Confuc1ous
Hybrid Accord.
Okay, firstly, this is a long read, sorry, but I want to provide as many details as I can as I dont want people to think this is a matter of anything but others being informed (I was mad yesterday, so I waited a day). So some of the people here know that I've been having issues with the shop I've been using for a little while now. They have done a lot of work on my car, and done some of it really well, however lately they haven't been doing that good of a job and I've been getting a lot of excuses. They were good at first since they did my H swap and other installs but lately I've fought myself from telling people the name or location of the shop doing poor work or putting scratches and gouges in my paint, as I thought that they'd do good work and at the end of the day remedy any issues they've created.
They didn't, they in fact caused me to double spend on certain things to get items set and installed correctly after they had initially done the work poorly or had not followed instruction. Well, I'm making this thread as I said I would so that other people will think twice before they take their car to this place to get their work done. I know the owners son, Bruno, he's mostly been a nice guy with small bouts of sheisterness here and there but nothing on the scale of anything I'd take notice of or worry about. I always have tried to recommend people to his shop, friends of mine with Speed3's and Speed6's, Accords, Integra's, you name it, as they do a lot of work for modified cars. Every time I have, the estimates friends have gotten have been beaten by other shops so they've gone elsewhere, cant hate on that, sometimes its about money and nothing else. I know its been that way for me at times also.
In addition, the owners son, Bruno, has lately, after having taken multiple cars of mine there, given me discounts on their hourly labor rate to help me get more of the parts on my car that I have purchased which I am still grateful for, just upset because I feel like that has made them think its okay to do shitty work or work unprofessionally. Well, basically, the car has spent a lot of time there, as he gives me discounts I allow the fact that my car will be there for a while so the jobs they take full coin for will get priority as i feel its only fair to do that in return of him giving me a discount.
However, in my car being in their shop, they have managed to damage the paint in like 5 places which is aftermarket and was quite expensive. In doing so, they have also cracked a tail-light which he was kind enough to knock $75 off my most recent bill for, but then turned around, forgot to install my stainless clutch line and also kept the liter can of ATE Super Blue I had bought for them to use after they bled the clutch. Nice right? I paid for that and then after the fact when I discovered it wasn't on there, he said, sorry, we'll get it for you next time. They also managed to burn out the relay for my power folding mirrors too, not sure how they pulled that off.
The 3inch exhaust piping they installed, and my muffler, the welds etc... were done well, the job itself, done well. However, they installed it too high, therefore not allowing enough room for my sway bar to fit underneath it in the rear. They of course didn't know this as they installed the sway bar upside down initially so had no clue and were telling me it cant go on the car as it sits too low... It actually took a few of the members of Honda Society to show me the error of the install before I went back and told Bruno that wtf, its upside down. Well, with installing the exhaust system too high and leaving no room for the sway, they also installed the muffler too high, so now, at idle, it vibrates and shakes my rear bumper, awesome, right? Yea, its also begun to melt the middle strip of the rear lip, does it get better? Yes, I asked him about that lip, he said, dont worry about it.
Okay, so with all that said and done, I am a big photo taker, I take pictures of everything as I own 4 different camera's, you know, just a hobby (i even use my camera phone if I have to). One of the things I do is document everything I do with my car or have done for posterity and for keeping a record. I even stop by the shop periodically as the last time they had the car, i think they had it for almost 6 weeks or more. I would go there periodically and snap a few pictures just to update a thread i made online or to have a few new pics of stuff having been installed etc... After having gotten my car back recently, i realized they had damaged the paint on my front bumper, a gash behind the license plate which they hid by installing it off center (they installed the JDM license plate relocator which is most likely when it happened) and a half moon sized crack in the paint under the headlight from when they installed the HID's for my fogs, which wasn't there when i took the first pics about 10 days into them having the car. It would be nice for these people to own up to the shit they did...they wont, they're ghetto.
