ComplaintsforEmerald Coast Motorsports

• Initial Complaint

  03/17/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Unanswered

  More info

  On 6-20-22, I dropped off my fully assembled Nissan 240sx with a bad engine (no compression) with Russell at Emerald Coast Motorsports in Milton, FL. Attached is the estimate of $14,765.80 to make my car "race ready". Also attached is my payment history, reflecting $13,000 paid towards the bill. On 11-10-22 I was informed my engine had more damage than expected and that it was already dropped off at Emerald Coast Performance Machine with Jacob. Furthermore to get it repaired I would be dealing directly with Jacob and paying him for the repair/upgrade. Although I didn't authorize this action, I okayed Jacob to start, and paid him $4,000 upfront for parts and labor. The 2nd week of march 2023 I was informed by Michelle at ECM that they have to remove all customer cars and leave the property ASAP. I scheduled a tow truck to meet me at ECM 3-9-23 to get my 240sx and whatever parts were mine. A copy of the $1,500 bill is attached. Also attached are photos of my car in the state they gave it back in. The $1,500 it took to get my vehicle towed home was additional money that should have never had to be paid because the car was supposed to be operational. 3-11-23 After getting my car back and going over the build estimate, it is my belief that I paid for $6,753 worth of work/parts that was never performed/installed/received. Attached is an estimate copy I wrote notes on. I have been very understanding and reasonable to everyone involved and gave ample time for Russell to make things right. Even up to the last day of me picking up my stripped car and pieces, Emerald Coast Motorsports had tried to get me to pay the full bill. The only acceptable move forward in my opinion is to issue a full refund of the incomplete tasks, a partial refund of line item 1 as it took time to remove, and some compensation for my tow truck fee.

• Initial Complaint

  11/30/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Unanswered

  More info

  Spoke with Russell ********* (ECMS) September 2022 and was asked to give him a couple of weeks to return $30,000 given him to restore a vehicle in which never took place and said vehicle was picked up by me on September 02, 2022 (torn apart). This action is representative of his character and unwillingness to broker in honesty, although I tried to meet him more than halfway. Please see chronological order of text communication in the attachments.

• Initial Complaint

  09/28/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  EMERALD COAST MOTORSPORTS CUSTOMS AND RESTORATION, INC. scheduled and received a Dodge Charger for an engine rebuild October 2021. EMERALD COAST MOTORSPORTS CUSTOMS AND RESTORATION, INC. requested and was provided a deposit of $4,066 February 2022 toward the Dodge Charger engine rebuild. EMERALD COAST MOTORSPORTS CUSTOMS AND RESTORATION, INC. failed to provide adequate communication and timely service throughout the entire process. A refund was requested May 2022. EMERALD COAST MOTORSPORTS CUSTOMS AND RESTORATION, INC. agreed to the requested refund minus labor costs of $655. EMERALD COAST MOTORSPORTS CUSTOMS AND RESTORATION, INC. instead of providing a full refund, issued payments in August 2022 totaling $1400. EMERALD COAST MOTORSPORTS CUSTOMS AND RESTORATION, INC. has continued poor communication and has failed to provide full refund and action plan as of 27 September 2022. A small claims demand letter was sent 29 August 2022 via email and certified mail with no response. A balance of $2011 is still owed plus an additional $200 is requested to cover vehicle tow fees due to this inconvenience.

