ADVISE PLEASE !! Re AR Business people

[David Ziglin <davidz@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Alfa Romeo friends

For the last 2 years at least, I have been greatly tempted to simply warn
my fellow Alfa Romeo lovers about a California AR dealer and chide that
very well known dealer about the miserable service I was receiving.  For
many reasons, some of which even I do not fully understand, I felt that
this was somehow unethical or inappropriate.  One reason was that I felt
that as an AR digester I had a kind of unfair advantage, too much power in
a sense, and so should bite my tongue. You need not approve of that
attitude; however, it is apparently deeply engrained in my nature, this
concern about the other fellow, this obsessive infatuation with fairness
even when I am getting screwed blue.

Here is a bare bones scenario; please do not jump to too many conclusions
from this as far as my part is concerned.  I.e. I had been as diligent as I
could be regarding communication and overseeing; this may not show through
here - I am skipping a great many details :

I contracted with a well known California Alfa Romeo dealer specializing in
collectable ARs to oversee and orchestrate the restoration of a 750F.  He
advertises in every issue of Hemmings. The car itself was everything I
could hope for especially its original black color and reasonably sound
state.  The car would be restored  - as seemingly everyone who works on
restoration needs to point out - "not quite to Pebble Beach Standards OF
COURSE." (I now understand that the PB reference is a universal cop out, an
ultimate excuse of shitty work.)

The deal was that the car was complete, but if anything was found missing,
the dealer/seller would provide that part from his personal stock pile.
The car came with 2 sets of front seats.  The dealer kept the uninstalled
seats.  Later I found out why the added seats were there.  The originals
were totalled; I wound up having the originals basically rebuilt for lots
of money.

I said that I would try to be brief ...............

The resto should have taken no more than a year.  This was the opinion of
another restorer who from the beginning tried to expidite the California
project including a visitation to all involved in the resto.  I just took
possession of the vehicle after 3 years.  The dealer above pointed out
repeatedly how very very busy he was not taking care of my car.  I had a
FIRM promise that this would not happen, that my car would not again be put
on the proverbial back burned - A PROMISE.

Missing parts were in fact NOT provided by the dealer nor was any kind of
appropriate overseeing.  At one point my car was delivered to an interior
restorer and literally sat for months until I located the fellow who then
explained that he did not have a clue as to whose car this was - he was
also pissed.  "I'm glad you called" he said.

Endless phone calls were made to the aforementioned wheeler dealer by me
and by my intermediary who also became bitterly angry and frustrated with
the man since the result was answering machines and then finally when
making rare contact "I am so busy!!  I'll get back to you."   Calls were
never returned.  (Gee, I'm not busy at all - are you digester?  Shit, I
have endless time to spend making empty phone calls and sending similar fax)


Before the paint job was done, I spoke to the dealer in as profoundly
serious a manner as I could muster.  I made the following emphatically
clear to my intermediary and to the California dealer :" ABOVE ALL....
ABOVE ALLLLL...I want a superb paint job.  Obsessive or not, irrational or
not, I MUST have an extraordinary paint job."  Pebble Beach somehow came
into the conversation again and so I emphatically said " I cannot tolerate
ANY hint of orange peal.  I cannot tolerate ANY trace of scratch marks."

When we were finally done with this car, my wife and I paid well over Twice
the far end estimate suggested by the dealer for the resto.  ( I know, an
old story )  But worst of all is the fact that the  paint job is a botch.
The aforementioned dealer proclaimed that at least in the end I was getting
a SHOW CAR.

The car is covered with orange peel; yes, less definitive than that on a
Miata, but it is there for sure - everywhere.  I HATE orange peel !!

The car is covered with scratch marks - everywhere - even after a state of
the art final buffing.  What kind? ...  cross marks, hatch marks, lousy,
deep, and incomplete preparation scratch marks.  The professional who
buffed out my Spider simply said that "Obviously, the car had never been
wet sanded."

We have had enough experience in car life to have known all along that the
estimate would be bullshit, but not by 125% over.  We also expected busy
people busy making busy money on car flow rather than focused work although
not 3 years.  We had however counted on the paint job - after all of the
grief and all of the heartache and all of the money and frustration, at
least we would have the paint job.  We don't.  I am embarrassed by it at
least.  I will actually have to have this car repainted.

***   And so, what do you think?  Should I just identify this son of a
bitch before you buy a car from him or have work done by him or what?  I
want to.  We are not wealthy folks who can kind of write this project off.
We have had to put ourselves in a seriously precarious financial position
because we love the Giulietta so much and finally after 30 years of
marriage wanted a never before experienced "new" car.  Somehow, I want to
protect others in our position.  What to do?  ***

David

East Troy, Wisconsin

750F waiting for a decent paint job, again.

PS  Has anyone EVER met ANYONE in the auto business who was not a liar and
a thief, who actually had integrity and self respect?  We have not, and
now, finally, we will give up looking and hoping that there is such a
person.

By the way, a not inconsequential fact : we LOVE our Giulietta.  Driving it
is simply a joy.

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