Intense Power, worst experience I have been through
01-18-2013, 04:03 PM
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Intense Power, worst experience I have been through
Hi, I am new to this forum but I have a situation with the shop Intense Power on here. My biggest problem is their communication. I just want a phone call to let me know what is going on in a timely manner. I hear back in 1 - 1.5 week intervals whats the updates. Lately I have not heard nothing back and I don't appreciate me getting lied to.
Here is my situation.
On November 14, I took my evo 8 to a shop, whose name I won't say because it's irrelevant to intense. A tech drove my car and blew the motor. Ever since then, its been a headache. The tech disappeared. I was left to deal with a mess. I contacted my Insurance and they agreed what happened was possibly vandalism. So they instructed me to tow my car to a shop who would look at it and determine what happened was truely abuse/vandalism. I took my car on 12/07/12 to Intense. The following day or so, the repair estimator came out and ruled that it was abuse and wrote a check for $5,805. The next day I came to the shop and signed over the check to Intense to get the work done.
It turned out I needed a new motor since my motor had a crack in it. Pete from Intense and the insurance agent had found one with 0 miles on it for around $ 3,300 before the check was written out. Pete still searched for other motors as did I. I found a motor, here is the link for it. It looked to be in immaculate condition. It had almost the same amount of miles my car had. Guaranteed running etc. It was also complete which was a huge plus in my opinion and which is why I pointed it out to Pete.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/2003-2005-Mi...p2047675.l2557
12/13/12 I believe it was, I contact the shop above in Illinois to make sure it was still available. It was and I proceeded to drive to Intense and tell Pete in person since he did not answer my phone call about the motor I found. He thought it was a good deal and with the company's credit card, he paid for the motor. It was only about a 5 minute phone call, I did not hear him ask any vital information. Usually when you spend $ 3200 for an engine, you take your time and find out EVERYTHING about the item before you purchase it. Well anyways, a week passes and the motor arrives.
Approx 12/18 Engine arrives, looks to be in good shape. I purchase fluids, gaskets, and misc items before the engine is installed. The next day the engine is ready for installation. It took about a few days to get everything in order before the engine was fired up.
12/26/12 Engine is installed and is ready to get cranked over. I was there and took videos of this. The motor turned out to be blown. I could hear the exhaust popping, something did not sound right. After 10 minutes, compression test was done and revealed that 2 or 3 cylinders were really low, around 25 - 100. The motor was garbage.
12/28/12 I contacted the shop where the motor came from and was told that they could not talk to me since I am not their customer, Intense was since they paid for it and I paid Intense for it. I was still on top of this wasting hours of my time trying to get a hold of someone to talk to. Sure enough I did, I got a hold of the owners son. He talked to Pete and Pete had sent him the compression test videos and leak down videos plus all other information they wanted. More then a week goes by and the shop in Illinois makes me an offer. They offered to let me keep the motor and refund me $1,000 to fix whatever damage was wrong with it. I pondered the idea but decided to just uninstall the motor and ship it back.
1/04/13 I owed Intense $ 1250 for deducible remaining balance. Pete sure was on top of calling me and getting a hold of me to pay this balance. After the numerous calls and voice mails from Pete early in the morning ( No I was not dodging him, I was sleep ) , I decided to pay him them money even though the work was not finished. I went down there with $ 950 and told him I would talk to Han about the remaining $ 300 owed. They were charging me twice for one item so I thought I would talk to Han before I paid that remaining $ 300. Pete was not happy and assured me he would not let me leave with the car until I paid him the $ 300. When it comes to money, they sure know how to pick up a phone. When there is a problem, where are they?
1/07/13 Motor was getting uninstalled, ready that following Wednesday ( 1/09/13 ) to be shipped which was supposed to happen but did not. Pete told me the motor shipped out but in reality it was still sitting until the 15th because Pete was waiting on some sort of landing label. I found that out through the tech at the shop when I went in person yesterday, 1/17/13.
Currently, like I stated, Pete calls me every week to week and a half to let me know whats going on. And like I also stated, the shop in Illinois is really trying their best not to deal with me since they are right, I am not their customer. So with no communication going on with me and Illinois shop, and barely any communication going on with Intense, what am I left to do?
