houston racer

Ok, so I don't know how many of you have ever brought your car someplace that did a very bad job, but I’m sure you would have wished someone had told you before you brought your car there right?

First let me just say that this is not a plug for another shop or a personal issue, this is exactly what happened to me.

Here is just a short summary of what happend to me, and I have all the supporting documentation.

I brought my car to Advanced Racing Dynamics to have the driveline upgraded and replaced. Originally it was only supposed to cost 3000 dollars, in the end I spend 13,000+++ dollars. How is this possible you ask? Good question

I was supposed to take a couple of months, they needed to pull the driveline and replace it with a unit I supplied from another car. It was in perfect condition, ARD just needed to install components which I supplied brand new. Injectors, turbo, fuel rail, clutch etc.. Nothing cheap or used, brand new.

Ok so 2 months turns into 6 months, then 8 months. At this point I’m want my car back finished or not. Always it's "hey this part needs to be replaced", again and again all brand new!! I keep getting replacement parts and the dealers are asking whets going on? They have never had this part fail ever!! We are talking about injectors, clutches, fuel regulators. I will spare you the details let's just say ARD and I spoke often each time one item such as the fuel regulator install would be completed.

So finally I get the call "The car is done". So I drive the car and it goes right back to the shop. Died right there on the test drive had to be towed, did not run right to begin with!! Then a succession of problems everything from missing bolts to it wouldn't idle. Day after day it comes home then goes back.

Finally the engine goes and the culprit? The clutch was disk installed backwards and burned up the thrust bearings. How do I know? People who used to work there apologized to me and told me not to let Owen charge me for the damage.

So then what? I buy a new brand new bottom end, finally start to drive it and it blows a rod. Less than 500 break in miles never raced or driven hard.

Now a well known and reputable shop gets the car and goes through everything. I don’t even have the time or patience to list all of the items here they found. Everything that was done was done half assed. Three months later the car is picked up and I have pictures of everything they did.

Three really great ones I would like to share, fuel pump wires were pinched and shorted IN THE FUEL TANK I’m sure that was completely safe!! The turbo return line was stainless braided line- BUT HEY JUST CAUSE IT'S RUBBER ON THE INSIDE DOESN'T MEAN IT CAN'T BE USED AGAINST THE HEADER!!! So what if it LEAKS OIL ON THE HEADER I’m sure that's fine no fire hazard there. Or maybe the rubber intercooler connectors that burned through since they were on the headers as well should have been "Built better”. I could continue but I think everyone gets the picture--- Now it's up to you would you want your friends to take your car there? I wouldn’t---

Footlead

iTrader: (18)

I have never used them but I have read similar horror stories like yours on cars they worked on. I almost took my car over there about 3 years ago but did some internet searching and not much positive was written about Owen and ARD. I took it to another shop and have not had one issue with the work that was done. I went to Sealy 2 years ago to watch the fastest 5K to the winner 5th gen Camaro race and ARD was there and blew there **** up and caught on fire. ===Lost. Sorry about your experience and I feel your pain. It burns me up when these shops take advantage of people and pretty much steal your money.

Sprayed1998

iTrader: (10)

You are not the 1st by a looong shot!

Bad Chad

iTrader: (94)

Here is a lot of reading about ARD's awesome workmanship.

http://www.lsxnation.net/forum/showt...-Beware-of-ARD!

Turbo_Stang

iTrader: (3)

I would of thought after all these years later they would be better by default.Guess I was wrong

Inspector12

iTrader: (29)

Well I havent had them do any work for me, but I will say I have a good friend the worked for them for a very short period of time and told me some absolutely crazy stuff that was done out of that shop. And during that time he started calling them Advanced Racing Disasters lol! But really I hate to hear these type of stories! Sorry it happened to you, believe me it happens to a lot more people and you just never hear about it!

05 GSXR 1XXX

iTrader: (16)

Had them do a tune and some small stuff no problems. But most things I read about them are negative.

Owen has always been real nice and actually listens, still shocks me to hear these stories

mariojmoe

iTrader: (14)

ARD = TOTAL FAIL!!!!! Bastards got me for over 5K a few years ago and the car was NEVER right after they touched it. Horrible Horrible sharks that dont know crap about doing things correct. I wont even get into my horror story but I'll say You're not alone with ard tales.

