- Report: #255091
Complaint Review: Five Star Engine Exchange - Glendale Arizona
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Five Star Engine Exchange
6817 N. 56th Avenue Glendale, 85301 Arizona, U.S.A.
Phone:
623-939 0345
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Five Star Engine Exchange REBUILT LONG BLOCK 350 JUST DROP IT IN AND GO IT WENT FOR 100 MILES NOW IT'S SCRAP IRON ripoff Glendale Arizona
I'm restoring a 1974 Chevy K-10 truck I have owned for close to 30 years. Since the day I bought it I have performed all work on it myself from top to bottom. I work full time and also have a life so I only worked on it on some weekends. One piece at a time everything was cheaked, repaired or replaced.
Instead of rebuilding the engine myself I was going to save some time getting a rebuilt. Five Star Engine told me it was ready to drop in and go. Meaning to most would be number 1 set to top dead center, all valves would be close to addjustment and all bolts torqued to specs.
First off number 6 was set to top dead center, then after running a compression test I find the valves are so far out of addjustment there is no compression in the engine.After starting it up and addjusting the valves it took me four times to get it through emissions and then it only made it through by one point. A new carb, new distributor, new plugs, and a new intake the valves were fine. For the next couple of weeks I drove it to work and back and ran test after test but couldn't find anything wrong.
On my fourth trip home from work the truck was running hot.I pulled over, let it cool, added water,then drove another 3 miles to get home. I start to run another compression test but stoped when I water is spuing out of number 5 and 7. I get my breaker bar out and remove the head. But I didn't need a breaker bar, a pair of pliers would have removed every head bolt as none had a torque of over 30 foot pounds. The other head was no different.
The specs for the bolts are 130 foot pounds
From the force of the water between 5 and 7 a grove had been cut into the block .250 wide and .050 deep making the block worthless in less than 100 miles. I can't even use it as a core to buy another.A one year 12,000 mile warranty When I called the owner and told him of the heads not being torqued he acted as he didn't hear me and said it was caused by the engine running too lean and it was my fault. Now I'm burning. No way will I let this fly by night junk dealer get away with this.
I file a report with the BBB and get a report on Five Star Engine Destroyers. The BBB's report said unsatisfactory and there had been alot of other reports filed against them for not honoring their warrantys and other violations. I have also made flyers and stuck them all over Glendale. I'm still waiting to see if the BBB can help. If not I know how to file the paper work at the court house and I know how to put this rip off in his place. If wronged I'll spend a dollar to get back a dime.
There are two things I've learned from this. 1] if you run across a deal to good to be true it is and 2] the BBB is out there to help protect us from ones as five star engine destroyers and not cheaking with them on any major buy is just plain stupid.
Garry
Phoenix, Arizona
U.S.A.
STOP! ..before you think about using the Better Business Bureau (BBB)... CLICK HERE to see how other consumers were victimized by the BBB's false or misleading information. Don't be fooled! It has been reported, when there are thousands of complaints and other investigations underway by authorities, the BBB has no choice but to finally give an UNsatisfactory rating to a BBB member business that is paying the BBB big membership fees every year. When a business is reported that is NOT a BBB member, BBB files WILL more likely show an UNsatisfactory rating, then reportedly shake down that company to become a member of the BBB. One positive thing about the BBB is, either way, if a business has an unsatisfactory rating with the BBB, you can be sure, the business is bad. But what about all those BBB member businesses that had complaints filed against them? Consumers never get to hear about them. What about the BBB advertising to the public? Is this a false and misleading perception they are giving about consumer confidence when dealing with a business? Click here to understand more of what consumers and business alike are saying about the BBB. You decide. ..Remember. The BBB membership is not earned, it's paid for!
Instead of rebuilding the engine myself I was going to save some time getting a rebuilt. Five Star Engine told me it was ready to drop in and go. Meaning to most would be number 1 set to top dead center, all valves would be close to addjustment and all bolts torqued to specs.
