He pulled a part to fix another vehicle, then never replaced it. Then he converted the contracted vehicle into parts on hand, expecting SoL to cover him. Or, that she'd give up eventually. And that judgement is an insult!
Wonder why, the first thing most playboys who buy them is modify the hell out of them for track usage. There's very few unmolested 911's in the world 😅
@@brentboswell1294 I considered buying a cheap 912 that needed an engine rebuild back in the late 90s.. until I checked on the rebuild cost. Even back then it was crazy high- for a FOUR BANGER. I can't imagine what it costs to rebuild a proper 911 engine today. (still wish I had bought the 912... they are worth so much now)
@BReal-10EC I almost bought an NSX back when they were "cheap". They wanted $12k for the car. I researched how much a used transmission was. The cheapest was close to what the whole car cost. I was in the market for a built fox body and ended up buying a notch.
@@aaadamt964 I too almost bought an early NSX when they were "cheap". I also almost bought an FD RX7 and a TT Supra when they were cheap (under 15k in great shape with under 100k miles).
A similar thing happened in my area. An older gentleman took his hot rod project to a shop and he spent 7 years trying to get the owner to either finish the job or return the car...neither happened and he sued. He got the car back but no money. He had his attorney enjoin the title to the shop for the settlement money, about $22,000. Some years later the shop owner faced foreclosure by the bank but when the title changed hands the settlement money had to be paid. The old boy had passed away but his heirs got paid. Love your show, thanks Steve.
My dad had a similar issue a few years ago when he tried to get some work done on his 1947 Jeep. The mechanic had the jeep for 6 months and all he did was take apart the steering and remove, and lose, the front drive shaft. It ran and drove when dad sent it off, but it couldn't be driven when he got it back. It was an ugly situation, the cops were involved and me and my older brother spent a hot weekend in this guys garage, sifting through parts to find the missing drive shaft. Come the end of Sunday we didn't find it and my dad tells the guy he's going to have to sue him. Suddenly, the guy remembered some parts that were in his storage unit, 30 miles away and our drive shaft might be there. Sure enough, in this neatly organized storage unit, was our drive shaft and some other Jeep parts that may or may not have been ours. The sheriff that accompanied us told us to take all the Jeep parts, he was pissed that this guy wasted his time. When the guy protested, the sheriff said "you knew this thing was here the whole time and you wasted everyones time, until a lawsuit was mentioned. I should seize everything in this unit just to see if any of it is stolen. The only reason I'm not is because I don't have the time or staff."
@@-Gorby-i personally wouldnt have any qualms with stealing from a noted thief...? If everyone is breaking the law, how are you gonna pull morality cards!? Guy steals parts, cop says ok steal from him back. OKAY, BOSS!! screw me over? I screw you twice to make you think about why you fucked up.
@@_PatrickO He likely has much more serious cases to deal with. He probably wanted to arrest him on the spot but if he did so that puts more serious issues on the back burner. They can also go pick his ass up for it later.
It might have been a bluff on the Sheriff’s part. Might have gotten messy justifying seizure when the mechanic’s lawyer got involved so that’s what he didn’t want to deal with? Sheriff did get them the other parts.
I hope she collects! I worked at an automotive repair shop and I never had a problem with anything like this! After I changed jobs I helped 4 customers take the same shop to small claims court over unauthorized repairs and charges & all won their cases due to my informing all the customers to always ask for a written estimate every time they go to a repair shop for any repair or maintenance! This insures honesty & transparency!
As I understand she is a Paleontologist. Paleontology is the study of ancient life, from dinosaurs to prehistoric plants, mammals, fish, insects, fungi, and even microbes. So well her work doesn't go anywhere. So I think her patience come from there. They can spent months and months freeing a fossil from a rock
This happened to my brother in Birmingham, MI. His car was at the repair shop for a lot longer than anticipated and the fee was much higher when he finally got it back. It was not running right so he opened the hood when he got home only to find that his original engine and transmission with only 60,000 miles on them was replaced by old rusty worn items with grass and leaves caked on them. A dealership verified that the VIN didn't match but he was advised by legal counsel to let it go because of the value of the car. It was a 2000 Honda with only 60k original miles in very good condition. The value was not there to pursue the claim.
@@nalinux No no no no. Audi and Volkwagon are not the same as Audi and Volkwagon from the 1970s. The modern versions are junk.
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@@nalinux Let me educate you about the VW Vanagon (known as Transporter in the UK). Mine had an original headgasket that was chemically incompatible with mid-80's American coolant such that it would fail without German spec coolant, requiring an engine rebuild after it failed.
