Ferrari Repair Issues/ Story | FerrariChat

Ferrari Repair Issues/ Story

Discussion in 'Midwest - USA (NE, KS, OK, MO, AR)' started by Scharge05, Jan 17, 2017.

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  1. Scharge05

    Scharge05 Karting

    May 30, 2014
    65
    Kansas City, Kansas
    Full Name:
    Megan Hill
    Hello! I activated my account back in 2014 when I first ventured into owning a Ferrari.
    I was never really active here, so I apologize for lack of posts etc in the past. Promise to do better!

    My name is Megan and I bought my 1990 348 GTS back in Aug of 2014. I absolutely ADORE this car,
    more than I would like to admit. This is the story of repairs done, I know its long.... but I promise
    it's very worth the read. I have supporting evidence to everything I am claiming via photos that I will include.

    The reason I am posting this is to solely prevent another Ferrari enthusiast being scammed by the
    same shop I was scammed by. AutoHouse Stuttgart of Wichita, KS.

    Below is the story as I have typed it out in the past. I have not included all photos as screen shots of a
    word document to better order them here. I'm not sure text is able to be read.
    Please let me know if you have questions further on a certain image.

    All images are taken by my NEW mechanic Black Horse Motorwerks. (They are incredible!)
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    My 1990 Ferrari 348 GTS has been an ongoing problem for a year and a half now. Mainly because of how
    AutoHouse Stuttgart treated the repairs. The following is a complete history of my issues on repair work
    from AutoHouse that I feel was inadequate, insufficient and downright malicious.

    The original issue that brought me to AutoHouse: the timing belt broke in July of 2015, causing catastrophic
    engine failure. I knew this would not be a cheap repair, so I contacted the only shop I trusted. (Unfortunately)
    I then transferred the Ferrari to Autohouse Stuttgart of Wichita, Kansas in early October 2015.

    I shipped this car from Temecula, California where I was living at the time, to Wichita, Kansas. I paid $2,000
    to enclose trailer ship the car to AutoHouse.

    Reza Eftekhar, and his son Alex Eftekhar (both work for Autohouse Stuttgart) quoted me the following:

    $8,000 for repair of the timing belt and resulting damage, new clutch, and along with the complete engine out
    service that is required every 10k miles (all new seals, belts, water pump, gaskets that go along with it).

    $3,000 for labor. He did offer me "a break on labor as you have been a friend of my son for many years".
    I had an additional small warranty on the Ferrari from my credit union that paid an additional $3,000 for the
    labor Reza was charging.

    Totaling $11,000 in repairs/ parts / labor.

    Reza offered to store the car for me, for free, until I could pay for repairs up front, which in my opinion was
    more than generous. So I took his offer and shipped my car to him.

    I paid off the initial repair amount of $8,000, and they obtained the $3,000 from the warranty (Route66 Warranty Company)
    in April 2016 so they could start repairs on the car. My portion of the $8,000 was paid in increments
    $2,000 per month starting January 2016. So they were paid the total cost of $11,000 in April.

    I quote "We are not in a rush with your car, but before we can start, the repairs need to be paid as most
    of this is parts cost, and we need that money to order parts from Ferrari". After paying the total repair in full ($11,000),
    Reza said the car will be done end of May or early June.

    When this time came, I asked about progress on the car. I got the excuse "your left head is cracked and easily
    repaired but the machine shop is slow so we are waiting". Which was fine, and understandable.

    Fast forward to the end of August : I contacted Reza and got another excuse, the machine shop determined that
    the head was not repairable and that I (me, myself, not him) needed to find a head, one new passenger side
    Intake Cam, and 16 brand new Valves. He requested that I pay for this as it was not part of the original quote.
    I had no issue with this, and ordered a new head / new intake cam/ and 16 new valves. Paid an additional $2,718
    and overnight shipped the head to his shop (receipt provided below). Now total repairs are $13,718, not including
    shipping of the car to Wichita. Again, no issue on my end. I always paid on time and when I was told new parts were
    needed, I ordered them immediately and sent them over night. Desperate to drive my beloved car again.

