First of all: Dan (Godspeed), if you’re reading this
A) I’m so sorry about your mom. Words can’t express what you must be going through.
B) I didn’t want to do this, and I mean no disrespect, but I just have to vent out loud. My car is all I think about during the day, it’s my passion, my hobby, and I’m dying to get my car back. You know that. I know there was more than one event that was out of your control, but this is still too much for one guy like me to handle. I feel like I’m having a breakdown.


So, all winter I read about ATS this, ATS that. I saved my pennies from working a lot of overtime. I didn’t have time to do the install myself, and decided to pay someone to do it. (No NC and FL crew locally )Plus I was not sure I was ready for a tranny job.

So I call Dan in March, and we talk about what I want done. No problem. I order tons of stuff in May so it will all be there in late April for the install.
Basically I take my car in for work on April 25th. To Do: Toda Clutch, Toda Fly, ATS final drive, ATS first gear.
Tranny out: done. Flywheel in: done. Clutch in: done. Need some parts for the ATS install: (not Dan’s fault, although I did order them a month ahead of time, anyway..)
April 26th: Parts did not make it through customs from Canada. So the overnight trick didn’t work out. So he says, I have to put the tranny back in stock, bring it back, and we’ll pop the gears in. Cool. Put all the stuff back together, it won’t shift. Hmm…it’s late that night. Leave.
Come back on Sat. Rip tranny apart, all looks good, why won’t it shift? I don’t know, I’m not the expert here. So, I’m in Michigan w/o a car. (I live in Ohio)
Thanks so much to my girlfriend (Thank you Laura ) for driving the 7 hour round trip to pick me up and bring me back to Ohio. I have a civic hatch as a daily driver, so luckily no rental car. During the week I call, still can’t figure it out. Weeks go by, no luck. Solution: outsource. Tranny goes to a tranny shop. Bottom line here: month later, they can’t fix it. Now, where my tranny got broken along the line, I will never know.
I’m not placing blame on any party, as I have no evidence, nor do I care.

I’m a calm guy, but even I am starting to get a little upset. I plead w/ Dan to please take it to Acura. Finally Acura has it. They still haven’t put it together.

There were minor setbacks along the way that were not Dan’s fault. Lift broke (3 days or so), a helper to lift the tranny into the car got into a car accident, so couldn’t work for a week at least. O.K. I understand.
Now his Mom is ill. O.K. someone else whom I trust, is working on it.

Date today: July 16th
I WANT MY CAR BACK
It’s been 2 ½ months just for an ATS install, clutch, and fly.
Dan, you’re lucky I have the civic. That would be a mean rental car bill. Laura, has offered many times to cancel plans to drive me up to get the car.

So far: things I’ve missed: 6 autocrosses, ITR EXPO, car show at work.

And Dammmmmmmit. I took my car out of storage to bring to you DAN!!
I haven’t driven it since last October. I want to drive my car again. I miss it, in case anybody here can’t tell, I have no way to get it back, and am stuck waiting, dependant on someone else. No, I didn’t have time to do this myself, well, at least I didn’t think I did.

Dan offered to pay for the labor after the first month. FINE!!! Thank you, that really is nice, seriously. But it’s been another month and a half.

S&M racing guy (sorry, bad memory while I’m getting very upset)..drives down to florida, and back in like 4 days and gets it done.

2 ½ Months! I’m practically getting screwed! W/ little compensation. Please Dan if you’re reading this, hook me up, throw me a bone. I’m really upset now. Getting more upset the more I type.

I’ve been holding this in waiting for it to get done. Dan is a great guy, but this blows and I’m upset!!!!!!!!! You’re really taking advantage of me. What am I supposed to do, I guess that’s why I’m venting here guys. Sorry this is so long, I’m just really bumbed out.

Can someone let me sit in their type r, I just want to see what ones like again.
I’m going to go calm down now.

 

Hoary crapzors thats a long time for what should be a minor problem. Good luck with everything man, i went that long without my baby once. The next time you drive it is gonna be better than it ever was. Good luck.

 

OMG! that totally blows. i am so sorry. good luck, i hope you get it fixed soon. you should have taken a road trip down south or here to ny... again, sorry. to godspeed for getting in over his head!

 

um, there should be no reason that your tranny can't be re-assembled within a short ammount of time...

however.. my experience with acura and tranny's... they won't crack the case in most instances... their idea of tranny work is swappping a new one in.

freight that bisch down to o-town.. i'll re-assemble for you.

D

 

still not done

troy: you're welcome to sit, drive whatever whenever you're in socal again

yshi - who hopes he gets his car back soon

 

You know what the sad part is, I'd have paid you good money to do this.
I didn't think I had anything to worry about.

Yoshi: Thanks! I need to get out to SoCal again!

 

troy:
this may cheer you up a bit....I found and got you that JDM book you were looking for

 

Finally...Troy vents. Good for you

I'd have been kickin @ss a month ago and I was amazed at your patience. Godspeed has a bad enough rep on this board with a few folks and I would have thought that he would have wanted to prevent this from coming out by taking care of you.

 

nothing new from my experiences.

Good Luck. Maybe you canget the NC/FL crew to road trip for some

 

D - You rock man...more and more respect goes to you each day.

