United Racing Engines

Review: I had my 1972 Chevelle delivered to United Racing Engines (URE) in May 2013, we had agreed that they would remove the existing 350ci engine & transmission, then build a 540ci Big Block and fit along with new transmission & necessary parts to have car driveable so that it could then be transported to Los Angeles where it would then be packed in a container and shipped to Australia, there was a number of delays in the process though that is not the issue of this complaint.

I did not receive vehicle until Mid January 2014, upon inspection of the vehicle was a number of discrepancies from work that was paid to b carried out, that was not done, parts paid for but not supplied & parts that were damaged from installation.

The larger engine required that a break booster with a smaller diameter be fitted, was listed is estimate yet not carried out, this part had to be ordered with subsequent cost of purchase, shipping & labor at my expense.

The new engine exhaust were damaged during installation and then had to be removed and repaired, the repair work & labor was at my expense.

A new gearshifter was to be provided only with the car so I could later fit, it was not supplied, the cost of purchase & shipping was at my expense.

Due to new larger engine the car was to have new front springs fitted, was found to have existing springs on arrival, to correct this issue the correct parts had to be ordered with subsequent cost of purchase, shipping & labor at my expense.

The engine was not fitted with a Oil Dipstick & Tube as quoted, the correct parts had to be ordered with subsequent cost of purchase, shipping & labor at my expense.

A new transmission cross member was to be supplied & fitted, it was not, the correct parts had to be ordered with subsequent cost of purchase, shipping & labor at my expense.

The engine flexplate failed within the first couple of week driving, the subsequent cost of purchase, shipping & labor at my expense.

I was charged a substantial amount for bracket & pulley for alternator, air conditioning & power steering, on delivery the parts fitted appeared to be second hand or of inferior quality as covered in surface rust.

The engine & transmission removed was then to be shipped to Australia with URE's next container load, this was did not land until last week, it was understood I would have to pay some shipping & taxes in this process, unfortunately the engine & transmission was not listed under my name and was listed on the itinerary but under 'Personal Belonging' causing them to be seized by the local authorities and leaving me unable to resolve.Desired Settlement: I have been in contact with URE through email but their replies are minimal, they stated that they would resolve issue but am yet to see any action. My cost have been so far:

Parts & Labor Not Delivered: $1412.27

Addditional Part Cost: $483.45

Additional Labor: $1,380.00

Additional Shipping: $387.15

Total Cost: $3662.87

There is then issue of Customs seized engine & transmission, which would of had value in current state of $2000, though with some reconditioning work done could have been sold for over $4000.

I am therefore insisting on being reimbursed $5662.87 for my expenses.

Business

Response:

Dear [redacted], thank you for your email. With this particular customer we had no idea that there was a problem until receiving this letter of demand out of the blue. The customer never notified us of a problem until this letter, but nonetheless as with all United Racing Engines customers URE will take care of this customer. Videos of [redacted]'s 1972 Chevelle with the URE engine in it have become a worldwide sensation with customers calling and wanting to order an identical engine to the one [redacted] has in the videos. It is a shame that he never called to let us know any issues.

There are 2 things in the email you sent us that I noticed are incorrect thought. 1st is that I personally put [redacted]'s shifter in the trunk of his '72 Chevelle as it was being picked up to st to Australia (Not an employee or an associate, but I personally myself put the shifter in the trunk.) 2nd is that the customer specifically requested that we ship his old engine & transmission back the cheapest way possible by shipping under the MIQ multi shipment discounted rate the next time that a group of engines shipped out to [redacted] in Brisbane Australia. [redacted] receives 1 or 2 shipments a year from URE and his engine and transmission were shipped at the discounted rate with the next shipment that went out to them. These were not a sale. They were "his" engine & transmission which were noted by customs as "personal belongings" since they were not sold to him by URE but were rather his own items. We did this as a courtesy service to this customer and still have not even charged him the shipping that URE paid of $618.17 as a courtesy to this customer. These are his items and URE is not involved in any sale whatsoever. It was a courtesy to the customer only.