  Business response

  10/03/2022

  Car was dropped off for troubleshooting but parts were already removed. We pulled the engine and disassembled to find damage to the internals. Let the customer know and he came in and paid a parts deposit. Took the engine to the machine shop. All parts were ordered and it took an extended amount of time for them to arrive. During the wait for the parts, the machine shop had inspected the engine and let us know that the engine was not good for rebuild. Machine shop searched for a replacement which was hard to find and gave me a price for a rebuildable engine he found. All the parts that were ordered for this job arrived during this time and were delivered to machine shop and parts that the machine had ordered for it had also arrived. The car sat for a long while due to Mopar parts availability and looking for a rebuildable engine. We informed the customer of the engine cost which was at my cost and when we received the reply he decided to cancel the job and not have it done. At this point we have engine pull and disassembly, delivering the engine to machine shop, Machine shops time to look over the engine and to search for a rebuildable core, all the parts on the shelf waiting, going back to machine shop to pick up engine and returning all of the parts that we had ordered. Refunds have been slow to receive from the companies because they are not our regular distributors so refunds were paid out as refunds were given. The job was canceled by the customer after all the parts were ordered, paid for, and received. I returned all the parts which incurred shipping costs and restocking fees. The machine shop did not charge anything for the time he put into the engine and looking for a new one. Final refund has been given and they are unhappy with the amount. They canceled and their parts had to be returned. I absolutely cannot cover the cost on parts returns due to someone changing their mind after parts were bought and paid for. It is just like anything else you order, if you return items, they may or may not incur return costs. The car is still here and the bad engine was picked up from machine shop and is sitting here by the door. I have not and will not charge storage nor have I bothered them about picking it up. If they couldn't afford another engine, I understand and am not going to add unnecessary costs like storage as most shops would. As far as $200 for a tow for the inconvenience, what inconvenience? We had everything except a replacement engine which they did not buy so they canceled. If there was any inconvenience, it was searching, delivering and ordering parts only to have the job canceled. There absolutely was a lack of communication during the process. Parts availability and shipping have been a nightmare since Covid/Biden and if we do not have an update on availability, we typically do not call the customer. We will wait until we have updates. We have a new operating software which automatically sends out updates now.

  Customer response

  10/04/2022

  (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
  Let's establish a brief timeline:
  
  - Vehicle dropped off Oct 29 2021
  - Emerald Coast Motorsports engine "teardown"/ deposit delivered Feb 2022
  - Engine taken to machine shop/ Machine shop teardown. Discovered new engine block needed / New estimate requested Mar 28 2022
  - New block found/ New estimate requested Apr 25 2022
  - New estimate requested May 4 2022
  - New estimate requested May 13 2022
  - Refund requested/ Notified parts have been delivered May 16 2022
  
  It is concerning that parts were ordered before the machine shop was able to look at the engine and confirm exactly what was needed. Due to this action, it was discovered another part (engine block) was needed and needed to be searched for. I knew that this part could significantly drive up the original estimate, so a new estimate was requested over 4 times over the duration of 3 months. Emerald Coast Motorsports did not provide me with a new estimate detailing the additional parts and labor needed to complete the job. Furthermore, Emerald Coast Motorsports provided no communication on a way forward once the part was found even when updates were requested. Communication, lack of initiative, and time was poor this entire process. I was unsatisfied and I have the right to take my money to another business, so a refund was requested. Only once this refund was requested that the business let me know over text that all parts including the new block had been delivered and the new cost of all parts involved was now $12300. The original estimate for parts was $4066. The business agreed to the refund and only the labor costs was discussed to be taken out of the deposit. At no point was parts return/shipping, restocking, and delivery and pickup to and from machine shop fees mentioned when the refund was agreed on. These fees totaling $1597 were taken out of the refund amount of the deposit Sep 29 2022. These additional fees are not my responsibility due to the shortcomings of the business.
  The only reasonable outcome I would agree to is paying half of the fees, meaning the business would refund $799 of the fees that were originally taken from the deposit. If the business will not agree, legal action will be taken due to violation of Florida Statute Title XXXIII REGULATION OF TRADE, COMMERCE, INVESTMENTS, AND SOLICITATIONS, Chapter 559 REGULATION OF TRADE, COMMERCE, AND INVESTMENTS, GENERALLY, PART IX REPAIR OF MOTOR VEHICLES
  

  Business response

  10/06/2022

  Original complete ticket for parts and labor was $11,365.95 + tax. I called and let him know that it would be $12,300 + tax with a new block and crankshaft because the old one had scorched main bearings. So claiming $12,300 just for parts is absolutely ridiculous. As I said before, they canceled after I had purchased and received all parts and I will not eat the cost of shipping and restocking fees due to their decision to cancel.

  Customer response

  10/11/2022

  (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
  I did not receive a call from them regarding new pricing, a new estimate, or any parts being delivered despite my request on multiple occasions. This information was sent by the business through text after I had already called them to let them know I no longer wanted them working on the vehicle. The exact message below:
  "Too late but the forged engine built with fresh block stage 2 cam and all parts came out to $12,300 my cost from machine shop. Only thing I can do is give it to you at cost minus your deposit. $8234 remaining. I'll eat all the shop labor. Sorry for the delay. If not, I'll get all the parts returned and pick up the old engine"
  The message insinuates $12300 was just from parts/machine and he would be cutting the unknown labor cost. Either way this message was sent after I expressed, I no longer wanted them to work on it. This was not a simple cancellation as if the business was doing what they were supposed to, and I just decided not to go forward. This cancellation was due to the poor communication and work ethic of the business throughout the entire process. They were aware of my disappointment and chose not to tighten up. This more than warrants a cancellation. The Business clearly does not want to take any accountability in the matter and is taking the easy route of deducting from my deposit instead of owning up to their mistakes which unfortunately, in some circumstances may lose them money. No resolution has been offered from the business and they have not taken my resolution I have offered. This will be escalated.
  

