Bad Install shop expierence

[zoopa_man]

All my exhaust parts have been siting in the trunk of my car for the past few weeks just waiting to be put on. I have everything I need, just needed the time to install it my self. I tried for the past two weeks to get friends to help me out and every time we made a date to do it I got blown off. Some friends...so this morning (my day off) I got mad and called a few local shops to get quotes on what it would cost to have them do the install for me. First shop I called said they wouldn't even touch it because they don't take in customer parts. Ok...second shop I called said sure there is one guy here that is willing to do the job. The guy at the desk quoted me at 80 to 100 for the install. I said fine and made a 1:30 appointment. All is well so far. I get to the shop early at 1:00 to check in and am told that the guy that agreed to do my car was out for lunch till 2...fine...so I waste an hour and come back at 2:00 I get to the front desk and they tell me he's working on someone else’s car doing snow tires...fine..I wait another hour. Finally at 3:00 the guy comes in and says hello let's see what you got...I show him my H pipe and gt takeoffs the hangers and everything he should need to do the install. He says great and takes the car into the shop. The girl friend and I took off for a few hours and returned at 5:00 I go inside and the gentleman at the desk tells me my car won't be done tonight we close at 5:30 ! The installer had to run out to "get some parts" and my car won't be done till tomorrow. Just great seeing as how I work at 9am.

I can see two things in the future allready...One...It's gonna cost me some astronomical amount because he had to get more parts...and two the installer is gonna be mad and there going to charge me up the wazoo for the "custom" work that was a pain to do. I'm already upset because they dragged their feet at the beginning and probably could have finished it today had they not. I'm also not very happy about the fact that this is going to cost me a fortune now. We'll all see how it goes tomorrow...hopefully they remain decent people and don't take me for everything I have.

 

[ChaosStarter]

that sucks man. keep us updated!

 

[JOSTANG75]

Don't let them overcharge you on labor, $80-$100 is sufficient. Stand up to them at make sure you get a receipt(especially if they charge you for more parts).

 

[splatteredguts]

well, a good shop would have stayed around to finish the job, but obviously this one isn't... 2 hours should be plenty of time to get it done, seeing as how they've already got all the stuff and don't have to fab anything.

well, let us know how it turns out and don't let them take you to the cleaners. and another thing... check your odometer!!

 

[zoopa_man]

welp...here's the update:

I had to borrow mom and dad's Buick LeSaber this morning to get my self to work...I'm traumatized from that alone. Anyway...

I drove by the shop on my way to work and took a look in the garage and my car was still up on the lift being worked on. I expected that and had to just drive on to work.

It wasn't until 12:00 when I heard from the shop...They had finally finished my exhaust. It took them four hours and they had to go get some custom pipe made from another local shop. They told me my total was going to be 265 dollars ! Four hours of labor at 60 an hour and 25 for the extra custom pipes. After hearing that it was all I could do to hold back my Italian anger. I was furious, I was quoted at only 80 to 100 dollars and just two hours of work and it ended up taking four hours and my total was three times what they stated it would be. They never called to say it was going to be more. I had no intentions of leaving my car there over night. And my understanding was I supplied them with everything they needed to get the job done right.

To make a long story short I argued those points with the mechanics over the phone for a half an hour. Finally in the end we reached a more reasonable agreement. They only charged me for three hours of labor. Total cost after bickering with them was $181.25 Still not what I expected but better then 265. I left the shop with a sour taste in my mouth and the lesson learned I'll never go there again. The only thing that's sweetened the experience so far is the OH so sweet sound of duals on my car. Man it sounds a million times better. Hopefully positive comments from friends will subdue the sour taste and I'll move on to my next mod what ever it might be.

End of rant...thanks for reading.

 

[ryanrule]

have them show u what part they "needed", because u shouldnt have needed anything

 

[JOSTANG75]

Well we all learn from experiences like these but at least you're happy with the final outcome. Where did you get your duals from and what brand did you get? Try to post some sound clips so we can hear how it sounds.

 

[Hondaboy]

Well we all learn from experiences like these but at least you're happy with the final outcome. Where did you get your duals from and what brand did you get? Try to post some sound clips so we can hear how it sounds.

Be sure to use good equipment or the coments can get ugly lol.

 

[BABstangV6]

I tried for the past two weeks to get friends to help me out and every time we made a date to do it I got blown off.

sounds like someone needs a hug

 

[stephenmgd]

sounds like someone needs a hug

i do i do!!!!