The biggest issue I have with Intense besides their bad communication is this:
They want me to pay $ 2300 for the labor it took to install and uninstall the motor they bought from Illinois. Notice, I said I found the motor, regardless if I found the motor. Intense marked up the motor by 25% ( $ 825.00 ) meaning they made a profit on it and failed to do a leak down and compression test prior to installing the motor. I still don't know if the motor was shipped bad or if the motor was damaged by their tech... The tech never did a full evo engine swap according to him and this was his first time. How do I know he installed the brand new timing belt correct? How do I know he didn't skip timing or do something so silly, it could have been a minor mistake. I don't know that and I never will. All I know is that Pete said they would take $ 300 off the un-installation of the motor. Meaning instead of $ 2300 I would pay $ 2000. Again, Intense bought this motor from the shop in Illinois, I paid Intense IN ADVANCE by signing over the check to them. I am INTENSE'S CUSTOMER, not Illinois shops.
With no phone calls back from Intense, Pete nor Han, and the numerous voice mails I left for both of them. The time wasted on driving to the shop back and fourth to find no one there half the time except the techs, it's been one giant headache.
As of right now, I feel like I got scammed. With no one calling me back and the amount Intense wants me to pay for the labor, I feel this is fraud. In conclusion, I have contacted the Attorney General Tom Hornes office, contacted my insurance regarding this matter, as well as 12 news for action. I have reported this incident to all 3 HOWEVER, I have not escalated the claims yet however I am giving Intense a sufficient amount of time to respond back before I do.
I don't want to seem unreasonable or people to think im being impatient. I think all this could have been resolved with proper communication. Hopefully, Intense does the right thing.
Here is my situation.
On November 14, I took my evo 8 to a shop, whose name I won't say because it's irrelevant to intense. A tech drove my car and blew the motor. Ever since then, its been a headache. The tech disappeared. I was left to deal with a mess. I contacted my Insurance and they agreed what happened was possibly vandalism. So they instructed me to tow my car to a shop who would look at it and determine what happened was truely abuse/vandalism. I took my car on 12/07/12 to Intense. The following day or so, the repair estimator came out and ruled that it was abuse and wrote a check for $5,805. The next day I came to the shop and signed over the check to Intense to get the work done.
It turned out I needed a new motor since my motor had a crack in it. Pete from Intense and the insurance agent had found one with 0 miles on it for around $ 3,300 before the check was written out. Pete still searched for other motors as did I. I found a motor, here is the link for it. It looked to be in immaculate condition. It had almost the same amount of miles my car had. Guaranteed running etc. It was also complete which was a huge plus in my opinion and which is why I pointed it out to Pete.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/2003-2005-Mi...p2047675.l2557
12/13/12 I believe it was, I contact the shop above in Illinois to make sure it was still available. It was and I proceeded to drive to Intense and tell Pete in person since he did not answer my phone call about the motor I found. He thought it was a good deal and with the company's credit card, he paid for the motor. It was only about a 5 minute phone call, I did not hear him ask any vital information. Usually when you spend $ 3200 for an engine, you take your time and find out EVERYTHING about the item before you purchase it. Well anyways, a week passes and the motor arrives.
Approx 12/18 Engine arrives, looks to be in good shape. I purchase fluids, gaskets, and misc items before the engine is installed. The next day the engine is ready for installation. It took about a few days to get everything in order before the engine was fired up.
12/26/12 Engine is installed and is ready to get cranked over. I was there and took videos of this. The motor turned out to be blown. I could hear the exhaust popping, something did not sound right. After 10 minutes, compression test was done and revealed that 2 or 3 cylinders were really low, around 25 - 100. The motor was garbage.
12/28/12 I contacted the shop where the motor came from and was told that they could not talk to me since I am not their customer, Intense was since they paid for it and I paid Intense for it. I was still on top of this wasting hours of my time trying to get a hold of someone to talk to. Sure enough I did, I got a hold of the owners son. He talked to Pete and Pete had sent him the compression test videos and leak down videos plus all other information they wanted. More then a week goes by and the shop in Illinois makes me an offer. They offered to let me keep the motor and refund me $1,000 to fix whatever damage was wrong with it. I pondered the idea but decided to just uninstall the motor and ship it back.