First off number 6 was set to top dead center, then after running a compression test I find the valves are so far out of addjustment there is no compression in the engine.After starting it up and addjusting the valves it took me four times to get it through emissions and then it only made it through by one point. A new carb, new distributor, new plugs, and a new intake the valves were fine. For the next couple of weeks I drove it to work and back and ran test after test but couldn't find anything wrong.
On my fourth trip home from work the truck was running hot.I pulled over, let it cool, added water,then drove another 3 miles to get home. I start to run another compression test but stoped when I water is spuing out of number 5 and 7. I get my breaker bar out and remove the head. But I didn't need a breaker bar, a pair of pliers would have removed every head bolt as none had a torque of over 30 foot pounds. The other head was no different.
The specs for the bolts are 130 foot pounds
From the force of the water between 5 and 7 a grove had been cut into the block .250 wide and .050 deep making the block worthless in less than 100 miles. I can't even use it as a core to buy another.A one year 12,000 mile warranty When I called the owner and told him of the heads not being torqued he acted as he didn't hear me and said it was caused by the engine running too lean and it was my fault. Now I'm burning. No way will I let this fly by night junk dealer get away with this.
I file a report with the BBB and get a report on Five Star Engine Destroyers. The BBB's report said unsatisfactory and there had been alot of other reports filed against them for not honoring their warrantys and other violations. I have also made flyers and stuck them all over Glendale. I'm still waiting to see if the BBB can help. If not I know how to file the paper work at the court house and I know how to put this rip off in his place. If wronged I'll spend a dollar to get back a dime.
There are two things I've learned from this. 1] if you run across a deal to good to be true it is and 2] the BBB is out there to help protect us from ones as five star engine destroyers and not cheaking with them on any major buy is just plain stupid.
Garry
Phoenix, Arizona
U.S.A.
STOP! ..before you think about using the Better Business Bureau (BBB)... CLICK HERE to see how other consumers were victimized by the BBB's false or misleading information. Don't be fooled! It has been reported, when there are thousands of complaints and other investigations underway by authorities, the BBB has no choice but to finally give an UNsatisfactory rating to a BBB member business that is paying the BBB big membership fees every year. When a business is reported that is NOT a BBB member, BBB files WILL more likely show an UNsatisfactory rating, then reportedly shake down that company to become a member of the BBB. One positive thing about the BBB is, either way, if a business has an unsatisfactory rating with the BBB, you can be sure, the business is bad. But what about all those BBB member businesses that had complaints filed against them? Consumers never get to hear about them. What about the BBB advertising to the public? Is this a false and misleading perception they are giving about consumer confidence when dealing with a business? Click here to understand more of what consumers and business alike are saying about the BBB. You decide. ..Remember. The BBB membership is not earned, it's paid for!
2 Updates & Rebuttals
Garry
Phoenix,Arizona,
U.S.A.
Five Star Engine Exchange, Glendale AZ
#2Author of original report
Thu, March 25, 2010
If anyone is thinking of buying from Five Star Engine Exchange you can find other reports on their pratice of not honoring their warranty, their cutting corners, and the use of worthless parts at Yahoo. The web sight Chevytalk I sent photos of the block. I was told a block is a lot harder than the pistons of an engine and the pistons looking as they had no damage the block was damaged at the time of the rebuild and used anyway.
I also learned Chris, the owner uses the term "state of the art" on all his victims. It has taken me over 2 years of spare time to get the truck running and I'm a couple of weeks from starting it back up. The first thing I plan on doing is loading that block on the truck along with all the reports from Ripoff.com Yahoo and Chevy talk then park it across from Five Star Engine Exchange. I have e-mailed Chris telling him to save me a parking place in front of his "state of the art" wreaking yard.
It was never about the money. It was the total dishonest pratice of this company not only to me but many others. The old saying of spending a dollar to get back a dime says it all.
Report Attachments
Garry
Phoenix,Arizona,
U.S.A.
OVER THE EDGE
#3Author of original report
Sun, July 29, 2007
Last week I had the manager of one of the biggest engine rebuilders in the state look at the block. He said that only under extream conditions could a block be destroyed that way and it would take at least 5,000 miles to do that type of damage. After hearing this I no longer have any doubts on how Five Star does business and with a wittness like this I'm hoping the attorney general will also agree.
