Hennessey Fireball700

"offroadkarter" (04RauderDTR)
06/12/2014 at 16:31 • Filed to: Hennesscrewed

I like all the people who still won't believe Hennessey is a piece of shit

Word on the street is.... The car has less than 2000 miles of use since the HPE700 package was installed. The customer, who we will probably not hear much from due to some impending legal action, took the car out on the highway and made a pull in 3rd gear. He got all the way to the top of 3rd, then catastrophic failure. Story has it that a rod let go and the hot oil went everywhere. The car pulled to the side of the road, ignited, and burned.

Digging deeper:

So this C7 was torched. The customer went back to Hennessey for a warranty claim. They supposedly provide a 1 year 12K mile bumper to bumper warranty... But if you go to their warranty page: Hennessey Warranty You will find the very cleverly worded:

Quote Originally Posted by Hennessey Warranty
We offer our worry free warranty on many of our builds!
Click on the images on the right to chose your desired build and take advantage of our 3 Year/36K Mile Warranty!
Not ALL of our builds, but "MANY" of our builds.

Presumably, part of the reason why Hennessey is one of the higher priced outfits is because they can stand behind the warranty due to the fact that it is built into the price of the tunes and parts. They charge everyone a little more so that they can cover themselves if something happens. Story holds that the management at Hennessey told the customer to take it to GM to have the engine replaced and essentially refused to honor any sort of warranty. (Remember the "Many of our builds" line?!?

Obviously, GM took one look at the car, and laughed at this customer's request. So, now his GM warranty is very obviously voided, and Hennessey isn't interested in fixing it.

I think that this C7 owner is going to keep pretty quiet about this whole deal for a while as this could wind up in the court system.

Rumor has it that Hennessey has blown up 3 C7's in the last 6 months with Edelbrock and ECS kits.

http://www.stingrayforums.com/forum/stingray…

DISCUSSION (57)

EL_ULY > offroadkarter
06/12/2014 at 16:35

so why not say Edelbrock and ECS are "pieces of shit" as you say also? Hell, many tuners and racecar builder's cars have gone up in flames, they are all "pieces of shit" also then right?

DipodomysDeserti > offroadkarter
06/12/2014 at 16:36

Somebody get that 'Vette a baby wipe!

ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) > offroadkarter
06/12/2014 at 16:36

I know it's not fair to make assumptions, but I've always assumed that anyone who buys a car like the C7 and then immediately takes it to a tuner must have the world's smallest penis.

The C7 is plenty fast as it is. If you think you need to go faster, then you should have bought a better dick-enlarger.

MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner > offroadkarter
06/12/2014 at 16:36

god damn

this is one reason why I wouldn't have a warranty voiding package put on a car I owned. I can't imagine it's worth it the new C7 is bad ass with or without a power upgrade.

I hope they get their car fixed though, I really do.

offroadkarter > EL_ULY
06/12/2014 at 16:47

Google "John Hennessey" and get back to me, maybe you'll find some of his drunk rants on viper alley from back in the day

offroadkarter > MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner
06/12/2014 at 16:48

Well GM said "LOLnope" and Hennessey told him to go pound sand

imadeaburner > ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable)
06/12/2014 at 16:48

I see what you're saying, but then again some people like to be the fastest, or the special one, doesn't always have to do with dick waving contests. Sometimes it is nice to be different.

Takuro Spirit > offroadkarter
06/12/2014 at 16:49

If you can afford a new car AND warranty voiding modifications, you can afford to replace either when shit hits the fan, as it often does with modified cars.

Such is the life.

EL_ULY > offroadkarter
06/12/2014 at 16:50

I don't have to, I know 3 former employees personally. One is here next to me right now. The forum and your write up has gone completely out of control without all the information and pending so many things. Trust me on this buddy :]

McChiken116 - Patrick H. > offroadkarter
06/12/2014 at 16:51

I like the dude from my personal discussions with him, but that stems mostly from talking about the Venom GT. The newer LT engine could just be going through teething issues. My grandmothers neighbor blew his C7's motor without a tune. The new engines just aren't taking anything during the lengthy burn in period.