    I spoke with his son, Alex Eftekhar in August, and this is the first lie I caught. His son Alex said "When my dad opened
    the head today, we were shocked at all the damage.” Which means they did not even start on repairs for my car until
    the end of August when they requested the additional head/valves/camshaft to he ordered. Reza told me the repairs
    were already started in the beginning of May, heads/valves already sent to the machine shop, and being finished at
    the end of May. Which was not true if they started the repairs in August.

    Fast forward again to September, I am starting to get irritated because even more excuses have come in. "The wrong
    pistons came in, we are waiting on the right ones", "The valves are the wrong size, we are trying to find the right size."
    excuses like this went on for several weeks. I finally got fed up and called them out on their excuses, and lack of proof
    on progress (I was promised photos, receipts, etc., and got nothing). Reza quickly started showing "progress photos" that
    showed me literally nothing but the engine pulled from the car, even though I was promised detailed photos of each step.
    Side note: AutoHouse did not pull engine properly through the bottom of the car, it was pulled through the top, and
    caused paint damage in the process.

    Fast forward to the end of October, here is where it gets strange. Reza gets the motor back in the car and starts it,
    idols it for several minutes. He sends me a video in the process where the car sounds absolutely terrible. Reza then
    calls me and asks me why it doesn't have oil pressure. I kindly explained that the oil pressure sending unit was having
    issues reading oil pressure in the past (has no effect on the motor, it’s just a sensor). I had explained this to him on
    multiple occasions. Just to be absolutely positive it was the oil sending unit, NOT the oil pump, I specifically told him
    to check the oil pump assembly and bearings on the oil pump BEFORE putting the motor back together. Ferrari uses a
    dry sump system so the oil pump is deep inside the motor.

    I then called Vincent Hill, owner and operator of Black Horse Motorwerks for his advice on what to do. Vince suggested
    checking the oil pump sending unit as they also often go bad, my original suspicion. These are tested by taking the oil
    pump sending unit off of the car, and attaching a manual oil pressure device. If it builds pressure, the sending unit is
    bad. If it does not build pressure, the oil pump is bad.

    I called Reza back and told him this that evening. The next morning Reza called me and said "We checked the sending
    unit, and also pulled the sending unit off the car and did an oil pressure test with a separate tool. The sending unit
    is fine, and the oil pump is bad because it did not build pressure. We have to disassemble the motor again and this
    time charge more labor, as we helped you out last time."

    Reza determined that it was NOT the oil pump sending unit, and WAS the oil pump system. He then requested an
    additional $6,000 to $8,000 for parts and labor to fix the mistake he made. He wanted an answer immediately and
    wanted money immediately. I told him I would sleep on the situation, and would let him know in the morning.

    I then decided that if I was going to spend another $6,000 to $8,000 it would not be with the shop that missed the
    one thing that I specifically requested them check / repair as needed.

    I contacted Reza again, told him another shop will be picking the car up, and I possibly have a buyer
    (was thinking about selling "as is" due to my frustration, time, and money I had already gone through).

    Fast forward again to November 23rd. I transferred my car to Black Horse Motorwerks in Kansas City. Vince Hill was generous
    enough to ship the car for free, as it obviously can't be driven with known issues. Vince Hill stated the car was in very poor
    visual shape with scrapes and scratches all over the paint, and the entire car was filthy. I have photo proof of the condition
    the car was in BEFORE being in Reza’s care (below). The car had virtually no paint problems or visual issues when I sent
    it to AutoHouse Stuttgart back in September of 2015.

