Mike, don't forgive or forget. Latvia is part of the EU and the EU have strong laws on fraud of this type, i would encourage you to pursue getting as much back as possible. The Barum engines channel also had lots of delays and issues with a different supplier of an M3 kit in the same country, they did get their kit eventually. There is a company in the UK about 10 miles from where i am called Dialynx, the owner was a factory mechanic for the Audi rally team i believe and built many Sport Quattro's, they may be of some help in the future. Best wishes.
Every hour he spends trying to get money back is an hour he has to take away from building cars or an hour he has to pay someone to try to get the money back. Completely not worth it because the odds of getting anything back are really small.
Jumping in on that: 1. Litigation in Europe is typically not nearly as costly as its the case in the US. 2. You have an worldwide audience in a community that includes a variety of professions. I am sure you could find a qualified lawyer in any jurisdiction that would support you. 3. I know that usually no business man wants to enter into legal quarrels. However, this is not simply a „commercial conflict“ that could be solved at arm length on a business level. Protect your and other people’s interest by adressing it the right way:) Hope you don’t ever experience this kind of situation again and thanks for the great videos / sharing of your experience!
This seems pretty common in car land. Person has idea for very niche car product, people show interest, person sees dollar signs despite having zero business savvy, starts to take orders and then slowly realizes they got in completely over their head until they vanish off the face of the earth having spent all of the customer money on their failed venture.
Currently in latvia, and I'm familiar with them. Riga isn't big so everyone knows the shop and owner. But as you said you don't want anything with them anymore or want people to act on your behalf. BUT... the moment you read this or someone tags you and you choose to change your mind. LET ME KNOW. Cheers.
@@TheBCninja agreed and no will go that far. That would be more issues than what the kit is worth for anyone. There’s many way to go about this legally but justice would be served.
It just looks bulky in different ways. This car wasn't designed to be looked at from behind. Which is a bit sad considering it was engineered exactly for that. 😂
It's called an A2 Quattro. After the Group 4 quattro Audi homologated the A1/2 "wider" version of the UR Quattro with a host of other improvements underneath
You're a real stand up guy, Mike. It takes a lot to turn the other cheek like this. I hope that maybe down the line you'll get something back from this, but I know that's a pipe dream.
I totally agree! I would say that your reaction, Mike, is very mature and reasonable. You seem to know your boundaries and what you don’t want to get involved with.
I've been following you for years, and being Latvian myself, I'm sorry about this. Having a bit of access to company registry stuff, I can say that cool-wheels are in liquidation, they do have an administrator / liquidator appointed, but the registered own capital of that company is very small. What they do have is about 65k eur tax debt tho (this is all public info, so not breaching anything here).. If there are no company owned assets that can be sold, ... I'm sorry. However, being optimist, I hope that if there are some assets available that can be sold, you're first in line to get something out of this.
I always appreciate when you give the background information on a car. None of my family members are into cars and I only started my interest in cars through RU-vid videos. I found you through Donut media. It's not much, but I've installed my own grill, speaker system, replacement trim, and lights. Your videos want me to learn how to do more and expose me to cars I didn't even know existed.
I know how you feel dude i was scammed over £20,000 over someone in the car community who i thought was a friend. Took me 4 years to financially recover and almost took the easy route out but im glad i didnt because im doing better than i ever have and i can hope i can start making cool vlogs for the viewers. Hope you come out even stronger 💪🏾
Hey Mike I propose that the optimal course of action moving forward entails acquiring a kit tha is installed within the United States, scanning it, and then reproducing it in-house with the assistance of a California-based company. This approach ensures that individuals who have been affected by the scam can still obtain the kit they were promised. I am confident that you, as well as others involved, remain interested in obtaining the kit. Additionally, the opportunity to realize this project according to your complete vision is undoubtedly appealing. hope for the best ! love your work
@@MickH60 No i won't. If I give money to a company and he rips Me off, and my friend is about to do the same. I should warn my friend. Instead Mike didn't bother , Mike isn't your friend. But he will monetize this video and make his 7k back. You won't.
