This is a long read, so get a drink and get comfy! lol

 

Just wanted peoples opinions on what's to be expected by a "specialist" 300ZX garage these days. The story.................

 

After 5 years of having so called bodyshops (not the guys at Custom Exotics who have been the only people I've met who have pride in their work), I decided to make one last attempt at getting my Z back on the road or it would be broken/scrapped. Before getting it back into the guys at Custom Exotics to have some panels sorted and let the interior trimmer do his bit, I decided to make sure it was mechanically and structurally sound. There's not that many garages that I thought I could trust so I thought I would make the 200 odd mile round journey from London to a "specialist". So on the 8th March with my Z on the back of a trailer I headed up to this "specialist". I told them there was no rush and they were happy with that as obviously no one had any idea if anything was wrong as it hasn't been driven for 5 years. I wanted the major service done, so belts, oil/fuel filters, water pump, thermostat etc. I supplied most of the parts which were all OEM. I also wanted a full inspection carried out so I'd know that my car was mechanically/structurally sound before spending any other money on it.

 

So about 2 weeks later, I called them to get an update only to be told that they had just finished and everything was fine on my car. He actually commented that he couldn't believe that my car hadn't been driven for 5 years as apart from the timing belt needing doing and the bottom radiator support bracket which had rust, there was absolutely nothing wrong with it. Needless to say I was over the moon!! I told him my friend who helped me get my Z on the trailer was still away in Spain and should be back the following week so I couldn't pick it up till then, he said no problem as long as the bill was settled up which it was when they called me back with the final amount. Unfortunately, I couldn't pick up my Z for about 3 weeks from that phone call as my mate was delayed getting back from Spain, then I ended up in Moorfields Eye Hospital and then I couldn't get a trailer from any local hire place. I kept the garage informed at each step and it was never an issue (or at least they never told me it was).

 

So on the 18th April, I hooked up the hired trailer again and headed back up to collect my Z. All was fine, no cross words, no issues and we stood around chatting about Z's and cars for a while. My car seamed to run perfectly smooth and we got it up on the trailer and left. I honestly thought I had completed the first step to getting my car back on the road................................

 

I noticed the first problem as soon as we were removing the car off the trailer at the bodyshop. There was a small dent in the passenger sideskirt which I am 100% certain was not there as I washed the car just before taking it to this "specialist". I called them the very next day and they emailed me back asking for pictures which I sent. Personally I believe the damage was done by a lift arm but obviously I cannot prove this. They had no idea about the damage and as my car was in the bodyshop anyway, the guys at Custom Exotics said they would do a smart repair on it and not to worry. I wasn't happy it was damaged but it was nothing major, more annoying than anything else.

 

 

 

Now we start on the real issues. I went up to the bodyshop on the 24th April to start doing a few bits. I opened up the bonnet to discover the right hand radiator bracket flapping about, just being held on by a self tapping screw. I was stunned as I can't believe this garage had snapped a bolt and just "bodged" a repair on something so simple to get to and fix. I took some pictures and emailed them to the garage with a subject heading of " Very disappointed" and simply asking for them to explain this.

 

 

 

 

 

This was the response headed "metal age changes explained" with the following which looks like it's just been copy and pasted from the web:

 

Hi Vijay,

 

By the look of the picture that is the right hand radiator hold bracket as fitted to the twin turbo model, it looks like the original fixing has snapped when by been over tightened or more likely when been undone as they do occasionally seize in place, the reason I think they do this is the under side of the panel has a large amount of air pass over it when driving and often this can be very damp air and causes rust to form on the bolt thread that protrudes through the welded nut.

 

 

 

So what is rust ?

When the open-air oxidation of iron takes place, rust is the oxide that forms. While the chemical composition of rust (Fe2O3.nH2O) means nothing to the average homeowner, it is the resulting hydrated iron oxide that gets all of the attention [1]. Rusting is the general term used to describe the corrosion of iron and its alloys, such as steel.

 

The process of rust involves the way various materials react with oxygen, which results in the chemical compound of rust. When iron combines with oxygen, iron oxide forms. Since iron oxide is larger in size than iron, the oxidation process causes it to “puff up” and sometimes flake. When a great amount of rust accumulates, the buildup may create a powerful force that can actually separate adjacent parts.