    I gave Black Horse Motorwerks (Vince Hill) permission to diagnose the car properly, starting with the oil pump sending unit.
    I got the call with good news, and terrible news. The oil pressure works perfectly, it was a failed sending unit the whole time.
    Great right? Wrong. He then went on to say that the oil pressure sending unit was NEVER off of the car, and was never checked
    by Reza. This is where I caught a straight up scam and lie. Reza requested $6,000 to $8,000 for a repair that was not
    needed on the oil pump/ labor cost.

    Vince Hill stated that even though the motor HAD oil pressure (photo proof of oil pressure working fine below), the
    car was still running very rough and likely has internal damage. The motor was sputtering, popping, and blowing
    blue smoke. So Vince suggested doing a compression test because they think the timing is very off on the car and has internal damage.

    2 hours later and the compression test is done. Cylinder 4 has ZERO compression, and
    Cylinder 7 has 80 lbs. to 95 lbs. out of a normal 180 lbs. (less than 50% compression).

    This means that the timing was off on the car, causing another catastrophic engine failure while in Reza’s care,
    and damaging most, if not ALL of the parts I paid to have repaired. $13,718 down the drain. Reza idled this ca
    r for hours at his shop on the bad timing. The damage is solely due to the fact that the car was not timed correctly
    at Auto House Stuttgart. Further damage was found when the motor was torn down to the point of failure,
    finding that the wrong valves were used as well.

    Black Horse Motorwerks determined that the clutch I had ordered (included in the original $11,000 quoted) was NOT on the car,
    along with most of the other items that were listed on my "receipt" from Autohouse. Many items on the receipt that Reza
    had given me were quadruple the cost of the actual item listed. I will include each item’s cost from Ferrari,
    and how much Autohouse Stuttgart charged below.

    The clutch / price was hand written on the back of the receipt. Not included on the front of the receipt. Reza returned
    the clutch without my permission, and allocating the cost of the clutch to other “needed” items.
    Although the “needed items” are not on my car. (This means he pocketed the cash).

    The receipt that Autohouse Stuttgart gave me totaled $11,099 in parts/ machine work.
    My receipt for the Head/ Cam/ Valve assembly totals $2,718 from FerrParts.com
    Total cost for “repairs” $13,718, not including shipping the car to him, another $2,000

    Black Horse Motorwerks is estimating an additional $17,000 and $20,000 to make the car mechanically sound, along
    with more money to make the car presentable enough to actually sell. Which means I have to pay twice for this repair,
    and I'm sure anyone can see my frustration with this. The estimate turned out to be incorrect and the total cost is
    currently $26,817.37. The estimate was raised due to further damage/ poor workmanship found as they got further
    into tearing the motor down and repairing issues that AutoHouse left.

    Total cost of parts and labor on my car with Autohouse Stuttgart of $13,718 in addition to parts and labor charged by
    Black Horse Motorwerks (estimated) $17,000 to $20,000 in repairs brings my grand total spent to make my car mechanically
    sound between $30,700 and $33,700. After getting an updated estimate, I am now at $26,817.37 for Black Horse Motorwerks.

    I am going to include the conversation with Reza from 11-29-16, and also photos of "repairs" that are done on the car. The
    included photos below of the car were taken during disassembly of the motor at Black Horse Motorwerks, showing missing
    bolts, oil leaks, bad gaskets, and bad sealant work, along with a missing clutch that I specifically needed, along with many other issues.

    On a side note, I cannot speak well enough about Black Horse Motorwerks or its owner and employees. They have delivered
    some bad news, but have been so tremendously helpful in what has happened to my car. I fully trust this shop, and have had
    many friends bring their cars there. I have been to visit in person and see my Ferrari for the first time in over a year.
    Vince Hill, owner and operator of Black Horse Motorwerks is willing to testify on my behalf as a paid expert on Ferrari repairs.
    He has 14 years of experience working on Ferrari’s, and is incredibly knowledgeable.

    Any photos of the car / damages done by Autohouse Stuttgart were taken when the car was transferred to Black Horse Motorwerks.

