Installed an X-pipe junction and the difference is beyond belief

[jerry S]

Not so much because the X-Pipe junction is that much of a performance enhancer but because the jerk who did the original exhaust, Jeff Bender from Bender's Auto Service in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania, apparently has no skill whatsoever. I was simply stunned when they put my car up on the rack today. I had no idea Jeff had done such a half-a$$ed job (he charged me $400 by the way). He did not weld any of the sections. Rather, he simply clamped on exhaust pipe hanger clamps.

http://images1.snapfish.com/346:78484fp346>nu=3263>988>548>WSNRCG=323373;763<8:nu0mrj

Have a look at the crazy bends he put in. This is the before picture.

http://images1.snapfish.com/346:78484fp344>nu=3263>988>548>WSNRCG=323373;755787nu0mrj

No wonder my car was such a dog down low. I honestly believe I was losing as much as 15-20 hp at the wheels from his crappy job.

Here is the after photo

http://images1.snapfish.com/346:78484fp342>nu=3263>988>548>WSNRCG=323373;76498<nu0mrj

Unfortunately for Jeff, I am licensed as a lawyer in PA and he is going to see how much of a nuisance I can make his life, even from Amsterdam. The Dutch who did the final job simply could not believe an American shop could do such a crappy job.

I am happy to report that my car feels like an entirely new car. It has explosive torque at lower RPMs. I was simply amazed at the difference.

 

[MustangMatt1966]

Awesome, sorry to hear you had to pay 400 for such a crappy job....nice to hear you got it back running at its ful potential...good to hear...keep us posted!!!

 

[66bluepony]

The exhoust did not look bad to me. It is normal to clamp the muffler and tail pipe with a u mufler clamp.

 

[C0V3R]

From what I can see there is nothing "wrong" with the original setup. It may not be 100% optimal but it looks like a reasonable job.

Using the clamps for mufflers is common. Mine is like that. It makes it alot less expensive to swap in a different set down the track.

 

[brianj5600]

Why the original zig zag? It looks like he could have used the same pieces to make an X pipe system. My exhaust uses clamps, Jegs kit, but I would expect welds from a pro.

 

[D.Hearne]

I agree with the others, looks like a professional job to me also. If I was the judge in your case, I'd laugh you out of court. Looks better than the system on my V8 Ranger and it's no dog (the Ranger) I built a, what I call an "equalizer" chamber myself to take the place of an X or H pipe, and it may look like crap to some, but it well served it's purpose. Smoothed the pulses out and felt like it picked up a few ponies. I think you owe Jeff Bender an appology. I thought you were better than what you've posted here, I guess I was wrong.

 

[iskwezm]

I agree with the others, looks like a professional job to me also.

I think you owe Jeff Bender an appology.

i agree

 

[57fairlane]

$400 is a lot for the first 2 pictures though.

Maybe exhaust is cheaper here in GA. I got a mandrel bent setup (already had the prochamber and mufflers) for $220 with turndowns.

The old setup with tailpipes was $150 using crush-bent crap.

 

[jerry S]

I don't owe Jeff anything other than a summons. That exhaust job was supposed to be a straight line out the back, not with zig zags.

For parts he put on the car, our agreement was that he would mark up only $10 per part. For work farmed out, I was to pay the actual cost of the other shop. Instead,

1. Jeff said I had custom made JE pistons costing $620. However, I found out from the machine shop that did the short block that they used off the shelf SRP pistons costing under $500. Jeff overcharged me $120 for pistons that he knew very well are not in there. The shop says that it gave jeff a detailed breakdown of what was in there and there was no way he could have mistaken this for that. This is consumer fraud.

2. My bill says that I have flowmaster mufflers costing $75 each. Rather, they are summit mufflers costing $40 each. This is not just an overcharge but is also consumer fraud.

3. My bill said that I have a flex-a-lite electric fan costing $269. It is a 12 inch puller fan Jeff bought from Summit for $125.

4. My bill said that I had a Be-Cool radiator direct fit radiator costing $500 when in fact it was a Griffin universal radiator costing $159. this too is consumer fraud.

5. My bill says that I have a B&M Racing transmission cooler costing $125 when according to the Summit Racing catalog, it was more like $50.

