$130k service cost on 328 true?

In California ANY AMOUNT above the estimate must have prior approval.

If no one complains, no one can enforce the laws and people like Donnie are allowed to thrive.

 

Silly question, could Matt Farrah be liable for anything?

 

What would he be liable for? Overstating Donnies talent? I had a look and didnt see any crime under the heading of "Overstating talent".

Half the people here are guilty of the same thing.

 

Hmmm. I just started reading the thread(s).
I'm wondering if Brent Ozar is this Brent of MS SQL fame?

Hmmm, son of a gun. It is! Here

 

No way. If he’s guilty of anything it’s cynicism or apathy.

Matt’s response where Donnie is concerned is that these things don’t reflect his personal experience. That’s probably true. It was very much in Donnie’s interest to keep Matt happy. He obviously attracted customers that way. I’m sure Donnie prioritized his cars and possibly gave him some kind of deal or discount.

That said, Matt had been told about what others were experiencing, long before these threads emerged or Donnie was arrested. At the end of the day, my guess is that Donnie simply equals good content for Matt, and that trumps everything else. Whether people are showing up to lionize or vilify Donnie, Matt’s shows still get the clicks and the views. That drives ad revenue and ratings.

Even if Matt takes heat now for promoting Donnie while knowing others had negative experiences, he can just do a podcast about it (or 5) where he discusses/defends his position, and turn it into content. The heat won’t last long. People’s attention spans are short, but the traffic stats from those shows will live on in perpetuity. America baby! Lol

 

If Matt Farah received a discounted bill in exchange for commercial exposure then he would be 'technically' required to disclose it as commercial or sponsored content in his productions. I don't think his audience in any way cares if he is guilty of not disclosing this and I can't imagine anyone will pursue him for it either. I would think at worst he would show himself to have bad judgement and to not be as knowledgeable about cars as he makes himself out to be.

 

Honestly, the entire "internet influencer" bit is ripe with shady deals and outright corruption. Not sure if that's the case here but there's plenty of "I'll scratch your back if you scratch mine" going on everywhere.

 

You mean "discounted inflated" bill!

I watched the videos more because I was buying a 328 and about to go through many of the same issues. Its not a bad bit to watch but my feeling was -- his shop was a mess and I would not do business with anyone with a shop that messy. Its an indication of sloppiness or laziness or being broke IMO. But that's just me. I owned a shop. For sure there are messy stuff going on but you hid that part and tried to keep the work area clean and clutter free. Impressions matter and it also effects your work negatively to have stuff and cars scattered everywhere in the shop.

My first knowledge of this guy was from the Smoking Tire videos, so it was effective.

 

I mean, that’s kinda the business model. But the ethics of it become questionable when you know or are told the product or service you’re promoting is junk.

 

California has some really strict laws on how to run an auto repair business. If you don't follow them correctly the owner of the car actually walk from the bill and there can be fines or license suspension.

 

Some are, some aren't. For sure Jay Leno promotes people and companies he likes but its more because he wants cars to show up for his show. Otherwise they wouldn't bother. But I don't think he does that for the money, at least directly. Because he worked in show business he understands how to get celebs (in this case cars) to show up.

Every guest Jay's producers booked for his TV show were there for some PR reason. I had a couple of products featured in some of his bits. His producers called us up, asked for samples, we supplied them. No money but a win-win for the show and ourselves, even if he made fun of them.

 

Anytime the crime crosses state lines it becomes federal. Which happened here. Be interesting to see if FBI was involved in the sting because that’s what it sounds like.

 

I have been told of many products and services that are junk that just isn't true. It is often a matter of a competitor running someones efforts down. If the information comes from an unknown source or a source I don't trust I don't put much stock in it. Simply having been told I put little value in.

 

When it crosses state lines IT CAN BECOME FEDERAL. Like I said I have seen no evidence of their involvement.

 

Correct. Right now it's all Arizona. See what develops.
https://www.superiorcourt.maricopa.gov/docket/CriminalCourtCases/caseInfo.asp?caseNumber=CR2024-115322

 

I can't recall how often/in what shows it has been disclosed in his media, but I can think of a few times in his media where Matt has mentioned that he gets (got?) a discounted rate from Donnie. I don't think he was hiding that, but I do think he should have disclosed it every time Donnie comes up.

I also think he's not the only one guilty of this, e.g. Hoovie doesn't disclose in every video that "TheCarWizard" appears that they have a financial arrangement of some kind and he definitely helps drive business to The Wizard's shop. The difference is that The Wizard is a reputable mechanic, so overall not a real issue.

Thinking about this stuff reminds me that Youtube is for entertainment, and if you are going to put your money into something it's best to do your own independent research. A Youtuber's recommendation of a specific shop or service is worth less than a single random yelp/google review because of potential bias.

 

One issue is that Donnie worked on a closed airport where you had to be let onto the property. You couldn’t just show up at his hangar and demand your car. Because you couldn’t get to the hangar. And it has also come to light that he was operating without a license.

 

OMG! I was so close to buying that car! I spoke with BRent while Donnie had the car hostage and bid on it also On BAT
Missed that bullet.

 

Sounds like Donnie is good at self-promotion, so perhaps he was smart enough to make sure this internet personality was happy.

Is a shame said internet personality disregarded the warnings from others.

 

This - along with the warnings Farah reportedly got about how Donnie treated others - really reflects poorly on Farah. If these allegations are true, I hope there are consequences.

 

Im utterly shocked farah had the gall to go after EAG when he was involved in this.

 

Probably true.

Still, if the allegations about Donnie are true (evidence so far seems overwhelming) this thread may be a public service.

I wonder if we could help create more balance if there was a section of the site dedicated to reviews of Ferrari shops, sellers, restorers, etc. @rob lay, I'm guessing you've considered this before, but figured I'd ask. A reviews section with submissions only from trusted F-Chatters in which praise and complaints are equally encouraged could be very valuable. I know I'll be looking for advice on who to use and who to avoid when I buy my first older Ferrari.

 

Makes sense, thanks Rob. Figured you'd thought this through.

 

Not sure about the videos featuring Donnie but he's definitely brought it up a few times on his podcast.