Smudge's V8 update

[smudge 1020]

Some of you already know, the majority don't...but with questions being asked on almost a daily basis I thought I'd clear some things up with this post.

Long story short, the car is still nowhere near completion and I have decided to take the car off Nev at F1moto near Brands Hatch. After months of very little (if any) progress and a lack of updates, customer service or any ability to show that he can complete it in a reasonable timeframe, I have no other choice but to cut my losses with him and pursue other avenues.

When I first met with Nev towards the end of 2015, we agreed that the car would be in his hands from around April 2016 and he would need around 3 months to complete the work, give or a take a few weeks owing to the fact this is the first GT86 in the UK to have this sort of work carried out on it, so of course we may find some snagging points. The first week in April went extremely well and I was there to help us essentially get the engine and gearbox mounted into the car within just a few days. Since then, I have been in constant contact with Nev and made him aware that I had shows, magazine features and of course a lot of people in the car community eagerly waiting for the end result.

The initial 3 month period passed and when asking for new deadlines, I was always told "next week we'll be doing x and y" and "should be next month so you can make it to x show"...but of course those deadlines came and went without so much as an explanation or an apology, but I kept my faith and let Nev carry on with the work.

It finally came to a point about 6 weeks ago where I couldn't wait any longer. I gave him an ultimatum to say that he needs to give me a deadline that he can have it finished by, and if for any reason we run over that deadline, then he will no longer receive any credit for the work in any of the features that are lined up and I would be talking to Trading Standards and possibly Small Claims Court to start a compensation claim. It's the last route I want to take in any situation, but I felt it was necessary to threaten this, otherwise it would never be completed. Nev came back with a deadline for end of November, assuring me that he has taken my words seriously and completion was imminent.

I went to visit Nev in person on Monday 28th November and was frankly horrified at the state of the car, his lackadaisical attitude and his unwillingness to reach any sort of reasonable resolution. The car has been used for storage of other car parts - bumpers (not mine), batteries, a gearbox (not mine) and various other bits which I was appalled to see. When questioned about why the car wasn't ready, the typical "I have other projects to complete too" was the response I received. Reminding him of the original timeframe and the fact I've paid several thousands of pounds didn't seem to bother him at all.

When asked when it would be complete, I was given 2 options:

1. "If you want it done anytime soon, I can start charging you £50/hour + VAT and I'll have it done within a few weeks"
2. "Or you can give me until the end of January 2017 and we should have it done"...which actually later changed to "end of February 2017" within 5 minutes of us talking. Absolutely shocking...

Despite us agreeing money and timelines before the car was even in his hands, I now also apparently owe him another £2,000 as a result of his choice to change the ECU for a more expensive one (the 3rd ECU he's mentioned to me) and also go for a more expensive, more elaborate and unnecessary chargecooler rather than a straightforward intercooler system. None of this was mentioned until my visit on Monday.

My response? Essentially "f*ck you, I want my car back". I have absolutely no faith that Nev is capable of finishing this car anytime soon. I have been extremely lenient with him and it's time to pull the plug. I simply cannot work with someone who clearly doesn't care about my car or his reputation. It almost feels like he thinks he's doing this project as a favour for a mate, rather than a paying customer.

Since Monday, I have been speaking to the usual suspects in a vain attempt to get some help - Mark at Abbey, Mike at TD etc amongst a few others. Unfortunately it's so difficult for any of them to say yes to taking the project on as no one is really sure what stage the car is at, what is left to do, what the state of the work that has been completed is actually in and also being larger, more reputable companies, they are of course fully booked well into 2017. Mark and Mike were extremely helpful but without more information it's just not possible for them to really help at this stage which I completely understand.

So in my quest to try and find out some more information from Nev to help me out, I also uncover that the new Link G4 ECU he's trying to charge me part of the extra £2,000 for hasn't even been purchased! The flywheel spindle STILL hasn't been cut to the size it needs to be! The list goes on and it pretty much got a point on Monday night where I started making a spreadsheet of all the parts on my car so that I could start splitting the brakes, suspension etc etc and sell the bare shell and be done with this nightmare. I've had enough!

Fortunately, I'm surrounded by so many amazing car people who have convinced me that I can't just throw this all away because of someone else's negligence and inability to provide a service. Trading standards will be hearing from me about this entire saga purely out of principal.

So, now Thursday, I have been speaking to friends and hopefully come across someone who is highly recommended and I have seen his work in person on several cars. He is known for engine builds and making custom looms which is exactly what I need. Although he's only a small outfit, just a 30minute phone call added to all the reviews and feedback from friends that have used him has assured me that he is (hopefully) the man to get this back on track!