    Included are the only receipts that I got from Autohouse Stuttgart, even though I specifically asked for receipts from each place the
    parts were purchased from. (There should be many receipts for each part, where it came from, how much it cost, etc. I requested this,
    and he promised he would give this to me, and failed to do so). The receipts I requested, if not furnished upon resale of the car,
    devalue the car. Maintenance records are detrimental to resale value.

    Below is the receipt of “repairs” done by Autohouse Stuttgart. I will re-type these out below so it is easier to read, and list pricing from Ferrari (as he SHOULD have charged, and as we agreed on).
     

    Attached Files:

  2. Scharge05

    Scharge05 Karting

    May 30, 2014
    65
    Kansas City, Kansas
    Full Name:
    Megan Hill
    #2 Scharge05, Jan 17, 2017
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
  3. Scharge05

    Scharge05 Karting

    May 30, 2014
    65
    Kansas City, Kansas
    Full Name:
    Megan Hill
    #3 Scharge05, Jan 17, 2017
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
  4. slm

    slm F1 Rookie
    Owner Rossa Subscribed

    Dec 5, 2004
    3,759
    Near Lambeau field
    Full Name:
    Steve M
    Good to hear that Vince is making it right. He is THE BEST!!
     
  5. Scharge05

    Scharge05 Karting

    May 30, 2014
    65
    Kansas City, Kansas
    Full Name:
    Megan Hill
    Vince has been downright incredible with my car. I can tell he's taking a personal interest in my car, it shows in his work. Same with his employee Chazz.
     
  6. yelcab

    yelcab F1 World Champ
    Consultant

    Nov 29, 2001
    12,661
    San Carlos, CA
    Full Name:
    Mitchell Le
    I am sorry to read this. Too late to get into the should have , could have etc... You lived among a great community of F car owners in Southern Cal before you moved.
     
  7. Julia

    Julia F1 Veteran
    Silver Subscribed

    Feb 22, 2014
    6,338
    Houston
    This story makes me want to crawl under my bed, assume the fetal position, and cry. I'm so sorry.
     
  8. Sean F.

    Sean F. F1 Rookie

    Feb 4, 2003
    3,059
    Kansas
    Full Name:
    Sean F
    I saw your car at Vince's shop back in December, must be incredibly frustrating for you.

    But I have to ask, living in between LA and San Francisco, there are dozens of shops within a hour or two of you that could have fixed this and you could have monitored the progress. Why add the shipping hassle 2000 miles from your home?

    Also, any shop that wants money up front to buy parts should be sounding all kinds of alarm bells. Once they have your car, they have all kinds of legal means to hold your car if you don't pay them. (not to mention your car would be in there possession).

    Again, just asking the question. Not trying to rub salt in the wound.
     
  9. Turbotuner20v

    Turbotuner20v Formula Junior

    Mar 18, 2014
    362
    Glad you ended up at Black Horse Motorwerks, they will get your car sorted correctly. Vince and Chazz are very passionate and skilled in what they do.
     
  10. AClark

    AClark Formula Junior
    Silver Subscribed

    Jan 22, 2017
    315
    USA
    Wow, just wow!

    Andy
     
  11. buddyg

    buddyg F1 Veteran
    Rossa Subscribed

    Sep 20, 2004
    5,446
    West Michigan
    Full Name:
    Buddy
    Very sorry to hear about your issues. So frustrating to spend good money and to be taken advantage of, or in this case flat out robbed.
     
  12. Scharge05

    Scharge05 Karting

    May 30, 2014
    65
    Kansas City, Kansas
    Full Name:
    Megan Hill
    Vince has been downright incredible with this car.

    I actually spoke to him the first time around when the timing belt broke. He was upfront and honest with me on cost. It was quite a bit for me at the time, so I called AutoHouse (the bad shop) and they quoted me the same in parts, but said because I was a friend of their son (the owner was who I spoke to) that they would not charge me near as much labor.