1/04/13 I owed Intense $ 1250 for deducible remaining balance. Pete sure was on top of calling me and getting a hold of me to pay this balance. After the numerous calls and voice mails from Pete early in the morning ( No I was not dodging him, I was sleep ) , I decided to pay him them money even though the work was not finished. I went down there with $ 950 and told him I would talk to Han about the remaining $ 300 owed. They were charging me twice for one item so I thought I would talk to Han before I paid that remaining $ 300. Pete was not happy and assured me he would not let me leave with the car until I paid him the $ 300. When it comes to money, they sure know how to pick up a phone. When there is a problem, where are they?
1/07/13 Motor was getting uninstalled, ready that following Wednesday ( 1/09/13 ) to be shipped which was supposed to happen but did not. Pete told me the motor shipped out but in reality it was still sitting until the 15th because Pete was waiting on some sort of landing label. I found that out through the tech at the shop when I went in person yesterday, 1/17/13.
Currently, like I stated, Pete calls me every week to week and a half to let me know whats going on. And like I also stated, the shop in Illinois is really trying their best not to deal with me since they are right, I am not their customer. So with no communication going on with me and Illinois shop, and barely any communication going on with Intense, what am I left to do?
The biggest issue I have with Intense besides their bad communication is this:
They want me to pay $ 2300 for the labor it took to install and uninstall the motor they bought from Illinois. Notice, I said I found the motor, regardless if I found the motor. Intense marked up the motor by 25% ( $ 825.00 ) meaning they made a profit on it and failed to do a leak down and compression test prior to installing the motor. I still don't know if the motor was shipped bad or if the motor was damaged by their tech... The tech never did a full evo engine swap according to him and this was his first time. How do I know he installed the brand new timing belt correct? How do I know he didn't skip timing or do something so silly, it could have been a minor mistake. I don't know that and I never will. All I know is that Pete said they would take $ 300 off the un-installation of the motor. Meaning instead of $ 2300 I would pay $ 2000. Again, Intense bought this motor from the shop in Illinois, I paid Intense IN ADVANCE by signing over the check to them. I am INTENSE'S CUSTOMER, not Illinois shops.
With no phone calls back from Intense, Pete nor Han, and the numerous voice mails I left for both of them. The time wasted on driving to the shop back and fourth to find no one there half the time except the techs, it's been one giant headache.
As of right now, I feel like I got scammed. With no one calling me back and the amount Intense wants me to pay for the labor, I feel this is fraud. In conclusion, I have contacted the Attorney General Tom Hornes office, contacted my insurance regarding this matter, as well as 12 news for action. I have reported this incident to all 3 HOWEVER, I have not escalated the claims yet however I am giving Intense a sufficient amount of time to respond back before I do.
I don't want to seem unreasonable or people to think im being impatient. I think all this could have been resolved with proper communication. Hopefully, Intense does the right thing.
01-18-2013, 05:01 PM
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Since you are a new member then i'm sure the rest of us will cut you slack...not much though. Intense is THE WORST shop that you could take your car to, not only in AZ but the USA. I wish you the best of luck trying to get back what is yours.
01-18-2013, 05:08 PM
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nb4bmcannanstatestheirthebestyoureamoron
I can assure you with my anger Pete Han techs whoever would have a restraining order against me.
I guess I havent been put through this BS bc I research talk to several several customers talk with shops etc before I give anyone my hard earned money
I can assure you with my anger Pete Han techs whoever would have a restraining order against me.
I guess I havent been put through this BS bc I research talk to several several customers talk with shops etc before I give anyone my hard earned money
01-18-2013, 06:11 PM
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I noticed, not on one single forum, have they responded to me. I have posted this everywhere. They have not once chimed in. Do they even care about the reputation any more? Are they on the verge of going under?
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01-18-2013, 09:58 PM
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Never sign over an insurance check, any shop ill make sure the last penny is on the bill.
So you found a brand new 0 mile motor for $3300 and decided to save $100 and buy a used motor for $3200? Seems pretty stupid.
So you found a brand new 0 mile motor for $3300 and decided to save $100 and buy a used motor for $3200? Seems pretty stupid.