I'm glad that lady won her lawsuit, she has way more patience than I'd have in that situation. I knew a guy who did body and paint work. A lady brought in her classic 1930-something Roadster for him to paint, that's it, just paint. She'd check in with him each week, then when he got an attitude stretched it out to once a month check ins. After he had the car for 2 years she told him she was coming to pick it up finished or not. She called and then arrived the same day with a trailer and broke down crying, he had her precious show car torn apart in pieces all over his workshop. He argued and said he needed more time. She collected her car and its various panels and boxes of parts onto the trailer and left and then sued him for damages and not doing what he was contracted to do. The guy, he lives down the street from me, he had the nerve to get upset about the lawsuit. He had 2 years to remove the body panels needed to paint the car, but there was no reason to tear the whole thing apart.
My thought too. After all, the shop probably isn't massive so he didn't have a donor car left in a corner somewhere whilst he was off enjoying the Porsche
I remember a local case in the US. A guy took a not-so-uncommon British car in for repair. It was a job that should take a few hours but the shop had his car for a few days. He said he picked it up and it stalled on the way home. He popped the hood and found his newly rebuilt engine was replaced by greasy junk. The shop was saying this was the engine the guy had brought in. The guy had proof he'd bought a rebuilt engine but no proof it'd been in the car.
I'm sitting here, waiting for a call from my mechanic for a repair that i had hoped to get completed yesterday. An extra day doesn't seem that bad in comparison to over a decade.
It can be charged as criminal conversion, it's a specific type of theft where in the person misuses or disposed of something they were given temporary possession of for a different purpose. But she still had to sue for civil conversion to get any money out of it. Only the government decides if they choose to pursue the criminal version of it.
@@Vincent_Beers in the UK private individuals can criminally charge and prosecute one another (that didn't happen here because the victim wants compensation, not vengeance)
@@everybuddy5924 there are limitation periods for different types of civil claims under UK law but the clock probably started when the vehicle was returned to the owner with parts missing
My dad is going through a similar situation now. His 1973 stingray corvette has been at the same mechanic shop for 3 years and they can’t find the problem and are still “waiting for parts” and they keep sending him bills. The entire engine, transmission, and electrical and brake system was rebuilt and refurbished back in 2018 so it shouldn’t even have that many issues and we suspect something fishy
Around 15 years ago I worked for a Ford dealership in NJ which eventually went out of business. As it was winding down a customer said he dropped his off his at the time ~ 6 years old F150 off to have repairs done but after 6 months of little to no work being done he stopped calling about it. Now, the truck had been there ~ 7-8 years later, so he goes to pick up his truck, but the dealership lost the truck. I talked with the service writer who spoke with the guy and he said there was proof he dropped it off and officially he never picked it up nor owed a bill. I found a new job not too long after but I always wondered how it got resolved.
Dropping it off and eventually not contacting the shop means he abandoned the vehicle and the shop can legally sell it to cover any costs they have incurred. It happens all the time. Ever wonder why cars are for sale in front of a repair facility? Waiting 7 to 8 years, you wont get nothing back. Not only is the shop out of its costs to repair the vehicle, you then have storage fees added on. That 2 to 3 thousand dollar job just turned into a 20 to 30 thousand dollar bill, if they still have the truck and you are picking it up.
@johnpaulmckenna4200 Exactly. Get it in, get it out, on to the next job. When something just sits in the shop taking up space, it's blocking a paying customer.
If this doctor claims to specialized in 'neanderthals' she might want to take some more refresher courses because she's not actually dealing very well with the neanderthal that's messing with her car.
It does sometimes go the other way, I knew a small, classic renovations mechanic who got stuck with a car for 8 years, after the owner visited Australia and decided to stay there; it took that long to sort out taking ownership of the car; although once it was done, he and his son did enjoy driving around in their "free" Frog Eye Sprite.
@@mathewfullerton8577 They can also be extremely busy; unless they take explicit time off (which may be difficult, especially without a tenured position), they spend a lot more than the average 40-hour work week doing career work.
@@mathewfullerton8577. True that. My late Father ran a full service station in a University town where I still live. Football players were smarter & had more common sense than some tenured Professors. We had an occasional Professor wanting to know why I or other workers wouldn’t take the radiator cap off the radiator when it was hot. First, it would burn the crap out of us; second, we were under standing orders/procedures to never do that. Had some try it, too. Had another Professor who loved to hunt. We put rubber gaskets to keep the water out of the driving compartment, in the middle of a low spot full of water, he opened the the door to see how they were doing, w/predictable results.
