bad shop rant...

payam972

payam972

Experienced Member
Joined
4 September 2008
Messages
906
i just want to know if im overreacting here or if im justified in being livid. 2 weeks ago, i took my car to a reputable shop in dallas for my stoptech bbk install. i brought the spacers too for my wheels, i had to custom make new hub rings for it to work. i took them to a machine shop and a week and a half later they were ready. i pick them up, take them to the shop and there my car is sitting in the same exact spot Outside-never moved the whole time. all the dirt and grime all over it, because it had snowed last week. of course im furious because they had given me their word that my car would be inside every night. he goes on trying to explain that they only have two bays and they were filled at night. i look around and all i see are cheap old bmws. nothing over 10-15k. at this point i feel lied to and disrespected, i tell them if its not ready today i will pick it up myself at night. its going to snow again tonight.

am i wrong for thinking this? what would you think if your X sat outside in the wide open ungated area every night when you had been promised it would be inside? IMO thats very bad business and i wont take my business there anymore, nor will i have anything good to say about them. thoughts?
 
decaf, decaffeinated
 
payam972 said:
i just want to know if im overreacting here or if im justified in being livid. 2 weeks ago, i took my car to a reputable shop in dallas for my stoptech bbk install. i brought the spacers too for my wheels, i had to custom make new hub rings for it to work. i took them to a machine shop and a week and a half later they were ready. i pick them up, take them to the shop and there my car is sitting in the same exact spot Outside-never moved the whole time. all the dirt and grime all over it, because it had snowed last week. of course im furious because they had given me their word that my car would be inside every night. he goes on trying to explain that they only have two bays and they were filled at night. i look around and all i see are cheap old bmws. nothing over 10-15k. at this point i feel lied to and disrespected, i tell them if its not ready today i will pick it up myself at night. its going to snow again tonight.

am i wrong for thinking this? what would you think if your X sat outside in the wide open ungated area every night when you had been promised it would be inside? IMO thats very bad business and i wont take my business there anymore, nor will i have anything good to say about them. thoughts?
Click to expand...

Are you over reacting? Yes and No. :rolleyes:

1. If the shop owner promised you that the car would remain inside, then it should have.

2. It doesn't matter if they were cheap BMWs, if a shop only has two bays and they are in the middle of working on them then it is completely unrealistic to think they would move them outside to put your car inside. What if one or both of the cars was immovable due to work being performed? It would also be unrealistic for you to believe that they would take up one of their two bays to "store" your car for a week and half if it means they couldn't work on a car that needed to be worked on while your car was awaiting parts.

3. A car sitting out in the snow is not going to be "ruined" it is only needs to be washed and detailed again. THE CAR DOES NOT MELT IF IT GET RAINED OR SNOWED ON.

4. See #1. The shop owner shouldn't have promised something that he couldn't follow through on. Was the request unrealistic on your part? For a shop with two bays, yes. The shop owner shouldn't have made the promise.
 
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CL65 Captain said:
Are you over reacting? Yes and No. :rolleyes:

1. If the shop owner promised you that the car would remain inside, then it should have.

2. It doesn't matter if they were cheap BMWs, if a shop only has two bays and they are in the middle of working on them then it is completely unrealistic to think they would move them outside to put your car inside. What if one or both of the cars was immovable due to work being performed? It would also be unrealistic for you to believe that they would take up one of their two bays to "store" your car for a week and half if it means they couldn't work on a car that needed to be worked on while your car was awaiting parts.

3. A car sitting out in the snow is not going to be "ruined" it is only needs to be washed and detailed again. THE CAR DOES NOT MELT IF IT GET RAINED OR SNOWED ON.

4. See #1. The shop owner shouldn't have promised something that he couldn't follow through on. Was the request unrealistic on your part? For a shop with two bays, yes. The shop owner shouldn't have made the promise.
Click to expand...

you truly are the voice of reason. good man :smile:
 
synth19 said:
CL65 Captain- the voice of reason.
Click to expand...