6. My bill says that I have Comp Cams Pro Magnum hardened pushrods for $125 when in fact they were trick flow pushrods that; (a) were only $86 and (b) were too long for my Edelbrock heads. I was lucky to find this error before damage was caused.

Should I be apologizing to him for the above?

7. Jeff agreed to keep my rim blow steering wheel safe and sound so I could re-sell it but he accidentally "lost" it (most likely on eBay or at a swap meet). I had multiple offers here on SN classifieds to purchase it for $300. That Jeff had the steering wheel in his possession is a bailment and the fact he "lost" it means he is obliged to replace it or pay me the value.

8. The owner of the local dyno shop confirmed that jeff never brought my car there to be tuned.

He lied to me so many times that he could not keep his own lies straight. He had told me early on that he had had the exhaust done as one of the first things. when I arranged to have a truck collect the car to ship it to me, Jeff told me that he still had to have the exhaust done. According to my records, I told him, you did this last September. He was hemming and hawing and ugh, ugh...

And one more thing. The shop that did the short block got stiffed by Jeff on payment for several months. Jeff told the machine shop that the reason he never paid them was because I never paid him. This was a complete lie. I paid Jeff the day he submitted the invoice to me. When I had a question about my pistons, I called the machine shop and they asked me why they should tell me squat when I was a dead beat. I was like, "um, I have no idea what you are talking about." Then they told me how Jeff said that I had never paid. I told them that I had paid Jeff 4 months ago and they were like "that is interesting, cause he is telling us you never paid him." When I confronted jeff with this, he said it was a mix up, just like he said with all the overcharges I found.

So there you have it D.Hearne and others, a more complete picture of the source of my discontent. Do I really sound so unreasonable now? do you still think I owe him an apology?

 

[Sodaholic]

yo **** that, imma learn to do all this stuff myself, people charge to much for BS.

 

[Cannoball888]

Jeff needs to have a sudden and mysterious encounter with a gang of hired street thugs.



The above statement does not suggest or condone harm to individuals or groups nor does it advocate the overthrow of governments foreign or domestic and is intended for entertainment purposes only.

 

[Tim65GT]

I realize there are people out there that are into the hobby, but don't have the means or the know-how to do certain things themselves. So they go some where and pay to have it done.

It seems to me that some of the items you listed could have easily been researched ahead of time and also verified when it came time to pay for the work/Items.

Then you would have a reason to not go back to the same place and subject yourself to getting screwed over and over. And you could let others know, so they don't go there.

 

[jerry S]

I realize there are people out there that are into the hobby, but don't have the means or the know-how to do certain things themselves. So they go some where and pay to have it done.

It seems to me that some of the items you listed could have easily been researched ahead of time and also verified when it came time to pay for the work/Items.

Then you would have a reason to not go back to the same place and subject yourself to getting screwed over and over. And you could let others know, so they don't go there.

Jeff and the car were in Pennsylvania while I am here in Eurabia. It was easier and cheaper for me to redo the car prior to shipping it over here and then buying the parts and shipping them here to do the job here. The fact that this guy tried to play games with me is only to his detriment. I can see one or two billing error but it is said that "once is an accident, twice is a coincidence, and three times is a conspiracy." It is very simple. He was dishonest with me and now I am going take some small measure of revenge. I trusted him not to screw me over and he took advantage of that trust. He calculated that he could pad the bill here and there and make an extra grand on the job and that I, being in Eurabia, would not be able to do anything about it. His calculations will prove both incorrect and costly. I will file a claim in small claims court in conjunction with filing a complaint with the PA Attorney General's office of consumer protection. He will see that he miscalculated - that the costs of doing what he did far outweigh the benefits.

 

[D.Hearne]

I based what I said on your pics of the exhuast he did (or had done) Even after all your complaints, it still looks like a neat, tidy ( yea it maybe didn't need those bends, but as Brian said, you still have those same bends with the X pipe) system, and while to some it may not look like a $400 system, in some locations, you'd pay double that for the same thing. Now, as for all your other compliants about him, that I can't honestly comment on. I wasn't there and don't have the parts in hand. Still if I was the judge and all you had was those pics for evidence, I'd still tend to lean toward Jeff's side. You can hate me or not for this, but that's all I have to go on. I'm not even going to throw in the fact that you say you're a Lawyer or what I think of the shambles that they've made of this country into the mix, just the facts as you've presented. I know there are those who prey on others in their business dealings, I've had my share of those too, that's the reason I try to do things myself now, so I'm not going to take sides on the rest of your complaints here.