I have sent Nev a very concise yet demanding request:

• asking that the car be cleared of all the shit inside and any damages found will be his responsibility to put right
• that he mechanically completes the car (i.e. finish off the gearbox, I've been told everything else is done. Obviously need to check this...)
• have the car ready for collection by 14th December (2 weeks seems more than reasonable)
• and I will be claiming back £2,000 of the money I have paid as a result of having to source someone else to complete the work due to his lack of ability

I was going to ask for much more, essentially half what I've paid him, but adding up the cost of parts I think £2k is a bit more reasonable and the last thing I want is a dispute over money. As mentioned before, Trading Standards are already aware of the situation and are waiting for me to put in a formal report which will then assist with any Small Claims Court action we may have to take if the money situation isn't resolved amicably. It's a last resort which I hope isn't needed, but after all this I can't take anymore chances.

So even though taking the car elsewhere will inevitably make the wait even longer, I'm pretty sure the experience can't be any worse than what it is now. I just need someone who can take the car onboard, give me an actual decent timeline and stick to it as best as possible. Finger's crossed! 

[TTR 509]

Sucks, butttttt you did what you had to do. 

[S18 RSG 429]

Well, that was an ordeal just to read through

If it makes you feel any better, one of the guys from my old forum has had his car off the road for well over 2 years, and has spent upwards of £20,000 trying to get an engine build done.

He has a Clio 182 Trophy. Around 3 years ago he had ITB's fitted, which eventually blew a piston out of the side of the engine. He sourced a new engine, carried out the same mods but with built internals. It was making no power as the ECU couldn't handle it. He changed ECU's a few times, then the new built engine blew. He's now on to a 3rd built F4R which he's turbo charging. It's still months away from completion.

I've seen him go through months of severe depression, putting the car and all parts up for sale for 10% of his total spend (around £50,000 since he bought it new 10 years ago). It's really horrible.

I'll say what I said to him. If you didn't want the hassle, you wouldn't have done it. You knew the risks beforehand, but because you love cars, you ignored them, all to get the end result. Forget about what's happened and what will happen, and just think about what you'll eventually have. It'll make all the pain and suffering worth it one day

[Tareim 343]

really sucks to hear that, I know we tend to give you a hard time over it not being ready yet but I hope you know we are all just joking around and we do really want to see this project complete rather than chucked away, so lets hope this person who will be taking it over can actually deliver this car in a reasonable deadline

[smudge 1020]

6 minutes ago, S18 RSG said:

Well, that was an ordeal just to read through

If it makes you feel any better, one of the guys from my old forum has had his car off the road for well over 2 years, and has spent upwards of £20,000 trying to get an engine build done.

He has a Clio 182 Trophy. Around 3 years ago he had ITB's fitted, which eventually blew a piston out of the side of the engine. He sourced a new engine, carried out the same mods but with built internals. It was making no power as the ECU couldn't handle it. He changed ECU's a few times, then the new built engine blew. He's now on to a 3rd built F4R which he's turbo charging. It's still months away from completion.

I've seen him go through months of severe depression, putting the car and all parts up for sale for 10% of his total spend (around £50,000 since he bought it new 10 years ago). It's really horrible.

I'll say what I said to him. If you didn't want the hassle, you wouldn't have done it. You knew the risks beforehand, but because you love cars, you ignored them, all to get the end result. Forget about what's happened and what will happen, and just think about what you'll eventually have. It'll make all the pain and suffering worth it one day

Cheers bud. It would be so easy to give up and just call it a day, but thankfully people reminded me of why I'm doing it and the passion is still there

I don't even want to start calculating how much I've put into engines alone on this car...it will finish me off 

Just hope there's some good news soon

[smudge 1020]

7 minutes ago, Tareim said:

really sucks to hear that, I know we tend to give you a hard time over it not being ready yet but I hope you know we are all just joking around and we do really want to see this project complete rather than chucked away, so lets hope this person who will be taking it over can actually deliver this car in a reasonable deadline

I know it's a joke, but I take it personally from you and I will end of murdering you at some point  #justsayin  

[S18 RSG 429]

Just now, smudge said:

Cheers bud. It would be so easy to give up and just call it a day, but thankfully people reminded me of why I'm doing it and the passion is still there

I don't even want to start calculating how much I've put into engines alone on this car...it will finish me off 

Just hope there's some good news soon

The thing is, you might think it would be easy to give up, but it wouldn't. After the amount of work you've already put in, the hype you've built up around it and so on, you literally COULD NOT give it up now.

It sounds like you've got a good plan going forward though, despite all the BS you've experienced recently. It might not be done in time for Japfest 2016 (or whatever the original plan was ), but it'll get there soon. Patience.

[smudge 1020]

1 minute ago, S18 RSG said:

The thing is, you might think it would be easy to give up, but it wouldn't. After the amount of work you've already put in, the hype you've built up around it and so on, you literally COULD NOT give it up now.

