JPS, John Steele???

I live in the Northwest San Fernando Valley - fairly close to JPS, I could go by there and check on your build, however I might not be welcome. John has been very rude in the past and he's asked me to leave his facility before. He's a little moody if he knows you are not a potential customer. It may may be chemistry.

Do the right thing ?

 

https://www.google.ca/flights/...5-03-14;r=2015-03-18

I have no idea. Spoke to him yesterday and had a more firm conversation about the status and what, exactly, is left to do. He continues to say its in the electronics of the air ride blah, blah. While I believe some of that may be true, I dont believe anything the man says anymore....hes yet to meet a single deadline or promise. Like the first week of January when I asked him to just give me an honest answer as to when it will be finished....and he replied "I guarantee it will be done mid February"....then yesterday when I questioned him on his guarantee, he just mumbled some excuses. Never is there an apology.

 

This is a coupe, not a speedster....which is why I chose JPS.

 

 

Would he provide you some proof of what he claims to have completed so far? Perhaps photos of the car at this point. I assume the body is painted and on the frame etc.

 

There are plenty of cars in SoCal with airbags.Somebody knows how to get past that hurdle, but it sounds like he may not be the guy or is reluctant to get somebody in to make it work...... Or the real problem isn't airbags.

 

I was there mid August (when it was supposed to be finished)...and a friend stopped on Dec 1st (took pics). And yes, I'm tempted to fly out again, from Florida.

 

 

This was car Dec 1st ...9 months into the build. Note no engine.

 

 

 

*OP, If I'm highjacking your thread I apologize and please tell me to start a different thread.

 

 

I've been doing my due diligence on air system experts in my area and have found someone I'm comfortable with. So my next step is to tell John to just button it up, leave the air bag system disconnected, but with all the parts, and I'll get it finished myself.

Bear in mind that he usually goes ballistic on anyone sent in to check on progress on behalf of another customer's project.  That's been documented on here before (as well as most of his other eccentricities.  Not that anyone seems to listen.)

John Steele, the Jon Lovitz of the replicar business...

Jon Lovitz, pathological liar

 

That about sums it up.

 

For an extra helping of John Steele's charming personality, take along an attractive female (say for instance, your wife).

 

It's really unbelievable, or would have been if I hadn't lived through it.

 

All I can say is, I'm really sorry Brandon.

Some people just tend to wallow in their own mud....

I know he doesn't think too highly of me..but there's always next Carlisle, you know, to get all chummy and such  :~)

Brandon - all else aside, I have to say your selection of color combo, wheels and air-suspension, that coupe is going to be BAD A$$ when it gets completed! Looking forward to seeing a pic of that bad boy in your drive-way with suspension slammed! It will definitely be Outlaw! 

I called yesterday, he still hadn't shipped my horn button. The second time I called he said he was boxing it up to go to FedEx.

The voice in the back of my head says to call and cancel the order and call Carey.

Brandon, your car looks great. Are those 16" Fuchs?

I'm guessing those are 17's, Ted. And yeah, getting it from Carey might be the best plan....

Getting most anything from Carey Is usually a good plan.

Word

> On Feb 27, 2015, at 8:42 AM, SpeedsterOwners.com <alerts@hoop.la> wrote:
>

Wrong spelling Tom its "Werd"

This is gettin' weird - or is it weeurd?

Yeah, I hear you. I was trying to spread the Pierson Economic Stimulus Package around to all vendors. Lesson learned.

Ted

I have to say that with 90% of the funds already sent, there isn't a whole lot of incentive for John to finish the car.

 

Ever hear of home contractors that take people's money, do a little work, ask for more, then vanish? I'm not saying this will happen to Brandon, but it makes one wonder. I've seen the crappy side of Mr. Steele, enough said.

I'm not sure what the terms of your original contract were but if there was a completion date listed in the contract JS has definitely breached that contract.  I'd serve him with an expected final date for delivery of your finished vehicle and if he doesn't make it then sue him for breach of contract and recover all of your money plus expenses.  Those would include airfare costs to check on the progress etc etc.

 

I'm not into suing people frivolously but sometimes legal action has to be taken to get the desired result. It might also show him you are serious about him getting your car finished and could motivate him to get it done. If he half-arce puts it together you can always sue him for a lousy product.

 

Thank you

 

 

 

 

 

Thank You 

 

Thank You

 

17x7 Fuchs.

I'll bet this pic gets some useage

All these VW guys are kind of like artists. You want something one off or out of the ordinary you have to give it time. I bet that in the end Mr. Steele will produce the car that you wanted - may go a little over budget but you will get your car. Ask Carey how long it took to complete Anand's Spyder. Then ask Anand if, in the end, he was happy with his car.

I forgot to say that that is going to be a very nice coupe! Don't panic and start spending needless amounts of money flying out here. I would leave it right where it is and let him finish it.

 

I need to go by there and pick up a part from him anyway so I'll take a few pics of your car. If that's the same car above I think someone ran into it with a forklift and they were patching the fiberglass up and repainting it. Don't worry though it looked great...!

We're a small community and marketplace and impressions are created and reputations made on sites like this.

 

A long look back at various threads on this site pretty much reveals who the makers are who manage expectations, deliver in a timely fashion and put their customers first.

 

Caveat emptor.

I've never done business with John, so have no opinion.

I started building my car in 2009, took delivery (as promised) in early 2010, and, like the Cathedral in Cologne, Germany, it still isn't finished :-).

