Ant’s Hot Rods & Classic Cars Reviews (%countItem)
Ant’s Hot Rods & Classic Cars Rating
Address: 1381 Delsea Dr, Deptford, New Jersey, United States, 08096-1938
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Beware! In February of 2019, a very charismatic Anthony C.came to our home to write an itemized quote to paint our classic car and rehab the engine, as well as doing a number of other things to the car. My wife & I are both retired and told him we had a budget for the job. He gave us a price and a completion date of the second week of June, which would be approx. 4 months. He said he was really excited to do the car when we awarded him the job and gave him a deposit. He assured us that we would be so happy at the completion that we would be “crying tears of joy,” which he would video. He also said that something that set him apart from others was that he was inviting us down every two weeks to view the progress on the car rather than waiting till the completion.
Those visits lasted for about the first six weeks. Then a myriad of excuses and delays for everything imaginable began and would continue for the next full year. He would then fail to meet four additional promised completion dates given to us following the original date of the second week of June - ma*** it 12 months (three times longer than the time frame originally promised) before we got our car back. And despite telling us that he likes to leave a large portion of the balance till completion because he feels it’s his reward when he completes a job, we soon learned that anytime we were invited down, we would be asked for another $1,000.00 or more - till we were finally asked for the remaining $2,000,00 balance in full before he even finished the job. At that point, we informed Anthony that we were firm in holding back $1,000.00 till the pick up date. It turns out that we were way too accommodating with providing payments because near the end, there no longer seemed any incentive for him to finish the car. Apparently, there wasn’t enough skin in the game left for him anymore. We began to hear repeated complaints of “he wasn’t ma*** any money or losing money on the car; that this wasn’t a $25,000.00 or $30,000.00 job; that he wanted additional money or he was not going to complete some things agreed upon in our written quotes and receipts, that he was not spending anymore money on the car; and that he just wanted the car out of his shop.” We reluctantly agreed to pay an additional $1,000.00 for him to complete the job, which he eventually agreed to modify to $400.00 at pick up, when confronted that he had outright lied to us that he had the back bumper re-chromed, and a front end alignment was never performed.
The excuses and delays also involved all of the people he would sub work out to. We were never provided with the names of any of these people/businesses. We were just told that he only deals with “The Best” people. For example, the car was gone for approx. four weeks to replace the vinyl roof because we were told that the wrong color roof had been sent. It had some small wrinkles upon completion that Anthony said could be heated and smoothed out, which he never did and they still remain.
When Anthony removed the engine, it was in far worse shape than any of us expected and would need a complete overhaul, for which we paid an additional $4,000.00. This coupled with another $400.00 specifically allotted for door handles and window moldings, and the additional $400.00 at pick up, put us $4,800.00 over budget, for a total of $18,300.00.
Anticipating more excuses and delays, we had the foresight to inquire about the workload of the machinist that Anthony intended to use for the engine. Despite being told that the machinist was ready to “jump right on it,” the engine was gone for 11 weeks. After a message was sent to Anthony at the seven week point, questioning the delay, he became very annoyed and defensive. Finally, Anthony called to say that the engine had been reinstalled and he was going to take the car for a test ride and would call us right back. We didn’t hear anything for another two weeks, when we finally called him. We then learned that he wasn’t happy with the job and had returned the engine to the machinist, without feeling the need to even tell us. He defended this unnamed “best” person with, “anybody can make a mistake.” We were never provided with any paperwork on what was done to the engine by either the machinist or Anthony.
We came to be reluctant to call Anthony to check on the progress of our car because you never knew if you were going to get the pleasant charismatic Anthony, or the abusive one who would yell and swear, be condescending and even outright vulgar. During one call on which he was on speaker phone, we began by as*** how he was doing. He responded, “You don’t give a sh_t about me. You’re calling about your car. You don’t give a f_ck if they chop off my d_ck and sew it to my forehead.”
The final week before pick up, Anthony informed us that the carburetor was lea*** and needed to be rebuilt. However, he said that he was not putting any more money into the car. So, we would have to bring him parts and pay him $1,000.00 before he would rebuild it, and that he wanted our car gone by Friday of that week. The car was picked up on Friday without the carburetor being done, and me being asked to sign a release accepting responsibility. It was far from the promised scene of a wonderful videoed reveal with tears of joy.
