adidashatesnike

iTrader: (1)

I haven't been an active member since 04 when my FD was put on hold due to a frame bending hit to a poll. I have been slowly collecting bits and pieces on a slim budget including a nearly new motor and tranny with only 13k original miles. I took the 87k motor out that was not yet blown, but smoking on startup. I removed as many body pieces necessary and had a guy named Lois Lopez who does body work, also an uncle to a fellow FD owner that I was neighbors with for a bit, pick the car up and take it to his "shop" in Sarasota, Florida (an hour from me). He seemed to be on task at first keeping me updated with progress and letting me know that things were going well. It has been 5 months since he has had the car at an undisclosed location. He tells me that the car will be on my drive way on Sunday then its Wednesday well lets plan on next Sunday. Now I'm lucky to even get him on the phone for 2 minutes. I don't want to report the car stolen for fear of what it will do to my title or insurance rates for that matter, but I'm getting nowhere with this guy and I have no leverage. I owe him 600 on delivery but, that doesn't motivate him. It just sucks because the car doesn't have a motor in it so I'm sure hes not trying to steal it hes just lazy. Bash me for being to trusting or sympathize with me either way pray for my MB FD.

tuto88t2

why dont u try calling ur insurance and find out wat would happen if you reported a car stolen...or if you get someone kool on the phone explain to them the situation and see wat they say..it wouldnt hurt to find out.. other than that...IDK gl

BoostCrzy

go get your car yourself....take the loss....at least you keep your car. There are plenty of honest shops that can assist.

Hazard15301

iTrader: (5)

There are two things in life you never want to say "Oh well, **** it" to.

1.) Your car.
2.) The one girl at the party with a suspiciously deep voice and a protruding adam's apple.

You should call the guy and demand to know what's going on. Be polite, but firm. If he still dodges your questions, let him know that you are prepared to take legal action if you don't get some kind of turnaround soon. If he still gives you the run around, I would take action and not think twice about it. What if he really is trying to rip you off? Every second you delay could make it worse in the end. You should call him, and let him know that if he doesn't explain what the situation is with your car, that you will take some sort of action. I would also call your insurance company and just talk to someone about your options. You could also try the local police department as well. You don't have to make any claims or anything, just find out what would be the best course of action.

NE_rotary

damn there is always someone trying to f*** over the honest guy.
i would talk to the police and then your insurance agent and tell them the story but dont report anything, like hazard said ask them what the best course of action would be...
good luck to you, dont let the fd go whatever you do.

Red95FD

iTrader: (3)

Give the police his phone number and they will get your car for free.

bajaman

Uh....first of all I would almost bet this car isn't even around anymore, sadly.

Second of all, you have identified a person by name (Lois..or is it LOUIS?....Lopez) in a public forum so...be careful there.

An hour's drive away, yet....you have never known the location of this 'shop'?

Oh boy....does anyone else think this ISN'T going to have a happy ending?

My advice would be to call the dude one more time and say, "I am concerned about my car, I want to see it...TODAY. If I don't see it today, I will be contacting the police who will visit you. Please...let's not get into expensive legal action here...neither of us want this."

Good luck man...but....I think you no longer have a car.

chinaman

You owe him $600. I'm sure he's not bringing you your car for free so, rent a tow truck, get your car and pay him his money minus the towing fee.

mrjohnnnys

iTrader: (1)

haha weird i have a montego blue FD that a similar situation went like this too. they pretty much put my car off for about 6 months, BSing me by telling me i had to find missing stock parts for them, cuz it would be cheaper, which was true, but still i just kept hassling them, and finally after 7 months i got my car, and they did a horribly shitty job, they molested my engine bay. thats why il never trust another person under the hood of my cars. il learn everything i have to to do it myself.

hurleysurf24

iTrader: (3)

eh ive been going through this on my fc build for 8 mnths now

F1blueRx7

iTrader: (5)

It shouldn't be hard to find his shop. You could always just ask him. Tell him you're on your way to pick it up cause you've run out a patience. Hell, you're saving him the trip.

