Horrible Bodykit experience
12-02-2005 | 07:52 PM
#1
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From: manchester united
Horrible Bodykit experience
I posted this on another thread, but I want to tell people in it's own thread. Thanks for reading.
I had a bad feeling when I ordered the INGS +1 Hybrid Full bumper kit for the Z. I had nightmares of overspray, damaged rims, ****ing up my bumpers on speed bumps and potholes. But I never imagined what actually happened. I bought the kit from Peformance motorsport (Westbury, NY), it took 3 months to get, that was understandable. Once I got the kit Andrew Rubio told me they had to charge me extra because of frieght charges, they had to send it by truck. But I noticed on the box it was shipped by air and was in JFK. I didn’t know JFK flew trucks around. And I thought the price was final, I guess not. Hidden fees start to begin to show up, plus they tax these hidden fees. Ok whatever I am not complaining I got my kit.
Now I need it to get painted. I went with the place the Rubios owned, Performance Autobody in Smithtown, NY. I am guessing that since they own it they will know exactly what is going on in there. The guy in charge Oscar Rubio said he personally will keep an eye on it. So I feel less anxious, ok the boss will keep an eye on it, should be immaculate. They charge me $2500 dollars for the job, I am expecting show quality work. They even told me they will put their best guy on the job, the guy who did the paint on their Pro Car. They told me it would take a week, ok no problem I can deal with a week. The week goes by and I call to pick up. They told me they were “massaging the kit on” and needed more time for the “TLC” they were giving it. Ok no problem I won’t rush work, I give them another week. The time comes for me to pick up the car. The exhaust wasn’t mounted on the car, they told me the angled tips wouldn’t fit the kit. Ok no problem I will see what Performance motorsport can do to fix it. The rear bumper was uneven, they told me they didn’t mount the brackets because they didn’t want to mess it up before the exhaust went back on. That is total bull**** because it was mounted on an uneven bracket they made. The paintjob was hard to see because the rain on the car. But once I got it back home I checked the paint again. The whole kit was a couple shades lighter and lumpier than burnt homemade gravy. They gave me the excuse that it was the kits fault because the molding is bad. Yeah, a $3000 kit is to be at fault because of their “****ty molding”. The original paintjob was chipped in a bunch of places with hairline scratched all over. How is it I go get a kit put on and end up with more damage than when I went in?
Ok I went to Performance motorsport to get the exhaust put on. This is the Injen SES angled tip exhaust I had before the kit was bought. Vinny Ten told me they will cut the piping and refabricate it. Ok I left my car with them for a week. Come back and the exhaust is put on the same way I had it before the kit was put on. Not only that but the paint was chipped where the exhaust was touching the kit. I was like what the ****? And not only that, they wanted to charge me for the work the bodyshop should have done in the beginning. Ok can we get a lil bit lazier? I argued with them and they dropped the cost. I drove the car back to my house, and my brother looked at the kit and told me my paint melted off the rear bumper where the exhaust was pointing at. WHAT THE HELL, ok do their lazy shortcut backfired on them. The paint just blew off in sheets. It looked like total ****. I had to drive around like that for 2 weeks. I spoke with Nick, their secretary, I told him I needed them to fix what they caused. He wasn’t being cooperative, they were racing so they couldn’t take me in. I was furious to be the least, but I lost it when Nick told me “The race team comes first and customers come second.” I lost my temper and started to get loud. (Why have a speedshop when customers come second? Why not just stick with racing?) Who is this secretary to tell me this? I was a customer of Peformance motorsport 2 years before this clown even stepped foot in to work for them. I was their first customer and I am now treated like a second hand *****. I went to the shop myself and explained myself to Vinny and how Nick told me “The race team comes first and customers second.” I finally got them to take me in, they said they would fabricate it for real this time. I left the car there for a few days.
