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  #1  
Old 11-12-2001, 11:42 PM
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amoparguy amoparguy is offline
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Default what would you do? (long post)

While my engine machine work was being done I brought my 727 to a shop that specializes in performance transmissions for a rebuild. This guy has been in business in the same location for 20+ years with a reputation for building good trannys.

He understood that the car wouldnt be on the road for a couple years and agreed to stand behind it if I had any problems with it. That was one of the conditions he agreed to BEFORE I gave him the work. He blueprinted it and built a 10" converter to match my engine's specs. It took him longer than promised but it was no big deal because the machine shop took longer to finish my stuff too. I put the motor together and got everything in the car in December '99. I didn't get much done in 2000 because the engine and tranny really streched my budget (this is supposed to be a hobby right?)

This summer I finished up the body and paint and went through the 8 3/4 rear. One day I backed the GTX out of the garage so I could clean up and when I went to put it back in it was slipping in all forward gears.(reverse worked fine but pan was full of clutch dust and metal flakes). I called the guy up and told him what was happening and he said to bring it back, he'd check it out. Trouble was, he was going on vacation and couldnt get to it for a few weeks. Fine, they can push it around the bodyshop I thought.

When I got it back from the paint shop I pulled the trans. I brought the converter and trans back to his shop. He said he'd get on it in a couple of days and he'd call when I could pick it up. I'm very patient but it had been a month and he wouldn't return my calls so I went to the shop. The doors were locked and the lights were off but through the door I could see my trans and converter still sitting right where I left them 4 weeks before. Finally at 6 weeks it moved from the floor to another part of the shop (don't know where because I still haven't seen it. I've been out to the shop 2-3 times per week varying the time I go (always during posted business hours) but still no luck so I tracked down his home phone # and finally got ahold of him. After stating my displeasure in no uncertain terms, he said the trans was apart and the seal ring for the clutch pack was broken but the clutches looked "perfect". I know he's lying to me because there's no way the clutches can look good with all of the crap I found in the pan. After all that has happened I don't trust this guy. Now I can't even get ahold of him to get my tranny back.

Now it's been just over 9 weeks and I'm damn tired of waiting. Nobody in their right mind would wait this long for warranty work. I feel warranty stuff should go to the front of the line. I gave this guy a chance to make things right and he's hosed me. How would you handle it?
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  #2  
Old 11-13-2001, 12:06 AM
BeeperMan BeeperMan is offline
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Owch ...Post this guys addy and buisness name , And hopefuly We cn avoid the same crap , I have had this happen before also with a tranny shop, and man ..I tha tranny I was waitng for was out of my daily transportation! HEHE So i started buildidng my own trannys!
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  #3  
Old 11-13-2001, 12:40 AM
gwaii gwaii is offline
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wow ,sounds like you got taken royaly not to mention his other customers,have you talked to any of his other customers to see if they are have problems to?You might all have to band together to get some satisfaction out of this guy.First thing i would do (if it were me)is get my property back,then maybe take him to small claims court to try and recoup some or all of your cost(i dont know what your law system is like were your at)but this could take some time.Also sounds like the guy might be having some financial problems to(bankrupt,divorce,etc)and has put his bussiness on the back burner,if think this is what has happenend get your claim in before his creditors take all assets and leave nothing for the rest(maybe like a mechanics lein but in reverse).Most of all be persitant and dont let this slide,remember the squeeky wheel always gets the grease. good luck to you
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  #4  
Old 11-13-2001, 04:33 AM
Jims451 Jims451 is offline
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The guy sounds like a moron.
Most tranny shops should be able to rebuild a 727 in less than a day, maybe two days if they need to get an extra part. If it is one guy in a busy shop he should still be able to get it done in a week?
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  #5  
Old 11-13-2001, 05:04 AM
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rumblefish360 rumblefish360 is offline
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With out giveing out the name of my freind, he made several phone calls to the better bizness bue. and took Gilbralter tranamissions to court. He was not happy after it was all said and done. Spread the word around even by flyers on car windows if you have to. Don't let this guy get away cheap!!!
He was so pissed off that he tryed to get a page add in the local newspaper to bad nouth this guy.
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  #6  
Old 11-13-2001, 09:27 AM
J-BODY J-BODY is offline
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Default transmission shop