    Essentially they told me "Bring the car here, we will store it for free until you can pay for the parts to come in, then when all the parts are purchased we will start work on it"

    I got all the money sent to them to allocate to parts (I thought they were ordering them, when in reality they were pocketing the money).

    I simply chose their shop because I thought they were trying to help me out on cost because I have known them for YEARS and was good friends with them.

    Goes to show you can't trust friends.
     
  13. Scharge05

    Scharge05 Karting

    May 30, 2014
    65
    Kansas City, Kansas
    Full Name:
    Megan Hill
    I actually took it to Bobileff Motorcars in San Diego. They quoted me $25k including labor, I was making about that take home working at Tmobile. So yes I had the great community, but I sure didn't have the money to support a repair like that at the time.

    So I chose to ship it back to Wichita, because right after the motor blew, I got a job in the Midwest.

    Figured it would be better to bring the car closer to my home town (Wichita) than leave it in Cali and hope to pay off repairs in a timely matter.
     
  14. dm_n_stuff

    dm_n_stuff Four Time F1 World Champ
    Lifetime Rossa Owner

    Ouch.

    Glad it's working out, I guess. (I must confess I skimmed your posts, TLDR rule applied.)

    Will you be going after the original shop to recover your losses?

    D
     
  15. Scharge05

    Scharge05 Karting

    May 30, 2014
    65
    Kansas City, Kansas
    Full Name:
    Megan Hill
    Yes a lawyer has been obtained.
     
  16. Scharge05

    Scharge05 Karting

    May 30, 2014
    65
    Kansas City, Kansas
    Full Name:
    Megan Hill
    #16 Scharge05, Mar 24, 2017
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
    As some of you may know, I recently had a repair done by a shop who didn’t have any business working on a Ferrari (little did I know).
    I was discouraged and I felt like there was not an end in sight to all the bad luck my little F348 brought me. After many months of going
    nowhere, and ultimately leaving with a car that did not run from the first shop, I decided to give the car one more chance at life.

    With two feet (tires) in the grave, and the dirt falling in….. This is where Black Horse Motorwerks, Vincent T. Hill in particular, stepped up to
    bat and gave my F348 another chance. Both of us as stubborn as we are, were determined to right the wrongs from the previous shop, and
    get her back on the road.

    Vincent loaded my car onto the trailer and shipped her from Wichita to Kansas City, Kansas. Upon unloading the F348, the reality of the
    situation grew even more dismal. The visual quality of the car was very “1990 Honda Civic on Craigslist” and hardly resembled anything
    Pininfarina ever designed. Paint was in terrible condition, the engine was covered in green zip ties, and was very clearly only running on
    some of its cylinders. Vince then called me with the good news, and the terrible news…..

    I was originally told by the first shop that the only item still needing repair was the Oil Pump. Vince told me the good news, which good news!
    Built oil perfectly fine! Que the bad news…. My F348 had much bigger problems than an oil pump. Vincent very carefully gave me the bad news
    that the previous shop had totally butchered the rebuild I had paid them thousands to do. Engine needed to come out, and likely had internal
    damage due to their poor repair.

    She was sputtering, smoking, and running on 6 of her 8 cylinders when Vincent advised me this could go two directions. Sell the F348 and
    hope to get some money out of it, or rebuild the engine completely. This is where our stubborn personalities kicked into high gear. I came
    to Kansas City to Black Horse Motorwerks to see my car in person for the first time in over a year, and discuss my options with rebuilding the car.

    Vince and I discussed the many possibilities that came with rebuilding it, both good and bad. I cannot possibly express my gratitude in
    words for how well I was treated at Black Horse Motorwerks. Vince was incredibly sympathetic with my situation, and I feel as though
    he took a personal interest in rebuilding my car to rectify the previous butchering it had endured.