When we got the car home, the engine was tapping. After informing Anthony, he came to our house a few days later and diagnosed the problem as not enough oil had been put in the engine. He instructed us to change the oil and let him know if it fixed the problem. Only one quart of oil drained from the car. The oil change did stop the tapping, but then the car began smo*** heavily. Anthony (unbelievably after a full year) asked us to give him some more time to wrap up a few things first, and then he would “make things right because he liked us.”
In addition to the problem with the engine, there were a number of other issues with the car. The
This letter is my answer to the complaint ID. On Feb. 14, 2019 I went to the home of *** and ***. I looked at what was supposed to be a an original low mileage 72 olds 442. Vehicle was brought to my shop approximately 2 weeks later. Once we started on the vehicle... with any restoration, once the vehicle is disassembled... some other issues arose. After a couple of months, the vinyl top and body & paint were completed... *** raved about how much he loved what was done... the decals on the vehicle were wrong ( supplied by customer ) then asked what could be done. I told him to get new decals, I would remove and reinstall. A few weeks go by we get the decals, while this is happening, engine was removed and disassembled. Once disassembled I brought *** over to see the damage on his “ low miled engine” it looked like it had 260,000 miles on it, not 60,000. *** agreed. Yes, when there are issues with a vehicle, added work... upgrades from the original estimate, budget or not... once agreed that engine was damaged and needed more than just a mild rebuild, cost does go up... engine bay was stripped and painted, wrong decals were removed and new ones installed, a 5th wheel was stripped and painted, new battery, new atarter, new heater control valve... more machine work because of damaged engine... as far as alignment, *** was credited... as far as bumper, *** was credited... take note of final receipt... *** was so happy with his car the day he picked it up... I advised him because of the original carberator lea*** that it was not safe to drive... ( car was running lean- not enough fuel ) which will damage the rings on a fresh engine. ***s drive was 45 minutes away, I offered to help him with the carb, but it wouldn’t be until Monday... he wanted his car Friday and refused having it towed. I have videos of the car running. If ***’s story is true about me being abusive, and that he was not satisfied with my work, why did he continue to have services done my me? *** knew what would happen if he drove with a faulty carberator... and once driving that distance the damage was done. I take pride in what I do, and I have customers that will back me on this... if there is anything else you need from me, please contact me. Thank you, Anthony W C
Complaint: ***
I am rejecting this response ?First, Anthony’s dates are incorrect. He came to our home for estimate on 2/8/19. The car was dropped off to him on 2/13/19, with a promised completion date of the second week of June, 2019. The date on the final receipt is incorrect. The car was not returned to us until Friday, 1/10/20. Vinyl Roof - After a several week delay due to the wrong color roof being sent, it was returned with small wrinkles near the rear window (see photo). Anthony said he could heat and remove them, but he never did. Paint - An area on the rear passenger window was not painted at all (see photo). It is not true that the trunk was painted (see 2 photos). The inside hood scoops also weren’t painted. There were some swirls in the paint that Anthony said he could sand & buff, but he never did. We offered to pay Anthony for painting the wheel of the spare tire, but he said it wasn’t necessary.Decals - We did not think it wise to remove the decals from their original packaging to examine prior to giving them to Anthony. However, as evidenced in the first paragraph of Anthony’s response, he was well aware that he was wor*** on a 1972 vehicle. So why upon seeing 1974 on the decals didn’t trigger a question, and a call to us, prior to applying them to the vehicle is baffling (see photo).Engine - We acknowledge extra work needed to be done to the engine, for which we gave Anthony an additional $4,000.00 over the original estimate, specifically for this purpose (see receipt dated 7/25/19). So any additional machine work we paid for. We are not responsible for any “mistakes” on the part of the machinist or the cost to correct them. Bumper - Re-chroming the rear bumper was part of the original estimate (see receipt dated 2/8/19). We acknowledged in the complaint that Anthony deducted $500.00 from the final bill because it was never done. However, he engaged in a very elaborate detailed lie about its completion. He told us that it had been done by an unnamed shop located in Northeast philadelphia, and had cost him $750.00. When we asked to see it during one of our visits, he said it was in a far corner of his parts room, and he couldn’t get to it right then. Door Handles & Window Moldings - Another lie involved the door handles and window chrome. After paying him $400.00 in cash, specifically for these items on (see receipt dated 10/11/19), he assured us he would order them the very next morning. He never did. In fact, these were two of the things Anthony said he was not going to replace prior