From Parking Lot to Pit Lane: How I Built ICD Tuning from Scratch and Why It’s About More Than Cars - Car Tuning in Chennai.

When people walk into ICD Tuning today, a 12,000 sq ft workshop buzzing with cars, tools, and energy, they see the results. But what they don’t always see is how it all started.

How a boy with a dream and a tool box built one of the leading Tuning and car Maintenance garage in the country!

Here’s my story, of how a rebel engineer with nothing but a credit card, a toolbox, and a dream built one of the busiest and most trusted Car Tuning and Maintenance garages in Chennai.

Not Your Typical Engineer

I’ve always been fascinated by machines — not just how they work, but why they work.

Engineering was for me but not the college that asked me to sit still and memorise formulas. I thrived in NCC, dancing, building and racing a Formula car, anything that demanded creativity, grit, and a little madness.

So I dropped out, but I never stopped learning.

A Job That Didn’t Fit

"I was good at my job, but my heart wasn’t in it.”

After graduating without a degree, I worked in a fire and safety company, climbing from product development to building fire engines for government projects. But my childhood dream was always cars. No one in the industry seemed to give me a real chance.

So I quit, with no plan, no income, just a stubborn belief that I was meant for more.

The Credit Card That Started It All

“My dad quietly handed me his credit card and said: This is all I can do for you right now. See what you can make of it.”

That single moment changed everything.I bought some tools, diagnostic gear, and started tinkering, first on my own car, then friends’ cars, then strangers’. Freelancing at garages, learning on the job, I kept going.

When my mom saw I wasn’t giving up, she finally said:“Alright. Here’s some money. Start something proper.”

From Parking Lot to Pit Lane

12,000 sq ft Garage facility in Adyar, Chennai.

“On 15th September 2016, ICD Tuning was born in a 350 sq ft parking spot at Anna Nagar.”

We started small, with maintenance and minor upgrades. Step by step, job by job, we grew. Today, ICD Tuning operates out of a 12,000 sq ft space, in the heart of the city, Adyar, home to some of India’s fastest and cleanest builds.

In 2018, we started racing and we haven’t stopped pushing boundaries since.

Why I Do What I Do

I couldn’t find anyone who really knew what they were talking about, so I became that someone

I take pride in educating customers, explaining what’s really happening with their cars, why maintenance matters, and how tuning should be done properly, not just flashily.

Over the years, this passion to educate has grown beyond just customers.

The Bigger Picture

This field deserves true heroes and I want to help create them.

I’m now committed to teaching the next generation, shaping skilled, ethical technicians who respect the craft.I dream of building a clean car culture in India, where mechanics are professionals, and the heroes of this industry are celebrated, whether in service centres, independent garages, or running their own ventures.

Final Thoughts

If my journey proves anything, it’s that you don’t need perfect circumstances, you just need to start, and surround yourself with the right people.

I built ICD Tuning on trust: From my dad, who supported me when no one else did. From my mom, who now proudly tells everyone how I built this from scratch. From my friends, who let me experiment on their cars when all I had was a toolbox and a dream. From my team, who stand by me every single day to make ICD Tuning what it is.

My Partner in Crime, Vinod John

Every great journey needs someone to walk it with, and for me, that has been Vinod John, my best friend of 18 years.

John officially joined me in 2019 as a partner, and ever since, he has been an irreplaceable part of ICD Tuning’s story. More than just a business partner, he’s my source of stress and my stress relief. Together we’ve laughed through the chaos, argued through the pressure, and kept each other grounded.

We’re the kind of friends who can be found working late at the garage one night and on a spontaneous long drive the next, whether it’s a business trip, someone’s wedding, or a vacation, we love being on the road together.

John has driven me insane at times, but he’s also the reason I haven’t completely lost my mind. His ability to lighten the mood when things get tough, and his quiet loyalty when it really matters, have been priceless.

At ICD Tuning, we work hard, but with John around, we also remember to have fun, during and after work. And that, I believe, is part of why this place feels like more than just a workshop.

And Above All, My Lovely Wife Shivani

She’s been patient with me through the late nights I spend at the garage, the early mornings before races, the endless weekends at the track, the trips away from home chasing dreams. She adjusted, supported, and gave me the space to grow into who I am today, never once making me feel like I had to choose between my passion and my family.

My Lovely Wife Shivani.

Her patience, love, and quiet strength have been my anchor through the chaos.

To her, I owe more than words can express, for believing in me when I was just a boy with a dream, and for walking every step of this journey with me.

Thank you.

Whether you’re here for your car or your career, welcome to my world. Let’s build something incredible together.