    From November 23, 2016 when Vince picked up my car and delivered it to Black Horse Motorwerks, to the day he delivered it on
    March 23rd, 2017, I received constant updates and photos of the progress. These photos are also going to be used as court documentation
    showing the poor repair vs. the correct repair from Black Horse Motorwerks.

    Vince and his employee Chazz took my F348 that was on the brink of death, and brought it back to the same quality that rolled off of the
    assembly line in Maranello. The before and after photos of this car say enough on their own about Black Horse Motorwerks, but I would
    love to personally attest to the quality and care of their work. I have not only gained a car that runs better than the day I bought it, but
    also gained two very close friends through this process. Vince was more than generous with my repairs on my car, extremely helpful with
    documenting the issues and repairing the F348 to top notch quality.

    5 STARS all around for Black Horse Motorwerks! I’m going to include photos that Vince took and sent to me over the time he had the car
    and throughout the repairs. Vince is an incredible mechanic, and has turned into a damn good friend on top of that. Black Horse Motorwerks
    has earned a lifetime customer, and I HIGHLY recommend them to anyone with an exotic car!!!


    Link below for anyone who wants to know the original story of the BAD repairs.
    http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/midwest-usa-ne-ks-ok-mo-ar/542743-ferrari-repair-issues-story.html
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  17. cf355

    cf355 F1 Rookie

    Feb 28, 2005
    4,208
    Full Name:
    chris
    Sweet :) ......enjoy her in good health
     
  18. Scharge05

    Scharge05 Karting

    May 30, 2014
    65
    Kansas City, Kansas
    Full Name:
    Megan Hill
    I absolutely plan on it :)
     
  19. Wade

    Wade Three Time F1 World Champ
    Owner

    Mar 31, 2006
    32,793
    East Central, FL
    Full Name:
    Wade O.
    Cool story, awesome work and spectacular wheels!

    BTW, what sizes and make are they?
     
  20. Julia

    Julia F1 Veteran
    Silver Subscribed

    Feb 22, 2014
    6,338
    Houston
    What a beauty! I do like your wheels!
     
  21. PhilB

    PhilB Formula 3
    Owner Silver Subscribed

    Feb 17, 2004
    2,166
    NYC, USA
    Full Name:
    Phil
    Car looks great, congratulations. I'm glad it ended on a positive note. Now enjoy.
     
  22. Scharge05

    Scharge05 Karting

    May 30, 2014
    65
    Kansas City, Kansas
    Full Name:
    Megan Hill
    Thank you! They are HRE's, 18 inch wheel. I believe 10 inch wide in the rear, maybe 9 inch in the front? Not entirely sure. I am running 295/35/18 tires in the rear, and 235/40/18 in the front. Bridgestone Potenzas.

    I actually bought 348/355 Challenge Wheels in black that I plan to swap these out for. I like these wheels, but they don't fit the "look" of the car.

    I plan to sell these wheels as the new ones should be here within a couple weeks.
     
  23. ///Mike

    ///Mike F1 Veteran

    Dec 11, 2003
    6,097
    Bugtussle
    Wow, the before and after shots pretty much tell the tale. Huge kudos to Black Horse Motorwerks for taking over such a badly botched job by a hack shop. Those are almost always way worse than anything other than a fire repair. It's great that there are still some techs with integrity left in the biz.

    The car looks great now (and it's the right color!). I'm not usually a big fan of aftermarket wheels but those aren't bad. I'd like to see some closeups of the car from various angles with those wheels/tires fitted.

    Congrats on getting the car back. Hope you can enjoy it now with no further problems for a while.
     
  24. MAD828

    MAD828 F1 Rookie
    Silver Subscribed

    Oct 8, 2011
    2,539
    Sydney
    Full Name:
    Elliott Caras
    Amazing engine bay now after the right people were on the job. Good on you for sticking it out and I hope you have many years of miles and smiles!
     
  25. absostone

    absostone F1 Veteran
    Silver Subscribed

    Jul 28, 2008
    9,181
    Nice car enjoy.
     

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