I love the "perform" repair vs "Complete" repair standard for that court. Ok Mr. Judge, go to get an oil change. As long as they drain the oil, replace the oil, and put a piece of tape over the drain plug, they did "perform" the oil change, right? So you can't sue?
I have a vehicle at a frame shop. It has been there 18 months. It was to be done 16 months ago. When we can get ahold of them, they keep saying it will be 2 weeks. That is when they actually answer the phone. Last update, 4 weeks ago, was that it is on the frame rack, and taken apart.
My understanding in the UK is that the authorities can come in and confiscate property to the value of the judgment if you don't pay. This includes real propery as well as cash assets
@@Avendesora There is a show, even on RU-vid called Here Comes the Sheriffs about seizing property for moneys owed. Many of the shops are owned by people from other countries, many being arabs. They also tend to claim they sold the business even though there is still current paperwork showing the business is still in business by the same owner.
@@Avendesora you only need a few tools in your position to run a mechanics shop, and they might have a value of $150K new, but good luck turning that into $150K cash. The property is likely rented.
I see shops that have cars that sit for 4-5 years I ask if they're for sale and I am told that they are customers cars. That don't make any sense to me.
I have been hearing stories about RV dealers and repair places stripping customer's RVs. I had to take my RV in to have the generator worked on. They immediately offered me $100 for it and charged me over $700 to do nothing when I declined their offer. Those Onan 4000 Microquiet generators are over $5K new.
An air-cooled old Porsche like this is very collectable and thus prices in recent years have greatly gone up. Add to this unless she gets the correct number matching parts back her car will be worth a lot less money - this will also be argued out in court or has been in the award already. The $150k might just get the replacement parts and the car put back together. On the next court date, the judge will find who will pay what when it comes to court and lawyers' costs and in most cases the loser pays in the UK.
It was a 1997 model year, I think, 1997 was an overlap year for the 911 model line. That makes it a water cooled 996 or 986 or an air-cooled 993. The 996 is one of the lowest value Porsches 911's made. But it could have been a Boxster, which is worth substantially less than a 996. You're correct, a 993 would be worth substantially more, but I would guess it is not air-cooled.
I owned an auto shop for 36 years. You know what else happens often? People have their cars towed in and if they don't have the money to fix it...they just leave the car and ghost the auto shop owner. I bet I had that happen thousands of times in those 36 years. It is nearly imposable to get a good title for those cars.
One key difference with the normal US system is that in the UK the winner in a civil case will (usually) get their (reasonable) legal fees awarded to them.
8:39 Dealerships are even worse. If I take my car to a mechanic, it's NEVER a dealership. They sell new cars, which is an inherent bias toward not fixing your car!!
Depends on the dealership. Mine has done good work over the 20 year life of the vehicle I bought from them, including free oil changes as long as I own the car. They want me to buy my next car there, and are happy to keep their service team gainfully employed until I do need another vehicle, which will probably be in the next year. Anecdotal, I admit.
Guy probably gambled on putting that engine in another Porsche that came along, then snagging another one to put in the Good Doctor's, at a later date (seeing as he had body straightening to do on hers anyway)... he just never did... or never could. I say this because I've heard about it happening before. It's almost Ponzi-esque.
Tractor is nothing like a car. GB is nothing like the USA. Breaking a tractor is the act of splitting it in half. You think you are smart... You are not.
@@Look_What_You_Did A tractor is actually very like a car. They contain much the same classes of parts. The chassis, wheels, electrical components, body parts, engines, transmissions and so on. There is a trade for such used parts for cars, commercial vehicles, farm vehicles and a host of other things. Not just this, the story is about a case in GB in the first place, so that's the terminology used.
11 months or 11 weeks would have been way too long, but 11 years must be a Guinness World Record (Is "Longest Time a Car Held by an Auto Mechanic" an official category? If not, they should make one!)
I start my day with a cup of good coffee and Steve Lehto, at least every morning he post. I don't think I've missed one in a couple years even when I was in getting my cancer removed. I need a Steve Lehto mug. Does he sell them?
What blows my mind is someone allows this to happen with their car for this long. I don't think I'd let it go for even a month much less than for over a decade.
I was working on a convertible mustang for a coworker (her sons car). My wife backed into it the same weekend my friends son died. My wife and I purchased the car.
@@Look_What_You_Did thank you; you're correct in saying losers because everything gained in this life rust and decays - we come into this world with nothing and leave it with nothing. I'm blessed enough to have a little bit of wisdom that has prevented a court case. Why should I be more concerned about temporary things when it is said love endures forever? See I would have to account for a dent (in what IMO another mans treasure) twice. The second time in a much more serious court. He died at 18 right after graduation from a blood clot. Unexpectedly died like most people do Have you considered settling out of court before it's too late?