EL_ULY > Takuro Spirit
06/12/2014 at 16:51

lol right? Must be nice

offroadkarter > EL_ULY
06/12/2014 at 16:52

right, I forgot most of jalopnik still likes to ride the hennessey D hard, which is why we hear about him every other week

You do know why he left vipers and started tuning other cars right? Its because the viper community literally ran him out for being a crook.

offroadkarter > Takuro Spirit
06/12/2014 at 16:53

Doesn't mean he should have to, yet again this is what he gets for going to Hennessey so its not like I can feel bad for him. People should learn to do their research.

Axial > offroadkarter
06/12/2014 at 16:53

Personally, I think if you're going to have any shop tune your Corvette it had better be Lingenfelter Performance Engineering or Callaway. Hennessy has always struck me as the, I dunno, wannabe operation? Not that I have any experience with the three, but the Callaway builds always seemed top notch and were good enough that GM made them a package in the past.

MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner > offroadkarter
06/12/2014 at 16:59

I 100% understand GM for saying LOLNOPE I would have in their situation.

As for hennessey, it's partly on the owner if he didn't know there wasn't a warranty on his product.

If it were me I'd ask the question "this shit's covered right?"

Tricky language on the page like you said for sure but...you gotta do a little due diligence too. I've worked in advertising for a long time so I pay super close attention to details/disclaimers, maybe I'm just a little over the top with them.

Takuro Spirit > offroadkarter
06/12/2014 at 17:00

Buddy of mine had a shop outside Chicago build and tune an engine for his STi. Stock block, but everything else was aftermarket/custom.

Gets the motor back, fires it up and..... KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK crank bearings failed due to a faulty replacement oil pump. Oil pump is factory, but is from a 2008, not a 2005 (his car) so Subaru won't warranty anything either.

Then he gets it back again, and it's using oil like a SUMBITCH.

Shop denies any wrong doing, but will gladly CHARGE him to take it apart, and see what happened. So they did. Ring failed. No one will own up to it, or will help pay for the damage it done did.

So he's out the money for the second (third?) tear down, parts, and whatnot.

EL_ULY > offroadkarter
06/12/2014 at 17:03

it's not about that at all dude come on now "ride the Hennessey D hard" really? I am going on what people that have worked there are telling me.

It's like if the Z/28 is caught on camera loosing a wheel at a track. I can here the community say "Ahh rable rable Camaros are peices of crap! The wheels are falling off of them all the time, did you see the viedo and read the forums? Yeah, what a waste of money rable rable. They have the worst reliability"

Jedidiah > offroadkarter
06/12/2014 at 17:04

You should read some of the posts this Hennesey guy has made in response to being called a crook/thief etc. He desperately needs a PR guy. He either responds in all lower or upper case depending on how pissed off he is, uses no punctuation, and frequently calls people names when they don't agree with him.

His posts sound like a 12 year stole his account to troll people, but it really is him.

I can't find links to the particular thread I'm thinking of. Oh well.

offroadkarter > EL_ULY
06/12/2014 at 17:05

http://www.forzacentral.com/forum/threads/…

offroadkarter > Jedidiah
06/12/2014 at 17:06

I remember reading some of his drunken rants and fights with people on viper alley from years ago so I know exactly what you are talking about.

ZiptieMcBumper > Takuro Spirit
06/12/2014 at 17:07

You talking about AMS? If so, that's pretty shocking. I always thought they were a pretty reputable shop.

InternetPro9000 > EL_ULY
06/12/2014 at 17:25

Which three do you know and which one is sitting next to you?

PatBateman > offroadkarter
06/12/2014 at 17:27

Let's just be honest here: this is all rumors and NOTHING has been verified. "Word on the street"? Might as well be "some random guy that might have heard a thing said..."

On Hennessey's own website, it states that both HPE700 packages come with a warranty. Not "most" of the cars under this package.

There are a million different scenarios that could have played out here. I have a rough time jumping on the "HPE Sucks" bandwagon with this.

EL_ULY > InternetPro9000
06/12/2014 at 17:30

Heath! is this you? lol :]

offroadkarter > PatBateman
06/12/2014 at 17:36

I don't need to jump on the bandwagon to think hennessey motorsports... excuse me, that was his old name, hennessey performance engineering sucks... Plenty of evidence all around the net and in magazines.