@@ardie72 Give me a break. He didn't "aid" the Latvian company. Try to put yourself in Mike's shoes for a second. He's a business owner. If this was your business, and you were trying to protect your assets, would you post a video on RU-vid starting a fight with some entitled Latvian Jerkoff?
100% payment up front with extended lead times is almost always bad news no matter the industry. Hopefully a domestic custom carbon shop can step up here and help out.
Glad you named and shamed, you should have come clean after 12 months , but thanks for speaking up eventually, im in a similar position over engine parts and i let it go 12 months and gave them many chances to pay but now our big $$$ engine is finally finished its time to do a complete breakdown and tell the whole story, it sux but its needed
Your integrity and commitment to what you do is a large part of what makes this channel. Thank you for being the better person in all of this. I am REALLY looking forward to upcoming "body kit" project :-)
This sounds a bit like my recent experience but mine ended well, eventually! I bought an EFI conversion kit for my Urquattro from a company in Poland. Checked out the company and everything seemed legit so I paid my 1200 euro plus postage to New Zealand. The parts got lost in transit by UPS, and replacements were promised, the company kept giving tracking numbers that didn’t get collected. Then they disappeared. Three years later they reappeared and started filling orders! I got my kit last week, 3 years 2 months after ordering, and it looks really good quality.
Hey Mike, First I want to congratulate you on your grace and resilience on moving past the obstacles and challenges of what it takes to be in the automotive industry. Many moons ago I owned and operated a German AutoParts Business online and faced many fraud issues which ultimately lead me to shut down my business. With that being said I continue to be a part of the German Automotive community moderating various communities and lending my knowledge towards German Engineering Maintenance which is my passion. Continue on your path be true to who you are and the community will always support your efforts. Bryan Prost 🍻 🇩🇪
Sorry to hear that Mike. I'm surprised that other bodywork companies are not jumping over themselves to help you out, given the success of your channel and quality of your work.
Mike, the long wheelbase quattro with the wide body was homologated by Audi, named an A1 or A2 depending on the version for Group B rallying. Love your work!
Brings back memories. Had the exact color '83 ur quattro but with cloth pattern interior. Eventually did mods for the era, 16"BBS, rolled inside fender lips, brake bomb removed , Tilton brake bias control, larger 200q brakes bolt on rear, ECU mod with air control module hidden in the glovebox, Audi console pod for VDO gauges, easy 15 min job cam re-degree (10v mech lifter head), H&R springs, re-bushed susp, custom roll cage, removed US DOT bumper shocks, tucked in the bumpers, retained the US quad headlamps but removed the inner two and made an extended grill from another stock one, used the opening for extra ducted cooling, vented the hood. Really didn't cost much for any of it. Fun car for the time. Did quattro club track events, wannabe rally stuff with other orgs. Did a quattro reunion at Road America when 'what's his name?' from MN had a sport q, and even 2bennet made the trip to join the fun. (The hand controlled FWD coupe GT was a cool setup).. Fun times back when. Eventually sold mine, thinking for around $4000. Meh. The few SWB sport quattro's were floating in the market for around $40k. Anyways, good luck with your project.
I had a similar experience with a body kit supplier for a VW GTI. They were based out of Russia and their factory (or wherever they manufactured) was seized by the Kremlin when the war started. Fortunately they were honest, helpful, and provided a full refund despite their circumstances. Really unfortunate it went the wrong way for yourself. International commerce can be a pain. Will continue to support the channel and look forward what's next.
Hey Mike, i do leave in Estonia, which is next to Latvia. Me and my friends we are into cars as well, and do have lots of fellow car inthusiasts in Latvia as well. The capital of Latvia is 3h drive from where i leave. Let me know if you need any help on this situation.
Back in the day I saw these Audi Quattro's doing the Circuit of Ireland and the Rally of Great Britain. Mega machines. This car is on my bucket list and I can't wait to see more content on your build. At the moment, I have a 2007 A6 2.7 TDI Quattro, S Line Le Man's speck (A keeper). The car is lightened and lowered from stock and has torque like you would not believe. On wet back roads in the UK around the Lincolnshire Wolds, it will give anything a run for their money (Subaru's in particular). The Quattro technology has never been bettered. Move on from your loss and get the pleasure from your car as soon as possible. I worked in Poland, Lithuania and Latvia for years, they are great people in general having come from a very poor historic situation and sad that one person is responsible for setting such a poor perception. You and others affected will have your day.
