I would like to let everyone know about MHR Performance and his business practices. My intentions for this post is NOT to bad mouth or insult the company in any way, but rather to inform others to take precaution when dealing with MHR Performance. I know this is kind of a lot to read, however I feel it is important for those of you that want to have your H22's built and are looking for a good shop (this is obviously not one of them).

I have a silver 2001 Honda Prelude, which I purchased brand new in 2000, which makes me the sole owner (so I know exactly what happened and who put what in my car). I decided to get the engine rebuilt with 154,000miles on her. After researching for credible and local shops and sending out emails for a full month to these shops, very few had replied to my inquiries. In addition, finding legit shops (techs who knew what they were actually doing) that specialized in H-series engines seemed hard enough. Max Ha, the owner of MHR Performance, was one of the few to respond. I visited his web site and read about engines he's built. His previous Euro-R H22 build impressed me and so I decided to contact him for my specific build. We exchanged several phone calls and emails and on May 18th of 2006, I dropped my car off at his shop along with the deposit for the work.

He emailed me a list of the work order and what he planned to do with my motor along with a price quote. Prior to this, I had asked him the downtime of my car in which he replied, "Your car should be done in two weeks max." A few weeks passed by and my car was still sitting at his shop untouched. Every time I would call him and ask when my car would be done, he would reply, "another two weeks" and kept holding it off. The month of August came by and I needed my car (because it was my daily driver) to go back to school asap, so I would try to visit the shop 2-3 times a week just to make sure he was working on my car because when I would call him, he never responded. I left messages on his answering machine, voicemail, emails, pretty much every type of communication medium possible, and still no response about the progress of my car. When I went to visit the shop, he had previously told me that every bolt and nut would be itemized in separate bags so the original bolts would go back into their original holes. All I saw there was all the parts of the engine scattered all over in a clear, plastic storage bin. Nothing was itemized like he said it would be.

I finally got my car back on the 18th of August, but he didn't complete the installation of several things that was agreed on, my already modified Euro-R manifold (which he was supposed to do while the engine was out of the car) along with the Hondata gasket, RC 440 fuel injectors, B&M Fuel Pressure Regulator and Gauge, and my OBDI p28 ECU.

After driving my car out of the shop I thought this nightmare was over. About a few months after I got my car back, I finally get the Euro-R manifold installed. Upon installation, a broken knock sensor was found. Max's employee and I had spotted this back when the block was being put together and Max had told me that he would order a brand new one. After looking closely at the knock sensor, I was surprised to see that it had been SUPER-GLUED back together. I left a message regarding the knock sensor and asked him if he knew about this, he gave no comment.

I supplied him with most of the parts: cams, cam gears, pistons w/ rings, motor mounts, etc. and some how he charged me $600 over the original quote we agreed upon (~$6000 for the build alone).
I call him up after noticing the overcharge and tried to work with him, however he replies very unprofessionally and rudely (ie. listen motherf**ker, don't try to call me a liar or a thief.) I am very disappointed at the way he dealt with this situation. I couldn't believe a shop owner or any business would bad mouth their own customers like this.

MHR Performance, if you're reading this, I want my $600 refunded back to me before I take other courses of legal action.

(Edit: Pictures added)
Here are some pictures of the broken knock sensor that was put back into my car after the rebuild.





Modified by K-Spec at 4:13 PM 1/29/2007

 

to Motherf*king bad business shops!

 

Get a good lawyer, have the lawyer contact the shop, dont call anymore dont threaten, just sue his ***. Sue him for every person that has ever been ripped off by dumb **** suckin mechanic. Seriously stick it to this piece of ****. Take pictures as evidence, make a phone log book report him to the BBB or BAR and they take every complaint seriously. I had some crooked expletive break my shift linkage while in for a valve adjustment and oil change the dirty beotch said it was probably going out and I had to pay for it. After two weeks he paid for the work to be done at the dealership across town which cost about 700$.

 

so how does the car run?

also any decent honda mechanic shouldn't need to itemize the parts off your motor.

 

Are you sure all you want is 600.00? Is that what you would sue for?

 

ballin'!