 

 

 

So back to the picture the upshot of the damp air passing over the exposed part of the tread causes a reaction within the metal of the bolt and this reduces the structural strength to a point it can become difficult to undo and can fail ( snap), as the area below the original fixing is double skinned and is not flat the an alternative fixing looks to have been made using a self tapping screw.

 

Hope that has explained that for you.

 

Regards

 

Now to me that was just a sarcastic and rude answer. I understand that bolts will rust and shear but surely any "specialist" worth anything would have drilled it out and tapped it and not just put a self tapping screw through the bodywork? I called the owner of the garage to ask about his reply and said to him how can I trust any of his work if he would happily do this to someone's car - what would he do if there was a bolt with bad access that had sheared???? Well at that point he swore at me and proceeded to hang up. I was absolutely shocked as I had not at any point been rude to him in any way! I called straight back and his wife answered and said he cannot speak to me as he's busy and he said I should put anything I want to say in an email - great customer services!!!!!

 

My Email:

 

To say I'm stunned that you just swore, hung up on me and then when I called straight back you were busy and told me to send you an email is an understatement!!

 

I've contacted you as soon as I found a problem with something I'm sure no one would be happy with. I accept bolts can snap but to just bodge a repair like that is just not right! I've always thought you were professional and never had a bad thing to say about you so to just drill though a bracket and bodywork and put a self tapping screw though, that is loose and allows the bracket to flap, is just not right. Would you be happy if someone did that to your car??

 

Can you please respond to me as I feel that it's not right that you just hung up on me and treated me in this manner.

 

Can I also have a replacement bracket sent to me and I will fix it properly.

 

His response:

 

Despite this business been my passion I have sweated blood and tears for for 12 years + to create a simple issue with a fixing that I was still wondering about when we spoke resulted in you personally attacking my work whole ethic, to even suggest for one moment that any other part of the work was questionable because of the broken bracket bolt was simply outrageous and if you consider for one moment how insulting you were been then you will understand the answer you got.

 

It is always regrettable when any issue arises and even more so when it escalates, I do regret ending the phone call in the manner I did but it was a moment of unclarity.

 

(A replacement bracket and bolt will be sent to your preferred address ( please advise) )

 

 

Was I being insulting to question anyones work if they repaired bolts with easy access in this way? As I said to him, what would he do with a bolt with bad access which lets face it, with a 300ZX engine bay you rarely have good access to anything. To me it's a matter of professionalism and doing the right thing!

Once the situation has been resolved or as and when both parties mutually agree that further resolution is unachievable, that would be the time to close this thread.

Whether the issues raised could have been dealt with in other ways or whether they should have been aired in public is neither here nor there now, as they have been aired and people are now aware of the dispute. To that end, in order to dispel any possible conspiracy theories or accusations of biase (in my opinion) the thread has to run its course. Anything other would not help either party I feel and could be detremental to future Zedworld business.

 

 

...and if all else fails

 

 

 

 

no but on a serious note, I hope both parties can resolve this unfortunate dispute.

 

HAHAHAHA classic :) trust you made my night that has

Problem is Vijay is not a subscribed member but he's only too happy to use this forum as tool of unrest because of his bad experience. This needs to be settled off the forum in my opinion.

 

subscribed or unsubscribed, this is a place for conversation bud, subscription only gets you the perks mentioned. we are impartial unless its liable / slanderous, jeff is fully aware of what has been posted and could quite happily of asked for this to of been removed. please lets not get confused on this matter. everyone is entitled to there opinion as long as names are not mentioned. that was fulfilled by the OP. had Jeff not replied, it would of been down to assumption as to who the garage was rather than confirmation, and this would of been just another "im not happy with my services" thread, like the many others we have on the forum.

As has been stated no garage is perfect and mistakes are made no matter who you are, what makes one garage better then another is how you fix that mistake and the level of customer service given, I'm sorry but some garages think they are untouchable because they happen to be a specialist in one area! This doesn't absolve any garage from a poor service followed by a poor resolution.

 

If you make a mistake fix it, you will earn more trust from your customer and others by admitting the mistake and fixing it with a timely professional service, all that has happened here is because I timely resolution and apology has not been given for giving a poor service no doubt has been expressed about the quality of workmanship, surely your reputation and helping a dissatisfied customer is worth more then £54 inc vat????

sad sad thread :no:

there have been some very good points made here, these cars are our pride and joy for most of us owners and for many others they take professional pride in being able to sort out the niggles we all experience as a business , it does not detract from the fact that people make mistakes, owners can become emotive and passionate when the end result is not as expected, and business owners can become deffensive when constantly challenged, its human nature !