Good mechanic bad business owner is a great way to put it. I seriously doubt many people would go to the trouble of creating a proper repair garage and build up a good reputation just to screw over a few clients later. What I suspect happens is they have some unexpected costs and too many unfinished vehicles- so they become cash poor. How to fix? Borrow more money? Send invoices for work not done yet and then use that money to finish older jobs? It's a slippery slope. Initially it's done as a short term fix to get them through a tough spot... and it just keeps getting worse. Here, many good small shops end dealing with used car dealers - they work on their vehicles when they don't have walk in customer cars to work on. I'm sure that's better than just having people standing around with nothing to do, but I'm also sure they give those dealers a discount rate for the cars taking much longer to get repaired. What if the one big dealership stops paying their monthly repair bill? If the business lacks liquidity (as most do), that can start the downward spiral. Not defending a shop keeping cars not fixed or even stealing parts off cars... just pointing out that they probably didn't start out with that intent. Also, many times when a shop is very lenient on charges and payment for customers "in a bind", letting them have their car and pay later... they can become a target for no-pay customers.
I had a shop keep my car for five months to do some collision repair. I was pissed off, but it was an old Mustang convertible that I only drove in good weather.
5:00 I think any judge that makes a ruling like that ought to have their vehicle's repairs "performed" in that same way and see if they still say it's not a violation of any law or statute.
Collectable or not can often depend on the connections of the person collecting. Some well connected "friends" can make offers that are more than a little difficult to refuse.
Conversion is even broader in English law - detinue was abolished as its own cause of action and conversion expanded to include detinue back in 1978. So the conversion claim could also be for failing return the car promptly (not just for the missing parts). Also, it looks from the article that it is a personal judgment. It lists him as HIS NAME trading as BUSINESS NAME, which is what we’d call a sole trader (a business that isn’t its own legal entity). Likewise no one with his (very distinct) name has been a company director since the records were digitised.
There was a guy here in Texas that ran a specialty vintage Camaro shop that did the same thing. Apparently he started off legit but went bad. I took my 1969 Camaro to him for repairs and he was taking so long and moved his shop 3 times without saying anything. I panicked and took my car back. Turns out he eventually was taking peoples cars and selling the parts on eBay. Heard he also took in a guys car for a paint job and then faked a title and sold the car to someone else
Have experienced some crazy stories with auto shops. My major gripe with them is that they would not state clearly what the price would be for the repair. I get they can't say it by looking at the car from 10 yards, but I left my car for weeks, close to two months, kept calling "How much will it cost?" and finally, one day they call me "It's done, bring $1500 bucks..." then I explained him, I did not want it fixed if it would cost more than $500... and don't forget: I kept calling for a quote. He says "This and that and whatnot..." I mean...
I had a court case over a furnace. The defendant nor his attorney showed up so we won on default. The judge said" good luck trying to collect" . We knew hours before that we'd never see the money because the day before the guy declared bankruptcy. You shouldn't be able to declare bankruptcy if you have pending litigation. In the end, a few years later the guy ended up in prison not for fraud but for r@ping his wife.
Porsches are fun to work on.. especially an air cooled one.. Steve what model was the vw style motor.. the 914? Buddy was a vintage vw mechanic. He worked on one quite a bit. Motor was just a high quality vw motor. Always liked the look of that model
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You mean "fun". 80's 911's required dropping the engine to change the spark plugs. (Dad's shop's neighbor was a Porsche mechanic.)
I’m in Oxford, U.K. and a judgement means bailiffs. Those guys are no joke- they have a court order and they can physically come in and take everything to auction. It’s something people avoid as they are brutal. They have tv shows about it (search can’t pay, take it away)
do the channel producer thank you for bringing up the falling off tire thing, in Vermont it's the same deal with a mechanics. after you have any tire work done please double check the tightness of your lugs they are not required to put them back on tight they're just required to put them back on according to the state police.
I wonder if she knows what the odometer was at when she dropped the car off and how it compares to when it was "returned". I suspect the mechanic fixed the car originally, then took it out for an extended test drive or out to a track day and blew the engine/transmission and didn't have the money to fix what he broke.
Virginia 18.2 - 115 and 118 are undetermined class felony charges for the fraudulent conversion of collateralized property and carries up to 20 years in prison.
Have an relative, that took there AMG Mercedes to a shop. They had it for a few weeks. Another friend saw it being driven around by the owners teenager. To get it back he had to file police reports in two cities.