01-19-2013, 12:45 AM
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01-19-2013, 08:18 AM
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The one with 0 miles was rebuilt and it came bare. There were no photos of it. Pete said he was waiting to hear back from them to purchase. Clock's ticking and I need a motor. The one I found I forwarded it to Pete to see what he thought and he thought it was a good idea to get it, big plus that it was complete. Came with warranty. Had everything on it, sensors, injectors, etc.
Last edited by x1sikevox; 01-19-2013 at 08:19 AM.
01-19-2013, 09:12 AM
#14
Took me almost 6 months to get a my turbo kit from them. I was deployed the whole time so it didn't matter but if I were at home station i would have been pissed. If anything needs replacing I'm not going to try to buy a part from them. Il just have something tabbed up. Not worth the wait or stress.
01-19-2013, 03:39 PM
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Man that is pretty sorry service from what you described. Always get things in writing. I bet if you did that they may have said don't go with the motor you ended up picking up. If you insisted then they would say we can't warranty the work. Shops like to be shady when the possibility of getting more money is involved, because the love of money is the root of all evil.
If I was a shop, you were my customer, I gave you the go ahead to purchase the motor and I installed it, and this happened, I would consider it an expensive lesson as a shop and eat the labor cost for the messed up engine. I'm a shop, I should have checked it out. You as a customer was being helpful and doing my job when I should have been doing it. It would then be between me and the motor seller to get this rectified. So as it stands you have been done wrong 3 times. There also has to be some policy to where the shop that initially destroyed your vehicle pay the total repairs. Bad thing is you are anxious about getting back your car and rushed decisions are most times bad decisions.
If I was a shop, you were my customer, I gave you the go ahead to purchase the motor and I installed it, and this happened, I would consider it an expensive lesson as a shop and eat the labor cost for the messed up engine. I'm a shop, I should have checked it out. You as a customer was being helpful and doing my job when I should have been doing it. It would then be between me and the motor seller to get this rectified. So as it stands you have been done wrong 3 times. There also has to be some policy to where the shop that initially destroyed your vehicle pay the total repairs. Bad thing is you are anxious about getting back your car and rushed decisions are most times bad decisions.
01-19-2013, 08:09 PM
#16
Man that is pretty sorry service from what you described. Always get things in writing. I bet if you did that they may have said don't go with the motor you ended up picking up. If you insisted then they would say we can't warranty the work. Shops like to be shady when the possibility of getting more money is involved, because the love of money is the root of all evil.
If I was a shop, you were my customer, I gave you the go ahead to purchase the motor and I installed it, and this happened, I would consider it an expensive lesson as a shop and eat the labor cost for the messed up engine. I'm a shop, I should have checked it out. You as a customer was being helpful and doing my job when I should have been doing it. It would then be between me and the motor seller to get this rectified. So as it stands you have been done wrong 3 times. There also has to be some policy to where the shop that initially destroyed your vehicle pay the total repairs. Bad thing is you are anxious about getting back your car and rushed decisions are most times bad decisions.
If I was a shop, you were my customer, I gave you the go ahead to purchase the motor and I installed it, and this happened, I would consider it an expensive lesson as a shop and eat the labor cost for the messed up engine. I'm a shop, I should have checked it out. You as a customer was being helpful and doing my job when I should have been doing it. It would then be between me and the motor seller to get this rectified. So as it stands you have been done wrong 3 times. There also has to be some policy to where the shop that initially destroyed your vehicle pay the total repairs. Bad thing is you are anxious about getting back your car and rushed decisions are most times bad decisions.
Please change your signature.
01-20-2013, 08:21 AM
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Finally, I got a hold of the owner, Han. He was pretty upset that I am trying to maliciously hurt his business and that in the end, I still would owe whats due. He did say he would charge me $ 950 to install the motor if I get it again through them again... Not really sure how $ 200 off is a reason to stay there.
Anyways, biggest thing is I got a hold of him after 20 days of trying to reach him. All I want is proper communication whether it was from Han or Pete.
Anyways, biggest thing is I got a hold of him after 20 days of trying to reach him. All I want is proper communication whether it was from Han or Pete.