 

i hope you got some of that stuff in writing it may save your *** some money more than 600 bucks.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by skunked &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">so how does the car run?

also any decent honda mechanic shouldn't need to itemize the parts off your motor.</TD></TR></TABLE>

No kidding

That sucks man, what a douchebag. I feel like I could hang a sign over my dad's garage and run a better shop than that.

 

for 6 grand would you mind posting your setup, parts list, and what kind of power your making?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by skunked &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">so how does the car run?

also any decent honda mechanic shouldn't need to itemize the parts off your motor.</TD></TR></TABLE>

the car runs fine now, but with the mickey moused knock sensor job, who knows what else was done internally.
he explained that the itemized thing was a big deal and very time consuming.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by hu &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Are you sure all you want is 600.00? Is that what you would sue for?</TD></TR></TABLE>

I'm not looking to make money out of this, all I want is my refund of the overdraft. But if I sue it will surely be more than $600.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by subydoored &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">i hope you got some of that stuff in writing it may save your *** some money more than 600 bucks.</TD></TR></TABLE>

I have everything in writing and photos as you can see.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by bb4ever &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
That sucks man, what a douchebag. I feel like I could hang a sign over my dad's garage and run a better shop than that.</TD></TR></TABLE>

I say that not to doubt Max's work. He knows that **** inside and out therefore there is no need to mark all the hardware/parts.


<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by K-Spec &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

the car runs fine now, but with the mickey moused knock sensor job, who knows what else was done internally.
</TD></TR></TABLE>

there's nothing mickey moused inside your motor, Max does good work.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by K-Spec &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
I have everything in writing and photos as you can see.</TD></TR></TABLE>

As my boy Dave Chapelle would say "Open and shut case Johnson!"

 

he super glued the knock sensor together.... how is that good work?

 

He super glues knock sensors together?

I don't understand why he would give some BS spiel about marking parts and all if he didn't need to....but I'll take your word on the guy

 

Talk about nightmare. Dealing with you KEVIN PRACHA has not been a walk in the park... Funny how You say one thing but your problem is that you contradict yourself. Try reading the first paragraph and see if that makes any sense?? You talk out of spite and leave out valuable information.

Building an engine from the ground up takes time. Sometimes GOD forbid it may take longer. All the while you were still not upset. YOU ARE RELUCTANT TO TELL PEOPLE THAT YOU DECIDED TO KEEP ADDING MORE THINGS TO YOUR CAR. WHICH IN TURN TAKES MORE TIME.. Still You never once complained. And everytime we spoke you always had a smile on your face, and never had anything bad to say. Now that you moved to arizona. YOU think you can come and discredit MHR. I didnt even bother to read all your ramblings. Seriously..

Funny how you SENT ME RAVE REVIEWS ON MYSPACE. SPOKE VERY HIGHLY OF YOUR EXPERIENCE ON THE PRELUDE FORUM. But now you come back after you were told that you are probably mistaken and to give me time to figure out what happened exactly.. Now you have the nerve to play the "VICTIM ROLL" Trying to badmouth MHR.. LOL!!! You are a character indeed. And have some issues you should consider dealing with.

Bottom line is this. YOUR CAR RUNS GREAT!!! I am not going to waste my time responding to every single comment you probably made in that novel. ALL I know is that it took your 4 months to come forth and complain. But everytime we met you were SATISFIED. The day you picked up your car... SATISFIED!! We spoke on the phone a few times.. YEPP ALL SATISFIED. So just go about your business. I hope you work on your social skills a bit more. And do well in life. Just dont go around spreading rumours. And not stating all the facts. Like I said I am not going to bother disecting your whole novel. Because MHR has done nothing wrong to you. You payed. and MHR gave you excellent service, parts and expertise. End of story. Remember. In the END EVERYTHING IN THE DARK COMES OUT TO THE LIGHT.. So be carefull what you say. Because it may come back to bite you in the ***.


Modified by mhr performance at 5:38 PM 1/29/2007


Modified by mhr performance at 5:40 PM 1/29/2007

 

bite you in the ***?

Is that a threat, or a reference to super glueing knock sensors?

 

There is nothing wrong with itemizing parts. I do it just to make sure i dont lose any bolt/nuts, plus it keeps the garage half organized. I also hate diggin and looking for parts so putting them together i small zip bags saves a ton of time and headaches. Anyone who has ever taken an engine apart knows how fast so much crap can build up on the work bench.