It sounds like you've got a good plan going forward though, despite all the BS you've experienced recently. It might not be done in time for Japfest 2016 (or whatever the original plan was ), but it'll get there soon. Patience.

Just hope it's ready for any show in 2017  car has been off the road for a year now since the original engine went pop 

[S18 RSG 429]

Just now, smudge said:

Just hope it's ready for any show in 2017  car has been off the road for a year now since the original engine went pop 

Japfest is April. Doesn't seem too ambitious. There's something to look forward to

[Tareim 343]

7 minutes ago, Tareim said: really sucks to hear that, I know we tend to give you a hard time over it not being ready yet but I hope you know we are all just joking around and we do really want to see this project complete rather than chucked away, so lets hope this person who will be taking it over can actually deliver this car in a reasonable deadline

I know it's a joke, but I take it personally from you and I will end of murdering you at some point  #justsayin  

Bring it on, I've got one of the pieces in your puzzle for the car #justsayin 😉

[Andrew Smith 156]

Reading that made my blood boil, horrendous service.

Keep at it, this fiasco will make the rewards of completion even sweeter

[smudge 1020]

2 minutes ago, Andrew Smith said:

Reading that made my blood boil, horrendous service.

Keep at it, this fiasco will make the rewards of completion even sweeter

Yeah sorry about the length of my ordeal! Just want to get it moving again

[Andrew Smith 156]

Good lad....crack on

[Mike 458]

Sounds like you've got a plan, first round of TSS a target?

Pisses me off when people don't get back to you when they say they will, especially when there's potential money flowing their direction. I've been "waiting" for someone my parents used to call about my boiler for ~3 months!

[nikndel 509]

I had similar with a custom paint job paid for paint and materials' but it went on forever and came to a head when I found his guard dog used my leather interior as a toilet. Car was about finished but not right so I took it away and knocked him.Saw him at a show months later he was going to do all sorts to me still waiting 40 years on . Same as your case Jordan he took on a project perhaps he couldn't complete so I know your pain

[Paul 442]

Really sad to hear all of that Jordan, I think you made the right decision and I would definitely be going down the legal route if I were in your shoes. Let's hope we see the finished article at Japfest 2017. 

[Sideways? 33]

Man that sucks... Did you ever have anything on paper about what the guy would do for you and how much it would cost...? I hope you get it sorted without too much further hassle, is it mobile? I.e. Could you just turn up and trailer it away?? If yes you can just turn up out of the blue and take it...

Sent from my E6553 using Tapatalk

[smudge 1020]

3 minutes ago, Sideways? said:

Man that sucks... Did you ever have anything on paper about what the guy would do for you and how much it would cost...? I hope you get it sorted without too much further hassle, is it mobile? I.e. Could you just turn up and trailer it away?? If yes you can just turn up out of the blue and take it...

Sent from my E6553 using Tapatalk

I could do, but ideally I need him to finish it mechanically for someone else to finish off the electronics. The last thing I want to do is take the car and find out there's something majorly missing or wrong with it, hence why I've given him the option to finish things to a point for my sake and saving him any legal action

[Sideways? 33]

Righto, sounds like a horrible story so far, how difficult is it to visit the workshop where the car is? Perhaps you need to show up more often so the guy can't "forget" what you've agreed...

Sent from my E6553 using Tapatalk

[smudge 1020]

35 minutes ago, Sideways? said:

Righto, sounds like a horrible story so far, how difficult is it to visit the workshop where the car is? Perhaps you need to show up more often so the guy can't "forget" what you've agreed...

Sent from my E6553 using Tapatalk

It's 40mins from me, but as I've said above, I went there on Monday to resolve things and even then he shifted his completion date on another month from end of Jan 2017 to Feb and magically wants another £2k off me for decisions he has made

Car is leaving him ASAP

[Riceburner 284]

Sorry to hear this mate.

I am sure you will get things sorted.I have even discussed with Gary about taking it on here TBH.

How do these people stay in business??????????

 

[Lauren 2259]

Glad you've finally found a solution, Jordan after all the crap that's gone on. Having seen the kind of responses you've had it really is appalling, but I just hope you get the car in two weeks and not in a total mess. Fingers crossed that you can move it forward. 

[Mike 458]

10 minutes ago, Lauren said:

Fingers crossed that you can move it forward. 

Hopefully the car will go backwards as well  

[Kodename47 446]

4 hours ago, smudge said:

Just hope it's ready for any show in 2017  

I'll bring my unicorn..... although might have replaced it with a dragon.

[KobayashiMaru 28]

I'm seething just reading what you've gone through. You've shown more patience than me, although I do understand projects like this with so much customisation takes time but he's not even made slow and steady progress on it. That's probably the most piss boiling part, along with his attitude. Really hope you get a decent result out of this and the car gets to where you want it.