1995 bmw 540i
A VICTIM OF THE AUTO REPAIR BUSINESS!
PREVENT THIS FROM HAPPENING TO YOU!
(WHAT YOU ARE ABOUT TO READ IS FACT, NO EXAGGERATIONS... JUST THE FACTS!)
on December 14, 2001 i trusted a local licensed independent repair shop, VICTOR'S SERVICE with the troubleshooting and repairs on my '95 bmw 54oi... 0n 01/25/02, assisted by the trustee assistant, i retrieved it from the shop... in pieces!
VICTOR'S SERVICE, did not inform me or the warranty company, of their bankruptcy proceedings, disassembled my 1995 bmw 540i, allegedly received the full amount of the cost of repairing my car through a service contract company... i learned on January 17, 2001 that the department of justice had locked out the owner of the shop!
VICTOR'S SERVICE was locked up before January 14, 2002 and i could not read the letter posted on the shop window as it was posted about twenty feet from the locked gate. on or about January 17, 2002, i finally got an adjoining shop to copy the address and case number on the posted letter... until this time i was being lied to by the owner... i learned from contacting the number that he was in bankruptcy and later learned he was converting from a chapter 11 BANKRUPTCY to CHAPTER 7 DURING THE TIME THIS SCAM TOOK PLACE... the shop was keeping this information to themselves... not telling the service contract/warranty company or myself of their financial TROUBLE.
VICTOR'S SERVICE , a licensed repair shop converted to chapter 7 bankruptcy... this was december 18, 2001... on december 19, 2001 i was sent a fax to authorize the start of the repairs, i signed the fax, which was a quote to accept my responsibility of the deductible and to start the work... i have a faxed copy of that fax as documentation! on december 18, 2001, just two days prior, VICTOR'S SERVICE allegedly received the full payment from the warranty co. in the amount 0f $x,xxx.82 from the warranty co... on december 20, 2001, the warranty co... CLAIMS THEY paid this shop in full! $x,xxx.82... in 48 hours or less, the independent claims adjuster was test driving the car... yet they pay the claim in full... i have not even seen the fax sent to the warranty co. claiming the job was complete, requesting payment!
i never signed that document, nor have even seen it!
I never experienced ANYTHING LIKE THIS IN All my years... NO ONE I TELL THE STORY TO CAN UNDERSTAND WHY the warranty co PAID PRIOR TO THE WORK BEING COMPLETED AND SIGNED OFF BY ME!
it may be just another check we have to make in order to prevent this happening to you! i HIRED AN ATTORNEY AND HE DID A CHECK ON THE NEXIS LEXIS WEBSITE AND IN LESS THAN 2 MINUTE WAS ABLE TO FAX ME A COPY OF THE CURRENT STATE OF BANKRUPTCY FOR THE OWNER OF VICTOR'S SERVICE
I DISCOVERED THAT VICTOR'S SERVICE was allowed to REOPEN IT'S DOORS FOR BUSINESS AGAIN ON 02.08.02! extreme CAUTION!!! ... I DO NOT UNDERSTAND THIS SYSTEM WE HAVE IN PLACE!!!!
!!do not get ripped off from victor's service!!
the following pictures were taken at VICTOR'S SERVICE in Pasadena, ca, on january 25, 2001 when i was allowed by the trustee's office to remove my property... i had to hire a flatbed to get my 540i home !
the intake insulation and plastic engine cover are removed in the picture above...
i have them pictured on this page... with broken and missing parts
the zf 5hp-30 5 speed automatic from the 1995 540i... never even sent out for remanufacture... ON THE BENCH AT THE REPAIR SHOP victor's service
REMOVED FROM THE CAR TO BE REMANUFACTURED BY A TRANSMISSION SPECIALIST, AUTHORIZED BY the warranty co... ON OR ABOUT 12.17.01 AND THEN PAID IN FULL ON 12.20.02 BY the warranty co...
AS STATED ABOVE... ON 12.19.01 I SIGNED A FAX TO OK THE CHARGES AND MY RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE DEDUCTIBLE... UNBEKNOWNST TO ME, ON 12.18.01 THE OWNER OF VICTOR'S SERVICE WAS IN A COURTROOM IN LOS ANGELES WITH HIS ATTORNEY, CONVERTING HIS CHAPTER 11 TO A CHAPTER 7 BANKRUPTCY!
the following pictures were taken at my home in Pasadena, ca on 01.26.02 the day i was able to retrieve my vehicle, it is in the same disassembled condition to date! THERE IS MUCH MORE INFORMATION I AM NOT PUTTING UP... AS I GET MORE AND MORE DETAILS FROM CERTAIN ENTITIES INVOLVED IN THIS... IT IS AN AMAZING STORY!