On the other items URE is taking care of them for the customer. I looked through the records and it does look as though URE did indeed overlook those items noted and URE has already started the process with our attorneys of sending that appropriate paperwork and this money to the customer. This will be received by the customer via registered mail so that there is documentation.

This letter is to inform you for your records. Just let us know if you ever have any questions and have a great day [redacted].

Owner/General Manager

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], at present the engine & transmission will now only be cleared by the [redacted]) once a $660 payment has been made, the owner of [redacted] is to contact URE & [redacted] in order to resolve this matter as stated in previous correspondence that shipping fees had already been paid by URE, once it has been resolved would have no issue with this fee be deducted from my outstanding incurred costs.I accept that the Shifter was placed in the trunk along with other parts that were to be shipped, the vehicle did sit idle in a warehouse in Stanton, CA for approximately 2 months once it left URE premises and then 1.5 months in a warehouse here in Brisbane, [redacted], there was also one other item missing that was confirmed in trunk by the importer but not found once cleared by the [redacted] in mid-January, would have to presume shifter was also stolen somewhere along the line, this item replacement cost & shipping could also be deducted from my outstanding incurred costs.It was not my intention to purposely negate notifying URE of issues when they became apparent as I was advised to wait until process of getting vehicle to an acceptable road going condition which turned into a prolonged period with issues with body, flexplate and cooling issues and having to source parts from overseas.Attached with this response is the amended incurred cost with shifter replacement cost and engine sale prices removed, from this total the engine & transmission shipping cost could also be deducted.I will wait until for the matter of the engine & transmission to be cleared and in my possession then await the business to perform it's required actions and, if it does, will consider this complaint resolved.Regards, [redacted].

one of the finest crafted engines I have ever owned.

Review: I ordered a custom motor from this company in June of 2015

Paid them 70% down and when it wac completed in 55 working days and complete pay them the final payment

I completed final payment and another 500 for shipping

That was two months ago.

No motor, lots of excuses ,and nobody will return emails or voicemails

I don't know if this place is even lajit

Please helpDesired Settlement: Delivery of order

I purchased a 383 stroker engine for my 1969 Chevy C20 Pickup truck from URE. I have to say that initially I was nervous about the transaction. I was dealing with an unknown company on the other side of the country. However, after dealing with [redacted] and [redacted] I have been so impressed by their attention to detail and customer service. URE stresses the importance of making sure that all of their customers are satisfied and they certainly live up to their expectations. I experienced a couple of problems with my engine, but URE was right there to make sure that it was corrected properly. They wanted to make sure that my experience was a positive one and that I was fully satisfied. They went out of their way to make sure that I was happy with their services. I am definitely a URE believer, and I would not hesitate to do business with them again.

Review: in april 2015 I bought an engine form united racing engines. I still haven't got the engine. First they emaild me excuses like they had fallen a bit behind building engines due to the number of engines they were building at the time, and they were waiting for some parts and stuff like that. I paid them 10 000 usd in depositum for them to start build the engine. Now they don't even answer my emails . I don't think they have buildt the engine, nor were ever going to do that. I have seen complaints from others, so this makes me belive this company is only trying to scam people.Desired Settlement: I have started to belive this whole thing is just a scam, so I want a refund so I can buy an engine from a serious business instead.

After an exhaustive search I decided on URE to build the engine for my project Chevy. 4/15 paid the downpayment for a sbc 406 to be shipped late July. Nearing The ship date I started inquiring about the engine. I got several excuses followed by limited emails and have yet to receive a phone call back. After 5 emails and 6 voice messages URE has quit talking to me. We are now 6 months into a 2 month build with no end in sight and no word whether I will get a refund or an engine. Numerous red flags with this company that surfaced in the last couple of months. It looks like I have been ripped off.

