Kassel Imports in Tualatin, OR? Vic Asadourian

Please ck my website kasselimports.com.

Thank you

Vic
530 547-5032

 

Few more listed here:

http://www.nwrfca.org/resources/

 

Never heard of him before this thread.

The shops in Portland that I recommend, other than RTGT (who I believe to be the best for late model cars-- 355 & newer) are ATD and The Jag Shop.

ATD is very good on older cars, many 308s and Mondials in there, although I have seen newer cars in there on occasion. I use ATD for my older cars, and am quite happy with them-- the only complaint I have is that they are basically a one-man operation, and so can take forever. But the end product is good.

The Jag Shop is owned by a former RTGT tech, who is factory trained on most of the models prior to 1999 or so. I stopped using them in favor of ATD, mostly having to do with the fact that they are constantly moving the cars in and out of the shop and letting them sit outside during the day, while ATD pulls them in and covers them and leaves them where they are.

Again, for any newer car, I would stick with RTGT. They have all the proper diagnostic tools, etc., and really do a good job. They're not cheap, but neither are the other guys.

If you try Kassel Imports, let us know how it goes! Always good to have another choice.

 

Vic can you tell us more about what Ferrari's you have worked on? Are you or is there a Ferrari certification?

 

I have 25 years of experience working on BMW's and Mercedes and was with Grand Prix when they opened working on Ferrari's 308's - 360's. I did all types of work, timing belts...just about everything. Call me directly and I can give you more details. I was the head foreman for Kuni BMW for 5 years and decided to open my own shop working on Ferrari's, BMW's and Mercedes. Thanks!
Cell - 503-547-5032
Website:
http://www.kasselimports.com

 

Oh, I know where that is located. Very close to where I work and the CAT shelter where I volunteer. Cool, something nearby!

 

I went to Kassel Imports with my 308 because I was hoping to find a competant mechanic close to my house in case I had a major problem with my car. I have been using Craig at the Jag Shop who I am extremely happy with - it's just that he is inconvenient for me (at times) because of the distance from my house. I decided to "test the waters" with Vic by asking for fluid changes (coolant, brakes as well as an oil change). I also asked to have the source of an oil leak looked into. It looked to be a fairly simple task, as the leak seemed to be coming from the pan seal as well as the plug. I am not going to go into great details, but Kassel Imports had my car for over a week - and $834.00 later, (this also included an alternator belt install as well as a drivers side mirror plate) it was finally done last night. However, during the process, it became painfully obvious to me that Vic DOES NOT have the knowledge of 308's that he claimed to have in an earlier post. Just to give an example, Vic informed me that in order to replace the pan gasket, the transmission needed to be removed from the car - about a 6 hour job in itself with another 6 hours to adjust the shift linkage. Later, he changed his story and said he was thinking of a Testerossa. (red flag UP) Vic also wanted to send my pan out to be "re-made" by a buddy of his because he suspected the pan itself (may) be damaged. I told him not to use this option, but he had called me on a Saturday morning to tell me he was "sending the pan out". I refused to allow him to do this. (red flag -UP) There is also a heli-coil that is factory installed at the drain plug hole that Vic explained to both myself and my wife all about heli-coils and that it was probably put in by a previous mechanic to repair a leaking drain plug. I did a search on the tech side of the chat and got a wealth of feedback to realize I was being told some invalid information. Even after I called Vic on it and told him this heli-coil was factory installed and gave him the factory part number, he said I must be looking at a repair manual. (red flag UP) Over all, the end result was expensive - but he (finally) fixed the leak and the fluids were changed (overfilling the oil). My BIGGEST beef is when I picked my car up and got it home, I IMMEDIATELY noticed that both the left and right rear rocker panels had been damaged from being improperly jacked up. I returned to Vic and showed him the damage - which, of course, he denied any responsibility for. Not being able to prove that he did the damage, I am on my own with my insurance carrier. I know this car like the back of my hand and, without question, this damage was not on my car prior to taking it to Kassel Imports. I took the car to a body shop that had re-painted these rocker panels for me in the past. Estimated damages are $1,489.90 to my rocker panels. I called Vic and informed him of the damage charges and, as before, Vic denied any responsiblity and said it looked like the damage was years old as he claimed there was rust on the damage. Neither myself or the body shop noticed any rust what so ever at the damage point. I WILL NOT use this shop again and told Vic so. I would use EXTREME CAUTION in your consideration with this mechanic.

 

Hopefully Kassel Imports gets a nice visit from a lightning bolt. I hate when people can't take responsibility, does he not have insurance that will cover most of it for him? Cheap ass

 

Vic never offered to even consider that it was a remote possibility that one of the three other employees in his shop may have put the car on the rack and jacked it improperly. One tech (Robert) seemed fairly competent - until I started doing some research into the repair proceedures myself - then I began to be quite concerned and was glad I was not in for a major. He has two others - Dustin, that in conversation sounds like a tech in training and Vics son - high school aged kid that (I was told) "helps out" at the shop. Who knows what instructions were given to any one of these three to move or raise or work on my car. In fact, I had called and spoken to Robert regarding a phone call I made during the repair process of the 308. When I called, I (beleive) his son answered the phone. I introduced myself as the 308 owner and got a "YEAH??" response - which I thought was very rude and quite unprofessional - ESPECIALLY if you are working with a potential new customer. I was turned over to Dustin as both Vic and Robert were out of the shop. I got the same "YEAH" response from him. In talking to Dustin - he was explaining the work that was being done on the car and was talking in a first person - sounding as if HE was the one performing the work. When I got ahold of Robert the next day, I told him of the phone call and the general reception I received on the phone. I also told him I was very uncomfortable IF, indeed, Dustin was working on my car - as I was paying for and expecting to receive the "years of experience" that Vic supposedly had. Robert had indicated to me that Vic, was, indeed, the only one working on my car - but, can't prove that. Between both Vic and Robert, I was getting quite a bit of innacurate information in the repair proceedures for a 308. My insurance company will be photographing the car and processing the claim. They have indicated they will be speaking to Vic regarding the matter.

 

I've encountered his son many times at parties. I would not trust that kid, and they do call him "the kid", with a Ferrari or really any car for that matter. I convinced this kid to try and catch a lit cigarette in his mouth. When failed, he kept trying until he was sick of burning himself. Yeah, that's exactly who I want "helping out" on my car.

 

Just towed my 308 into Kassel with some kind of fuel/spark problem. They had it for a week, and called me to come pick it up. But when I arranged for a ride all the way down to Sherwood, I got there to find that it still didn't run. I could barely tootle around the parking lot! So I let them have it for another week. When I went to pick it up again, it sounded and ran great...for about 40 miles, when it broke down and needed to be towed home again. I'll have it towed to RTGT as soon as I can...but I just gave Vic all my money, so it's been sitting in the garage as all these sunny days pass me by....