 

[zoopa_man]

LOL yah after this whole ordeal I'm gonna need a hug. This is the worst part...apparently it's not over yet. I got to go back ! I took a look under the car today to check things over again...Number one...I don't see anything under the car that isn't something I gave them to put on. Meaning there's no sign of some Custom pipe that they spoke of. And second and more annoying is that the passenger side muffler is only on by one hanger ..the second hanger is just flapping in the breeze! and to make matters worse the whole side vibrates when i get on the gas hard. I'm so mad I’m ready to rage holy war on these idiots.

Parts I gave them were a brand new GT takeoff set of mufflers and an H pipe from v6mustangstuff.com Everything should have fit perfect. The only thing I can contemplate is that these guys are total morons or there jerking me around and overcharging. In any event I’ll be right back in the shop as soon as possible to discuss this with them again. I'm not pleased with the work they did and can't believe they even accepted my car into their shop knowing that they couldn't do a good job on my car. I'm furious.

I don't know if I should demand some of my money back or If I should just make them fix what's wrong and live with it...what do you guys think I should do ?

I'll throw up picks of the swinging muffler and H pipe so you can see what was done. Give me your opinions on what I should have them do. I'm not happy and feel I’ve been ripped off.

 

[FlipStyle12oo]

so how much exactly did you spend on the parts + installation?

 

[zoopa_man]

In the end I paid:
109 shiped for the H pipe from v6power.com
95 shiped for the GT takeoffs from ebay
181 for install shop which was 3 hours of labor 60\hour

Total cost : $385

 

[JOSTANG75]

Go back to the shop and have them fix the hanger and anything else that is wrong with it at no cost. Don't wait go a.s.a.p. If they give you a hard time about it tell them you are reporting them to the Better Business Bureau in your state and filing a lawsuit. Don't be intimidated by these guys. I hope you have some type of receipt stating the work they have done on your car. One more thing, if you paid by credit card and you're really unsatisfied with their work you can actually call your credit card company and put a hold on the payment. Good luck.

 

[zoopa_man]

The saga ends. I went back into the shop today to get the passenger side hanger fixed and raised a huge stink about it. I told them I paid too much money to be finding mistakes like that with the install and complained about how much they charged me. In the end they took the car back into the shop and had a different guy take a look at it. He fixed the hanger issue and also found where one of the pipes was very close to some of the underbody so he realigned that too. This guy was much nicer and did a nice job straightening things out. They also gave me 81 dollars back so that I only paid 100 for the install...what i was quoted at...So in the end I feel much better. I don't feel so ripped off now. But man what an ordeal to go though. I'll never go back to that shop again.

On a lighter and more happy note...The duals sound great. I couldn't be happier about there sound and looks. I got a chance to do some doughnuts in the snow today and friends said it looks awesome to see dual smokers twirling around the ice. hehehe I'm happy now.
.

 

[hiattwl]

The saga ends. I went back into the shop today to get the passenger side hanger fixed and raised a huge stink about it. I told them I paid too much money to be finding mistakes like that with the install and complained about how much they charged me. In the end they took the car back into the shop and had a different guy take a look at it. He fixed the hanger issue and also found where one of the pipes was very close to some of the underbody so he realigned that too. This guy was much nicer and did a nice job straightening things out. They also gave me 81 dollars back so that I only paid 100 for the install...what i was quoted at...So in the end I feel much better. I don't feel so ripped off now. But man what an ordeal to go though. I'll never go back to that shop again.

On a lighter and more happy note...The duals sound great. I couldn't be happier about there sound and looks. I got a chance to do some doughnuts in the snow today and friends said it looks awesome to see dual smokers twirling around the ice. hehehe I'm happy now.
.

Damn, i'd protest outside their door, like tell the people outside how bad they suck.

Wayne

 

[98CobraClone]

dude, you got it in the rear without any K-Y jelly

 

[JOSTANG75]

dude, you got it in the rear without any K-Y jelly

OUCH!!

 

[postalbunny]

well, a good shop would have stayed around to finish the job, but obviously this one isn't... 2 hours should be plenty of time to get it done, seeing as how they've already got all the stuff and don't have to fab anything.

well, let us know how it turns out and don't let them take you to the cleaners. and another thing... check your odometer!!

No joke... Riplies Muffer here in TX ended up staying open an extra hour doing my '63 Pontiac... rusted manifold bolts snapped. 1 hr job took 6hrs... but they stayed open and finished it, only charged me $60 extra to helicoil all the bolts (and didn't charge me for an extra 5 hours labor)

 

[postalbunny]

OOps... just realized this is a 3 year old post