I call to pick up my car, Nick picks up (hmm he still has his job there?) and tells me I have to come to the shop RIGHT AWAY. I felt sick to my stomach, and I felt sick the whole drive there. Vinny tells me “Ok we will include me in the decision making process now.” WHAT?? OH thanks SOOO MUCH to include me in the decision making process now. He told me they tried to put a heat shield on the bumper. Once they used the rivot gun to put it on, the bumper just cracked and were full of holes. Wait, why the hell did you try and put a heat shield on without my say? Frankie (mechanic) told me “he tried to put on the heatshield on then thought to himself wait the exhaust pointing at the heatshield would melt the paint and cause more paint to melt.” Ok, after your put 5 craters on my bumper did you think of this. I always thought good mechanics measured twice and cut once. Wow everything that could go wrong DID go wrong. I went to a new body shop they dropped it off at. I was ready to kill someone when I saw what they did. I have pictures of it but its kind of crappy because it’s a cell phone picture. Ok here is where my part of “decision making comes in.” Frankie tells me ok what they have planned is to keep my Injen SES on there and refabricate the bumper and charge me for it. I was like, OH hell no, I will end up with a bumper in 20 different pieces. I told them to put my STOCK exhaust on and just cover up the holes. At least Vinny took care of the cost of the repaint. The repaint was not too bad, althought the paint feels like sandpaper. At least the holes were covered up. I just didn’t want them to **** it up even more than they already ****ed it up. Now I am with less horsepower because I had to go back to stock exhaust. And now I am with a $3000 bodykit and $2500 dollar paint job, and it looks like I spent a total of $500 on a replica with a paintjob a 5 year old put on.
Performance Autobody and Performance motorsport lost their faithful customer, their first customer they had. I am just so angry how they half assed everything and wanted top dollar for it. What is a customer to do when they are not top priority? I think my gut feeling in the beginning was right, something was going to go wrong. Wait no EVERYTHING is going to go wrong. I am now looking to sell my Injen and maybe invest in a new exhaust system. I just had to get this off my chest, it hurts me everytime I look at my Z and see a botched operation. It’s like looking at a model who had Texas chainsaw as her plastic surgeon. Such a pity.
I had a bad feeling when I ordered the INGS +1 Hybrid Full bumper kit for the Z. I had nightmares of overspray, damaged rims, ****ing up my bumpers on speed bumps and potholes. But I never imagined what actually happened. I bought the kit from Peformance motorsport (Westbury, NY), it took 3 months to get, that was understandable. Once I got the kit Andrew Rubio told me they had to charge me extra because of frieght charges, they had to send it by truck. But I noticed on the box it was shipped by air and was in JFK. I didn’t know JFK flew trucks around. And I thought the price was final, I guess not. Hidden fees start to begin to show up, plus they tax these hidden fees. Ok whatever I am not complaining I got my kit.
Now I need it to get painted. I went with the place the Rubios owned, Performance Autobody in Smithtown, NY. I am guessing that since they own it they will know exactly what is going on in there. The guy in charge Oscar Rubio said he personally will keep an eye on it. So I feel less anxious, ok the boss will keep an eye on it, should be immaculate. They charge me $2500 dollars for the job, I am expecting show quality work. They even told me they will put their best guy on the job, the guy who did the paint on their Pro Car. They told me it would take a week, ok no problem I can deal with a week. The week goes by and I call to pick up. They told me they were “massaging the kit on” and needed more time for the “TLC” they were giving it. Ok no problem I won’t rush work, I give them another week. The time comes for me to pick up the car. The exhaust wasn’t mounted on the car, they told me the angled tips wouldn’t fit the kit. Ok no problem I will see what Performance motorsport can do to fix it. The rear bumper was uneven, they told me they didn’t mount the brackets because they didn’t want to mess it up before the exhaust went back on. That is total bull**** because it was mounted on an uneven bracket they made. The paintjob was hard to see because the rain on the car. But once I got it back home I checked the paint again. The whole kit was a couple shades lighter and lumpier than burnt homemade gravy. They gave me the excuse that it was the kits fault because the molding is bad. Yeah, a $3000 kit is to be at fault because of their “****ty molding”. The original paintjob was chipped in a bunch of places with hairline scratched all over. How is it I go get a kit put on and end up with more damage than when I went in?
