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I am not going to lie, those runners look nice. So why the heck I heard crap about this guy. Maybe one person spread out bad rumors or what? Either way I haven't dealt with him. At least he showed up so.e good things. Good enough...
If they were ready to go why didn’t he communicate with the customer? Something is missing here.
Yes, something big is missing here. Read post # 23. Explains everything. Many times communicated with customer along with11 others. 12 in total. Sometimes in life, things happen outside ones's control. Some are eminently important as in Life or Death. Yet there exist people that believe the world spins around them. Nearly a year after the fact, still dealing with aftermath, while continuing to deliver work. ONE JOB AT A TIME. For reason such as this, I became in-active and left the forum more than 12 years ago. Yet there are people who continue to post crap. Has not affected me at all. Guess they are envious. VISIT MY WEBSITE: CLRMOTORSPORTS.COM ... Then draw your own conclusion. / Thank you for your insight.
First let me clarify the purpose of the post is to alert the community that Carlos Lopez frequently take in people's money and parts and not completing the work. I don't say this lightly. It's not in my nature to bad mouth any business i deal with. In fact, i generally give people the benefit of the doubt. In the case of Carlos Lopez, thru my direct experience, and after hearing stories of other victims, i've realized this is his modus operandi now adays. I hope by telling my experience, there will be no more new victims.
As for Carlos Lopez, i've been more than patient and understanding, given him every benefit of the doubt (such as the obvious, waiting a motor to be built for over 2 years, with a $7000 prepayment). He has no one to blame but him self.
As for these pictures he's been posting above, he's been sending me variations of these pictures over a year ago. So at this point, I doubt these parts actually exist. Let alone getting it back from him. Keep in mind he was paid to build a motor ! These are just pictures of a few parts.
It's just simple logic, if everything was really completed, then just stack up the motor and send it back?
But ok I'll play this game. So apparently after 2 years, hundreds of emails and calls, parts of my motor are done (and i have to come to rx7club forum to find out).
I will ask him in writing to send me back the motor, I will do even better, I will pay and arrange for the freight !
I'll post the details of his response here, and of course if these parts do actually show up (highly doubtful), i will take picture of what he has sent me.
My case is pretty straight forward, I'll let the facts speak for them selves.
I'm leaving some personal details out, such as the excuses or as Carlos like to call it difficult personal circumstances. But feel free to ask me directly !
On May 8, 2017 (that's right, 2017 !!!) I sent Carlo Lopez $7000 via paypal for a 13B-REW motor rebuild.
Sent him a short block motor in April 2017, he confirmed it arrived to his shop
2 years later, hundreds of emails, calls, text, pleading with him to complete the motor and send back to me.
still no motor as of today.
one more note here, i try to be as complete about my case as possible, so that Carlos doesn't come in and try to claim I've somehow wronged him or his rep.
I sent him a brand new xcessive lower intake manifold to be port matched to the motor, in april 2017.
I asked for it to be returned on July 5, 2018. After much pleading, finally I got the LIM back on Aug 24, 2018
this is JUST a LIM that was lightly port matched.
As for the quality of the LIM port matching, it was not completely horrible, but nothing special either. It was port matched to the gasket, and he slightly overcut it, so the shape is not exactly the same as the original gasket anymore. But since Carlos seem to be overly eager to play the victim here, I'll go out of my way to be very fair, and say the LIM was sent back to me after a year, it had an average port job on it.
and I had sent him a prepaid fedex return label to get this back...
I was going to post the text message from my phone, this fiasco has gone on so long that i went through 2 phones already !
but you get the point, more or less the same as the email conversations.
Regardless of who's at fault here. #1 lesson is that if you want something done, never prepay more than 30%-50% of front. $7k on day one is never a good position to be in regardless of the shop.
I learned that lesson the first time I ever hired an electrician on a remodel. Paid $2k up front, got the runaround for 3 weeks. Ended up doing the work myself and never agreeing to that type of setup again. Most business don't require so much up front. If they do, these things will happen.
Regardless of who's at fault here. #1 lesson is that if you want something done, never prepay more than 30%-50% of front. $7k on day one is never a good position to be in regardless of the shop.
I learned that lesson the first time I ever hired an electrician on a remodel. Paid $2k up front, got the runaround for 3 weeks. Ended up doing the work myself and never agreeing to that type of setup again. Most business don't require so much up front. If they do, these things will happen.
Yes you are absolutely right !
I've had some amazing experiences with vendors in the tuning community, and i know how hard it can be to make a living in this industry. So i usually give tuning shops more benefit of the doubt.
Dear Randy Chen, (Alpine here on the Forum) Attached below for you and everyone to see are pictures of your parts and work that's been done, performed, and collecting dust here at my shop for a very long time.
So basically, he's right, you haven't been working on his stuff. You took prepayment for a job that you haven't done.
These are the same pics and a few extra ones added to the original set sent to you via email dated May 7th of this year, Prior to that on May 7th 2018. Exactly one year to the day, and again on October 29th 2018. 2 separate blanket emails were sent to you and 12 other customers. explaining the reasons for the delays at CLR as a direct result of a circumstances out side my control witch were of eminent importance.
Refunds were offered too I suppose, right? After already wasting a year of his time apparently.
You my friends were named on both. Options were offered to everyone to OPT-OUT and pick up their work if time was of the essence and could not wait until things got back to normal. You my friend chose to remain in status and go along with the situation.