to pick up because he wasn’t ma*** enough money on the car. It was not until we agreed to pay him an additional $1,000.00 prior to pick up, that he agreed to finally order the door handles. We never did receive the window moldings. Carburetor - Anthony said he wanted our car out of his shop by Friday, January 10, 2020. Several days prior, he advised that the carburetor was lea***, and that he wasn’t going to fix it unless we first gave him $1,000.00 of the $2,000.00 balance owed him, and brought him the parts to do it. And then, he would do it on Monday, 1/13/20. He also told *** that due to having two previous heart attacks, his finger tips were numb. We were not agreeable to these terms and picked up the car. The damage to the engine was due to only one quart of oil being put in the car, not a carburetor with a small leak. As stated, we got the car home, the engine was tapping. After informing Anthony, he came to our house a few days later and diagnosed the problem as not enough oil had been put in the engine. He instructed us to change the oil and let him know if it fixed the problem. Only one quart of oil drained from the car. The oil change did stop the tapping, but then the car began smo*** heavily. Anthony (unbelievably after a full year) asked us to give him some more time to wrap up a few things first, and then he would “make things right because he liked us.”Other Problems - The passenger heater core box was broken (see picture), as well as the gear shifter knob, and neither were repaired. Weatherstripping paid for wasn’t installed. A turn signal was no longer wor***. Both the trunk and sunroof were now lea*** when they hadn’t before. The sunroof was no longer wor***. The passenger side door handle was extremely difficult to open.As stated in the complaint, Anthony did not show up to an agreed upon meeting on February 4th at our home to afford him an opportunity to address these issues. Instead, he insisted that we had to come to his shop if we wanted to speak to him. We haven’t heard from him since. Why did we tolerate his abuse & try to continue to work with him? Simple, he had our car & it wasn’t assembled. He had also collected most of our money. We had no choice or leverage. Now as of mid-March, we continue to find things missing and others not reconnected. In general, the car had literally been thrown back together. We continue to seek a partial refund of $6,000 for repairs to be completed elsewhere. We now do not want or feel comfortable or trust returning the car to Anthony to make the repairs. As stated, this is based on how long he kept the car (an additional 8 months); the poor quality of work by him & his subcontractors; his refusal to identify subcontractors or supply written info on the engine work; his abusive tone in dealing with us; the untruths he told us; and in general, the bad feelings that now exist. Despite his claim, it is hard to believe that Anthony takes pride in his work, and how he could in good conscience, be OK with the quality of the job we received for over $18,000.00, knowing he took advantage of two retired senior citizens on fixed incomes. Anthony doesn’t know how to speak or deal with paying customers, and actually acts like he’s doing you a favor by wor*** on your car. He was never once apologetic about any of his endless delays and excuses. Everything is always on his terms and at his convenience. It’s difficult to believe that he cares at all about his reputation.
Regards,
*** &
The day *** picked up his car, he was accompanied by a friend of his, *** was not here... *** also wasn’t involved with every meeting with *** and I. This vehicle could have been pulled at any time if they were unsatisfied. Payments are made when both parties agree... all parties agreed in this situation. There was no leverage. *** checked the oil the day of pick up. He said “ it’s full, I should be fine to drive it home” despite me telling him it wasn’t reccomended due to the not minor, but substantial fuel leak from his original carberator. Yes, *** was happy with the car, there was no altercations... the bumper and other costs were refunded, as per final bill. $18,000 doesn’t get someone a complete “perfect” restoration, all parties knew this... auto body, paint, rebuilt engine ( which I have pictures and videos to prove ) new top, new door handles, weatherstripping ( not all ) painted wheels, new tires ( supplied by *** ) mounted and balanced by me. $18,000 is under budget of what a cost of this type of work should cost... the sunroof was repaired, new sgwitch was installed, and *** was here operating the sun roof and was praising how well it worked. As far as stickers, I installed the stickers they supplied, which were old and almost delaminated... 90% of the classic car industry will NOT know the difference in decals, being 72 or 74, *** told me he opened the package and looked at them when he received them... maybe he should’ve checked again... I have videos of the car at the first start up, I have videos of the break in period, and I have videos of the car running... not smo***, running perfect... and I have text messages of how thankful *** was through the build... as far as the third parties I deal with as far as machine work and interior? *** dealt with me with this build, I dealt with the other parties... if you get a bad cheese*** at ***, you go back to ***... not the meet supplier, that’s ***s job to handle their suppliers.