Anyone who has been scammed out of money, ordered a motor and never received it....Call and email immediately: State Attorney ###-###-#### [redacted].gov, [redacted].gov, [redacted].gov.... EMAIL ALL TO REPORT

[redacted], and all who had a part in the building of my 383557HP stroker motor: it's been almost a year since my motor was delivered and now it's finally in my 87' Z28 Camaro. I look forward to many years of enjoyment with this motor. I want to thank you all for a great experience from ordering to the delivery, and everything in between. And all the help and assistance you provided. I will recommend your motor to anyone and everyone. Thank you.
- [redacted]

Review: 4/30/15 I submitted a payment for 70% of the purchase price for a custom built engine. The engine was to be shipped on 7/21/15. Nearing the ship date I contacted United Racing Engines and they informed me they were behind schedule. That communication was very hard to get. It took threatning a refund to get their attention. During that communication I was informed it would be a little longer to finish the engine. 4 weeks pass with no word. I again seek information with little luck. After an exhaustive attempt I was finally contacted via email and told to expect the engine to be shipped within 3-4 weeks. We are now more than 10 weeks past the original ship date and 1 week past the third expected ship date. I cannot get in touch with United Racing Engines to get an update. There has been no communication for nearly two weeks.Desired Settlement: At this point my trust in United Racing Engines has been lost and I would like a full refund of the initial downpayment of $7910.00.

Review: In August 2015 we ordered an engine and paid a 10% deposit, we then paid the remaining 60% to have the engine build proceed. In December they contacted us to advise the engine was ready for dispatch and we paid the remaining 30% and $1600 US shipping. In total we have paid them $15000 hard earned NZ dollars.

We have sent numerous emails and made numerous phone calls (with no one answering the phone) and eventually got a response after six weeks of no contact with a lame excuse that they were too busy to respond to emails. We were then advised there had been a problem with rocker arms and the parts had been replaced and the engine was going back on the dynotune and we would receive a video of this. This was two weeks ago and we have heard nothing and had no response to our daily emails and phone calls. After finding your website and reading the complaints I can't believe these guys are still trading.

Can you please recommend a lawyer we can contact to take legal action .Desired Settlement: Either receive our engine or a total refund

I gotta say URE went above and beyond for my engine.
They gave me the price for a turn key 383/535hp, I said fine, now remove carb-intake-dist-flex plate-water pump-oil pan. I then asked them to oder a tunnel ram w/2-4's from Jeg's,which they did (had blower on last engine/needed to fill the hole in the hood).BTW this was there frist build w/2 carbs they ever did. I then sent them my pan-dist-wires-etc.They were great for working w/me in this manner, I will ad this is one badazz engine w/547 hp (yeah man) Thankyou [redacted] & [redacted]

Review: On 12/17/15 payment of $13631.00 was sent by wire transfer. Funds were sent to start the build of a custom engine.

Could not reach anyone by phone,and unable to leave messages. Emails were not returned until 3/4/2016. Build was to be complete 4/1/2016.on 3/4/16 some one emailed me (No name) and stated that I would be contacted to get this taken care of. Now web page is down and no way to contact URE. The last contact I had was told Build had not even started. Enough is enough. I wold like a complete refund. This is my 2nd build. All went well on first build. No problems at all. My videos were on there web page.Desired Settlement: I would have liked the build completed. But I don't think that will happen. After many attempts to contact them buy email nothing has happened.

This is my first engine I have had built by a professional racing engine builder and the customer service at URE is outstanding, the 406 C.I.D. small block chevy based motor,was advertised as 624 H/P and ended up being 640 H/P and when I installed it in my 56 chevy pro street truck it sounds like 800 plus H/P, can't wait to run it down the 1/4 mile ,anyone wanting a top notch high performance engine, united racing engines would be the builder I would recommend with out hesitation . THANKS [redacted] for all your help signed Happy customer [redacted]