Well being you said "in the same location for 20 yrs" I can assume you are not talking about the torqueflight man north of you a ways. Chuck Lofgren Auto Specialties is in Cedar, MN. He builds alot of race torqueflights and I have several friends + my dad that run his trannies. I met him at his shop years ago and was refreshed by his honesty. He took us in his shop (which was the back of his garage in a small area) and walked us through everything he had done to my friends transmission. He now has a larger shop and from what I hear is rather busy, so if you do go see him about yours I wouldn't expect it to be done real soon, but it will be done right.
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  #7  
Old 11-13-2001, 10:24 AM
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Ausydad Ausydad is offline
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I would be tempted to use the original reciept and photos of the car now as evidence to report a stolen trans and then sue for the cost of a J.W. Performance replacement. Any thing to get the ball rolling and not sitting as a driveway ornament. Just a thought. Either way, it may be time for a legal proffessional. ( isn't that a contradiction?)
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  #8  
Old 11-13-2001, 11:01 AM
Blaine Peterson Blaine Peterson is offline
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Its difficult to do but, sometimes the wise thing to do is to swallow your pride, and do whats best for you in the long run. Which might be to get your transmission back (in pieces in necessary), find a shop you can trust, have them wrap up your tranny, so you can complete your car. Then as you have time, expose this guy for the jerk that he is.
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  #9  
Old 11-13-2001, 11:34 AM
JERICOGTX JERICOGTX is offline
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Thumbs up Just what J Body said

amoparguy, one look in Chucks shop and you will be sold! He builds a good product. I talked with him a couple weeks ago and he said he is getting alot of work in now but a small wait will be well worth the time. A few friends have trans from him and not one has ever had a problem, and they are not easy on there stuff. I will get you his number and get back to you.
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  #10  
Old 11-13-2001, 06:20 PM
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tsteiner61 tsteiner61 is offline
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Your plight is not uncommon. The same thing has happened to me several times. I've found the only way to get things done with machinists/engine&trans builders etc. is to be REALLY pushy when the terms agreed to are not abided by.

Bottom line is you really have no rights in this situation legally, because the work is of a 'specialty' nature, so it needs to get to a personal level.

Go down to that shop tomorrow, get your tranny, take it elsewhere, and bad mouth his a$$ to everyone and anyone who will listen. It may not get you your money back, but maybe he will learn you have to treat customers with respect or you will lose them forever...

And DO post his name and address so everyone here can avoid him as well. Thanks.
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  #11  
Old 11-13-2001, 07:50 PM
71 scamp 71 scamp is offline
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Put out the name of the company and we'll pass the word around all year long like we do to GER!
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  #12  
Old 11-13-2001, 08:46 PM
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amoparguy amoparguy is offline
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You guys made some good suggestions, some of which I'm going to act upon.
I went to the shop again this afternoon. But of course, nobody was there. I had the digital camera with me I snapped a few pics. I plan on making a webpage that details how he operates his business. Only the truth though, otherwise it would be slander (something an attorney told me)

A popular Friday night cruise is within blocks of his house so I plan on making a license plate for the front of the GTX with his company logo with the "no sign" (red circle with a line through it). Maybe it will embarass him in front of his friends and neighbors. I talked to another of his "victims" who made a plate like that for his car and he said that the guy went ballistic when he found out! If it worked once it should work again.

Today I came to the conclusion that he can keep the tranny as long as he wants. I figure, the longer he has it, the worse it will look WHEN this gets to small claims court. I plan on going after the money I paid him for the trans overhaul, 10" converter, the core value of a 727 and my labor to R&R the trans.(not to mention a days wages for having to pursue him in court).

