trainsimple

Hey Guys,

I need to ask your opinion. I don't know Vettes, or really how to repair cars at all, so this puts me at a disadvantage - but I have to put this out there to see what your thoughts were.

I'm a Ferrari owner, and fellow Ferrari owner who is fairly well respected on FerrariChat (ferrari forum) was selling his dad's 66 after he passed. I had the car inspected by Muskegon Brake in MI, and they gave it a clean bill of health. Actually the found something wrong with one of the brakes and the owner had it fixed. Muskegon Brake sells Corvette parts. I know the car was rebuilt, maybe not using top of the line parts, but I don't want to show the car and plan on driving it maybe 3000 miles a year.

I brought it to a local Corvette shop here in my home town to have some small details corrected that I knew about when I purchased the car. After I dropped it off, they call me back, not quoting me for the work I wanted done, but rather told me that the wrong hardware was used throughout the car and some bolts were even missing. They suggested a New Front end and New rear end, which was going to cost about $8,000.

Now I'm not afraid of big repair bills, but this wasn't all that expected. Funny thing is, I test drove a car from another guy in town before I bought mine, and he had his car serviced at this shop. Sure enough he a records on the car which showed a $10k repair bill from this shop for a new front end and rear end. AND the other mid year Vette in the shop yesterday was having a new front end and new rear end on the car.

Does this seem fishy? I have no doubts the car wasn't put together they way GM intended, and sure some hardware should probably be swapped out - I don't doubt they would make the car better ... but I have hard time thinking that this work NEEDS to be done especially because the other shop that looked at it made no mention of it.

DansYellow66

Sounds fishy to me. I don't know what the guy did to the car originally but still - the front end is just standard Chevrolet. You could buy top quality parts for a front end rebuild (like Moog) for no more than $400 I would think including wheel bearings, seals, tie rods, ball joints, idler arm, a-arm bushings, etc. Add $300 for a rebuilt steering box, $100 for shocks and ? for labor. The back is a more involved. I don't know what the current going rate is for rebuilding trailing arms but probably about $375 per side. Add bushings, strut arms, camber bolts, leaf spring rebuild kit, and other hardware for not more than $300 and then ? for labor. I don't see how $8000 is getting close to reasonable unless they are rebuilding the differential, replacing all springs, replacing all brakes, u-joints, complete cleaning and cosmetic refinishing of all parts, and on and on. If that is a price to do a complete mechanical and cosmetic restoration of the frame and chassis with the body on - I could see $8,000 for that in a shop.

Powershift

Need more details on what they found, and why they feel it must be changed. I think I would find another shop.

Larry

redvetracr

being a Ferrari owner have you ever paid for an Italian tune up??

TheSaint

Dont like thee sound of what they told you. I suppose that the shop where the car had the brakes fixed would have seen that?

Take some pictures of the car and post them here. You will soon have the correct answer

TheSaint

The most anoying thing must be that you have to drop the engine eveytime you have to do some engine work. Well drop the "rear end is more correct" and that cost a lot of money
Off course it depends of what Ferrari you have.

66jack

For 8 grand i think its time you start learning to work on your vette
I figure 5 grand for labor at "their rate"....parts and their markup the rest of the cost.

trainsimple

Thanks for your posts guys, I'll put her up on a lift and take some pictures.


Yes, I have a 348 and the engine needs to come out, but it wasn't much more than the quote this Corvette shop gave me.

TheSaint

A mini Testarossa. Great car but i will totally park it with my Porsche Twin Turbo
Sorry. I could not help myself.

trainsimple

You totally would. But it's not a Ferrari

A fancy late model sedan could probably take it.

It's all in fun, I know.

TheSaint

Yes it is a fun car. I had one for some tests and drives about 3 yars ago.

muskegonbrake

If you want to bring it over for another opinion let me know (if it is still in the area)

trainsimple

It's in CT now. I would love to, but my guess is you would have seem some of this stuff. I told the guy I wanted a car that I could drive but looked like a show car and he said it fit the bill. You guys did find a problem with one of the brakes and the owner had it repaired. I just don't see how, if it was dangerous to drive, you would have let all this slip through. I think the people I'm dealing with now are scam artist.

Viking427

I'm thinking you're right. Times is lean and many shops are "creating" business to stay afloat. Find another shop and don't pull up to it in your Furari

wombvette

Yea, but in lean times you would think shops might just reduce prices. This shop is jerking him around. Unless you are going all out NCRS, Bloomington or something, for that price, you could drop the chassis and restore the frame and suspension etc. Its time to shop around for a new shop.

trainsimple

I'm not sure if the shop reads these threads, but I called this morning to tell them to forget it - and they already took apart the front end.

Kerrmudgeon

Sounds to me like these guys have a a tried and trusted scam for mechanically illiterate owners. The odds of the front end and rear end going all at once is one in a million, unless your car never saw routine servicing during it's 3-5oo,ooo mile life. Take your estimate and the other guys bill for same and post them on the net under his business name and location. I hate a-holes like this.
^^^^^^^^^^^^ ^^^^^^^

MikeM

If you didn't sign a repair order, give him 'till the end of the day to have it back on four wheels, ready to leave his shop with NO bill.

The shop's response to this will dictate your next move.

kwkenuf

These guys sound like total scam artists....

Did you authorize the work?

If not, tell them to put it back together and have it ready for you today. If they hesitate, give 'em hell and let them know they are fooling with the wrong guy. Have your lawyer give them a call and ruin their day... (all Ferrari guys have lawyers don't they?)

After you have your car back, publish the name of the outfit so others can avoid them......

trainsimple

I can't believe it! I told them on Sat afternoon I had to think about it before I spent that kind of money and I would call the 1st thing Monday morning. I called at 8:45am and they already had the front end apart.

Luckily yes, a guy in the Ferrari club (who has insane cars) will give him a call.