Ok I went to Performance motorsport to get the exhaust put on. This is the Injen SES angled tip exhaust I had before the kit was bought. Vinny Ten told me they will cut the piping and refabricate it. Ok I left my car with them for a week. Come back and the exhaust is put on the same way I had it before the kit was put on. Not only that but the paint was chipped where the exhaust was touching the kit. I was like what the ****? And not only that, they wanted to charge me for the work the bodyshop should have done in the beginning. Ok can we get a lil bit lazier? I argued with them and they dropped the cost. I drove the car back to my house, and my brother looked at the kit and told me my paint melted off the rear bumper where the exhaust was pointing at. WHAT THE HELL, ok do their lazy shortcut backfired on them. The paint just blew off in sheets. It looked like total ****. I had to drive around like that for 2 weeks. I spoke with Nick, their secretary, I told him I needed them to fix what they caused. He wasn’t being cooperative, they were racing so they couldn’t take me in. I was furious to be the least, but I lost it when Nick told me “The race team comes first and customers come second.” I lost my temper and started to get loud. (Why have a speedshop when customers come second? Why not just stick with racing?) Who is this secretary to tell me this? I was a customer of Peformance motorsport 2 years before this clown even stepped foot in to work for them. I was their first customer and I am now treated like a second hand *****. I went to the shop myself and explained myself to Vinny and how Nick told me “The race team comes first and customers second.” I finally got them to take me in, they said they would fabricate it for real this time. I left the car there for a few days.
I call to pick up my car, Nick picks up (hmm he still has his job there?) and tells me I have to come to the shop RIGHT AWAY. I felt sick to my stomach, and I felt sick the whole drive there. Vinny tells me “Ok we will include me in the decision making process now.” WHAT?? OH thanks SOOO MUCH to include me in the decision making process now. He told me they tried to put a heat shield on the bumper. Once they used the rivot gun to put it on, the bumper just cracked and were full of holes. Wait, why the hell did you try and put a heat shield on without my say? Frankie (mechanic) told me “he tried to put on the heatshield on then thought to himself wait the exhaust pointing at the heatshield would melt the paint and cause more paint to melt.” Ok, after your put 5 craters on my bumper did you think of this. I always thought good mechanics measured twice and cut once. Wow everything that could go wrong DID go wrong. I went to a new body shop they dropped it off at. I was ready to kill someone when I saw what they did. I have pictures of it but its kind of crappy because it’s a cell phone picture. Ok here is where my part of “decision making comes in.” Frankie tells me ok what they have planned is to keep my Injen SES on there and refabricate the bumper and charge me for it. I was like, OH hell no, I will end up with a bumper in 20 different pieces. I told them to put my STOCK exhaust on and just cover up the holes. At least Vinny took care of the cost of the repaint. The repaint was not too bad, althought the paint feels like sandpaper. At least the holes were covered up. I just didn’t want them to **** it up even more than they already ****ed it up. Now I am with less horsepower because I had to go back to stock exhaust. And now I am with a $3000 bodykit and $2500 dollar paint job, and it looks like I spent a total of $500 on a replica with a paintjob a 5 year old put on.
Performance Autobody and Performance motorsport lost their faithful customer, their first customer they had. I am just so angry how they half assed everything and wanted top dollar for it. What is a customer to do when they are not top priority? I think my gut feeling in the beginning was right, something was going to go wrong. Wait no EVERYTHING is going to go wrong. I am now looking to sell my Injen and maybe invest in a new exhaust system. I just had to get this off my chest, it hurts me everytime I look at my Z and see a botched operation. It’s like looking at a model who had Texas chainsaw as her plastic surgeon. Such a pity.