One thing I won't do is what Blaine Peterson suggested, I won't swallow my pride and walk away without a fight. More than anything, it's a matter of principal. I'm a stubborn SOB when I have to be....
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  #13  
Old 11-13-2001, 11:37 PM
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The best investment you can make at this point is to go see a lawyer and find out what your legal rights are,be sure to bring all your paperwork and pics along with a log of what happened when etc,make this log as complete as possible,including dates and times for phone calls,trips to the shop,what was said during conversations etc,Judges will take you serious if youve done your homework,but know your legal rights so you can represent yourself properly you dont want him let off because of a technicality,a 1/2 hr session with a lawyer will only cost you $40-60 and will make all the difference in the world..........PRO......
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  #14  
Old 11-14-2001, 10:01 AM
Dr. Righteous Dr. Righteous is offline
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Exclamation Pro is Right.........

A big reason that a lot of these small business auto shops are not more quality minded is that for the customer to get any real recourse it would probably cost them more than what they have lost. Most people don't track phone calls and cost so if anything it would come down to "My word vs theirs".

I can understand how small business owners try to cut corners,to increase their margins to keep the doors open. But sacraficing quality work is the wrong way! In many cases they hire 'shade tree' mechanics that can fix a transmission but don't really do top quality work like you would want in a race tranny.
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  #15  
Old 11-14-2001, 11:39 AM
Blaine Peterson Blaine Peterson is offline
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Default Just to clarify!

I didn't suggest you (amoparguy) walk away without a fight!

I did suggest that you do what might be best for you in the long run. Thinking that maybe, that would be to get your car off jack stands and back on all four so you can enjoy it, find a quality trans repair shop (in case you have other cars that may need transmission work in the future), get on with your life, and as I said before expose the guy for the jerk that he is.

Years ago I went through a similar experience. The work was finally completed, and I had stood for the all important "Principle". But looking back on it I have to wonder if the anger, the frustration, and all the wasted time was really worth it! I don't think it was.
Since then I tend to handle things more effectively.

But what the he!!. If you've got more time to dog this guy, and take him to court; good luck to ya.

Just remember, in your first post it was you that said "Nobody in their right mind would wait this long for warranty work".
I'd have to agree!
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Old 11-14-2001, 10:40 PM
6pakman 6pakman is offline
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first order of business would b e to get your trans back!!! dont wait for this guy to do any more work!! get that trans back no matter what shape its in or how many pecies its in. if he needs to be paid for what hes done, ask him a reasonable price get a recipt and get that trans back!! then take it to another shop that reputable get them to fix it get a bill from them plus anything they can give you that shows this guy steered you wrong. keep all paper work and then sue the butcher!! thats your best recourse at this time. but what ever you do DONT PISS THE GUY OFF! just be nice and get that trans back. if you smell trouble while your there and you have a problem, call the police. they will help you. plus they will make a report on it. blaine is on the right track but don't makethis more complacated for you. first order is to get that trans back. dont go buy any more promises of his,he's had his chance. good luck. remember, every dog has there day.
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  #17  
Old 11-16-2001, 08:31 PM
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amoparguy amoparguy is offline
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The saga continues...
OK, I got the trans back without pissing the guy off. I expected it to be in pieces but he stalled me off for a day and put it back together. Trust is an issue so I took it to another trans shop to get it checked out, we'll see what they find. The place was spotlessly clean and well organized (good sign) and had a few nice Mopars in the parking lot (Challenger T/A and a couple of B-Bodies). I had a concern about the converter so they checked it too. There is a torrington bearing on the inside of the converter hub that's supposed to go over the stator but it didn't. The bearing is distorted and rubs on the stator where it steps up behind the splines. Anyone know of a reputable place to get a converter repaired?
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  #18  
Old 11-16-2001, 10:49 PM
6pakman 6pakman is offline
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now your on the right track. next order of business would be to get the trans in working order. make sure that the shop your at now can make you out a detailed bill on what they did and any incompitant work or damage done by the other shop. then go to your local court house, file a claim in small claimes court( you will most likely have to pay a fee) then wait for your court date. did he damage the converter? if so get it fixed or get a new one. keep the bill add it to the damages. also dont go out and advertise his shoddy business. word of mouth alone hurts a bussiness. plus youd be surprised when he gets his summons in the mail. that alone can make him change his mind and settle with you. then again he may show up in court and try to argue his case, if he has one. any way if your in the right, it will all work out in the end. about that converter, can the trans shop help you? good luck. you did the right thing.
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