At this point, let me say that I know this is also my fault for trusting them with my car, but as I told others, I wanted the people who've done all the work on my car to continue to do the work as they know the car, and well, being given a discount on the labor, also seemed to be a good idea at the time as it was saving me money and allowing me to spend more on parts etc... Unfortunately, in receipt of cheaper labor rates I ended up getting a discount on their level of quality and professionalism, which leaves me unsatisfied and more so because I thought the owners son was my friend. I still do however take blame for it also, sometimes you blindly trust people and dont get the commensurate in return, its like that sometimes.
So, now I have to go to another shop who will fix the exhaust system so its fit in there correctly and not hitting against other parts under the car, and in doing so, they will then also re-fit that rear sway bar in correctly, how its meant to be installed and will remedy a few of the other small items that these guys did either hurriedly or in an amateurish way. This will all end up costing me in the long run as i now have to play clean up because the job wasn't done right the first time. I just want you guys to know what shop it is and I hope you steer clear of it.
Costa & Joao Amoco/Imprezzive Motorsports
756 Roosevelt Avenue
Carteret, NJ 07008-2324
(732) 969-8687
That is their address, they are a BP gas station and also have an adjoining shop with 3 bays, where they do all the work and is the place where they worked on my car. They also put themselves on a few sites as Imprezzive Motorsports. They have great prices on parts, no doubt, buying parts from them, I'd do, having them install anything or touch my physical car, nope. Just a warning for you guys. I'm gonna post this identical thread on all 39 of the car forums I'm on, because I want people to know that its unacceptable. Its not about money more than its about satisfaction and trust, two things you want in exchange when you spend money.
The gash behind the plate.
Upside down install of the sway
Iakona's car with the same exact brand and style of piping and his sway installed correctly.
^^Think about this, they installed the exhaust system and the sways during the same trip to the shop, yet they wont take responsibility for fucking up the install^^
Picture of the muffler squeezed as hard as possible up against the rear trim/lip
I have before and after pics that I took while the car was at the shop where none of the damage was on it and right when i got it back where you can see the above damage. I have more pictures that i need to take off the SD card of my camera but I guess you get the idea. Every time I see Iakona's car, the identical car, with the identical sway and identical Kteller stainless 3 inch piping I just wonder how they could have fucked it all up so badly, especially being that even my control arms are straight and dont bend downward like his do, therefore not interfering with the path of the piping etc... When i said something to Bruno, my 'boy' gave me a lecture on how I need to have a plan and sometimes stuff doesn't work etc...
Save yourself the trouble.
They didn't, they in fact caused me to double spend on certain things to get items set and installed correctly after they had initially done the work poorly or had not followed instruction. Well, I'm making this thread as I said I would so that other people will think twice before they take their car to this place to get their work done. I know the owners son, Bruno, he's mostly been a nice guy with small bouts of sheisterness here and there but nothing on the scale of anything I'd take notice of or worry about. I always have tried to recommend people to his shop, friends of mine with Speed3's and Speed6's, Accords, Integra's, you name it, as they do a lot of work for modified cars. Every time I have, the estimates friends have gotten have been beaten by other shops so they've gone elsewhere, cant hate on that, sometimes its about money and nothing else. I know its been that way for me at times also.
In addition, the owners son, Bruno, has lately, after having taken multiple cars of mine there, given me discounts on their hourly labor rate to help me get more of the parts on my car that I have purchased which I am still grateful for, just upset because I feel like that has made them think its okay to do shitty work or work unprofessionally. Well, basically, the car has spent a lot of time there, as he gives me discounts I allow the fact that my car will be there for a while so the jobs they take full coin for will get priority as i feel its only fair to do that in return of him giving me a discount.
However, in my car being in their shop, they have managed to damage the paint in like 5 places which is aftermarket and was quite expensive. In doing so, they have also cracked a tail-light which he was kind enough to knock $75 off my most recent bill for, but then turned around, forgot to install my stainless clutch line and also kept the liter can of ATE Super Blue I had bought for them to use after they bled the clutch. Nice right? I paid for that and then after the fact when I discovered it wasn't on there, he said, sorry, we'll get it for you next time. They also managed to burn out the relay for my power folding mirrors too, not sure how they pulled that off.
