"450X_FTW" (mistermic)
09/17/2015 at 12:09 • Filed to: None
1
22|
"450X_FTW" (mistermic)
09/17/2015 at 12:09 • Filed to: None | 1
| 22 |
Few years ago I bought a 77 CB750 for $950 to turn into a cafe racer. It ran fine, needed cosmetic work to it for the most part. Did what I could until I was stuck with the electrical work and took it to a shop near in me SE Michigan to finish. They mainly do dirt bikes, and I’ve had mine up there several times, quick, prices are fair, good work, this was my first street bike to them. Original quote was $2300, I told him I have a budget of $3000. That was in February of 2014.
This is how the bike looked when i took it to him.
No paint was done, as we agreed, just electrical and mechanical work was needed.
Fast forward to March of this year, I stop by the shop and my bike is in the garage out back with a tarp on it, turns out it’s been there for about 6 months. I had been too busy with my new job, traveling for work, and moving into our new house for me to even think about this project. I tell him to start work or I’m taking it elsewhere. I’ve put $1500 down so far on the work order and he said at this point we are about even. He gets his guy working on it again, only issues he told me was the rear brake master cylinder and headlight bezel needed to be replaced, along with some engine tuning.
Got the call last night, said total bill is $4100. Talk to him today for 20 minutes and he said there’s more, actual bill is $4728. Never told me about additional prices, never said he was going over budget. He said it was due to extensive electrical work, engine tuning, brake rebuild kits. I told him had I known he was going to spend this much, I would have taken the bike as is and parted it out. He said I can make payments......
Grab Paddle
> 450X_FTW
09/17/2015 at 12:19 |
|
This is illegal. Dont worry. They cant perform work over your estimate without getting your approval first, otherwise it would be extortion. They also are not allowed to keep your bike. You should look up the laws in your state, and call the police.
Sampsonite24-Earth's Least Likeliest Hero
> 450X_FTW
09/17/2015 at 12:19 |
|
Email Steve Lehto and see if there is anything you can do
|
450X_FTW
> Grab Paddle
09/17/2015 at 12:20 |
|
I’m going to send it into Lehto, waiting for copies of the service bills to come through via fax. Luckily I’m only about 30 minutes from his office.
Master Cylinder
> 450X_FTW
09/17/2015 at 12:21 |
|
Good lord. Almost $6K for a CB750 cafe racer? Without paint? What the hell was this shop even doing? It’s an old air-cooled Honda, there’s really just not that much there to fix even if everything’s broken. You can’t possibly need “extensive” electrical work - that requires having an electrical system that is extensive in the first place! I could probably wire a new harness in a weekend, and I’m definitely no professional. Hell, it’s a CB750 - someone probably sells a pre-built harness for it.
I need to start selling CB750 cafe racers, apparently.
|
450X_FTW
> Sampsonite24-Earth's Least Likeliest Hero
09/17/2015 at 12:21 |
|
Planning to, just waiting for copies of the bills to come through the fax machine. Until then I need to vent because I’m in a quiet office, but in my head i’m more like
|
450X_FTW
> Master Cylinder
09/17/2015 at 12:23 |
|
All the wiring needed was behind the headlight, for turn signals, switches and gauges, The bike was 100% stock when I got it. I was changing the turn signals into LED, changing the guages, and controls over to a more modern look. But all I did was clip the connectors off the ends to rewire for new connections.
Snuze: Needs another Swede
> 450X_FTW
09/17/2015 at 12:36 |
|
That is insane. I’m sorry to hear about this.
I had a huge amount of work done on an 89 CB-1 including a full engine rebuild, which required custom pistons because Honda doesn’t make parts for it anymore, repaint, and a bunch of other stuff. And I think I had like $2500 tied up in it.
|
450X_FTW
> Snuze: Needs another Swede
09/17/2015 at 12:39 |
|
I should have used your shop haha
|
Snuze: Needs another Swede
> 450X_FTW
09/17/2015 at 12:43 |
|
That was about 8 years ago, I don’t know if they’re around anymore or not. I found them by chance, I was calling places to work on my CB-1 and they were the only ones who seemed interested. It’s a rare animal, only about 3-5,000 sold in the US over a 2 year period, so a lot of shops didn’t even want to mess with it.
That’s whats really killing me... the CB750 is not rare or weird, its a common, popular bike. Can’t be that hard (or expensive) to do some basic stuff on.
Steve in Manhattan
> 450X_FTW
09/17/2015 at 12:58 |
|
Guessing there is some law (might even be a clause in the work order) that says they have to get permission if they’re going to go X% over ....
|
450X_FTW
> Steve in Manhattan
09/17/2015 at 12:59 |
|
I think it’s law that the additional price has to be agreed upon or told to the customer before the work is done. I’ve sent it to Steve Lehto along with the bill copies to see if there’s anything I can do.
|
Steve in Manhattan
> 450X_FTW
09/17/2015 at 13:10 |
|
That makes sense.
StndIbnz, Drives a MSRT8
> 450X_FTW
09/17/2015 at 13:19 |
|
MI you say? Get Letho on the case lol.
Honestly, this sucks. They had the bike for about a year though? Thats a bit excessive.
|
450X_FTW
> StndIbnz, Drives a MSRT8
09/17/2015 at 13:22 |
|
I sent him an email with the docs for the quote and final billing. Luckily I’m only about 30 minutes from his office.
And yeah year a half to do it. For the money this bike has cost I could have bought a nice barely used street bike instead
Tohru
> Steve in Manhattan
09/17/2015 at 13:23 |
|
In WI, you have to sign the estimate. If they need to go over it, you need to sign the new estimate. If they go over the estimate without informing you, you’re not obligated to pay the extra.
In fact, I know of several shops that have worked on customer cars without a signed estimate at all and had it bite them in the ass. No signed estimate means they can legally come get their car and not pay you because they didn’t authorize the work in a legally-binding manner.
|
StndIbnz, Drives a MSRT8
> 450X_FTW
09/17/2015 at 13:29 |
|
Well good luck man!
|
450X_FTW
> Snuze: Needs another Swede
09/17/2015 at 13:30 |
|
And how fitting is it that this is today’s NPCP survey?
http://jalopnik.com/for-6-800-this…
|
Master Cylinder
> 450X_FTW
09/17/2015 at 14:52 |
|
Yeah, it’s just not that complex. I think you need to find a different shop. And get a detailed invoice of the work they are charging you for now. Hope you can get the situation resolved. I’d be pretty pissed off that they went over your cap without even asking.
|
450X_FTW
> Master Cylinder
09/17/2015 at 14:55 |
|
He faxed me over all the billing info, list of parts and labor hours. Some BS on there though like charging me for a new horn, when the old horn worked fine....
|
Master Cylinder
> 450X_FTW
09/17/2015 at 15:01 |
|
Yeah, that kind of stuff is BS. You could pretty much have bought a lightly used Thruxton for that kind of money.
|
450X_FTW
> Master Cylinder
09/17/2015 at 15:08 |
|
that thought crossed my mind more than once today too...
|
Snuze: Needs another Swede
> 450X_FTW
09/17/2015 at 15:52 |
|
Hnnng! Want!