 

[iskwezm]

was this guy a friend??? If so or even if he wasnt, why would anybody in retail make $10 bucks a part???Im in retail now and that wont pay for bills,inventory whatever......I do see your point now and he did charge you MSRP for things as well as mirepresent the parts he used.

Anytime i get something done, i research it first so i know what the parts should cost, because you know when the deal is made your just so excited you say yes and then realize you got screwed.Happens to everybody

 

[brianj5600]

I was not defending the bends, rather stating that given those pipes I would have made an X-pipe, but never that configuration. IMO he said "aw, he'll never crawl under there to se it anyway." I have an uncommon machinist that sells parts at cost. Prices are on par with any mail order or better. He makes money on machine work. It saves him time in the shop because he knows what fits and does worry about the box of parts brought to him are not compatible. Parts he sells w/o machine work he makes money on, but not full retail.

 

[jerry S]

and while to some it may not look like a $400 system, in some locations, you'd pay double that for the same thing.

the job he gave me could be a $800 job in Manhattan but is it most certainly is not a $400 job in Western PA.

Still if I was the judge and all you had was those pics for evidence, I'd still tend to lean toward Jeff's side.

My complaint is not just this one thing per se but it is the sum total of his collective BS to date. He invoiced me for expensive parts that simply were not there. If a refrigerator repair man came to your house to install a new condenser and new motor but installed a condenser and motor from a 30 year old fridge he found on the curb during trash day and billed you for the new parts anyway, how would you feel?

You can hate me or not for this, but that's all I have to go on. I'm not even going to throw in the fact that you say you're a Lawyer or what I think of the shambles that they've made of this country into the mix, just the facts as you've presented.

I value your mustang knowledge and welcome when you have weighed in on those tech questions I have posed in the past. I hope you will continue to share your knowledge with me in spite of who I am and what you think about me. If you want to believe that lawyers are all that are bad and evil and what is wrong with America, that is fine with me too.

I know there are those who prey on others in their business dealings, I've had my share of those too, that's the reason I try to do things myself now.

like I said, I wanted as much work done stateside before shipping the car to me here. It did not make much sense to buy a project car, ship it over here and then purchase the parts and pay overseas shipping and duty and then install here. I guess I am still too naive to believe that you can take a man at his word even though this is how I still operate. I am representing several US servicemen here in eurabia in domestic relations matters, Ford warranty issues, or other problems, for free. I don't need the money. I am just glad to help out where I can.

was this guy a friend??? If so or even if he wasnt, why would anybody in retail make $10 bucks a part???Im in retail now and that wont pay for bills,inventory whatever......I do see your point now and he did charge you MSRP for things as well as mirepresent the parts he used.

not a friend. His shop is a 30 min drive from Summit in Ohio. I was originally buying the parts and shipping them to his shop. He told me that he goes to Summit once a week to purchase parts in connection with his business and that he could get what I needed and that he would only mark up $10 per part purchased. The $10 per part adds up when you consider the large volume of business he does with Summit. He told me he makes not less than $400 each time he goes to Summit to buy parts with his own mark up.


so to get this thread back on topic, I just want to say that in my case, an X-pipe made a world of difference for the better. I don't have any empirical evidence to back up my assertions, just my own observations about how my car has performed before and after the installation.

 

[69Rcode_Mach1]

All I know is that I wanted to buy that steering wheel so I hate Jeff.

 

[D.Hearne]

Not all Lawyers are bad--------- just the 99% of them that prey on the public, those who've graduated to politics, and the one's who've learned to "mine" this nation's businesses ( which cost's us ALL money) I tend to judge people by their actions and to a lesser extent, their words. I fully understand what you're going thru, but by my not being personally, hands on involved, I'll keep my judgments to myself. But I still think you're wrong on the exhaust system part of it. But it's your car.

 

[thehueypilot]

Yikes..........that's why I do everything myself.