Help me escape rock bottom
Donation protected
It all started in March of 2014. The driveshaft in my 2000 BMW M Coupe failed, which inpacted the transmission tunnel, setting off two airbags, destroying shift linkage and internal transmission components which also injured my right hand that was on the shifter, damaging my exhaust, and rendering my car inoperable. This was just weeks after avoiding debris on the road and damaging the front bumper, right rear quarter panel, and rear bumper. I battled with incompetent insurance adjusters for months on end. Finally near the end of the summer I finally reached an agreement I could stomach.
With a check in hand, I worked with a friend I had trusted and helped out for YEARS on end. He owns a large, busy automotive paint and repair shop with a great reputation. we discussed every aspect in great detail of what was to be done, and a final price. The car was picked up on August 16, 2014 and towed to his shop where it stayed until early December 2014.
Agreed 'to do' list:
*Fix and repair body damage (front bumper, entire right sideskirt/sill, rear bumper)
*Replace and repair ALL deployed/malfunctioning SRS (airbag) system components and reprogram
*Repair broken shifter linkage and internal transmission damage
*Repair broken/dmaged/hanging exhaust
*Inspect and replace all bent/damaged/broken suspension components, and align after
*Fix sagging glove box
*Have car inspected
I may or may not be forgetting a few things, but here's the majority.
What happened soon after I got the car was where it got ugly. Here's what I found:
*The paint on the front bumper began chipping, cracking, and falling off. The tow hook cover was also missing upon picking the car up. After getting the car home I also realized my passenger side headlight was broken, all the tabs had been broken off and was ghetto-rigged to stay in place, although it was just kinda floating around. The factory brake ducts were also not installed. Shortly after getting the car back one of the grills in the hood had fallen out while driving, I can only guess someone had messed with them and broke them during the process.
*The SRS light came back on within 30 days of having the car back on the road. I mentioned it to the guy but he didn't seem to make it a big deal.
*Within a thousand miles of getting it back, the hydraulic clutch failed on my way to work. He claimed to have replaced the master (without my consent) while he had it the first time. There is NO need to open the hydraulic system when removing the transmission for service. This is why the car went back the second time.
On August 31, 2015 I was headed home when the shifter was no longer able to find 1st, 3rd, or 4th gear. I was told to check the linkage which I did. The problem is internal to the transmission and I was pretty much told I was on my own- when he was inside the transmission himself.
*His exhaust repairs didn't last more than 30 days as it's hanging again.
*The front control arms he replaced were the wrong part. The car is supposed to have aluminum front control arms, but the ones he installed are cheaper steel components, which may have incorrect geometry. The rear of the car was never looked at, nor was it aligned causing me to go through two new front tires in a matter of a few hundred miles. He had suggested that "a" tow truck driver may be to blame for the rear trailing arm being bent, when his own driver would have been the only one to have loaded my car at any time. The right rear trailing arm is bent in such a way I have extreme negative camber and toe OUT on the right rear- presenting an unsafe and unstabe handling condtion while driving. I had no choice but to drive my 70+ miles a day to work to not lose my job. During these commutes I was replacing the right rear tire EVERY TWO weeks. Had he fullfilled his duties and responsibilities he would have known, advised, and replaced the bent component.
*The glove box remains untouched
*The car was never inspected, and due to the combination of terrible work and neglegence the car is unable to pass a Virginia safety inspection- in which I have amassed over $800 in fines and fees.
The condition in which my car was returned is absolutely HORRIBLE. There are pieces and covers of my interior missing. The passenger airbag cover is sloppily hanging from where it should be. Switches hanging out of their holes, and it was so dirty you'd think the windows were left open in a dust storm, after someone had stomped around in mud and wiped their shoes on my carpet. No half-decent repair shop would ever return a car to a customer in that condition. (pictures to follow soon)
He exceded his original estimate by $2500 (much more than the expected 10%). EVERY single thing he did either failed or came apart. He lied to me and fucked me over on every front possible. He's cost me thousands more since- on tires, tickets, tow trucks, renting cars to get to work, tickets fines and fees. I lost my job because of how unreliable and dangerous my car is after he worked on it. I worked my whole life to be able to afford this dream of mine, and he absolutely crushed it. I would lose 8-10 thousand dollars if I sold the car as-is, after paying him many thousands already. He's put me into such a deep hole- I don't know what to do. I'm putting this go fund me together to find a cheap car to get to my new job (Which is in limbo now due to the recent failure of the transmission work he did), and to help cover the cost of a lawyer to have my car repaired correctly, and to re-coup the losses I have endured.
What I need, if you can donate parts/work!