ONE OF THE MOST AMAZING CHAPTERS OF THIS STORY IS THE DIFFICULTY I AM HAVING IN LOCATING A SHOP TO EVEN HAVE AN INTEREST IN REPAIRING MY TRANNY AND REINSTALLING IT AND REASSEMBLING MY CAR! i HAVE BEEN GIVEN MUCH HELP BY A FEW VERY COOL LOCAL AND A FEW VERY COOL DISTANT BMWCCA CLUB MEMBERS... I JUST JOINED AND AM ENJOYING THE EXCELLENT CAMARADERIE I HAVE FOUND!
the following parts on the table are what was laying together on a bench in the shop... i tried to id the part on the far right... appears to be some sort of TRANNY FLUID tank... I am going back to see if i can locate the section of exhaust that is missing... and i will be meeting with the owner of the shop ON 02/02/02 to SEE IF I CAN PICK UP THE EXHAUST SECTIONS WITH THE CATS & 02 SENSORS... done that and it appears that all of the major components are now in my possession... an exhaust bracket or two IS missing... AND I BELIEVE THERE ARE A COUPLE OF TRANNY HOSES? i DO NOT HAVE THE HOSES...
(ABOVE PARAGRAPH/DOCUMENTATION DATED JANUARY 26, 2001)
ALL OF THE TORQUE BOLTING FOR MOUNTING THE TRANNY TO THE ENGINE ARE THERE... THE SHIFTER CABLE AND LINKAGE IS TUCKED AWAY UNDER THE TUNNEL...
the tabs were pried up and the four screws were loose... and the one very small screw is missing on the TRANSMISSION ecm... I HAVE BEEN UNABLE TO VERIFY THE REASON VICTOR'S SERVICE PULLED THE ECM OUT OF THE CAR!
is this the stock chip? or ? i was told by VICTOR'S SERVICE that the new trans would need a new eprom chip... AND A NEW REVERSE LOCKOUT SWITCH??? i HAVE YET TO HAVE ANYONE ELSE REPEAT THAT TO ME !
THE TRANS CONTROL MODULE APPEARS TO BE COMPLETE... ASIDE FROM ONE MISSING SPRING CLIP THAT HOLDS THE MODULE IN PLACE... any information would be greatly appreciated!
this is my BABY before i drove in to:
she drove in for a transmission noise and she did not drive out!
the CIRCLE SHOWS THE ONE BROKEN PLASTIC COVER MOUNT... THE ENGINE COVER APPARENTLY NEEDED TO COME OFF FOR THE TRANNY REMOVAL (BENTLEY SERVICE MANUAL E34)
the REAR OF THE ENGINE VIEWED FROM THE DRIVERS SIDE... YOU CAN SEE THE RED BRICK WHERE THE TRANS WOULD BE... THERE IS A CAP WHERE I BELIEVE A TRANNY HOSE CONNECTS?
THERE IS ALSO AN OPEN BLACK PLASTIC TUBE? i HAVE NOT CONFIRMED THESE IN MY BENTLEY 5 SERIES MANUAL YET... THE NEXT SHOT IS THE INTAKE INSULATION AND PLASTIC COVER... THE FOUR SMALL ROUND BLACK PLASTIC BOLT COVERS ARE MISSING IN ACTION!
THAT'S A BOUT IT! if THERE ARE ANY QUESTIONS, EMAIL ME USING THE LINK AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS PAGE...
THE transmission was covered under the warranty co... drive train SERVICE CONTRACT (USED VEHICLE warranty) but they have an unorthodox way of handling the important things... the warranty co CLAIMS THEY paid VICTOR'S SERVICE IN FULL, even though the trans was to be remanufactured by another party... a transmission remanufacturer! from what i was told by VICTOR'S SERVICE (and this was confirmed when calling the warranty co's customer service 800 number) ON JANUARY 17, 2001... the warranty co claims adjuster had a remanufacturing facility of their choice that offers a 30 month warranty as opposed to the bmw 12 month remanufactured warranty... so i was informed by the repair shop! confirmed untruth from the warranty co!
i have been advised by an attorney in this matter and will not stop IN MY PURSUIT TO HAVE THIS Mistake made by others corrected!
ON JANUARY 18, 2001 the warranty company's customer service REPRESENTATIVE has made the statement... "we paid this claim... it is between you and the repair shop"
just retrieved from the shop on 02/02/02... the cats...
THE SYMPTOMS PRIOR TO DISASSEMBLY WAS... A WHINE NOISE WAS NOTICED THROUGH ALL GEARS, THEN THE SHIFTING BECAME JERKY AND HUNG TOO LONG IN LOWER GEARS AND WOULD NOT UP SHIFT normally IN "A" & "S" MODES BOTH...
ON FEBRUARY 7, 2002 I WAS INFORMED BY A FELLOW BMW CLUB MEMBER OUT IN MICHIGAN... AND A VERY KNOWLEDGEABLE TRANSMISSION TECH, THAT IT WAS ENTIRELY POSSIBLE THE TRANSMISSION DID NOT NEED TO COME OUT OF THE VEHICLE!
HE IS A ZF DISTRIBUTOR AND RECOMMEND THAT THE TRANS BE UPGRADED TO AN 029, THIS ONE BEING THE 010 VERSION... HE ALSO MADE THE STATEMENT THAT IF IT WAS TO BE REBUILT BY BMW, IT WOULD GET THAT UPGRADE AS PART OF THE REBUILD!
thanks for all your help in THIS consumer fraud snafu!
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