ITR 373 - I would almost consider his offer. It's very generous. I haven't even met matt personally, but I've talked to him a few times online, and have been around scott to know that D is cool as hell. If there is anything I can do too, I only live in PA. Let me know what I could possibly do to help. PA friends are .

Actually, I don't know whether or not Scott would be brave enough to do this...but we might be able to round up enough power here to get it back together for you. I am really good friends with John from Bariel Acura, and he wouldn't mind at all if we need his help. Get your tranny back so John can work on it...ask D...lil' John is cool as hell, and he would definately get it back together for you quickly!

Brandon - Who thinks you should get your tranny back so you can bring it here to get fixed right...(I can call John in the morning if you want to IM me).


[Modified by 401-2001, 11:08 PM 7/16/2002]

 

D...helping a brother out

 

ouch..One of my buddys was out of a car for over a year doing some body work..well worth it i may add but such a long time

 

You didn't wait THAT long for suspension did ya? Or was that ME waiting... LOL

 

hrm... interesting thought.

 

very....



Will
-who has been to NY and MD last week

 

You're a great guy

 

yeah, but after D & the FL/NC crew are done with it, you'll probably have a 40 oz. bottle stuck in there somewhere I think i do...makes it shift better

Aleph, who's kinda looking forward to the clutch dying in his GF's 94 LS so he can get in there and call D alot on the bling-bling cell. "Dood, another stoopid question..."

 

The Will and D cross country beer drink/install is about to begin......50 states, 50 Installs, 50 Kegs........

Seriously though D is cool, brandon is a good guy too, John would probably hook ya up and about 50 others on this board....Just get the thing back so someone competent can do it.....


[Modified by EagleR, 1:02 AM 7/17/2002]

 

for D

00-ITR-373, hopefully things will work out...

 

I'm not trying to be an *** here, just stating my own personal opinion.
I hope Dan's mom is not in pain and my best wishes to them.


You think people would learn not to deal with this guy anymore after how many people he has screwed.

It is called telling them to work on it whenever they can, so it is cheaper for him.

Probably all BS excuses

Ridiculous, plain and simple.

Well since it has taken him such a long time to do the job I would expect that of him, If he did not I would have demanded something in return for my patience and time.

I think you typed practically by mistake.

I agree

If he is in fact waiving any and all install charges go and pick up the car, rent a truck and trailer and bring it back and have a local Acura dealer do it. You should have it done in a week.
You have already lost alot of time to enjoy your Type R, why keep it with him and continue waiting?
If he is not going to waive any and all install charges then I would get a lwayer involved and have him deal with it. This is quite absurd to hear of someone being taking advantage of like this. Don't take it lying down

 

Exactly. Drive up there, and rent a U-Haul one way car trailer and get your car back to you. If nothing else, then it's 3.5 hours closer to the FL/NC crew in Ohio... Get your car back under your control. If nothing else, buy a Helms and start messing with it yourself. Sounds like you couldn't screw it up anymore than it already is.

 

Well, I feel for you...... I lost my R for three months because a shope took their sweet ol' time.. and after 1-2 weeks of the car being completed.. someone else causes an accident. It's been 2 months since the accident. Well.. hoping i will make you feel better................. i have not had my car for almost half of this entire year. It's a 2k PY R, and it only has like 10k miles on it.

Jon

 

401-2001 Thank you! If it's not done shortly I would highly consider your generous offer. This board (as most of you know) has some fantastic people on it, who help in times of need. At least I feel like I have another option now. Thank you.

D, Will, Aleph Plenty of room up here in Ohio to stay....and..I think if a 40 gets stuck in the car somewhere, it'll be much better off than it is now

DC5R Well, Dan is the closest "shop". Despite his test pipes being long or whatever, the cars he has put out, that I have seen, have been pretty good. I took two days off work, to watch and make sure I knew what was going down. I was there when the lift broke, glad I wasn't underneath it. (It happened when we were lowering it)..I was actually helping work on it, and paying him to do it. I am comletely nuts I think, but when your car's under the knife, you'll do desperate things I guess.

Telling acura to work on it when they can: You know, he knows I had plans of a full spec C build up. You'd think that he'd want to try to get all of that business.
If he did tell them that, it would be a real shame.
A) I'll probably sell the car
B) I sure as hell will not take anything there ever again. I don't know whos the next closest for cams/tranny work in the future, but drop me a line.

In General Thanks again guys I at least feel like I have more options.

Acura is supposed to be getting a part in that they ordered, something that was bent by one of the shops (tranny, Dan, who knows). So if they get that in, and it still doesn't work, I'm up there w/ a rented truck, getting my car back.

I just kind of felt if it's been 2 1/2 months, I didn't want to pick it up, and THEN pay someone else to do it, but I'd rather that than have it up there getting mutilated.

But seriously, you guys rock. 1/2 of you I know, 1/2 of you I don't, yet you all offer to help. Thank You

 

The lines are blurred and it was painfully long . . .

 

Oh man... I don't even know what to say. Shame you had to go through all this

But to those on here who would do about anything to help you out. And they ain't bullshittin', either!


Pat, who has a Volvo mechanic named Willard that he pays with