Sprayed1998

iTrader: (10)

How is Owen still around. Who the **** is taking him their cars anymore lol.

1bad03snake

iTrader: (16)

Owen tuned my g8. I traded in my g8 after the tranny started slipping when he was done....... Never again

houston racer

There was a lot more to the story such as switching turbo cartridges, leaving out driveline bolts. The fuel pumps are in the fuel tank (which is inside the car) and when they stopped pumping I took it apart and found the power wire welded to the gas tank. Bewteen that and the oil return line leaking oil on the header I can't belive it diddn't catch on fire. My point here only is that there are people that are using him now, and I don't want them to get ****** like we did. Everytime I post an honest and truthful assesment of his work anyplace he finds a way to have it taken down. So hear this Owen, you listening? When you work on peoples cars we want everyone to post the abortion online. Eventually everyone will know about the work you do, at least then they can decide knowing all the facts.

Storm Trooper

iTrader: (11)

I have heard nothing but bad things about that shop....

NV my V

bought a "fully built" motor from him that would never run right. took it to another shop, and found that nothing was assembled correctly, none of the parts that we paid for were on there. couple of grand lost and a year's worth of headache dealing with him. that was about 8 or 9 years ago, i was definitely shocked to see he was still in business.

ex-SS-ve

iTrader: (9)

All the 5th gen camaro owners seem to love that place. Check out camaro5.com or h-towncamaroclub.com . They seem to think he runs the best shop in town. Bunch of impressionable morons.

whatsa347

iTrader: (6)

These same morons? http://www.camaro5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1806

mlee

Interesting that you just happened to sign up on all these forums you're posting on yesterday, but your complaints are old history that have been out there for years (and in this post it appears it's WE now, not you). You yourself said you've posted stuff before and it gets deleted. Your credibility is very suspect hiding behind a new username.

I'm not here to defend them in anyway, but I just saw 5 ARD cars in the top 16 5th Gen shootout at Lucas Oil Speedway last week and see them all over town with happy customers. Hennessey/Fastlane and others have their skeletons too, so if you want to bring something recent to the table I'm all ears, until then your old grudge doesn't hold much weight.

NemeSS

iTrader: (127)

The ARD work i have seen is ****.
Ive had the unpleasure to fix such **** work.

SLV_WS6

iTrader: (48)

lmao the 5th gen guys love Owen. Seems like those are the only ones he gets half *** right. Except for the 5th gen that lost his motor at Seally and flipped down the track. I think every one here knows of some ones car Owen butchered. ARD has more skeletons in the closet then any other shop in Houston hands down

Bad Chad

iTrader: (94)

Are you on Owen's payroll? YOU are the only person that defends him on the boards when someone has an issue with his work. OWEN DOESNT NOT EVEN DEFEND HIMSELF!!!!

I have worked on several cars that ARD built and the workmanship is on point with what to OP stated. Its ARD's trade mark to leave transmission bellhousing bolts out, shitty wires splices, install stock parts when owner buys aftermarket and very sloppy work.


Keep taking your cars there, ARD is hands down the Best...

houston racer

Really Mr. Lee? Owen and ARD have caused many people including me (just on just this forum alone) lots of money and frustration. His actions are not just wrong but were (at a minimum) deceptive. I know this from first hand experience and I’m sharing minimal details with the community, there is a lot more I could say. I don’t know the “other guys” so I have no comment on the work they do. If I had something to say about them I would. Are you suggesting that this never happened? Or maybe that since this happened some time ago that we should all forgive him for the work he did and “he has turned over a new leaf?” What I suggest to you is that people have a right to know this shops history. Last I heard it’s one of the most basic and fundamental rights we enjoy as Americans. If there’s ANYTHING in my post that you don’t think is true I will be more than happy to elaborate. I will never get my money back or justice, but if they have really “turned over a new leaf” let ARD donate the 10 grand to some racers family that dies doing what we all love. Until then I will continue to tell people the truth about the work that was done on my car at ARD.