I just talked to Don Hayes today. He has given me the whole story. Basically they are having financial problems. Don's father has filed for bankruptcy twice now and can't afford to pay 2 grand a month to the Revenue here in Washington. Some of the money that comes into the shop goes directly to his father to pay back the Revenue. That isnt the only expenses that they have currently. They arnt getting enough money in to buy parts for other customer cars. It then takes longer for cars to be finished and thats mainly why customer are getting pissed off about it.

Their financial problems started because a customer from out of state wanted to buy an engine to his specs. The customer bought the engine though a local company. Basically Hayes went to check and verify the tax number of that company to make sure it is legit. So the customer paid for the engine. Hayes finished the engine and sent it over to the customer. Well the customer disclosed the deal with his credit card company saying he didnt want the engine blah blah, so the credit card company gave back the money. Hayes sent the engine a day before not knowing that the credit card company withdrew from their account. The customer sends back the engine. Don calls up the customer and this guys mother picks up. Don asks for (Joe) and shes says hes in school right now. Overall Hayes gets back the engine the customer gets his money back, but Hayes looses money in the process. During this time the bank took all their deposite money and put it in a reserve account. No one could get at it. Hayes had a lease to pay, utilities, cars to buy parts for etc. All that they tried buying with there money went into that reserve account. He called up his customers explaining the situation. Of course the customers were pissed because its taking Hayes forever to work on their cars. Hayes didnt have the money right their and then because it was being tied up in the reserve account. Don set up an account where customer can contact their credit card companies to retreive their money back for those who paid up front.

Hayes is trying to do the best they can. I've seen them all week plus Saturdays just to finish up customer cars. Everyone whos pissed just needs to take a chill pill. They are trying to go as fast as they can, but with current money problems it's tough on them. I wish you guys would just lay off them. Your breathing down their knecks with lawyers and they cant get their work done if that continues.

About the guy whom sent his engine from Texas to Hayes. Hayes doesnt want to do buisness with you anymore because your a total *** hole. They had the engine done, but o f course it took them time to do it beucause they want to do it right. You sent Don a nasty email when he just about finished the motor which really wasnt a smart move. Now your calling the district attorney on Hayes. . .? Arnt their Rotary shops around Texas?

Duke Don said he wants to finish your engine right. He is wanting to put some new internals because of the oil leak on the back plate. You already paid upfront, so now its just a matter of waiting it out. Don gave me his word that he is going to finish it soon and right. Plus he said he will be giving you a call tonight.

This is basically all I have right now. Don told me a lot so if anything new comes to mind ill let everyone know.

 

What a load of crap. Your telling me that Hayes' troubles are due to ONE GUY not paying for an engine!???!!

Does that sound reasonable to you?

 

They dont sell engines for the higher prices that most other rotary shops sell them for. Plus they are paying heavy expenses because of Don's fathers bankruptcy. Not only that the lease price was raised as well. They just arnt cranking out the engine as fast as they use to when they had money around. Hayes still hasnt seen the money they lost because of that customer. That all happend during winter as well when they hardly see any jobs come in. At that point they almost went out of buisness.

 

Hayes is the largest, long term, rip-off rotary engine rebuilder I know of.

I had a FD with a freshly rebuilt Hayes motor (ie, 0 miles) and it smoked like a PIG! The same FD came with turbo rebuild receipt for $1900! Not counting labor! Hell you can buy new turbos for that much!

All you have to do is search here on the forum, they have outright defrauded many customers, best case they are plain incompetent. They have no concept of what customer satisfaction is, that is the reason they don't have a lot of business.

I hope they are out of business so I can stop reading the stories of fraud here on the forum. I'm amazed it took so long (10+ yrs) for them to finally go belly up.

If you believe one $3000-4000 engine put them out of business then you have no idea of how business works.

 

I have a hayes rebuild FD motor torn apart in my shop. Less then 200 miles on the rebuild and it tossed the front bearing. The oil was still CLEAN. The housings were TRASHED S5 ones I would never use in a motor, the bearings were all showing copper, the oil pickup was crushed, the only usable parts are the rotors. The irons may be if I lap them. Its trash basicly. The turbo's were also shot and should have never been reinstalled. The air box was JBWELD'd together and there was SOOO much rtv used I could not believe it.