InternetPro9000 > offroadkarter
06/12/2014 at 17:51

http://www.hennesseyperformance.com/corvette-c7-st…

HPE700 Supercharged Upgrade for the

2014 C7 Corvette Stingray

Limited Edition - Only 100 Units Will Be Built for the 2014 Model Year

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

Takuro Spirit > ZiptieMcBumper
06/12/2014 at 17:56

No, not AMS. GRD.

offroadkarter > InternetPro9000
06/12/2014 at 17:58

http://www.hennesseyperformance.com/warranty.html

Hennessey is absolutely the kind of guy who would warranty HPE700 #6 but void the warranty on HPE700 #7 because #7 came back to him burnt to a crisp. Since this is the man who likes to use customers parts to build other customers cars, I have no doubt in my mind he told this guy to get bent.

PatBateman > offroadkarter
06/12/2014 at 18:01

There's plenty of people that have had good experiences as well (A+ BBB rating). Like I said, there just isn't enough real evidence in this rumor mill story (and it IS a rumor mill story, taken off of a message board) to sway me.

InternetPro9000 > EL_ULY
06/12/2014 at 18:07

Call x231.

offroadkarter > PatBateman
06/12/2014 at 18:12

Because BBB is totally a credible source and nobody has ever paid for a good rating before

http://www.ripoffreport.com/r/Better-Busin…

PatBateman > offroadkarter
06/12/2014 at 18:32

I understand how the BBB works. Just because people don't get the answer they like doesn't mean that the company deserves a crap rating.

Back to the point: the rumor mill doesn't sway me.

CRider > offroadkarter
06/12/2014 at 18:40

Hennessey is a piece of shit, have no doubt about that. But any time you modify your car you need to make sure you get everything regarding an aftermarket warranty on paper, and maybe have your lawyer read through it so you know exactly what you're getting. Chances are, Hennessey makes you buy a warranty separately and this guy assumed it came with the package. I think Edelbrock warranties their blower but you have to buy the warranty separately. I feel bad for that C7 and it's owner, but anyone dropping big cash on a Hennssey job most likely didn't do their homework.

offroadkarter > CRider
06/12/2014 at 18:43

If Hennessey actually makes you purchase the warranty and this guy didn't buy it I could see why its not being fixed, but knowing Hennessey and his work I somehow feel that isn't the case here. Apparently a lawsuit is in the works so hopefully the internet updates this situation.

Makoyouidiot > offroadkarter
06/12/2014 at 18:44

I would say that most tuners and race builders have blown up a car or three at some point, and wild hearsay off forums is hardly reliable info, based on every forum I've ever visited...that being said, even knowing that the Viper community ran him out, people have been known to change their stripes. For instance, I used to hate cars and think trucks were the shit. Shocking, I know. Just cause he was a DB years ago doesn't make him a DB nowadays, and I expect more info to come from this case once it progresses through the legal system. For all we know the guy went and overreved the car and he's blaming Hennessey.

ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) > imadeaburner
06/12/2014 at 18:44

Needing to be fastest, most powerful, biggest, etc is THE definition of a dick measuring contest.

It has nothing to do with being different, and only about 'proving' how manly/better one is.

Being different would be ordering a specific interior/exterior color combination, or getting the optional wheels. Being different is when Memphis asks about the classic Ferrari the dealer says they have in the warehouse; being a connisiore.

It's like that scene in Gone in 60 Seconds when Memphis is at the Ferrari dealer and complains that he saw 4 of the newest Ferrari model outside the local Starbucks that morning. Those people are like the men who buy a Vette then have it tuned; merely compensating for lack of equipment. "Self indulgent weiners."

offroadkarter > Makoyouidiot
06/12/2014 at 18:45

a car or three is one thing, this guy has a history of being shady

ZiptieMcBumper > Takuro Spirit
06/12/2014 at 18:51

Oh, OK. Good. I mean not good for your buddy, but it's good to know who's who.

CRider > offroadkarter
06/12/2014 at 18:52

The Hennessey site says that the HPE700 kit for the Corvette includes the warranty. So it seems like the lawsuit is perfectly warranted in this case, and John owes this guy a new car. But if he hasn't learned his lesson by now... I don't see how people can keep defending this guy! Especially Jalopnik, which is always supposed to be about the truth and exposing shit like this.