Carey probably has a dedicated server just for my email correspondence.

Always straightforward, honest, delivers on time, and exceeds my expectations.

Custom build = time, money, and patience. I'm not taking sides here but lets face it there are not a lot of makers of coupes to choose from out there. For this reason I'm glad John Steele is out there doing it and he's been doing it for some time now. I have seen some of the cars that he has produced and thought the work very well done. If I had an extra 50Gs laying around I would have him build me a coupe for sure - maybe with airbags!

 

 

 

LOL ….

 

Thank you for the reassurance and kind words….I hope you're right!

 

I appreciate you checking on it while you are there!

is it air bags, or air suspension?  Or both.  So far, I have never heard of an air-bag system in one of these cars, but, hey, it might be possible.  The air suspension I now understand.

 

And I agree w/ the concept: this coupe is going to be a mean motorscooter.  Brandon: you could get all uppity and go litigious, and make a huge stink about this, and might even be able to win to recover monies and aggravation spent.  But maybe the better plan is to just hang in there a bit longer.  Despite all the negatives about JPS listed here (and many of them well earned) I have not yet heard of a complete fail on his part.  I think he will and can make your car, pretty much as you have specified.  Will it be perfect?  not a chance, but it will be very good, and you'll have some fun miles.  John likely will be reading this thread, or at least he will hear of it, and I do not think he can afford to ignore the bad press.  Something in the build has set him back, and his approach to that is to keep it to himself and not let on.  Maybe an ego thing.  I think ultimately he does care about putting out a fine product, and by and large he does.  I feel your pain, man.

Someone wrote up above: "A long look back at various threads on this site pretty much reveals who the makers are who manage expectations, deliver in a timely fashion and put their customers first."

 

Absolutely true.  We see this stuff over and over again, but never from IM or SE Beck and hardly from Vintage Speedsters.  And then, there are the John Steeles and (the thankfully defunct) Thunder Ranch, SAS and a small handful of others that we all hear about off and on.  People get on here and report about all sorts of awful things from shoddy workmanship to safety issues to terrible customer treatment - you name it and it's all there for anyone to read.  We tell prospective buyers; "Read the older posts and you'll see what you're getting into" and sometimes we even offer specifics so they'll hopefully know enough to sort out the decent companies from the others.

 

And it didn't start with us on this site, either - Kurt Scott, from the old Kit Car Magazine, started blowing the whistle on shoddy shops back in the 1990's and after some of them took him to court and stopped advertising in his Mag he wasn't reporting any more - Getting sued, whether or not it's justified, costs a lot to defend yourself and it took its toll on him.

 

So what happens?  People ignore IM and Beck and Vintage and go out and buy from these other guys anyway, thinking; "OK, they had problems in the past, but that won't happen to ME!"

 

Most of us don't come right out on here and say "Don't buy from these guys" because, regardless of their past history, we don't want to get Theron and his site in trouble with litigation (or us, individually) but that doesn't magically make these shops any better - they aren't.

 

I'm sorry for your troubles, Brandon, and I truly hope this gets resolved to your satisfaction.  All we can do on here is give the issues plenty of air time as a way to apply pressure in your favor.  Not that people seem to listen to us.......

The two guys who have been on the list the longest for a car from Specialty Auto-Sports joined the SAS queue in Oct and Nov 2007.  Yes, 2007!  They are both well into their 8th year of waiting.  

 

Regarding a potential defamation suit, be aware that the first element of defamation, either libel or slander, is an untrue statement.  That untrue statement must then be published to a third party, causing harm to plaintiff.  Any damage award is meant to compensate plaintiff for the harm caused.  

 

Conversely, truth is called the "perfect defense" to a defamation suit.  If you make a true statement, no one is defamed, and the cause of action fails.  Speaking from a practical viewpoint, defamation suits are rarely brought, since they are costly to mount, and the defendants may not have sufficient assets to make the effort worthwhile, even if the suit is successful.  That's why sensationalist rags only get sued by high dollar plaintiffs, and only wealthy plaintiffs sue wealthy defendants.  They can afford the cost of suit, the paper can pay, and the plaintiff also gets lots of publicity, which is occasionally the real object of the suit.

 

As a result of the above, the chilling effect and the resulting concern of a potential defamation suit are usually misplaced.

 

 

Thanks frazerk1

 

It has air bags to raise and lower. Tank and pump in the frunk.

 

 

Not sure if its coincidental but...... this afternoon I received a message stating the engine is in, air system is in, rest of interior will be done by Monday and road test Tues/Wed.

 

Despite the delay I have always felt, and still believe, the car will be built well. I will continue to be patient but vigilant.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Much appreciated!

"Tank and pump in the frunk."

 

Are you sure it isn't:

 

Pank and fump in the trunk, or

 

Fank and tump in the prunk, or

 

Anyway, no matter how you say it, it sounds cool.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fXSLcYQHqFQ

 

Good news, Brandon. 

Which will arrive first? Brandon's car or my horn button.

 

I'm puttin' my money on Brandon's car. 

 

Is that an AC compressor I see hanging off the motor!?! No expense was spared I see. Very nice.

 

Ted

 

 

I got $20 on your horn button.  

 

 

Yes....we have this horrible thing in Florida. Its called "Humidity".

Don't forget who else Jon Lovitz is.

"Frunk".

I friggin' love that!