12/17/2025
After an attempt to test drive Wes’ vehicle and test all systems for proper functionality, I was pulled over, detained, and nearly arrested under suspicion of driving a stolen vehicle, as I was driving an out of state Porsche Boxster, with the license plate registered as a Dodge. This is the second time I should have walked away from the project after glaring red flags. After that point, test drives were no longer possible. I was only able to put about 40 miles in the car. I was assured it was a misunderstanding and that any issues later found as a result of not being able to test drive the vehicle were to be overlooked as a direct result of not being able to drive it legally. We agreed to ship the vehicle back.
At this point I should have been smart enough to terminate the project after the following, but not limited to:
Multiple trips to alignment shop and parts store for damaged and worn out suspension and alignment, which came at my cost and time, after I was assured the vehicle was ready for an alignment.
There was an obstruction in the cooling system, which ended up being a piece of a rag shoved up against the radiator, which was a pre-existing condition before I received the vehicle. There were rags taped onto the ends of the coolant pipe that I removed and visibly inspected to make sure there were no obstructions inside the pipe. Again, this cost me days of my time which I did not even request compensation for.
There was an obstruction in the power steering system. Later disassembly revealed there were debris in the power steering system which caused excess pressure which lead to a rupture in the power steering system upon assembly and testing. This also cost me days to clean and fix. I immediately repaired and rectified the situation without requesting additional funds.
I had a crank and no start problem that I had to troubleshoot for weeks. While I fully admit I am not a veteran professional electrician, I still have a solid general knowledge of the electrical system. After performing multiple diagnostics, I went back to my engine supplier and we both called Wes on a 3 way call. We explained the situation and informed him he would be getting another engine harness as we were unsure of the problem. The second engine harness had a similar issue and was not able to fire up the engine immediately. I drove back down to the engine supplier and we called Wes on a 3 way call again. Simply stating the fact that more time was needed as these engine harnesses are over 20 years old and prone to troubleshooting. Custom engine harness are not yet available due to the fact that they would cost upwards over $2500 per harness and understandably nobody was willing to pay that. Wes assured me he understood at the beginning. However, upon second phone call between us all, Wes subtly inferred his expertise and said “generally in these situations people don’t finish the job due to lack of ability and skill”. Engine supplier talked to him and assured him it would be figured out and by the end of the conversation, Wes appeared to be more sympathetic to the situation. Immediately after the phone call, Jonathan told me “this guy is going to be a problem, he failed to disclose multiple problems with the car so he’s either being dishonest or he’s not the expert he claims to be”. This is the first time I should have wiped my hands of the situation and walked away. During second phone call, Wes claimed he understood about R&D setbacks as he knew most of this was still in prototype phase.
I will freely admit that I made the mistake of promising time deadlines that I was not able to deliver. And if I am guilty of anything it would be that. However, after multiple setbacks, each time Wes seemed to be sympathetic and caring as he voiced his frustration. To summarize, I was promised to get a car that was worthy of a swap and ready to go. It had multiple issues that were never disclosed. I was told the car was road legal, I was almost arrested as it was not. I told Wes that normal swap prices were going to be over $16k and that I only charged him $8k for the prototype swap. I put a good word in with my engine supplier and got him a discount. THE TRUTH is it was an unfortunate situation in both aspects in both parties. The project took longer than I said it would due to engine harness issues, but the car came to me with multiple problems that were outside of the agreed terms as it was not road worthy. At the conclusion of this, Wes threatened to have me sued which is absolutely bizarre. No contact was made to me after I reached out to Wes to solve the problems with the car. This is a heinous misrepresentation of the facts. Zero contact was made to the engine supplier and Wes still deemed it appropriate to infer dissatisfaction publicly.
More facts that Wes failed to mention are as follows:
I found and bought a front bumper, uncracked windshield, and 5 pieces of tie rod ends and control arms. I was able to buy these items at a discounted price, and charged Wes the discounted price I bought them for. I did not upcharge, or charge time and labor for the parts or installation. I tried to compensate for exceeding agreements on time of completion. I was never supposed to receive a vehicle that needed an alignment. The alignment was so bad it was not safely drivable at medium to high speeds. I scheduled an alignment for the vehicle so I would be able to test drive it to the fullest extent. I ended up waiting over 3 weeks to get the alignment done at a Porsche race shop due to a wait list. At the end of the day, I was given an improperly registered/unregistered unroadworthy vehicle with multiple undisclosed problems, which I repaired at my own expense with the exception of the discounted cost of the front bumper, windshield and suspension components. That is not what we agreed upon. These undisclosed problems only set back time constraints even farther, already adding to a complicated situation. I luckily pulled into a private lot when the police pulled me over, and told them they do not have the authority to tow the vehicle since it is on private property, after they threatened to arrest me and tow the vehicle themselves to the impound lot. I would have not been able to retrieve the vehicle. After convincing the officers this was not a stolen vehicle, I had to get the vehicle towed back to my shop. I have still not received the CANbox from the 3rd party supplier, and am unsure of the delay. Wes and I agreed on the swap of a non-CANbus prototype car. I specifically said I am only swapping analog cars as I do not have the CANbus fully sorted yet, which is why I turned down customers that have CANbus cars. Wes failed to inform me that his car was indeed a CANbus car. He now claims that I knew this was a CANbus car from the beginning. I would not have taken his car for the swap if this were the case. Since the discovery of the CANbus in his car, I told him that I have a CANbox being developed. I was not given a specific time to receive the box from the third party supplier, but told it was finished. I assured Wes that I would give him a $2500 CANbox out of my own pocket to solve the CANbus issues. The last message I sent to Wes was asking him to reach out to me so we could resolve these issues. Not only did he not reach out, he decided to discredit me publicly as soon as I offered my engine mounts for sale, hoping to sabotage my sales.
Because of these issues, and the problems of using all used engines, components, accessories, prototype parts, and the uncertainties of customers supplied rollers, I will not be taking on any more customer cars at this time. We are trying to overcome the setbacks of these situations and roll out high quality products throughout the next year for DIY’ers. If anyone has any questions or concerns, please reach out to me via messenger.