Exactly what kind of situation takes you a year to (not) resolve
Then sometime this year with out any prior knowledge, you began to contact people in the industry talking smack about me. How do I know ? Because people from all over began reaching out, contacting me and informed me about your calls, and tactics. I can only deduce no one took you serious because nothing further developed from that, But then later this year hiding behind your computer like a little "Bitch" you commenced writing derogatory comments about me on social media, even Commercial Bureaus, I contacted you and believed we had reached an understanding, Even offered to provide at no added cost some highly guarded, Intellectual CLR property for your engine, offering good will and acts of good faith, while you laugh in my ear. I will tell you here and now, had we been closer, like face to face distance, not 2,700 miles away, but more like within arms length, You would have never had the audacity to address me with such disrespect.
Now again last week, more costumers reached out and inform me about your latest new venture, Your list of VICTIMS by CLR ... Been a week now. Not 1st member joined your pathetic victim's list. Wonder why ?
Jesus you're an arrogant dumb ***. You have been paid for a job and not delivered in *2 YEARS*. You're lucky he hasn't taken your *** to small claims court. Oh my god, he's gone to commercial bureaus, the place you're supposed to go when you get screw by businesses! Maybe you don't get it. You're not doing your customers a favor by taking their work. They pay you money for a job. You give an estimated time line, as shown by e-mails below. You have surpassed that timeline by a factor of 5. Then you have the audacity to come up here and try to blame the customer for getting annoyed with YOU not doing your job?
The bottom line Randy is Integrity You see in your comments about "Endless excuses and Stories" witch you state: ranged from "Surreal to Comical" you failed to address what so many including you knew to been the reason for the loos of time and consequent delays, but by your own admission was too convenient to leave out.
Your customers don't give a **** about your circumstances. That's not how the real world works. If they do, you should consider it a favor. First priority is always getting the job done to the customer. 2 years for a rebuild and port job? REALLY?
Say what ever you want, but there is one thing that's neither an excuse nor story. Not comical or unreal. There's no getting around it.. Every man, woman and child will experience it once in their lives, It's inevitable. You will too.
And when that day comes Randy, You WILL remember me for the rest of your days. Then You will understand respect.
Why should he give you a second thought after he gets his stuff back and taken to a proper shop? You think you're some magical being that can reach out from 2700 miles away and hurt him? You're a nobody. You cater to a niche community numbering in the tens of thousands of people spread out across 350 million. No one gives a **** about you. He hasn't disrespected you. You just have an over-inflated ego that can't take anyone rightly criticizing you.
So enough of your nonsense. You have blatantly, and intentionally accused me of been a thief to now a predator.
Now it's my turn. Come pick up your sh*t NOW. Make plans and come for it all... I will do nothing further for you. All prep work has been done. Except for stacking up, all parts are done. Feel free to come for or send for them. Jump on a plane, fly down, make arrangements with someone. ...Don't care ... Will not lift a finger for anything else. Most likely there will be damage in transit if not perfectly packed, Reason I recommend assembling the block as a complete finished engine before shipment. .... THAT'S IS NO LONGER AN OPTION
You have literally taken money for a job and refused to finish the job. That is the definition of a thief.
He has rightly criticized you, and you're too proud to make the situation right. If it's indeed so easy to finish his job, why don't you just finish it, pack it and trigger an actual resolution to the situation instead of stomping your feet like a petulant child. Now, you've effectively violated your work contract with him, and he can drag your *** to small claims court if he so felt like it. Hell, I'd sue for time lost in addition to monies lost.
You may not understand this Randy, You don't last 34 yrs. in this business without maintaining the heights standards.
At my level, You screw over just 1 customer. Your done. it's a small community Randy . Global but small.
During that time, I have achieve upmost global respect and International recognition. You ? Will not add, or take away anything from what I stand for. No Randy, your deliberate attempt at tainting my reputation is not getting you any positive results. On the contrary. I am done with you. At this point, You could not afford to pay me enough to have you experience the world class proven reliability, quality and power of my work. ... Enjoy my feedback. You earned it and Kind Regards.
So you are trying to screw over that one customer, now.
Your work as a technician may be good, but with this attitude, I'm surprised you've survived as a business owner for this long.
Whats left to do here? I thought the next step was for you to go and pick up the engine and parts?
I'm 2000 miles away in California, he's in Florida.
I emailed him on Sept 6th, asking him to advice the pick up details, so i can arrange a freight trucker to pick up the parts or motor.
obviously after sending him a core motor, $7000 and waiting over 2 years just get a bunch of parts back is not even close to what I paid for, but it seems he doesn't even have the parts.
He replied on Sept 9th, saying he's out of country, and will be in touch when's he's back. (heard variation of this many times before)
haven't heard from this since.
I've known Carlos for years. He has balanced rotating assemblies for me several times. We have talked a lot about various things over time and he is extremely knowledgeable. He has spent a lot of time working with Mazda;s racing program in Europe and that relationship has undoubtedly hurt his regular domestic business. He has never been known for being prompt on anything. Things can take a good deal of time with him., That's not really so different than my experience with, say, Dave Barninger, or others in the business over time. I forget who said it here, but you never pay anyone a lot of money upfront. You pay as little as you can to get the work started and make progress payments. Keep the carrot in front of the donkey. That said, Carlos is really one of the very best, most knowledegable guys in the business. However, if you want something fairly up the middle of the fairway and in a reasonable time and for a reasonable cost, you can always go to Crispeed or Kilo Racing. Floridians have more choices than many people here.
Second that on kilo. Great work for sure. My car has been running strong and hard on 15lbs of boost for over three years now. My build is documented on the forum.
You should get a partial refund for the work that wasn’t completed. I know it will never happen of course, but it’s ridiculous how A LOT of shops treat their clients. I hope you get your parts back. Good luck