Well that's a bummer. I hope you'll find a way to will finish this project 😊. It has been really nice to learn the history of the cars you work on. Keep it up 😉
Videos like this ... and the way you went about everything ... MASSIVE Kudos Mike. Benefit of the doubt, give "credit" to the car community ... what and however you/someone wants to go about it. Loss sucks - but driving on as a content creator with over 200k subs and moving on from the downfalls of a build.... Speaks a LOT about you as a person, not just a channel/business. I'm going to assume that's why companies like H&R do business with you. Cheer and Beers. As a car lover and wanting to have a crazy project car build myself, I'm glad to have this channel to watch for inspiration. Not just for the car building content, but to see/have where and why the inspiration of each build comes from.
Mike, thank you for being honest. When we can't, we build our dream cars through you and we need that. This gutter geek offers the services of a nerd in return.
Ciao from Italy, sorry you have been scammed. I agree the long wheel base looks a lot better, the SWB is a rally tool to go round sharp hairpins, not intended to look anywhere near pretty although next to a Delta S4 it may actually look pretty!
Hey Mike, you're not the kinda guy that would shit talk unless it was absolutely necessary, so when you do feel the need to speak out on something we all know that it's something we need to hear. God bless you and best wishes from Manchester north west England. Jay 🙏🏻🏴♥️🇺🇲
I know the feeling on waiting on parts. I really wanted a Walker Japan airwalker bumper for my civic and i had no idea how to get one. Due to the lucky break of being stationed in japan i was able to order one through a local shop/used car dealer for a fraction of the cost i would have in America. It still took 3 months to show up but it indeed did. I still had to wait like a year to get it home and on the car but it was well worth the wait lol.
This reminds me of the Shrockworks implosion. They made off-road bumpers, sliders, etc. They were taking people's money up until the day they closed their doors. They fired all their employees with no notice, then filed for bankruptcy protection and listed every customer they still owed product to as a creditor and tied everyone up in the mess.
Hate to hear of the troubles. I was almost to the point of trying to buy an S2 bumper from them before I finally found one. So many people kept steering me away from them. Hope to see some more progress on the UrQ soon. Keep up the good work.
I bought a burg kit for my 77 Scirocco for a company out of the czech republic. It was super sketchy, but it was the only place I could fine the style I wanted. I reached out to all the people I could find online that bought from the company to make sure they were legit. I wired $400 shipped(stupid cheap for a full kit). In my surprise, EVERYTHING came in with in 20 days. It was amazing, I thought I got scammed.
Couldn't agree more about the LWB looking better. I'm sure the sport quattros are a lot more nimble but their side profile looks so goofy. The hood is like half the car.
Mike, sorry for your loss. In most cases, that's why I do business within the US to have more remedies available. Agree with you that a bad apple should not spoil the entire process.
Everyone that build rides, or builds rigs will get caught up by some scam. If not today it’ll be tomorrow. it’s happened to us. But I love what you do. Keep doing what you’re doing. Everyone be vigilant. I found myself going back to working with local people even though it cost more initially sometimes it just seems better. I don’t know if that’s a solution, but it seems to work for me when I can do it. Love your channel you make me get out when I see your work.
Sorry that you have suffered through the agony of waiting and hoping, only to be out some serious cash. I don’t feel that you anything to apologize for, for not making this video sooner. You kept hoping for a good outcome. Respect! The short wheelbase looks like an early Ford Mustang II, not well proportioned.
This is an unfortunate situation. I think this happens often … he probably didn’t set out to scam people, but got in over his head. It sucks that you and others lost money and it’s a shame that that company couldn’t service the community.