 

i have had a very good albeit slow and drawn out experience from Jeff and his team, but the wait was worth it, the car speaks for itself , human error did crop up, but probably down to impatience from my side, and work load on the body shop and at Jeffs, my windscreen upper bar front and back were to be painted black or vinyl wrapped a request to the body shop and the trim removed and repainted wipers and scuttles painted and paid for but that wasnt done, a self tapping screw taking up the slack on a far too big positive battery terminal and holding the battery terminal clamp in place which came adrift stranding me and my 12 year old son .and causing a kerbing of an alloy as the car had to pushed off a roundabout .....but these are things which would have been known about to put right before handing the car back , but they never got round to doing them, i put it down to human error and tired eyes and my rush to get the car back for my birthday , in general i am very happy with the service i got from Zedworld which has always been polite and professional however i will be paying the body shop a visit on my return to ask ( politely ) why the bits i paid for to be painted black where not done as it spoils the whole look of the car....

 

i can understand Vijays point but agree if handled or approached in another manner at the outset a completely differently resolve may have ensued and this thread may never had been written, lessons learnt all round perhaps ?

 

steve

I have never heard another bad word about zedworld. And despite being a potentially major mistake not noticing the sills, it wasnt major as fortunatley the OP noticed it before going to the bodyshop, which was always intended anyway - and whether or not Jeff had noticed the Sills, he would not of been doing anything about them anyway.

 

Therefore even if it wasnt noiced by the OP, the bodyshop would of noticed it, and costs wouldnt of varied in any manor whatsoever.

 

I understand the OPs comment along the lines of "If that was missed what else could of been missed" I would feel the same. However, a refund is not a viable option. I feel the only viable option the business could offer, is to do a complete health check, as a goodwill gesture.

 

I have no rust on my car whatsoever, as its been kept in a dehumidified garage since arriving in the UK. I think if my sills were gone, I would look at changing my car. But as I have only driven it twice since owning it, Im not "emotionally attached" like most owners here :s

I have never heard another bad word about zedworld. And despite being a potentially major mistake not noticing the sills, it wasnt major as fortunatley the OP noticed it before going to the bodyshop, which was always intended anyway - and whether or not Jeff had noticed the Sills, he would not of been doing anything about them anyway.

 

Therefore even if it wasnt noiced by the OP, the bodyshop would of noticed it, and costs wouldnt of varied in any manor whatsoever.

 

I understand the OPs comment along the lines of "If that was missed what else could of been missed" I would feel the same. However, a refund is not a viable option. I feel the only viable option the business could offer, is to do a complete health check, as a goodwill gesture.

 

I have no rust on my car whatsoever, as its been kept in a dehumidified garage since arriving in the UK. I think if my sills were gone, I would look at changing my car. But as I have only driven it twice since owning it, Im not "emotionally attached" like most owners here :s

 

 

So if you payed for a full assessment of your zed and that corrosion wasnt at the very least verbally pointed out you wouldnt be p#ssed off!, I know I would be..........and that would be on any car, not just a zed.And dont rule out rust just because its been garaged.......these things can go from the inside out :)

I would be pi55ed off. rebel yes. but looking from both sides, Zedworld has worked on the car, and had it there several weeks. If a service is not carried out correctly, As per the sale of goods act, the purchaser must offer the seller of the service / parts an option of:

 

a) a repair (in cases of faulty parts)

b) replacement (of part or of service not carried out as advised)

c) a refund (on return of part or for service not carried out as advised)

 

It is then solely the sellers decision, a repair of faulty parts can only be provided if it doesnt cause inconvenience to the purchaser. If the seller is unable to offer replacement parts or recarry out the services for any reason whatsoever, they must then give the refund.

 

Im just stating contractual law, not taking sides in any way shape or form.

 

nope mate, my zed defo 100% rust free. not a single gram of it. unless there is a bit under the old rubber spoiler.... got me thinking now grrrr.

Freedom of speech seems to be allowed now here and Zedworld has a reputation to uphold therefore i can see something being resolved. Being a mechanic myself i dont trust garages however the only place i would take my zed is zedworld the guys know their stuff and are an excellent part of the community especially at Jap shows where they will give free help and advice including conzult tests.

