Complaint Review: Street Rod & Classic Car Shop - Tempe Arizona

As of today the car has less than 1,100 miles on the odometer and is not running. I have brought my car to two different mechanics to have inspected, both of whom said the car is in no shape to be driven on the road. The report from both mechanics was that the ENTIRE modifications performed by Street Rod & Classic Car Shop were inadiquate, all do to poor workmanship and neglect.

After informing Street Rod & Classic Car Shop of the findings, they reported it to their insurance company. They sent Terry O'Donnell of Action Appraisers to come and inspect the vehicle to see if the aligations I have made of neglect and poor workmanship were true. After Terry O'Donnell inspected the car he told me it is more than likely going to be TOTALED because of the work they performed on my car. They obviously knew they ruined my car otherwise they would not have reported it to their insurance company. It will need a complete body-off restoration to make it safe and drivable. The insurance company will only cover the cost of what the original purchase price was not the monies I paid them for modifications.

Understand that prior to bringing my car to Street Rod & Classic Car Shop the vehicle was in perfect running condition and was bought from the Volo Auto Museum in Volo, Illinois. It was a museum quality car. I now have to pay to have my car completely restored by a competent, professional mechanic because of the shoddy workmanship performed by them. I have requested my monies to be returned and they refused. I now have a vehicle which I paid $19,500 for PLUS $54,745.30 to Street Rod & Classic Car Shop which is totaled due to the mechanic's neglect.

I trusted them to make this car safe enough for me to carry passengers, which they assured me of when I brought it in to him otherwise I would not have hired them to do it. It was to have a new engine, new transmission, 4 wheel disk brakes and adapt original wheels. I was not given the work as promised and it will now cost me in excess of $30,000 to repair what they have ruined. There is no reason whatsoever to assume that they can correct what was done otherwise they would have done it right the first time. It's not one or two things that are wrong the entire work performed on this vehicle was cause for the insurance adjusters to TOTAL it.

Below is the findings of Street Rod & Classic Car Shop Insurer and Adjuster (Action Appraisals & Auto Owners Insurance of Arizona):

"Our inspection was conducted on 1/24/08. As evident our inspection revealed that the Model-T had restoration work performed.... The restoration was of poor quality and the welds that were put onto the frame and structure are unsafe and do not meet ICAR standards. It is this writers opinion the proper way to repair this unit would be to remove all welds, and do a complete restoration... We would like to point out that the claimant purchased the unit for $18,500 from a museum and paid Street Rod & Classic Car Shop another $52,000+ for the alleged restoration. TERRY O'DONNELL"

Their insurance compnay paid me $20,000 to cover the original cost of the vehicle... they said they do not insure a mechanics neglect and have never had to pay out on a car that was ruined by mechanics neglect, non the less TOTALED because of it. $25,000 of the monies were reversed from the credit card companies.

Street Rod & Classic Car Shop of Tempe Arizona refuses to acknowledge any wrong doing even with his own insurance company stating so. I am still owed $29,000 by this company and refuses to make good.

List of things that caused the car to be totaled:

1- All four wheels were mounted using hex-bolts instead of the proper wheel studs which caused them to loosen. The passenger rear wheel fell off when 4 of the 5 hex-bolts snapped while driving.

2- Front axel is 8 inches longer than rear

3- Brake lines are kinked which cause the fittings to burts when brakes are applied.

4- All engine mounts have pulled away from frame due to poor welding.

5- Rear springs were welded to the rear axel negating rear suspension.

6- Both gas tank fittings and tubing leak.

7- Transmission mounts broke away at the welds

Any professional help or advice would be appreciated in this matter as this mechanics neglect and poor craftmanship has caused me to be putr out of business for this season. (my business website is www.SunsetRoute.com)

Sunset Route

Gold Canyon, Arizona

U.S.A.