If I owned the shop, I would have told the guy straight up. Look I only have two bays. If I have an empty bay at the end of the night, then yes I will make sure your car is inside. However, I can't forgo one of my bays unless you want to pay for each day of lost work while we store your car inside.

However, if you are talking about a dealer that has TONS of inside area and you find that your car has been sitting outside for a week just because they are lazy, then yes I would be pissed.
 
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CL65 Captain said:
If I owned the shop, I would have told the guy straight up. Look I only have two bays. If I have an empty bay at the end of the night, then yes I will make sure your car is inside. However, I can't forgo one of my bays unless you want to pay for each day of lost work while we store your car inside.

However, if you are talking about a dealer that has TONS of inside area and you find that your car has been sitting outside for a week just because they are lazy, then yes I would be pissed.
Click to expand...

id say there is space for about 8 cars inside...it just bothered me how it hasnt even been moved
 
Why did you leave it there in the first place? Just curious.
 
drop your car off when all the parts are in.

If my NSX needs some work, I go in the shop/dealer order what they will need to complete the work that day,leave and when the parts arrive I drop the car off, as we all know 99% of NSX parts have to be ordered and takes days to get here.

so your Brake Upgrade probably wasnt VITAL to the car driving and when your Custom parts were made at the machine shop weeks later get the new parts and drop the car off so they could complete the job in one day.

NEVER leave your car Overnight Anywhere for no reason.

its only safe at your house period.

now the Shop Owner said they would pull the car in every night. well they didnt again its not their car why would they care if it gets snow on it?

and back to what was posted earlier if the 2 bays were being used and those cars for example had no engines in them and cant be moved.

whats the owner to do?

now you could have left a car cover or something to help protect your car.

I dont know who is really at fault you or the shop owner I think both.

my 2 cents

but life is to short to worry about having to wash and wax your car again.

and any damage to the paint should come out of the shop owner some how.
 
Well, I think CL Captain is spot on. Sounds like the communication about putting it inside overnight should have been more clear - if the guy said he promised to do so (with no caveats) then I'd be pissed.

To date the Acura dealer locally has done the only "overnight" work on my car. They promised, guaranteed, that they would put it in every night. Just to check, I drove up there after 9pm one time and sure enough, they had it tucked inside, nice and safe. I slept like a baby :redface: Jay
 
CL65 Captain said:
3. A car sitting out in the snow is not going to be "ruined" it is only needs to be washed and detailed again. THE CAR DOES NOT MELT IF IT GET RAINED OR SNOWED ON.
Click to expand...

SFNSXguy said:
Are you sure about this?

I need more data.

:wink:
Click to expand...

Ya, pretty sure they don't melt. :)

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I think I'd be upset if mine was left outside as well. But to insure that it doesn't, I ALWAYS emphasize that I am VERY particular about the car being left outside in the elements. So this type of thing doesn't happen. If you were very clear with him about this as well, then I would be very upset!

As for not having all the parts there, then that's definitely fault on your end. I would see why they wouldn't start on your car without having those parts there. Why would they start on a car without having all the parts there? Especially if they only have two bays. This would tie up half their working space for what sounds like 2 weeks or they would have twice the work on their hands by having to complete the project with the parts on hand and then have to go back and install the newly arrived parts.

Just my 2 cents... and that maybe all it's worth LOL :rolleyes:
 
I don't know about you guys, but I could care less about the elements; it's the thieves that scare me!

Now explain why the brake job wasn't done. Because you didn't have hubcentric rings??? WTF does that have to do with the brakes? Your car should have been finished, ready for you to pick up, which you should have done. Drive home, then slap the rings in 2 weeks later. Hubcentric rings don't make or break anything. They are "barely" even necessary. A lot of guys on here drive without them because they have no clue that they need them. Okay, maybe not Primers, but your layman NSX owner.
 
payam972 said:
they said they couldnt let me take it until the correct parts got in, because they could be liable if the wheel bolts broke without the hubcentric spacer rings.
Click to expand...


