Corvette Shop does a ripoff parts switcheroo...

[Patrick T.]

I've never had this happen to me but I'm thinking about it now. My car is out getting a new ragtop installed now and I should have it back soon. I remember a thread on the CF where a guy had his Vette in the shop for few weeks to get something fixed but not under the hood. He pays the bill and gets his car back.

About 6 months later he was changing the air cleaner and noticed that his ORIGINAL Holley 3810 carb with the correct date and numbers AND the correct dated voltage regulator had been switched and those were replaced with a carb and regulator from another year. He goes howling back to the shop and demanded his original parts back. They said they had swapped nothing and he would have to prove it. I don't think he ever got those irreplaceable parts back. Has anyone here had this happen to them? PT

[Phil D.]

Re: Corvette Shop does a ripoff parts switcheroo...

No, but having spent some time in the realm of tuner cars, I've heard lots of stories about "tuner" shops, many of them run merely as means for the shop owner to pursue his own hobby full time - i.e. works more on his own car more than customers cars and writes off the expenses. I remember particularly about a man very famous for modifying Vipers (perhaps y'all know who I'm talking about, but I won't mention the name since I've only heard it third hand) who was notorious for "borrowing" parts off customer cars. In some serious cases entire engines were "borrowed" just to be able to make a weekend race and then put back without the owners knowledge or consent. Granted, most of those customers couldn't care less about originality, but still its unethical business to appropriate customer's property for the shop's use, even if it is ultimately replaced.

Phil

I've never had this happen to me but I'm thinking about it now. My car is out getting a new ragtop installed now and I should have it back soon. I remember a thread on the CF where a guy had his Vette in the shop for few weeks to get something fixed but not under the hood. He pays the bill and gets his car back.

About 6 months later he was changing the air cleaner and noticed that his ORIGINAL Holley 3810 carb with the correct date and numbers AND the correct dated voltage regulator had been switched and those were replaced with a carb and regulator from another year. He goes howling back to the shop and demanded his original parts back. They said they had swapped nothing and he would have to prove it. I don't think he ever got those irreplaceable parts back. Has anyone here had this happen to them? PT

[Stuart F.]

Re: Corvette Shop does a ripoff parts switcheroo...

Yes, I've had this happen/done to me by a well known Corvette shop in Downers Grove, Illinois. I've told the story or bits of it many times this past year or so. I hit a deer in late 1992 and my car was in the shop for front fiberglass work for which I and State Farm paid premium costs for NOS body parts. While in their shop (an extended period of time), they took my master cylinder, my starter, windshield wiper motor and my unique to 63 3461S AFB carb. While in the shop, I communicated with them by fax regarding other repairs they recommended resulting from their inspection. They gave me a quote for each group of repairs, and I agreed or not, or ammended their work descriptions by return fax. One thing I made perfectly clear was that I wanted all the old parts returned unless I specifically approved a core charge release - which I never did. In general, I did approve brake work, exhaust system work using all hangers and ground straps that I provided, and a rebuild of my windshield washer pump. The rest they took license to do and explained the missing parts to a misunderstanding with their East European Technician, specifically, that my Master Cylinder went out with the scrap.

Soon after return of the car (2.5 months late) in mid January, I went into the hospital for bypass surgery so I wasn't up to even getting in the car until about the first of June - to say nothing about inspecting their work.
I discovered the carb change when I noticed operating problems. They claimed they never touched it - the same old story.

With the time lapse I knew it would be difficult at best to bring a case against them. I accepted my losses and found satisfaction with telling my story at every show I go to and every chance I get - even right in front of their booth at the Chevyvettefest. The guy that did it all, Tom Fara, is still with them screwing every other Vette owner that comes in. I finally found a correctly dated Master Cylinder and replaced it just this past year.

Stu Fox

[Richard F.]

Re: Corvette Shop does a ripoff parts switcheroo...

Stuart- I go by that shop all the time, and based on your story I don't even slow down as I go by. I need to have my hood repainted, and thought about them until I read one of your earlier posts. I'm sure comments like these must go through the hearts of some of our members who run shops, but I don't want to be combing EBay to find a $100 replacement for my overflow tank cap, or something else that an unscrupulous shop owner or employee might think I wouldn't notice changed until it was too late.

[Clem Z.]

Re: Corvette Shop does a ripoff parts switcheroo...

this is what happens when a hobby turns into $$$$$$$.

[Christopher R.]

Re: Corvette Shop does a ripoff parts switcheroo...

Happened to my '62 in the late 1970s. Rowley (Massachusetts) Corvette.

Same as your story. I didn't discover the loss until many months later.

[Stuart F.]

Re: Corvette Shop does a ripoff parts switcheroo...

I think these outfits bank on our trust and "naivete" to get away with their thievery. First of all, they never have your car done on time - in fact, it is usually more than twice the estimated amount of time. Then, when it is returned, you are so happy to just have it back in basically one piece you may not notice or realize it's been raped. Like with mine, the shop promised it in 6 weeks. I visited them regularly and saw little progress. Then the bad weather set in and I guess I was just happy knowing it was in doors. They finally brought it back on a flat bed tow truck on a nice cold/sunny day in January, some 13 weeks later. It looked so nice being backed off the truck, it started up fine, backed it into the garage and covered it up. I wasn't able to touch it or even look at it until for a number of months later, until after my surgery.

