disclaimer

Really debated about whether or not to post this. But in the end I decided to do so, not because I really expect any spectacular resolution from Detroit Tuned at this point but rather as a cautionary tale to others.

I expect some will jump to Chad's defense, and that is fine. I know others have had good experiences with them, and indeed that is why I originally elected to try and conduct business with them (as you will see in my story). For my part, I have no previous ax to grind and this will, in all likelihood, be my one and only experience with Detroit Tuned.

Mods feel free to move this if this isn't the forum for airing such a grievance, and I hope this is taken in the spirit in which it is given; I don't want to start a flame war.



backstory

About a month ago I located a vehicle I intended to purchase - a 2005 MINI Cooper S 'vert w/ Stage 5 Dinan. The vehicle was located about 2.5 hours away from me.

The seller who had the car took it in was not at all familiar with MINIs. Without getting too much into it, this seller is a quasi-dealer who deals almost exclusively in classic cars and took the car in trade pretty much sight-unseen as a favor to a patron. I located the MINI the day after the seller took it in and drove up to take it for a test drive. All was apparently as it should be, except the top didn't work. Seller didn't know the top didn't work, asked if I knew anyone who could fix it (at seller's expense). Once repaired, I would purchase the car for the agreed-upon price. So far so, good.

The nearest factory service is several hours away from the seller, but Detroit Tuned is only about an hour-and-half or so from the seller. I had never dealt with Chad before, but looking through here and other forums I read generally good things. Knowing that the factory service would be an outrageous, shotgun-style repair, I elected to call Detroit Tuned to ask if they would undertake the repair. Chad was out-of-town at the time, but I spoke with Laura and was told there was "no doubt" Chad could do the repair.

When Chad returned a few days later, he also called me back and informed me he "wouldn't know exactly what it would take" until he got into the repair but anticipated it would take "a day or so" to complete. Based on what I knew from the potential problems (broken cable, broken carriage, broken motors or faulty wiring harness) Chad's answers were consistent with what I expected both in terms of time and potential cost. After talking with the seller, we agreed to have Detroit Tuned do the work. Detroit Tuned said "bring the car up July 7th", which was about a week away at the time. I also arranged for Detroit Tuned to do a Pre Purchase Inspection on my dime. Alright.

The car was flatbedded up to Detroit Tuned on July 7th by the seller. A few days go by and I follow-up. "We haven't touched it yet" is Chad's response. OK. A few more days go by "We are working on it" is Chad's response. OK... getting better. I continue to follow-up, and "We are working on it" is always the response. A few days becomes a week, then a week becomes two weeks. I should note that I am always polite and courteous when I call, because that is just how I treat people and I honestly believe you get better results that way.

Finally, it is over 2 weeks and I am leaving the country on vacation. This time, the story is different and I hear "another customer" who "had an appointment months ago" has been pushed ahead of me in the queue and that customer's car is "stuck on the lift". Hmmm...the first sign things are not going as they have been represented to me.


"Will the car get inspected and repaired over the next 10 days while I am on vacation?", I ask.
"Will you email me the PPI results while I am on vacation, so I can move forward with the bank?", I ask.

I decide to give Detroit Tuned the benefit of the doubt. I let the seller know the status and leave for vacation.

No email ever comes from Detroit Tuned. Towards the end of my trip, I Skype them briefly and am once again told "We are working on it".



current situation

Yesterday, after being back from vacation for a day a now and nearing the 3 week mark, I send the following email and PM Chad on here:


What is the status of the 2005 MINI Cooper S convertible delivered to you by [the seller]?

• We were originally told it should take "about a day" to get it straightened out... that was almost three weeks ago.

• We were assured that while I was on vacation last week that, at a minimum, the pre-purchase inspection would be completed and emailed to me... that never occurred.

• We were told last Thursday that Chad was "close" and that the vehicle would be pushed to the top of the queue. Since then, we have heard nothing about the repair nor about the inspection.

Is Chad in over his head on this project?

I think we can both agree that I have been very patient, but I simply can not devote any more time to this endeavor. Please advise ASAP.


I receive the following email response:


Wait, what? The "stuck on the lift" excuse was the same excuse I heard almost 2 weeks ago before I left for vacation. I respond,


With all due respect, this is the same refrain that has been repeated since the car was delivered to you nearly three weeks ago.

I ask that you put yourself in my position. Certainly, I don't want to purchase a vehicle that has serious problems, and your inability thus far to correct the problem is a cause of concern. I don't want to buy the vehicle only to have the top break again right away.

Furthermore, I can not purchase the vehicle until it is back in [the seller's] possession. We need to bring registration current before the bank will do the loan. With only a few days left on the loan offer, every day that passes makes it more unlikely that we can: A. get the vehicle back to [the seller] (properly repaired), B. get the vehicle registered and the paperwork sent to the bank, C. find time in my schedule to get from southeastern Ohio to northern Ohio to close the deal.

I really need you to be honest about your ability to repair, inspect, and deliver the vehicle back to [the seller] within the next 48 hours.


