attn: AL

[Bee]

whatever happened to your fab deal that went south...??? update us!!! some of the guys here at the shop wondered what ever happened!!! hope you dealt with it!!!

[Al]

I did talk to him two weeks ago and gave him a call yesterday.

As of right now, there is not set price. He said he cannot go below 1700, but I think I can get it down another 500. He did inflate his materials cost and shipping, so I am trying to get a quote for the materials at their highest prices in the past 6 months.

I saw that collector you made when I stopped by there a few weeks ago, but the ones he used are very high quality.



This is not the header, but you can see the collectors.

I'll call him on friday when I am done with "hell week" at school. All of my final projects are due today.

[Bee]

damn dude that is ok though.. at least he went down on price..

that collector he is using is CNCed... big money for that!!! similar if not a BURNS SS collector $$$ ... for all motor you want something like that.. what i showed you is more of a turbo-type collector.....

[Al]

Yep, it is Burns. The logo is stamped into every prefab part.

Every once in a while, I mention the situation with the expensive exhaust, but have not mentioned the guy's name other than the one time on this forum. People keep egging me to disclose, but I find it difficult to do so because he has been rather decent about the situation.

[Al]

One other thing:

After talking with a bunch of people, I'm thinking about ditching cars and going to go karts.

[Al]

Update:
He is still at $1700, which still more than I want to pay.

I offered him $1400 cash, but now he is saying that he needs more because he has stored the car for so long, but it was his choice to keep it there.

He also said he is going to start charging me $20/day on Feb 1, to hold on to it.

I am thinking about doing what you (bee) mentioned last November to get my car back to avoid these new charges (sheriff assistance (town of port w)). I could also remove the exhaust and give it back to him.

[Bee]

Update:
He is still at $1700, which still more than I want to pay.

I offered him $1400 cash, but now he is saying that he needs more because he has stored the car for so long, but it was his choice to keep it there.

He also said he is going to start charging me $20/day on Feb 1, to hold on to it.

I am thinking about doing what you (bee) mentioned last November to get my car back to avoid these new charges (sheriff assistance (town of port w)). I could also remove the exhaust and give it back to him.

AL, sometimes when you aren't treated fairly the authorities is where you need to go for help. Causing fights and stir-ups isn't a good thing in anyway. You felt you got violated in all perspectives so therefore, the law would be the next step!!! good luck!!!
really in the end it's who you really trust bro!!! If you new this guy well in the first place I bet you'd never dealt with him.... hold him to a promise before the BILL starts sky rocketing... some of the stuff we custom fabricate each customer has his/her limits we stay in and yes that is part of the consultation of that particular project. Organization and good customer service has kept us going after all these years... although some people believe otherwise... again good luck AL

[Al]

I did some research and found about a few consumer protection laws which he had broken. I could go ahead and fight this one on my own, but I'm going to take all of my emails to and from him to an attourney on Monday and retreive my car on Monday or Tuesday.

Bee. Back in November, I didn't know if your suggestions were were legal ways to deal with this situation, but it turned out that everything you mentioned was entirely legal!

The specific laws which allow for this are in the ATCP 132. They address situations of overcharging, what billing information needs to be provided, and the rights of the consumer.

In a 20/20 hindsight situation, I should have listened to my brother's former employer who had told me that there were specific reasons for laying this one guy off a few years ago. I had no idea back then that this is what he was talking about.

Back when I was in high school, I used to talk to this guy just about every day in metals class. He is well spoken and polite when he talks. If anyone met him on the street, he would seem to be a decent person. It's a very good deception technique.

[Teufelhunden]

You don't have your car back yet!?!? Sack up already.

[Al]

I had originally saved up for the amount I had expected to pay. Then he did the 3x bill, so I didn't have enough to pay for it. I tried to get the price down, but it didn't work as well as I expected since then. I made him an offer and hoped he would go for it, but that didn't work. meanwhile, I have been saving for the amount he wants, but I still don't like what he is doing with the price, so my efforts continue.

My hopes all revolved around him dropping the price. It didn't work, so now I am taking new measures. Besides, he didn't do half of the work I expected him to do (interchangeable muffler/open exhaust).

Sack up already.

IDK what that means. "pay it already"?

[Teufelhunden]

IDK what that means.

Thats obvious.

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=sack+up

[Al]

Hey man, I'm suburban, not urban.

[Teufelhunden]

Hey man, I'm suburban, not urban.

If by suburban you mean "mommy's boy", I agree.

[Al]

If by suburban you mean "mommy's boy", I agree.

Hmm. Damn you.


...Back on topic,

I just got off the phone with the guy and he is denying that there ever was a price agreement for the work. This could get ugly.

I am predicting a he-said she-said court battle. Luckily, he might find himself in a bit of a pickle because his final bill is soooooo fricken high.

[turbogarrett]

What exactly was built for what car? Header and exhaust system? If burns collectors were used and the header is a race quality piece fabbed from scratch, hell yeah it's gonna cost big $$!

[MurphysLaw88GT]

What exactly was built for what car? Header and exhaust system? If burns collectors were used and the header is a race quality piece fabbed from scratch, hell yeah it's gonna cost big $$!

Thats what i was thinking

[UnderPSI]

Did I miss what car this is going on anyway? If it is a high dollar race car then I can understand the stainless and expensive collectors. If it is a rice box of sorts why not buy some pre made header and take the car to Mufflers & Pipes or some random exhaust shop.

[Al]

1988 Acura Integra RS Improved Touring A.



Nobody makes a header for a D16A1. The ZC is a similar engine, but the D16 is a bit more powerful.

Burn's is nice, but I have no idea about how he ended up going from the original tally to this. He gave me an original price and he did not stick to it.

Did I miss what car this is going on anyway? If it is a high dollar race car then I can understand the stainless and expensive collectors. If it is a rice box of sorts why not buy some pre made header and take the car to Mufflers & Pipes or some random exhaust shop.

I went to this guy because he offered the lowest price for the work after I did some price checking with many companies. The original price was to be under $1,000, which is decent amount for a stainless header and straight pipe. A muffler was also supposed to be interchangeable with the pipe so that I could put it on the road (he didn't do that part).

I wanted stainless steel so I could avoid having to deal with corrosion, especially when I changed out the exhaust.

I sent the guy an email last night stating that he could keep the exhaust for the time being and I'l get the car out of his hands. This would not be the end of the situation, but it would make both his life and mine a bit easier. I told him that we could continue trying to figure out what to do about this situation by civil means. aka, I won't just bail out after I get my car back.

I already called for a flatbed for tomorrow, which is easier than a trailer.

[Al]

I GOT MY CAR BACK!!!

It is lacking the exhaust that he put on it and the old one is in the car.

New Problem:

He let the car sit outside in sub-zero temperatures (celsius) when the car has no antifreeze in it, just water.

*For those of you who do not know about the coolant system in race cars, you cannot use antifreeze because it makes the track slippery when the car leaks. It was still summer when I brought my car to this guy, so it has remained this way.

The radiator and hoses are all frozen. I'm letting the car thaw in the garage right now and it is beginning to leak from many different places. I know that this might not be good.

Anyway, I am still happy to have my car back!

[rally_scort]

hopefully the water didnt expand enough and wreck anything else, especially inside the block.Ive seen cars running around in the winter with only water and eventually the water freezes from sitting and pushes the freeze plugs out and sometimes, ive heard it can even wreck the block/head.Good to see you got the car back and good luck.