That is the biggest line of TOTAL B.S. that I have ever heard in my life, it really shows how stupid these guys are.

Wheel bolts (btw "bolts" are only on german car mostly) breaking off because of no hubcentric rings??? What about the literally millions of cars on the road that do not have hubcentric wheels - if what they say were true, you'd see nothing but broken off wheels littering the highways left and right...

Ridiculous.
 
I have a 2 bay shop. I can totally understand the liabilty and wanting too be 100% positive there WHEEL not be any problems, (pun intended). I have seen many crappy ricer wannabe tuner cars with improper spacing and missing centering rings. I have lug studs broken off, and tire worn in a horrible way.

First off, I wouldnt leave my nsx anywhere at night with no security at all. It is good that the car was dirty and hasnt been driven to lunch everyday.

The shop owner sucks since he promised to bring your car inside each night. I have a 2 bay shop and customers with nice Hondas and Acuras often request that their car be kept inside. If I tell them I will park it inside, then i do it. I couldnt imagine leaving such a fine car outside to get vandalized.

Most lifts are side post. That means even if you have a down car on the lift, you can raise it up and park another car under it. That means 4 cars can be parked in 2 bays.

I would go somewhere else, this place sounds wacky. Look for an independent honda, acura or lexus shop. Most techs have done the dealer thing and have much more experience than the average guy at a dealership.
 
angus said:
That is the biggest line of TOTAL B.S. that I have ever heard in my life, it really shows how stupid these guys are.

Wheel bolts (btw "bolts" are only on german car mostly) breaking off because of no hubcentric rings??? What about the literally millions of cars on the road that do not have hubcentric wheels - if what they say were true, you'd see nothing but broken off wheels littering the highways left and right...

Ridiculous.
Click to expand...

+1

"I legally can't let you drive like this" = TOTAL BULLSHIT
 
1. Don't take your car to a shop without ALL the parts. What is the point of having a car sitting around if it is not being worked on? Don't let the shop touch the car unless they intend on putting it on the lift and finishing the job. Not having parts is the owners fault for not planning ahead. Custom or not parts can be made without having your car sit in a lot for days. The shop is there to run a business not sit on their hands. Whatever the reason or excuse I would say it's your car and responsibility.

2. Take your car to a shop that primarily works on the NSX not a shop that works on low end vehicles. Typically a shop that is working on lower end cars is not going to treat your vehicle much different. At least take it to a reputable shop that will be straight forward with you.

From personal experience I made sure the shop had everything down to the last part before they touched my car. That way my car enteres the shop, placed on the lift, and as soon as it comes off I have paid and am driving away. Considering that I also had my car in a small shop, engine dropped, full major, etc., done in 4 days, everything I have stated is not two far off from reasonable.
 
Some of you may remember a couple of years ago when I kept breaking studs on the rear at the track - including ARP studs. I mean, I broke 2 studs on one side and one on the other during a single session. Wheels were Enkei RFP01 with 275 Nitto NT01 R comps. Replaced the studs at the track, PITA, went out and broke another one.

The problem ended up being the hubcentric rings. I removed the rings and never broke another stud again. So to say that you can't drive a car without the proper hubcentric ring is BS.
 
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Juice said:
I don't know about you guys, but I could care less about the elements; it's the thieves that scare me!

Now explain why the brake job wasn't done. Because you didn't have hubcentric rings??? WTF does that have to do with the brakes? Your car should have been finished, ready for you to pick up, which you should have done. Drive home, then slap the rings in 2 weeks later. Hubcentric rings don't make or break anything. They are "barely" even necessary. A lot of guys on here drive without them because they have no clue that they need them. Okay, maybe not Primers, but your layman NSX owner.
Click to expand...

they said that without the rings, the car would be sitting on the bolts therefore if something happened and they broke...they could be liable.
 

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