• Initial Complaint

  07/13/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Delivery Issues

  Status:

  Unresolved

  More info

  Complaint against: Russell ********* of Emerald Coast Motorsports (ECM) 2944 Avalon Blvd Milton, FL XXXXX June 09, 2021: Email stating time frame for completion five/six weeks with: (1) New LS Create turnkey (connect & cruise) engine/transmission/module (2) New Wiring (3). QA1 Level 2 suspension (4) Dakota digital dash (5) Polished Hood Hinges (6). Driveshaft (7) Disc brake kit (8) LS Swap-oil pan (9) motor mounts (10) Crossmember (11). Steering coupler (12) Trunk and Engine Bay painted (13). Underbody rust-proof (14) Stereo in installed by All Wired for Sound (Milton. FL) September 02,2021: Delivered 1972 Monte Carlo 66,000 miles, which I paid $15,000 and $1835 for taxes., paid with a $30,000 certified check to Russell ********* at Emerald Coast Motor Sports (ECM). Listed below is just a few of the dates and times I've tried to communicate with Russell in reference to my vehicle. September 14, 2021: I had delivered to ECM five (5) Cragar Mag rims S/S value at $1364.25, I have the document to prove rims sent to ECM. December 07, 2021: Sent pics by Russell December 07, 2021, showing engine being removed. February 21, 2022: Apology text sent to showing vehicle up on a lift. March 18, 2022: Called, spoke with Russell "I'm in Tampa right now" I ask Russell has anything been done since I came down to see the car? "I'm in Tampa I'll give you an update when I get back on Monday. July 12, 2021: Email from Rust recommended changing the engine from LS-6L80 to LS-4L80. January 13, 2022: Drove down spoke with Russell, took pics. March 07, 2022: Text message from me to Russell "Good morning, Rust status on the work /invoices that I requested from you over two weeks ago with my name we're all parts were ordered last year. Thanks" March 07, 2022: I have copies of all text message/emails/phone logs from past thirteen months.

  Business response

  09/06/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 11, 2022/08/17) */ Contracted for a custom job on customers Monte Carlo. Made a massive order for parts. Never said we could complete the job in 5-6 weeks from when car was dropped off. I said 5-6 weeks from when we receive every single part.Parts, delivery, supplies have all taken it's toll on small businesses like mine with companies less manned and parts not being available. No matter how many times he calls and complains, it does not change the fact that I have no control over parts distribution. 20 cars a week go in and out of my shop with no issues, but we have a handful of cars on property waiting just as long or longer for misc. parts. It is very hard for a company to contend with those obstacles. I do everything possible to insure customers leave happy but sometimes these obstacles make it seem less than. I have gone as far as canceling multiple orders and ordered elsewhere to try and get parts. I may cancel everything and take the loss of business. I cannot manufacture parts nor can I control the companies I purchase from. Consumer Response /* (3000, 13, 2022/08/17) */ (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.) I disagree with the response, I have emails, texts and a letter correspondence dated March 31, 2022, from Russell ******** that directly contradict his account over the past year. Mr. ********* of (ECMS) stated in his letter which was given to me on March 31, 2022, that my vehicle would be completed no later than June 01, 2022. However, I'm willing to accept the return of my vehicle a 1972 Monte Carlo, five (5) Crager Mag Rims, which I purchased myself along with the $30,000.00 dollars he received from me on September 02, 2021. To alleviate any further confusion I will take the loss of my 1972 engine with 66k miles, transmission and other parts that were sold by Mr. *********. Business Response /* (4000, 16, 2022/08/22) */ Engine and transmission are still at the shop on a pallet and were never sold as you stated. You can absolutely come pick up your car, engine and transmission, wheels and any other parts removed when we completely repainted your engine bay and rewired your car. I will start the process of returns and order cancellations on all the parts from the multitude of specialty suppliers of parts we have received and parts we have yet to receive. Then I will forward the remainder of your deposit minus labor already performed, any restocking fees accrued , shipping and sales tax already paid out as soon as they are completed. I will move the car and parts and ready them for pick up tomorrow. Consumer Response /* (4200, 18, 2022/08/22) */ (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.) What am I going to do with an engine/transmission that's been removed from the Monte Carlo it was running when I gave it to him. Russell response is to try and keep my $30,000 that was given to him in September 2021 Returns and cancellations I have asked Russell to forward all invoices of parts ordered in my name in 2021, which I was told by Russell would be ordered and warranty to me. How can it be a restocking fee when Russell has never provided any invoices on anything and I've asked for multiple times, please see attached text messages from me to Russell. Never heard of a sales tax on an item being returned, how would/could I verify anything Russell now claimed by Russell to have ordered on my behave. In Russell first response Russell stated, "I may cancel everything and take the loss of business, I cannot manufacture parts, nor can I control the companies I purchase from." Now, when I say I'll take the lost he wants to change and state something different. Hasn't even stated the amount for painting engine bay/wiring if it's been done. No date given for the return my $30,000 to me, what just at his pleasure he'll return what he wants to return to me and the amount. I gave cash to Russell he should return cash to me at the time I pick my car/parts up from his shop, the same way I gave him cash to do the work. I'm in another city which shows Russell to not be responding in good faith trying to get this issue resolved.