It was one thing to have their so called Service Department rip off parts, but I then noticed their Body Shop did not use the NOS panels that State Farm and I paid for. Instead, they had spliced the front fenders at the middle of the wheel wells with a wide gap at the hood on the left side. They were supposed to install a new headlight wire harness, instead they spliced it so it is too short now and won't fit into the clips to keep it up out of the grill opening.

Ironically, I have told my story to several Corvette owners who asked me for a recommendation of them to have work done on their cars. I don't know if they didn't believe me or what, but went there anyway (only game in town) and got ripped off. The latest was a fellow that bought my son's first 78 P.C.. We told them NOT to go there, but they did. They got their car back way late only to find their T-tops were glued on. In trying to remove them, one (rare silver) got broken and the shop would not accept responsibility.

Stu Fox

[Gary R.]

Re: Corvette Shop does a ripoff parts switcheroo...

I've had a local engine machine shop steal, swap is not a fair term, the pink rods from my 75 L82. When I inspected the machine work I found it bad, then found the swapped rods and he denied it. I brought him to court, which he tried to lie his way out of, he lost and paid up. Rods were never returned.

Did a set of trailing arms for fellow corvette owner. He brought them to a local vette shop and supplied them with USA Timkens months earlier. When he later checked the car,he found .250 endplay in one and -0- in the other. I took them apart while he was here and we found no shims were used and the bearings were mexican and chinese, the USA Timkens were stolen for another customer.

[Tom P.]

Re: Corvette Shop does a ripoff parts switcheroo...

I'm not critizing anyone, but the above comments are some of the reasons why I do all, or at least as much, of the work that I can myself.
I don't do paint and body work, but when it is done, I strip everything off of the car myself and store it, then take the bare car to the body shop for the work. When I bring the car back hole, I have ALLLLLLLLL of my parts.

I also do some rebuilding for people, and I routinely have them come by as needed so that I can show them what I've found and what I recommend in the way of repairs/replacement.
I guess if there is a down side to this, it is that there are now 2-3 people who will not let anyone touch their cars or do repairs except me.
One Dr in particular won't let anyone touch his 63 FI unit except me.

[Stuart F.]

Re: Corvette Shop does a ripoff parts switcheroo...

You are exactly correct Tom. Since my fiasco, I've tried to do as much as I could myself. If my health would not permit it, then hell! It won't get done. I had a pretty good run last year and got my brakes changed out, solved my bad gas operation problem, and did my annual detailing job. There are still many things I'd like to do, but now with the advent of our hot/rainy season here in Florida, they will have to wait. I can still do some work during the winter 70's weather, but this mid to upper 90's would be a death sentence for me, I sweat just taking the cover off the car. It runs like a top now and I'm enjoying it a lot.

Stu Fox

[Stephen R.]

Re: Corvette Shop does a ripoff parts switcheroo...

I only let the mechanic who I've been going to for the last 20 years for all my cars, work on my 59 and 87. He knows me well and treats me and the cars with a high degree of respect and integrity. As a matter of fact, he now works on 4 more C4's. He says people have seen my cars sitting in his shop, figured it was a good Vette place, stopped in, talked with the owner then brought their cars in for repairs.

[Bob D.]

Re: Corvette Shop does a ripoff parts switcheroo...

Those of us living in North Texas are very fortunate. We have a shop in Ft Worth run by two brothers who are NCRS members and are honest as theday is long. I would not and have not hesitated to have them do work on my '71. Rather than adevertise here against the board rules if anyone would like the shop name,sendme an email.

[Clem Z.]

Re: Corvette Shop does a ripoff parts switcheroo...

if the fascination with having all the correct dates etc was not required this stuff would not happen and more people would be into the restoration of corvettes. there are only so many original parts out there so it becomes a supply and demand problem and the people with money demand and the cheaters supply,simple

[Clark K.]

Re: Corvette Shop does a ripoff parts switcheroo...

This thread gives me a bunch to worry about. I have some rare original parts on my Sting Ray, such as the correct 7-bladed A/C fan, power brake booster master cylinder, carb, etc. Even if the owner of the shop is honest, how does he always know what his employees are doing?

How can you insure that your car is not used for a shop's "parts car"? There are times when you must leave the car overnight. I have photos of nearly everything but is that enough? How can you prove that something was on the car when it arrived in their shop but is now missing. -Clark

[Clem Z.]

Re: Corvette Shop does a ripoff parts switcheroo...

This thread gives me a bunch to worry about. I have some rare original parts on my Sting Ray, such as the correct 7-bladed A/C fan, power brake booster master cylinder, carb, etc. Even if the owner of the shop is honest, how does he always know what his employees are doing?

How can you insure that your car is not used for a shop's "parts car"? There are times when you must leave the car overnight. I have photos of nearly everything but is that enough? How can you prove that something was on the car when it arrived in their shop but is now missing. -Clark

when you take the car into the shop show the owner your pictures and say nothing. i am sure he will get the message