So, while remaining polite (but firm) I let Detroit Tuned know in no uncertain terms that it is time to step-up and take ownership. Here is their email response:


Take note. Notice there is no "I'm sorry", no "my bad", no "here are the inspection results (which are only supposed to take an hour), not even a "I'll make this a priority". Instead of addressing the issue, Chad elects to try and misdirect and obfuscate.



So, once again, I try and get the point across:


Trying really hard not to lose my cool, here...

You are not privy to the deal terms, nor do you need to be. All of this has been pre-arranged, and the title has even already been transferred to [a third party] in order to facilitate the purchase. Said purchase can not occur until the vehicle has been returned to [the seller]; this has always been the case.

Detroit Tuned continues to remain the holdup in this process.

In fact, after speaking with two dealerships (MAG and Cincinnati) removal and replacement of the entire top assembly can be completed in 10 hours according to the shop manual. Even taking into account your learning curve, 10 hours is consistent with your original estimate of "a few days" but completely inconsistent with the 3 weeks you have been "working" on the vehicle.

This leads me to believe that you are either in over your head and unable to repair the vehicle or that you are unwilling to place a priority on customer service and do what is necessary to prioritize the repair. In either case, the outcome is the same - I will be unable to purchase the vehicle without significant additional inconvenience and expense.

I was trying to help both you and [the seller] - saving [the seller] the extra expense of a factory dealership repair and giving your shop the business. It appears as if my recommendation of Detroit Tuned was in error, and my reputation is now being damaged by your apparent unwillingness to take ownership of this situation.

I am extremely disheartened by your latest email. Please call me directly to discuss a resolution.


Cut-and-dry, right? Pick up the phone and call me, ball is in your court.

Do I get a call, an email, anything from Detroit Tuned? No.

To top it off, the seller speaks with Detroit Tuned this morning and basically gets the same ambivalence. Now, the seller is upset with me because I made the recommendation to use Detroit Tuned and they turned-out to be so untrustworthy in this instance; I can't say as I blame them.



bottom line

At this point, Detroit Tuned has proven themselves undeserving of my patronage, and I would advise others to stay away. In my case, they have obviously placed a low priority on honesty, customer service, and accountability.

 

Wow.

Edit- one of my BIGGEST pet peeves in life is having to FORCE people to take my money.

 

He has always been a stand-up guy when I have had work done on both of my MINIs for two years. Chad is only one person doing almost of the work in the shop. He can not focus all the time on one MINI problems 24/7 and have simple things such as brake changes and oil changes wait while yours gets completely done. I have never expect my work to be done in one day or even a week on big projects, and I plan accordingly in my life. Hence, less cost then the dealer. He takes pride when he works on a car, and wants it to be right the first time. He even looks over your car for future problems.
I would trust Chad and take my car back again and again for minor and major work to be done by Chad. I am going to leave it at that. A resolution will happen.
__________________

 

That's cool and all, but why not say that from the start instead of saying "a day or so" to complete? If the guy is backed way up with work and couldn't get to it for a month, why not say so?

Devil's advocate and all that. I feel for the customer in this case, assuming the facts are as stated by the OP.

 

I completely understand you and sympathize with what you're going through. My car is in a similar situation, which will hopefully resolve today. My biggest issue with your problem and mine is that the mechanic agreed to the work and gave you a time frame, but they offered no further communication about hiccups along the way. I would be completely fine with an extra week if they encountered a problem and had to order parts, but be honest about it and give me a call, instead of leaving me hanging. I don't like feeling like I'm supposed to call and badger the mechanic.

 

Exactly.

As a small business owner myself, I can appreciate what Chad does and the challenges he faces. Truly.

I don't necessarily take issue with the extensive time taken to address the repair. Rather, my issue is with the fact that on numerous occasions I have been told one thing while apparently an entirely different thing is occurring. I.e., first the car is being worked on, then it is being pushed back, then it is "almost there", then the inspection is being done, then the inspection has not been done because another car is stuck on the lift, then I get challenged on my deal with the seller, then...

It really makes it impossible to know what the true story is and when the car might (if ever) be completed. Such evasiveness causes one to lose confidence in the shop.

After all, when the shop can't deal directly and honestly with the little things (timetable), how is the customer supposed to trust the shop with the big things (the quality of the repair and the bill)?

So, while I do hope Detroit Tuned has a change of attitude, admits culpability, and corrects the situation nothing I have seen thus far indicates they are willing to do so.

But here's hoping...

 

B3ND3R,

I couldn't agree more. The shop that's been working on my transmission for 3 weeks had promised my father It'd be done today. I called today to ask when and they said "it'll be pushing 6pm." I get a call (FINELY they called ME!) at 6:15 saying they were about to put the transmission back in...first thing in the morning. I'm ok with someone telling me the truth, but being lied twice in one day really doesn't project well on anything they say or the reputation of the business.


Good luck with sorting all of this out! People like you and me need all the help we can get!