• Initial Complaint

  02/26/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I recently sent in my 2009 Infiniti G37s for work on my torque converter, steering rack and exhaust. I paid a parts deposit of $720 on 01/17/22 to a "******* *********" via Paypal family and friends, from my knowledge he is the shop owner/manager. I was then told that they would keep me updated on what extra parts my car might need or if there was a delay on parts. A few days past and they noted that they pulled the transmission and analyzed my steering rack and only noticed a nipple leak. They recommended just keeping my power steering fluid at an operational level so that my pump doesn't go bad from lack of fluids instead of paying roughly $1500 for a new steering rack. I agreed with them and had them only swap out my torque converter and order/install a new gasket for my exhaust. On 02/15/22 they notified me that everything had been completed and the car was ready for pick up. An invoice of the remaining balance of $587.93 was sent to my personal email. I informed them that my girlfriend would be picking up the vehicle on 02/16/22. On 02/16/22 my girlfriend arrived at the shop and I sent them the remaining balance via Paypal family and friends. My girlfriend realized the vehicle was running rough and she brought it back ******* immediately scanned it for codes and said everything was fine (O2 sensor). The car was then brought to me in Sumter SC as I am Active Duty Air Force and deployed here. I noticed the car was running rough, parked it in my garage and brought it to Nissan of Sumter the next day. They diagnosed it and nothing was wrong via OBD (O2 sensor)(no work was done). Shortly after I picked up the car the bolts from the torque converter had came off and damaged my flywheel and crankshaft sensor. I had Nissan speak with ECM and the tech explained that the job ECM did was the cause of the damage. I would like for ECM to reimburse me the amount of $1655.98 the cost of the repairs Nissan of Sumter did to my car for the work that ECM did causing damages.

  Business response

  04/12/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 8, 2022/03/16) */ We never spoke with Nissan and full refund was given of $1655.98. Consumer Response /* (2000, 10, 2022/03/17) */ (The consumer indicated he/she ACCEPTED the response from the business.) The business owner has provided a full refund of 1655.98. It is possible that the business owner was not notified of the issue directly from his staff but once informed of the details of the issue via email he handled the situation accordingly and timely.

• Initial Complaint

  11/16/2021

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  On 10/25/2021 I william crews drove my grey 2011 dodge Durango R/T to Emerald coast motorsports to have the camshaft and lifters, mds delete and a engine tune done. I payed them $4115.00 dollars when I drove the truck there. 3 weeks go by, they messag me and tell me they have done all they could do for the Durango now its has no oil pressure, its also overheating and making a loud tapping noise. None of these problems was happening when I drove the truck there. They are not willing to fix these issues that they created or refund any of the money, and they are expecting me to hand over an additional $1000.00 in order for me to get my keys back. The issues that they created will not allow the truck to be driven off the lot. When I drove the truck to them the Durango wasn't having any of these issues that they have created. When I dropped the durango off all it needed was repair to the camshaft and lifters, now it needs a whole new engine from the issues they created.