The 3inch exhaust piping they installed, and my muffler, the welds etc... were done well, the job itself, done well. However, they installed it too high, therefore not allowing enough room for my sway bar to fit underneath it in the rear. They of course didn't know this as they installed the sway bar upside down initially so had no clue and were telling me it cant go on the car as it sits too low... It actually took a few of the members of Honda Society to show me the error of the install before I went back and told Bruno that wtf, its upside down. Well, with installing the exhaust system too high and leaving no room for the sway, they also installed the muffler too high, so now, at idle, it vibrates and shakes my rear bumper, awesome, right? Yea, its also begun to melt the middle strip of the rear lip, does it get better? Yes, I asked him about that lip, he said, dont worry about it.
Okay, so with all that said and done, I am a big photo taker, I take pictures of everything as I own 4 different camera's, you know, just a hobby (i even use my camera phone if I have to). One of the things I do is document everything I do with my car or have done for posterity and for keeping a record. I even stop by the shop periodically as the last time they had the car, i think they had it for almost 6 weeks or more. I would go there periodically and snap a few pictures just to update a thread i made online or to have a few new pics of stuff having been installed etc... After having gotten my car back recently, i realized they had damaged the paint on my front bumper, a gash behind the license plate which they hid by installing it off center (they installed the JDM license plate relocator which is most likely when it happened) and a half moon sized crack in the paint under the headlight from when they installed the HID's for my fogs, which wasn't there when i took the first pics about 10 days into them having the car. It would be nice for these people to own up to the shit they did...they wont, they're ghetto.
At this point, let me say that I know this is also my fault for trusting them with my car, but as I told others, I wanted the people who've done all the work on my car to continue to do the work as they know the car, and well, being given a discount on the labor, also seemed to be a good idea at the time as it was saving me money and allowing me to spend more on parts etc... Unfortunately, in receipt of cheaper labor rates I ended up getting a discount on their level of quality and professionalism, which leaves me unsatisfied and more so because I thought the owners son was my friend. I still do however take blame for it also, sometimes you blindly trust people and dont get the commensurate in return, its like that sometimes.
So, now I have to go to another shop who will fix the exhaust system so its fit in there correctly and not hitting against other parts under the car, and in doing so, they will then also re-fit that rear sway bar in correctly, how its meant to be installed and will remedy a few of the other small items that these guys did either hurriedly or in an amateurish way. This will all end up costing me in the long run as i now have to play clean up because the job wasn't done right the first time. I just want you guys to know what shop it is and I hope you steer clear of it.
Costa & Joao Amoco/Imprezzive Motorsports
756 Roosevelt Avenue
Carteret, NJ 07008-2324
(732) 969-8687
That is their address, they are a BP gas station and also have an adjoining shop with 3 bays, where they do all the work and is the place where they worked on my car. They also put themselves on a few sites as Imprezzive Motorsports. They have great prices on parts, no doubt, buying parts from them, I'd do, having them install anything or touch my physical car, nope. Just a warning for you guys. I'm gonna post this identical thread on all 39 of the car forums I'm on, because I want people to know that its unacceptable. Its not about money more than its about satisfaction and trust, two things you want in exchange when you spend money.
The gash behind the plate.
Upside down install of the sway
Iakona's car with the same exact brand and style of piping and his sway installed correctly.
^^Think about this, they installed the exhaust system and the sways during the same trip to the shop, yet they wont take responsibility for fucking up the install^^
Picture of the muffler squeezed as hard as possible up against the rear trim/lip
I have before and after pics that I took while the car was at the shop where none of the damage was on it and right when i got it back where you can see the above damage. I have more pictures that i need to take off the SD card of my camera but I guess you get the idea. Every time I see Iakona's car, the identical car, with the identical sway and identical Kteller stainless 3 inch piping I just wonder how they could have fucked it all up so badly, especially being that even my control arms are straight and dont bend downward like his do, therefore not interfering with the path of the piping etc... When i said something to Bruno, my 'boy' gave me a lecture on how I need to have a plan and sometimes stuff doesn't work etc...
Save yourself the trouble.