GregStewn > offroadkarter
06/12/2014 at 19:13

Fireball 700 Parts

Kinja'd!!!

offroadkarter > CRider
06/12/2014 at 20:04

Beats me dude, we're on the same page here.

Takuro Spirit > ZiptieMcBumper
06/12/2014 at 20:31

I gotcha. It might have just been a fluke, or whatever, so I'm not saying the whole shop is bad, just that they had an issue (and others I'm not going to go into at any depth) and dealt with it poorly.

ZiptieMcBumper > Takuro Spirit
06/12/2014 at 21:01

Like you, I agree that it's not the fluke that is the problem. Everyone, no matter what business you're involved with, will have problems. It's how you deal with those problems that is the true test.

In a Mini; let them mock me as My Mini Countryman is higher than you > Takuro Spirit
06/12/2014 at 22:41

OH AND THERE WEREN'T ANY EXPOSED FASTENERS WERE THERE?

Jake Kirn > Takuro Spirit
06/13/2014 at 20:38

This is why I do my own car work.

Takuro Spirit > Jake Kirn
06/13/2014 at 20:46

Not everyone has a machine shop in their basements.... somehow the crank had to be knife edged and lightened, the block sleeved and crank journal bore-honed....

oldestyoungn > offroadkarter
06/14/2014 at 18:42

Kinja'd!!!

What is that crap?

thebigbossyboss > Jedidiah
07/29/2015 at 12:06

Hahaha.

thebigbossyboss > PatBateman
07/29/2015 at 12:07

Depends on the rumour. In politics everything is rumours and some of them are right haha.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > offroadkarter
07/29/2015 at 12:11

My mother told me two things:

1. “If you pick your nose, it’s going to bleed.”

2. “Don’t break traction.”

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > Makoyouidiot
07/29/2015 at 12:17

And he seems to have a line forming at the door of people wanting to pay for his services...

450X_FTW > Axial
07/29/2015 at 12:34

They always seem to be the “yeah we can tune it to an insane amount of power” but people don’t realize that when you do that to an engine, the life expectancy goes to shit. There’s a reason dragsters rebuild their engines after 1 pass.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > oldestyoungn
07/29/2015 at 14:17

Re-formatted bumper parts, methinks.

Roadster Man > MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner
07/29/2015 at 15:08

Here it is. If the owner didn’t read the fine print on a WARRANTY FOR A PERFORMANCE PACKAGE then it’s on him. Caveat emptor baby. Unless it was sneaky wording, then you’re just being a bad guy.

MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner > Roadster Man
07/29/2015 at 16:10

Holy article from last summer Bat Man! Roadster Man!

Yeah it’s on the owner for not reading the warranty, like i said, I would have asked if it was covered.

GhostZ > offroadkarter
07/29/2015 at 16:11

Hey look, one microscopic part of a large story.

I have a sort of no-sympathy approach to people who go to tuning shops to modify their cars. You’re not buying it from a dealership, it will blow up eventually and you are putting more strain on the components. And if you didn’t build it yourself, there’s a good chance when the warning signs start, you’ll be oblivious to them because you’re still treating the vehicle like a dealer-fresh car. You’re not an engineer, you have no idea what you’re doing and you’re putting your car in the hands of other people. How much you trust them is entirely up to you, and if you trust them foolishly, you’re going to get burned.

Get your legal documents in order and know exactly what is covered under warrant and what isn’t. Anything less is stupid . Surprised Hennessey isn’t covering your warranty? You’re a damn fool. If your warranty is documented so well, then go grab a lawyer and have them make a settlement, you can definitely afford one if you can afford this car, because Hennessey can’t back out of this.

If Hennessey can back out then it’s your own damn fault for modifying the car without a warranty when you couldn’t do them modifications yourself, OR, your own damn fault for not buttoning down the warranty from day 1.

At the end of the day, you live and die by your own wrench, not someone else’s promises.

GhostZ > ZiptieMcBumper
07/29/2015 at 16:13

That’s my thought. AMS or not?