12-02-2005 | 09:19 PM
#3
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Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 697
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From: Boston Suburbs
Wow $2500? And customers complain about $1000 when I charge them to paint and install a body kit. Also, the bumpers feel like sand paper, because their spray booth is dirty, so when the clear drys, any particles in the booths air will stick to the wet clear, and dry, leaving that sand paper feel. So if that happened, they should have wet sanded and buffed the bumpers. Sorry to hear about that.
12-02-2005 | 09:23 PM
#4
Hohoho.. I would have pulled out a shot gun on Rubio already before driving off somewhere else. And $2500? with a few shades off? They were smoking something. Sorry to hear about this. Hope you can get everything sorted out. That is one lovely body kit and should not have been ruined 
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12-02-2005 | 09:49 PM
#8
Dude that fing sucks.
You did your best and paid top notch money for real kit and to have them paint it right.
They need to fix everything or give you a full refund.
Just a side note always listen to your gut 70% of the time you instict is right.
You did your best and paid top notch money for real kit and to have them paint it right.
They need to fix everything or give you a full refund.
Just a side note always listen to your gut 70% of the time you instict is right.
12-03-2005 | 12:40 AM
#9
The best advice I can give when having this kind of work done is to have them shoot a test panel FIRST befor ethe shoot the car. Then you can go down to teh shop and look at the match before they start. The lumps have nothing to do with the kit. Should like orange peel to me and for 2500.00 they sures the hell better cut and buff it to get the peel out! Go back and tell them to hit everything with 400wet with a soft block. Then 600wet with a soft block. If they are using PPG DBU they can stop there. If they are using PPG DBC they will have to sand with 800wet with a soft block. Then they can shoot the chit. After they are done tell them you want your parts nubbed or (color sanded)cut and buffed. Print this out and read it to them so they will know that you know what your talking about! Fuggin bodyshops!
12-03-2005 | 06:07 AM
#11
sorry to hear this...
the best thing is to pay them with a check - so you can put a stop payment if they mess up sth. hopefuly those retards are not going to cash it in 24h. then you can go and tell them either they fix it and get paid or they can call your lawer...
Based on my previous experience I would rather pay more and get the job done perfectly! I wanted to save a bit in the past - and it always bit me in the a$$$.
the best thing is to pay them with a check - so you can put a stop payment if they mess up sth. hopefuly those retards are not going to cash it in 24h. then you can go and tell them either they fix it and get paid or they can call your lawer...
Based on my previous experience I would rather pay more and get the job done perfectly! I wanted to save a bit in the past - and it always bit me in the a$$$.
12-03-2005 | 10:27 AM
#16
listen bro, they better give you the money back or atleast minimum half if they botched up the project... i'll even go down wit you if you want, this is just so wrong, especially if you paid hard earned top dollar for the job!!! Tri-State Z33 club lets make a list of people that could go down to performance motorsport and back him up on his complaint! the more modified Zs they see with him could make them a little uneasy and more cooperative.
i'll start the list, we'll figure out the date.
1. JDMFairlady21- Alex
i'll start the list, we'll figure out the date.
1. JDMFairlady21- Alex
12-03-2005 | 11:04 AM
#17
Registered User
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 448
Likes: 0
From: Long Island
Originally Posted by JDMFairlady21
listen bro, they better give you the money back or atleast minimum half if they botched up the project... i'll even go down wit you if you want, this is just so wrong, especially if you paid hard earned top dollar for the job!!! Tri-State Z33 club lets make a list of people that could go down to performance motorsport and back him up on his complaint! the more modified Zs they see with him could make them a little uneasy and more cooperative.
i'll start the list, we'll figure out the date.
1. JDMFairlady21- Alex
i'll start the list, we'll figure out the date.
1. JDMFairlady21- Alex
You can leave me off this list...