I also have a 91 TII motor rebuilt by hayes. The housings were also trash, 1/2 the bearings shot, and the oil seals were shot. It was cracked around the spark plug holes letting coolant in, along with the shot oil seals. It looks like they were re used. . The irons were absolutly trash. They had the most severe case of steping wear I have ever seen. The eshaft was also trash. I had to replace everything in that motor except the rotors and stationary gears.

I again had a 85 13b, front bearing was frozen on the eshaft, housings had sooo much chrome flaking, and the engine again is a hayes.

I am sorry but I ask people to please stay away from them.

 

wait a minute. i can't understand that. you are confusing the hell out of me. i like you so thats ok to do. but i gotta put my 2 cents in.

if hayes is in finantial problems that make then put paying customers out, thats just shitty service. plain and simple. i've never dealt with them befor. never talked or anything like that. but i have talked to people about them. i had some 50 year old lady talk to me about them. she took her car to them to have it checked out cause it didn't wanna run. on a friday they told her the engine was dead, they did a compression check. then they told her that they would take the car off her hands to pay for the compression check. well she thought about the weekend and called them back on monday and said she would just pay for the compression check. 50 something dollors. they told her it was too late ( keep in mind she never told them to take the car or wanted them to) the engine had been dismantled. they tore apart the engine for parts. thats about ****. she was really pissed yet didn't like dealing with people. after some arguing with them they told her to go ahead and take the car and they would put the engine peices in the back. well AAA wouldn't tow it cause the engine was out. so she was stuck again. ended up selling it to someone for a couple hundred that could tow it back. lucky person, was in real great condition. yet the engine internals didn't quite fit mileage on the engine. but thats a different story. so anybody that wants to take advantage of some old lady is just a plain piece of ****. and the list goes on.


it sounds like you have a good relationship with hayes, hope it stays that way for your sake. and they don't screw you too. theres too many stories i've heard about them. yet like i said, i never talked to them.

 

Uhh, if you'd take a break from your cheerleading for a bit, you could go read the Texas guy's thread, where he says his local shop subcontracted your bosom buddy to do the engine.

 

I was on the phone many hours with that poor elderly lady trying to help her. I couldnt do anything to help her from spokane, so nice of Kettlman to step in. Sad situation she was forced into. You cant come here telling us all Hayes problems come from one person. Take for another example Dr.Jones in the forum forking out over 3,000 for them to rebuild and put in a microtech, to yet have to take his car somewhere else. I know many many stories (facts), not posted but I cant disclose my source cause its from other reputable shops.

 

Well, put.

I also agree that the story he just posted it BS, and although it may be what they truly told him, its not the truth. Ive never done business with them, but I dont want to. I took a tour of their shop, Ive met with the people who work there, and honestly, I dont like the shop, or the people. Just my opinion though. Like someone said earlier, I would be happy if that place went out of business just so I could stop listening to people get ripped off by them honestly.

~T.J.

 

Wally, if you were short $ and you had a shop, would you work like 30 hrs a week, close early and not work on the weekends? Im so suprised they are having finacial problems. Hayes flat out stole parts from me. Since your such good friends with Don please ask him what happened to my Microtech hand controller.

 

Oh man...I did not read this post as of lately. Wally...good to see you again but I have heard many many many stories about hayes and I have only been around rotaries for the last 3 yrs. Hey, if they do good work for you and you know that they are not ripping you off then there is no harm for you to give them business. It is your money, you can decide what you want to do with it. I have had some small things done by mazdas and more before(over 2yrs) and to this day those parts have held up. Guess it just is a case by case.

I would like to hear more about this...

~Z

 

I learned the hard way by praising such good work a few years ago for Mazdas and More, while they were screwing me. I learned not to say good on a shop until I know for sure that they have done great work 100%. I have also learned that it is best to do things yourself if possible, and to follow forum members advice when it concerns what shops to stay away from. Some of these shops can fool you by being nice or talk with so much knowledge, but in fact screw you. A few of these shops don't care about us, they just want our money.