To the OP, how did you pay for the services? Cash? You should always pay with a credit card so you can dispute any unwanted charges.

Super glue FTL

 

OH NO!!!! A knock sensor came apart!!! Jeez man. Knock sensors can all come apart like that. Its just a microphone. Not rocket science.. If you feel that strongly about your ks. I will buy you one. BUt you never spoke up about that. How am I suppose to know??AGAIN Not my fault.

I never said I would buy you a brand new ks. Why on earth would I do that? The plug had obviously never been removed since it came from honda. It came apart as it was beeing removed.

Stop acting like such a drama queen. Its a KS chill out!


Modified by mhr performance at 5:56 PM 1/29/2007

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by bb4ever &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">bite you in the ***?

Is that a threat, or a reference to super glueing knock sensors?</TD></TR></TABLE>

Yeah man, you could of at least JB welded it.

 

Dude it doesnt matter if its a knock sensor or windshield fluid squirter. If the builder breaks something it should be replaced, no questions asked. What you did is the reason i do my own work and dont take my car to any shop, for the fear of getting things like super glueing a knock sensor done.

 

[QUOTE=K-Spec]

the car runs fine now, but with the mickey moused knock sensor job, who knows what else was done internally.

Runs fine now? It ran fine from the moment you left my shop. You even called and said how much stronger it felt seven with the stock prelude ecu and injectors. Before the hondata and dyno tune.. Again stop trying to get sympathy from people. YOu were told by me. That I would get to your issues asap. But that wasnt good enough for you. SO you in return are on here trying to discredit mhr anyway you can. Because of what?? That I told you hey. give me a chance to research this. I have tons of invoices and reciepts. Nothing is labled with your name on it from my vendors. SOme are payed by credit, some is cash, check.. IT takes time so chill out.

You waited 4 months to come forward with this. You cant wait 1 week or 2? All the while your car runs like a champ and is very reliable. What can you possibly have to say about that?

All you can come up with is a KS. but yet you got a whole detailed engine build/installation. Thats pretty sad.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by mhr performance &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">OH NOOOO!!!! A knock sensor came apart!!! OMG its the end of the world!!! RUN FOR YOUR LIFE!!!! Jeez man. Knock sensors can all come apart like that. Its just a microphone. Not rocket science.. If you feel that strongly about your ks. I will buy you one. BUt you never spoke up about that. How am I suppose to know??AGAIN Not my fault.

I never said I would buy you a brand new ks. Why on earth would I do that? The plug had obviously never been removed since it came from honda. It came apart as it was beeing removed.

Stop acting like such a drama queen. Its a KS chill out! </TD></TR></TABLE>

correction, he didn't say he wanted money for the ks, he wanted his 600 for the overpricing on the quote. idno if that was after all the parts he added as you say or not but if it is then i think you rightfully owe him the difference. and since he said he does have it in writing, i would be cautious.

it's easy to tell how unprofessional you are simply by the manner of your replies to his claims. if you felt you were in the right, you could/would/should have taken this in a more mature fashion but who am i to judge you.

i've had my fair share of shops w/ crumby business practices so i know how you feel bro. that's why i get everything notarized. good luck.

for poor business ethics and weak attitude.

 

I hope everything sorts itself out.

 

Think about this.. If I say im selling you products and or service for X amount of dollars. BUt then you come to pickup your car and pay more then the X amount. What would any rational person do in this situation? Kevin Pracha failed to mention that he added several parts and services to his bill before it was completeed. That qoute he is going by is the initial ESTIMATE.. Not the final qoute. There is always 2 sides to every story. Mhr is a reputable shop and we value all customers.

Let me ask you this Kevin. If your such a victim and you know you are right. Then why leave out important details like the one I have just pointed out??

Since you are on here gossiping shouldnt it be fair to tell the truth?? And not trying to tell people what you want them to know and leave out the rest?? That doesnt seem fair now does it?? You are a class act and and your attitude shows your maturity level.

 

seriously. hate it when stuff gets messy like this. love nd peace man

edit: if it was indeed the initial quote, i'm sure you would have told him the price change for the work/installation/etc for the additional parts. without proof this is just a claim and thus becomes a battle of who you believe more. you two should really sit down and sort this crap out like big boys.