IRPerformance

iTrader: (41)

What every happened to honest businesspersons? You never get far ahead by scamming people. In the long run people will see you for who you are. A successful business is much better built on customer satisfaction and reputation. I would definitely state that you want to see the car. If he give you the runaround I would contact the authorities.

spekdah

Do what I did when a workshop f**ked me around with my FD. I rocked up to their workshop with my two brothers ( both of which have a combined weight of about 240kgs and stand 6 foot + ) and threatened the mechanic with a steering lock . Needles to say they dont f**k me around no more.

scotty305

iTrader: (2)

1. Shame on you for letting your car be taken to an "undisclosed location." Why didn't you drop it off yourself? Did you get a written estimate? If so, it should include a shop name and address. If not, this should have been a bit of a red flag... I guess you can consider this a learning experience.

2. Find the person who introduced you to this shop and tell them that you'd like to go see how your car is doing. If he does anything other than help you find the shop, it might be time to start getting suspicious. It's safe to assume that your former neighbor knows where his uncle's shop is, he probably brought his RX-7 there for work.


There are usually two sides to every story, let's play devil's advocate for a moment. Did this guy give you a very cheap price? If so, he may need to spend most of his time working on other cars to pay the bills. That is the problem with "special deals," some people may feel like they don't owe you the same level of customer service or timeliness.

BigWillieStyles

what else do you know about him? Sounds like you have more than enough info to track this car down.

Call him up and tell him you wana come check the car. If he refuses to give an address, call the Police!

Super77

Spot on concur with the comment above.

Call him and tell him you want to pay him the $600 and see the car. Take the tow truck and get the car!!

Good luck and keep us posted.

Super77

wolf_9782

ouch sounds like a nightmare, you have my blessings. dont mean to put you down man but if you going to hand your car over for repairs the most basic thing you gotta know is where its gonna be and how its going to be kept there. i hope you dont find yourself paying a huge price to learn this lesson.

call the guy up, tell him you want to see the car or say that you left something in there that you need. if the guy comes up with excuses or anything then you'd have reason to call the cops on him. its things like this that make good people turn into ********.

adidashatesnike

iTrader: (1)

I went down to Ft. Myers to his last know address and found my car 40 miles off the high way then 2 miles down a dirt road I found my car on a property that was flooded out by fay. Water had only come half way up the wheels but it had been sitting here for almost 6 months with nothing done and Im out 475 for what i gave him to buy "parts" also the 300 to tow it back home. I have my car back and I will never give up on my Rx7 dont worry.

staticguitar313

iTrader: (2)

wow, did you learn you lesson? always work on your own cars, learning is half the fun.
Pics PLZ wanna see the carnage

dgeesaman

iTrader: (7)

I hope the car wasn't damaged further from the flooding.

I'm glad to hear you recovered it without having to involve the police, insurance, or titling. Things could have been much worse.

fd3s_7

you have some patience. i would bash that bastard without a doubt. and ask for my parts money back either nicely or the other way around. be a man and dont let them fool you. $375 dollars is $375. take action now.

wolfman

iTrader: (2)

damn lucky to have the fd back if you ask me

Rome24

call your insurance

KKMpunkrock2011

iTrader: (5)

small claims court, 775 for the parts money and the cost of the tow, then get a GOOD shop check it over and see if there is any damage, then make the other guy pay for the cost of the checkout/repairs, there are plenty of good shops, you just got screwed over by one of the few (but unfortunately increasing in numbers) bad ones. At least you got your car back.

adidashatesnike

iTrader: (1)

Thanks again guys for all your concern. I have the FD on its way to a shop that does all the work for the company that I manage for, Courtesy Valet. The shop is called Tackley Auto Body and has a good rep. I just hope that the work that needs to be done can be done for under 2k because with already almost 1000 lost on nothing my Rx7 budget is low. Here are a few pictures of its current condition I will post picks of its progress over the next few months. I have collected most of the parts I need, only thing I am missing is the core support and a sensor for the new air bag. The picture of the motor is the 13k original mile motor its so pretty and well preserved.