I need paint/body work- bad
A 5-speed M ZF transmission
Drivers side seat belt retractor and SRS reset
Right rear trailing arm/subframe
Two rear tires (245/40/17)
Exhaust repairs
I'd greatly appreciate access to a lift to do this work myself!!!
With a check in hand, I worked with a friend I had trusted and helped out for YEARS on end. He owns a large, busy automotive paint and repair shop with a great reputation. we discussed every aspect in great detail of what was to be done, and a final price. The car was picked up on August 16, 2014 and towed to his shop where it stayed until early December 2014.
Agreed 'to do' list:
*Fix and repair body damage (front bumper, entire right sideskirt/sill, rear bumper)
*Replace and repair ALL deployed/malfunctioning SRS (airbag) system components and reprogram
*Repair broken shifter linkage and internal transmission damage
*Repair broken/dmaged/hanging exhaust
*Inspect and replace all bent/damaged/broken suspension components, and align after
*Fix sagging glove box
*Have car inspected
I may or may not be forgetting a few things, but here's the majority.
What happened soon after I got the car was where it got ugly. Here's what I found:
*The paint on the front bumper began chipping, cracking, and falling off. The tow hook cover was also missing upon picking the car up. After getting the car home I also realized my passenger side headlight was broken, all the tabs had been broken off and was ghetto-rigged to stay in place, although it was just kinda floating around. The factory brake ducts were also not installed. Shortly after getting the car back one of the grills in the hood had fallen out while driving, I can only guess someone had messed with them and broke them during the process.
*The SRS light came back on within 30 days of having the car back on the road. I mentioned it to the guy but he didn't seem to make it a big deal.
*Within a thousand miles of getting it back, the hydraulic clutch failed on my way to work. He claimed to have replaced the master (without my consent) while he had it the first time. There is NO need to open the hydraulic system when removing the transmission for service. This is why the car went back the second time.
On August 31, 2015 I was headed home when the shifter was no longer able to find 1st, 3rd, or 4th gear. I was told to check the linkage which I did. The problem is internal to the transmission and I was pretty much told I was on my own- when he was inside the transmission himself.
*His exhaust repairs didn't last more than 30 days as it's hanging again.
*The front control arms he replaced were the wrong part. The car is supposed to have aluminum front control arms, but the ones he installed are cheaper steel components, which may have incorrect geometry. The rear of the car was never looked at, nor was it aligned causing me to go through two new front tires in a matter of a few hundred miles. He had suggested that "a" tow truck driver may be to blame for the rear trailing arm being bent, when his own driver would have been the only one to have loaded my car at any time. The right rear trailing arm is bent in such a way I have extreme negative camber and toe OUT on the right rear- presenting an unsafe and unstabe handling condtion while driving. I had no choice but to drive my 70+ miles a day to work to not lose my job. During these commutes I was replacing the right rear tire EVERY TWO weeks. Had he fullfilled his duties and responsibilities he would have known, advised, and replaced the bent component.
*The glove box remains untouched
*The car was never inspected, and due to the combination of terrible work and neglegence the car is unable to pass a Virginia safety inspection- in which I have amassed over $800 in fines and fees.
The condition in which my car was returned is absolutely HORRIBLE. There are pieces and covers of my interior missing. The passenger airbag cover is sloppily hanging from where it should be. Switches hanging out of their holes, and it was so dirty you'd think the windows were left open in a dust storm, after someone had stomped around in mud and wiped their shoes on my carpet. No half-decent repair shop would ever return a car to a customer in that condition. (pictures to follow soon)
He exceded his original estimate by $2500 (much more than the expected 10%). EVERY single thing he did either failed or came apart. He lied to me and fucked me over on every front possible. He's cost me thousands more since- on tires, tickets, tow trucks, renting cars to get to work, tickets fines and fees. I lost my job because of how unreliable and dangerous my car is after he worked on it. I worked my whole life to be able to afford this dream of mine, and he absolutely crushed it. I would lose 8-10 thousand dollars if I sold the car as-is, after paying him many thousands already. He's put me into such a deep hole- I don't know what to do. I'm putting this go fund me together to find a cheap car to get to my new job (Which is in limbo now due to the recent failure of the transmission work he did), and to help cover the cost of a lawyer to have my car repaired correctly, and to re-coup the losses I have endured.
What I need, if you can donate parts/work!
I need paint/body work- bad
A 5-speed M ZF transmission
Drivers side seat belt retractor and SRS reset
Right rear trailing arm/subframe
Two rear tires (245/40/17)
Exhaust repairs
I'd greatly appreciate access to a lift to do this work myself!!!
Organizer
Kris Valle
Organizer
Virginia Beach, VA