Asking about shipping

Do NOT use Western Auto Transport.

Nightmare!

 

I used PLYCAR and they were great, I would use them again. There are a lot of good companies out there, just research a little, and talk with them and see what kind of schedule they have and how long it will take for them to get it delivered. PLYCAR delivered mine in 10 days while the rest of the companies said 2-4 weeks.

 

I also used PLYCAR and they were outstanding. Use enclosed transport if you are moving a high value car. Most of the open container transporters are not in the business of taking care of your car, just moving it from point A to B. If you want the company to take care of your car you have to use someone like PLYCAR. When my car arrived, it was accompanied by two Rolls Royce in the truck. The contact at PLYCAR is Nick 310-345-9260

 

Good service from Plycar also. Used them to ship a Cayenne GTS to and a BentleyGT from dealer in NJ to Louisiana. Very professional drivers, liftgate haulers, and the dispatcher even gave me the driver's cell # to allow direct communication and coordination of pickup/delivery times. Cost about $3400 for vehicle to and from dealer. I would not hesitate to use them again.

Also....be aware that many of the "shippers" advertising online and elsewhere are simply brokers that contact shippers to arrange the transport only; they do not own trucks. I would only contract with a shipper that actually owns and operates their trucks. JMO.

 

Another comment....

Transport companies have to have full, or near full, loads to make their profit margins. They schedule pick-ups and drop-offs based on the most efficient route/times to maximize efficiency. Sometimes this may mean that you will wait on your vehicle "longer than your patience would like". Sometimes it may work out that the delivery takes less time than expected. When you have 6-8+ vehicles in a hauler the driver has to make arrangements to drop-off/pick-up every vehicle with each contact person who may or may not be where they are supposed to be when they are supposed to be there. Traffic/weather conditions on the route may affect the truck's progress. Also, it takes a bit of time to unload a vehicle; binders have to be removed and your car may be blocked in by 3 or four vehicles that have to be unloaded first to get to yours. Usually the latter problem is mitigated by the proper loading and then delivery sequence but not always. All these things add up to the shipper only being able to provide a general estimate of the delivery date of your car. When I have purchased a vehicle that required shipping my brain burned with a fever that only the delivery could cure! Practicing patience was difficult but served as my "Tylenol"...LOL.

 

Last year, I needed the TR shipped from Ft Lauderdale to Huntington Beach. I called all the usual suspects...They were all $2,200-$2,500 and 2 to 3 weeks. One even wanted a one week in advance booking, then 2 to 3 weeks.

On a whim, I called Ferrari of Ft. Lauderdale and talked to Cesar Valdez. He said he would call back shortly and he did exactly that. He gave me a quote of $1,850 door to door, enclosed, arriving in 7 days. Told me to drop the car off and don't worry about a thing, he would take care of everything. I dropped the car off at F of Ft L on a Thursday afternoon, met Cesar....nicest guy in the world. The car was on a truck that afternoon and arrived the next Wednesday night as promised in a beautiful enclosed unmarked white semi. Inside, a new Bentley an Audi R10, new Panorama, a Harley and mine on the top shelf. They used Blue Star out of Ft. Lauderdale. Great customer service from F of Ft Lauderdale and Blue Star! Would use them again.....

 

I've used Blue Star through FOFL and FoLI a million times. They are great.

 

Used them many times and they were great.

 

WAT was hired to ship my car from Colorado to PDX.

The problem was with their driver.

I told him by cell to arrive at eight AM and to call me before he off loaded the car, as I wanted to watch.

He got here early, didn't call, and took it upon himself to unload the car.

He left the e-brake on, which caused a burnt brake smell that I noticed when I woke up and went out to find he'd just parked the car in the driveway.

He had placed a towel on the roof, with a clipboard and inspection sheet on top, and he was VERY nervous and seemed quite anxious to get out; he urged me to sign.

I saw nothing unusual and signed the inspection sheet: he then removed the towel from the roof and quickly left.

Later I noticed substantial damage to the roof that was not there when I shipped the car to Colorado; this damage was covered by the towel the driver had placed on the roof when I took possession of the car; he deliberately hid the damage, and said nothing to me about it.

To make a long story short: the inspection sheet the driver gave me had a circle on the roof in the area of the damage, which would of course denote pre-existing damage.

BUT, as I eventually discovered, the inspection sheet that the Colo. repair shop had been given when the car left their shop did NOT have a circle over the roof, i.e. there was no damage when it left Colorado.

OBVIOUSLY, the driver somehow damaged my car enroute, and rather than admit it he fraudulently circled the roof on my copy of the inspection sheet, perhaps forgetting that the copy he'd given earlier to the consignor did not have that area circled.

BUSTED.

It took me many months to resolve with their insurance company, but ultimately when I finally discovered and documented what had happened they paid up, in full: as well they should, as I had em by the balls.

FWIW, it may be that the folks that run WAT are OK; but the clown who drove the truck should be horse whipped and left tied to an anthill.

 

Fedex transport was fantastic for me. Closed carrier, good prices, door to door and the car doesn't get moved at all until its destination.

 

Mr. V,
If that was the case, I am sure that driver probably doesn't work there anymore. They are a good company, and it is bad that you got a bum deal.

Their owner actually has about a dozen businesses, including the graphic company that does the trucks and the NHRA Craftsman Pro Stock Team.

 

Yes, I blame the driver.

My limited contact with the others at WAT was pretty positive; they seemed to be good people.

But lord, getting played like that ...

I suppose if they fired that prevaricating buffoon, WAT would be OK.

 

As with ocean cargo ships, many higher-end truckers let you track them via live GPS. In theory this provides some transparency to their driving route and ETA. Ironically when I used Passport (formerly FedEx), the only time the GPS worked reliably was when the driver was loitering at a Dallas adult club. Man he spent a lot of time there; may have explained why they were 1.5 weeks late in delivery. No big deal except for the body damage he caused tying the car down improperly. You want to use a company that hires drivers familiar with car transport, vs. hauling potato sacks. Not just with tying the car down securely; vehicles on the upper deck must have tarps underneath them to prevent fluid drips on your paint. You don’t want someone else’s leaky clutch slave cylinder marking your car. The aforementioned Plycar and others such as Intercity and Horseless appear sound bets.

 

Do NOT use autobahn transport from Illinois. Go with reliable, plycar, or passport transport. You can also search the forums and find good recommendations


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