 

Wow, that sounds like quite the ordeal. I'm (honestly.) not referring to anyone in particular, but I've noticed that many people who are great mechanically are not great socially, or at least in a customer service capacity. As a paying customer I just want to get what is promised, when it's promised. When a business BS's you as to the status of the project, it certainly doesn't inspire confidence.


Maybe it's a sign, the car is cursed. You're dodging a bullet!

 

In today's economy it always baffles me when small businesses act arrogantly towards customers. What's even more upsetting is the lack of respect for your timeline and time. I hope this situation does not continue down this path. Good luck!

 

Is it arrogance or is not knowing how to do the job or is it something he isn't telling you? I sure don't know and sounds like everyone else here has no idea. Have you driven to his shop again to see where he is at in fixing it? Maybe its all torn apart and he is waiting on parts. Maybe Chad is a shop owner with a couple of mechanics and not all of them know how to fix your problem. Or the fact that he doesn't have a lot of people working for him and he is backed up with work. I have know idea and I highly doubt it is anyone's right here or anywhere to judge with out getting his side of the story. I am not defending him or you but, there is more to this story that we aren't getting. Oh and just a piece of advice from my experience with leading people, if you don't not get what you want from emails or phone calls you have to go make some face time. It is way easier to lie to someone on the phone or through an email then it is to their face.

 

I'm thinking that one or both of these scenarios have happened:

A. He doesn't know how to fix it.

B. He broke something/damaged else on your car and is trying to get that fixed too (apparently without telling you).

It's extremely hard to trust businesses that work like that. I'm sorry you have to deal with such crap, hopefully it gets resolved soon.

 

I would love to hear Chad's side.
Not that OP is not telling the truth but there always seems to be two sides to each story.
We know Chad is a stand-up guy but this really does not sound good.

 

update

Chad got back with me and was very apologetic. He is undertaking steps to make both the repair an the customer service right.

Props to him for stepping-up on this.

 

I don't know Chad and have never had him work on either of my cars. As early model R50's, I doubt he'd be too interested. Besides, he lives in Detroit and I live in Seattle. I know Chad only from listening to him on White Roof Radio. I've been meaning to ask him a question about flywheels, but haven't gotten around to it yet.

That said, I'm not sure why you took a convertible top repair to a place called "Detroit Tuned". Look at the name- it ends in "Tuned". I would take it there for work on the Dinan parts, whatever those might be. But not convertible top repair. You stated that Detroit Tuned is only an hour and a half away, but there must have been upholstery and or some sort of shop specializing in convertible tops closer.

In your defense, Detroit Tuned should have turned down the work, since they seem busy enough and don't seem to have the expertise needed to work on a convertible top.

When I post about my rather lousy experience with a shop just up the street called "Swedish Automotive" I expect I will get it with both barrels as well (although they do have a large banner stating that they work on MINIs now). I'll be posting that as soon as I ask/get an answer from Chad about flywheels.

Meanwhile, like the other responders. I'd like to hear from Chad about why he took on a convertible top repair.

Val

 

Detroit Tuned is an all-service MINI shop - an alternative to dealer service if you will.

It's not as if the top is ripped; the problem is mechanical in nature and not unlike a known issue reported by many members of this forum (i.e., carriage/cabke issue). The convertible tops for MINIs are nothing special and, in general, dealers don't take them to body shops or to vinyl shops for repair, either - they do the repairs in-house.

 

[QUOTE=B3ND3R;3332567]Detroit Tuned is an all-service MINI shop - an alternative to dealer service if you will.

Read your post and know exactly how you feel. Never dealt with the man you speak of and hopefully your situation will be resolved. A simple phone call or an e-mail from the man at the very beginning, would have gone a long way.
Best of luck to you.

 

Just saw this....Am glad for you and the power of the internet.

 

update #2

Car is back.

Chad did the PPI gratis for the inconvenience. Big thumbs up. I had him fix a valve cover leak, which he also did for a very fair price.

As for the top repair, it is "mostly" correct. Detroit Tuned repaired the mechanical problem with the top, which centered around new cables and carriages. After the car came back, I started experiencing an intermittent electrical issue, whereby the top won't go past sunroof stage. I.e., it's intermittently acting like one of trunk microswitches is open, but they are not (I tested them both with a multimeter).

I'm not pinning this on the repair just yet, because as an electronics technician in another life I know how difficult intermittent electrical issues can be. Nonetheless, Chad gave me some potential areas to check and told to bring it back for a day (I live about 4 hours away) if I can't isolate the issue and he will help me track it down.

In summary, everyone makes mistakes. But the real character of a person/company is determined when a mistake need corrected. Chad/Detroit Tuned took ownership if the issue and set themselves back on track to deliver great customer service.

A sincere thank you.

 

I'm glad to see Chad take ownership when it was needed most. Many time, as small business owners (as I am as well), we want to help as many people as we can, but over extend ourselves when we don't know it.

It looks like things are on the right track now. The key is proper, open and honest communication. Own the mistakes you make and fix them as well.

Good luck with your MINI. They are great cars indeed!

James