I’ve had several modifications and repairs done to my car here, including aluminum «scrape» rails, repair of my scratched up rocker panels, replacement of both of my oil pan gaskets (they even cleaned the leaked oil off my engine!), and a small repair with my a/​c compressor. They even offer «road maps» of modifications you could do to your car for any route you want to go and they mail them to your home address! Exceptional customer service that I’ve never experienced anywhere else.
The only thing I wish is that they had more space in the shop. Due to my work schedule, I have to tackle rush hour on the 805 to drop off and pick up my car and it would be nice if I could leave it locked up and inside their shop overnight, but the trouble is absolutely 110% worth. I will not take my car anywhere else in this state or adjacent states – Lawton has gone above and beyond to earn my repeat business.
Lawton is originally from Hawaii and I believe he and his wife have plans to go back and retire their someday in the next few decades. Support this business so they can realize their dream!

Don’t let the name fool you Top Fight Corvette Inc. doesn’t just work on Corvettes, they work on anything in-​need of some extra horsepower or routine maintenance. From American Muscle to European hot rods, Top Flight Corvette Inc. does top notch craftsmanship and their knowledge of all things gear head is unmatched to any performance/​service shop in town.
Lawton, Lawton Jr. and Dominic (Dom) fabricated a custom exhaust system (hi-​flow cats & DynoMax Bullet muffler) on my 07 Charger R/​T. What was stock is now SICK! A noticeable difference in performance and the difference in sound is a no brainier. The entire staff is welcoming, full of knowledge and willing to answer any questions you have. If your looking to get more power out of you classic or modern muscle or you need some maintenance save yourself some time and call Top Flight Corvette Inc.
No Payola/​Plugola was involved in the writing of this review…5 out of 5 Hammers… HAMMER APPROVED!!!
(shop visited week of 6.3.13)

Whether you know everything about cars, or you know nothing about cars, at top flight corvette it makes no difference. Everyone that walks through the door gets the same great customer service, honest treatment, and fair prices.
I was in a pinch and needed to get an oil change done on my Z06, and for one of the few times in my life that I didn’t work on my own car & had to take it to a shop, my expectations were surpassed (& with something as simple as an oil change on a dry-​sump oil system). From oil changes, sway bar /​suspension upgrades, to fully built blown motors, they can dial in any ride any way you want it.
If you want a shop that knows what they’re doing and stands behind their work, call the guys at Top Flight Corvette, you won’t be disappointed.

I would be very careful about trusting them with anything of mine. BE CAREFUL!

Extremely knowledgeable in every aspect of corvettes and car performance in general. If you’re looking for regular maintenance, modifications, advice, problem diagnosis, or custom work, they can do it all. They know what car performance is really about, whether it’s street or track. It’s the only place I take my z06

If you want an experience mechanic with great technical knowledge of your Corvette, see Lawton and his son. Great human beings and they work hard for the customer. And yeah! they think outside the box, vs Chevrolet dealerships who simply replace parts, working or not… The Top Flight Corvette Team takes a bit longer than the Chevy dealerships, but they do a ton more. Be patient. Best of all, they are reasonably priced. Thanks Lawton and Lawton Jr.

Family owned business. 5-​star customer service.
I went to Corvette-​Top Flight to fill up on NOS. Lady at the front desk gave me a few tips, which are much appreciated!
1. Call ahead to make sure nitrous oxide is available, as they run out fast and may take a few days for a new batch.
2. You can put your bottle in the fridge, otherwise when you come you may have to wait 30 minutes for them to cool the bottle before filling.
I noticed some nice cars they are working on too.
Great shop!