This is one of the few big reasons I learned to weld, fabricate, shape and finish metal, make molds and lay my own carbon. Too many people telling me I can’t do something because they can’t do something. Getting an idea across to someone is impossible and being able to rely on and trust people is a nightmare. I very rarely say no to myself when it comes to whether I can make something. Yes I can.
It’s a good shout building a LWB version with the extra power. The sport Quattro was always known to be a fuckin handful to drive, “almost undrivable “ as some said. Sure hope things go well from now on, looking forward to your interpretation of the iconic Euro rally slag. 👍🏻👍🏻
Kudos for wanting to build you want and desire..... Even though the Short Wheelbase version is the only true, tested and timeless example of one. Plus cutting it must be the ultimate test to a master fabricator and builder.
I'm glad you mentioned them by name. These companies need to be held accountable. It pisses me off so bad when content creators don't mention these trash companies. They're just enabling their bad behavior.
Some advice, Paypal will give you 6 months money back guarantee for anything. If at 5 months there is no sign of your item, you open a case. If you get your money back and then they say they have the item you can then pay for it again. That's basically how i live, either the paypal guarantee (6 months) or i need to see the goods and even then if i'm wary of the item i want to pay buy paypal (not friends and family).
This is sad. This happened in the E46 community near 20 years ago. CSL body pieces, intakes, carbon bits, dove-tail trunk lids... a few scam companies ripped people off for 💰 💰. But I'm sure it's happened in many car groups for years.
It's a shame on their part. I'm Latvian, and I'm even ashamed of them. Usually, if you buy parts from an EU country, you can contact the officials of that country (on their website or by email) and explain the situation and they will be very forthcoming and try to help in any way they can, and there is even a very good chance that you will get your money back. Even if the company has gone out of business, you will get your money back, because in every country there are records even of companies that have gone bankrupt and the public officials can demand the money back anyway. Hope you have a good time Mike and good luck with the Audi project!
Oh man, that's terrible, I hope there is still a chance you get something back. The quattro brought me to your channel, I love them in all shapes, but I've watched every minute of the Ferarri build since, and it was epic. I am not a fan of Ferrari, and neither am I into Hondas in any way but the project was just epic because of what you put into it. Keep up the good work and I hope to see more quattro progress soon.
In June 2019, I ordered a kit for an Audi Sport Quattro from Maris. 20 percent of the kit had to be thrown in the trash because it was defective. The rear fenders had to be redone in places where they joined the bumper and the arches, which were crooked and not symmetrical. The hood also had to be completely redone due to its disgusting quality and extremely low strength. The underhood strut was thrown in the trash, the threshold pads were also thrown in the trash because of their curvature and low quality. The front fenders also required a lot of alterations due to their low quality and low strength. All the results of the alterations are on the Quattro Directory channel
You have some of the best in the business in your area when it comes to composite body panels. Work with Advanced Fiberglass Concepts. They do amazing work. In Costa Mesa I believe.
I had a situation like this before and got a charge back no problem. There was an 8 week lead time and after 12 weeks of no communication and no product delivered, I filed a dispute with Paypal. They gave me a credit for the full amount a few days later but still gave the company a time frame to reply/settle dispute deliver a product. After the 16th week I got to keep that credit since the company never replied, thus they were billed by paypal - charged back.
From experience i can honestly say the people of the internet can be ruthless. i know you say for the audience not to be upset on your behalf (putting that lightly), but i definitely wouldnt rule out the possibility of vigilante justice. not even on your regard but for the 100s of people who were scammed by this company. from where i sit, i wouldnt say anything, but i certainly wouldnt look away either. Ill keep my eye on the news for any future updates on the conclusion of this crime against the car community. keep up the good work my friend, and we hope to see the audi come to life in the future despite the hardships and set backs.
thank you for making this video i was going to try and buy a body kit for my 4000 quattro eventually from them but i definitely won’t be now. much appropriate.
So sorry Mike! I have been in the car world for a long time, and it is very rare this happens. You look at what someone does and contributes, and make a judgement. Hopefully you will find the right company tho make the parts.