 

From what i have seen i wouldnt be happy with the pictures and story provided but im sure there is something that can be worked out.

the thread has been allowed as there isnt any real malicious content, vijay is a long standing and respected member and i for one have followed his troubles with his car, he has also asked for any comments and asked for jeff to reply, and upto now there isnt anything nasty

 

it is being watched for anything turning nasty and will be closed and deleted

 

im sure jeff and vijay can come to some sort of understanding to keep both partys happy

I know of a few other members on here that have had poor experiences with the mentioned specialist and have just chosen not to voice them! as said every garage every business every individual makes mistakes we are only human, however its how these mistakes are dealt with and addressed that is at issue. The specialist in question is great at what they do but have to realise they are not infalible and like every other business will be held accountable for there actions and poor workmanship or service.

 

I believe this issue could have been easily rectified if they had just got off the high pedistall the 300 community has placed them on and like any honourable business, offered to fix the mistake and refund the inspection cost.

 

I hope you guys both come to an amicable resolution.

 

please excuse my terrible spelling lol.

its not the mistakes made that define a garage, its how they are dealt with

I can see why Vivay posted. He has tried calls and emails and got nowhere.

Im not going to slag "said garage" off, and have used them before, but i can understander Vijays upset.

Had he got the car painted etc and not spotted the rust first, think of the cost involved sorting it? It would probably be the end of the Zed, and all the money spent now getting it on the road, would be lost.

 

The Rad bracket, it shouldn't have been done like that, but its has now so a new bracket is the end of it.

 

The fact that the inspection wasn't complete, i think the cost should be refunded. Would you pay somebody to respray your car if they only painted the front half? It also make you wonder what else was missed.

 

Storage charge isn't an issue, its an after thought to throw into the mix. If no charge was stated at the start, then it cant be charged.

 

I cant see Vijay using them again, once bitten twice shy and all that, but a refund on the £54 shows willing and that said garage can be trusted for its customers.

 

£54 is a small price to pay to get this all gone away.

Resolution email sent.

 

Jeff TT

This thread should now be closed ..

This thread should now be closed ..

 

If thread starter agree's then we can close it.

If its closed now, nobody will know what happened in the end.

I think it would be good to find out what the end result is, as just like any other garage thats been mentioned or highlighted before as not offering the levels of service and quality of work, its good for all owners to know if they are actually getting what they pay for!!!

As a specialist garage myself this is an akward thread the side skirt damage very easily done and not noticed if done when removing car from ramp seen it before myself

I work on my own for a reason book stops with me as i dont employ anyone who might skimp on detail without you knowing hence the screw

I treat all my customer cars like my own but i still make mistakes myself we all get tired distracted by the phone man flu etc

im not sure if i entirley agree with the thread seeming to have become like a copy of a sitcom show though

I hope you both work it out and the thread maybe closed and gone as its not good for business and we all make mistakes

personally i think its a good thing the thread isnt closed just yet, shows that people are willing to offer up a resolution. something not many garages get the opportunity to do and hopefully only good can come of this.

 

This isnt a witch hunt, we understand there a days when you just wish you never got out of bed, and running a business is no different.

 

Running my own computer repair business is not and easy task especially when speaking to people who you have fixed the computer for, only for them to ring you up and say it isnt working, and when they tell you why, its not even because of what ive done, its usually down to them selves and not understanding, doesnt stop them trying to say its my fault and that can put you in a bad mood sometimes and not want to deal with people. (ok completely different but you get what i mean)

I think its a good case and a good reminder for all parties involved that they are not for want of a better expression perfect and that a bit of humility and customer interaction and customer service goes along way to winning more business. after all I will always respect someone much more for putting there hands up and saying sorry i messed up but let me sort this out now, appose to emailing a load of sarcastic technical jargon on what makes cars rust. That is just bad service and would put me off ever using that company again.

If its closed now, nobody will know what happened in the end.

 

Ok the resolution is an appology, a refund on the inspection and the offer of a new inspection whilst Vijay is in attendance of both the car and the cambelt noise and now awaiting a reply by email.

 

ZX-TT you have a PM

 

Jeff TT

Thats the spirit Jeff, Good on you just shows that Zedworld is the garage to use! I hope Vijay will accept and this minor misunderstanding can be put to bed.

 

ps replied jeff

Happy days. The right ending.

Now all will be well again.

Fantastic news fellas.....now did I mention that Jeff kidnapped my pet tortoise and is demanding a huge ransom!