  Business response

  12/08/2021

  Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2021/11/16) */ Mr William ***** came in with a Dodge Durango with lifter failure. He thought it was funny that he had been driving it that way for months and it was knocking like a rod wanted to come out of the block. I recommended not driving it any more. He could not afford the repair in the first place and gave every reason to get it done as cheap as possible. I cut the price down greatly to help him out. He got a loan and the bank would not even give him the check and mailed it directly to me and at that time I ordered all of his parts. He wanted an upgraded camshaft and mds delete. We pulled the engine down to replace said parts and we found the carnage. Metal everywhere, bent pushrods, hydraulic lifter turned sideways that destroyed the camshaft and I called him. I told him that it is not worth fixing and it had too much damage and metal in the system. Since he got a loan and couldn't afford to fix it any other way, he said to put the new parts in anyways. I told him that it could go 5 miles or 5000 miles and there is no way that I can guarantee anything. He asked what I thought and I said it wasn't worth it and its 50/50. No idea what it will do. Lifter bores were egg shaped, metal fragments in the engine, cam bearings worn and that is just the mess that we could see. Informed him that there is zero guarantee and he said he had no other choice. This is not the first Dodge that he has had a catastrophic lifter failure with. The other issue we had and why it took so long was because it has a DUI machine in it and will not start without blowing in it. Well not being an expert in getting DUI's and having to blow into a machine, we had major issues getting it started. They picked it up to get recalibrated and then had to pick it up again because it locked us out. I have since decided that we will never work on a vehicle with a DUI device installed. Mr. ***** does not listen at all. He called every shop from here to Foley Alabama bad mouthing my shop and our tuner. Funny thing is that I am a very well respected business and person in this market and all of those shops called me and told me what he was saying. We did the work he asked us to do even when told it was not a good idea. He owes for the job that we did, so he will not get his vehicle until he pays what is owed. Consumer Response /* (3000, 7, 2021/11/16) */ (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.) I went to Emerald coast motorsports because he seemed extremely confident in the doing the job,and stated he had taken numerous cam and lifters jobs in the past.we paid in full the amount of 4115.14 which I hand delivered to him in person,the check was not mailed to him. The amount paid was for parts (camshaft,lifters,pushrods,etc) every part he said he needed for the job and labor was also included in that price.before driving the truck to Emerald coast I mentioned it having a dui machine in it and he stated that wasn't a problem because they dealt with them before on other vehicles they had worked on. 3 days after I handed him the check he called and stated since it was a Mopar engine it has more of a 70/30 % of it working,at that time I told him I would be there after I got off work so I could understand better what he was talking about. When I showed up they already had my motor tore all the way down to the pistons. At that point he gave me no choice but to go ahead and complete the job. Not once was I told it wasn't worth fixing. I have owned another Durango with the same cam and lifter issues and I had another local mechanic complete the same type of job without any problems. I had to call around and try to find another tune guy capable of tuning the Durango because they didn't have an in-house tuner , which I wasn't aware they sub their tuning out to a certain individual. The tuner guy wasn't able to complete the tune because of how rough and dangerous the truck was running after they completed their part of the job. Point of my complaint is the truck only has cam and lifters issues when I left the truck with them,which is what they were supposed to fix. Not only is the truck not driveable now it has multiple more issues now than it had when I left it with them. Not trying to make this an argument I just feel I should receive my truck in a better running condition not worse than it was when I dropped it off. Business Response /* (4000, 9, 2021/11/17) */ We have done many in regards to the Dodge product line. He paid only what the bank would loan him so he can keep those ridiculous lies to himself. He still owes $1160.76 and his vehicle will not leave until it is paid in full. And storage fees will start to accrue tomorrow at the legal state amount. We have worked with 1 vehicle with a dui machine, but it never locked us out of the system because that owner had it put in maintenance mode so mechanics could work on it. 3 days after he handed me the check, the parts were still on order and we did not even have his vehicle for a week or 2 after. Mopar has nothing to do with engine failure so that 70/30 comment is just ignorant. We did not see the carnage and problems with the internals on his engine and never called him until we pulled it all apart and saw how bad it was. Another stupid comment. His timeline of events is wrong. The tuner we have is our in house tuner but he only works for me on Fridays as he works for other shops on Mon-Thurs. He is the only Mopar tuner in the area. I will not reply to this customers blatant lies nor his idiocy. He does not listen. The tuner tried explaining to him and he still didn't get it. I'm done dealing with the stupidity of a scammer.

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