Sorry this happened to you man, I have an audi s5 2009 with the 4.2 v8 and all i can say is ive been bitten more than once with these types of mods. What i would suggest, you did so well with the hondrarri that i would love to see you try and fabricate body panels yourself. In the end it will make for great content and even if not perfect, i will take my hat off to you. Plus you get more experience behind the welder which if i recall you wanted
Really sorry to hear about your Audi woes Mike, but fair play in being the bigger man in the whole debacle. .... No one should have a go at you for waiting so long to publish this sad story, like you say, its your income and you need to look after that as your no1 perspective perspective.... I for 1 will continue to watch and support you and your channel from here in Manchester U.K. Please keep up the great content you produce 👏👏👏👍👍👍
Its not so much the short wheelbase but the rear "overhang". Its a good looking car regardless. Sorry to hear that f4cked up news on the Audi parts. You're a good man Mike. Be well.
I’m a couple of hundred £ down for an ITB inlet for a 1.8 20v VAG engine. Not close to the same scale but frustrating nonetheless. Anyway, I’ve chalked it up to experience. Can’t wait for the new project to be announced. It’s going to get an insane reaction!
Truth be told I would like to see you just move forward with the Quattro and keep the body like it is. Really great looking as original design. Sorry you got ripped off and you clearly are upset but also a very kind man.
I understand your reason for not saying anything. But I can't help but feel bad for the last guy who purchased a kit who might not have if you had said something sooner. Sometimes when you stand up for what is right you get hurt but that doesn't mean it wasn't the right thing to do. I've lost 20k once doing what I thought was right, it sucks losing that money but in the end I sleep at night knowing I took the high road and did what was right. I'm not judging you, just showing you the other side. Good luck with the build, I'm looking forward to seeing where it goes from here.
Sometimes stuff happens, just move on, you did the right thing in the right way. I once ordered a header from a very high end manufacturer in Japan. Also never arrived.
Hate to see this happen. Had a drift parts company ghost me after ordering a few hundreds of dollars worth of parts I was excited to use and recommend to fellow friends/drifters. Ended up being a long drawn out process that ended with me having to file a dispute through pay-pal to try and get my money back. Fortunately I was able to but was not a good experience. Such a shame some companies pull shit like this and ultimately get away with it in the end.
I got ripped off by a person in a forum, nobody had ever had an issue with him before, I didn’t bother starting any drama either. Cut my losses. Peace of mind in not having conflict over money isn’t an easy choice but one I can respect. Your above board, one day the other persons actions will catch up to them.
But Mike, at least your video quality is AMAZING now. Sorry about 'that crowd' - you know if you tell us to much we start to get feral and put on the collection gloves.
Unfortunately one of those things with ordering parts from over seas. You 100% did the right thing! Looking forward to seeing the new direction for this build!
In the Netherlands I believe it’s so that if you pay your order with a credit card and the company which is supposed to deliver that order and doesn’t the credit company will refund your payment. I really feel sorry for you man!
Wow😮 I am sorry that this happened 😢, I think 🤔 that from all the hardship you suffered, I wish that Audi or the block Family could help and sponsor you too get the correct parts for your Build. I Believe that at the end of day you will Finish your Build and that horrible company that cheated you will regret scamming you. Keep up the great work my brother 👌
I ordered a fiberglass/kevlar lwb sport quattro kit in December of 2021 and paid 4200. i had a nearly identical experience in terms of communication from the company. very unfortunate as this was my dream car build.
I think you handled all of it the right way. Man that sucks. How about taking molds off that other car and producing the parts there? Amir and I’m sure you know others with composites experience.
Well I'm finally subscribing today because of this. It's the least I can do to help you. I'd really like to see what you're gonna do with that build. Cheers!
Audi 80 front end grafted to a standard quattro rear end. They handle better with the shorter wheelbase. Retropower are building a quattro right now, would be interesting to see what they come up with, I often see them make parts available after a build if they see enough demand. Maybe check them out?
I don’t know about the US but in the UK you can just do a chargeback with your bank and get 100% of your money back if the company cannot provide tracking number and it being delivered at your address. Btw if you are still after a kit it might be good to reach out to Groupe D in Ireland.
