I love it when people get their justice due when they scam people. I love it even more when it’s caught on video! Haha…Oh man, just read through this and take a look at the videos on the bottom. The moment when the camera man directs the camera towards the owner is priceless. Just to see him cover his face in shame is awesome enough as it is….
For those of you who don’t know there’s a guy by the name of Vu Tung who owns a “shop” called Crown Autosports in Fountain Valley, Calif. Supposedly they specialize in wire tucks, paint jobs, conversions, etc. and they post ads on Craigslist and what not advertising their services. The prices may seem good but to say that the quality of work is anywhere near “acceptable” would clearly be an understatement. Watch as this man documents the demise of his project car at the hands of one Vu Tung….
I am posting this to let everybody know how bad this guy is so that you won’t ever have to deal with him in the future. Under no circumstances is this part of my deal/agreement with this person that I cannot warn you guys or post about him. He is pissed off that I am posting this on TI/HT and letting you know what I went through. I have text to prove it. i reported this to the local PD in both Nor Cal and So Cal area (just in case). So please read the info below and take it how you want to take it. But this is a WARNING and I’m doing my part in helping you guys out!
I did try to do some research on this guy and his work. The pictures he posted looked good and how he did it or so he claims. Spoke with him on the phone for a week or so maybe more before driving 6 hours to drop off my car. As a result to all this, my car is now ****ed the hell up.
I already called Fountain Valley PD and San Jose PD on this matter. Both PD’s have a record on this (in case this guy tries to retaliate. Safety of my family comes first before anything). Vu (owner of the shop) will answer calls before you drop the car off text you back. But as long as he has your car in his shop, he gives you the run around. He keeps telling you he understands how you feel about your car that its your baby but in fact, he doesnt because he treats your car like shit since its not his. You have to put trust into the shop you are leaving your property with. My car was dropped off on March 28, 2009 (Sat). Drove there with my gf and our baby and my friend drove my car and he flew back home the same day while I stayed out there for the weekend. I visited the car for 2 days when I was there and he was working on it since I dropped it off. So that got me thinking that he was good at what he does.
Well its easier to rip things apart than putting it back together from what I can tell you. I paid for a RHD Conversion (I provided my own from HMotorsonline.com which I picked up the same day), Complete Paint Job including the engine bay, wire tuck. The prices he gave me were pretty good. Lesson learned, if its too good to be true, it probably is and with this matter, it is in fact TRUE!!!
After a month which he said is all he needed, I was suppose to pick up the car. Got my tickets with a friend to come a long and he cancelled the day before I was going to pick it up. He moved it for the next week, got my ticket and he cancelled 3 hours before my flight was leaving because he said he could not start the car. I flew down there anyway to check out the car. A mod here on HT picked me up from the airport and took his time to help me out. We went to his shop and he never showed up that day. I came back in the afternoon/night and he still didnt show up. He wont let me see my own car at his shop and I’m not even local. He even turned off his cell phone the whole day. Throughout this whole ordeal, he never text or calls me for any update on my car. I had to keep calling and calling and texting. But once I told him I would leave a negative feedback on HT, he calls you back within 5 minutes. I explained everything to him on what I wanted done, he says he understands and even left him a check of list to make sure all are done before I get the car so I dont have to wait for it at all. He says he goes through the list everyday but again another lie.
The 3rd time to pick it up was again cancelled. 4th time was set for May 18 (almost 2 months in the shop). I spoke with him the day before to make sure we were good to go. He says yes and my car is driveable and all set for the next day. Again, the mod here on HT (wrx-killer-Sti-eater) picked me up from LAX. He is suppose to do my alarm that day before I drove back home. When we get to the shop and saw the car, I was very pissed off.
The paint was f***ed up. It looked like someone spray painted it. Bodywork was messed up. Lots of orange peels everywhere, glossy on some parts and others none. Trimmings were painted/broken. Both fenders were not even bolted on. NO front bumper at all installed. Missing my JDM Hood latch to close the hood. My trunk was filled with car parts that were suppose to be installed such as bumper, HID’s and other things. My new windshield was cracked on the bottom where the RHD side was. Engine Bay: my jdm headlights had all the wiring cut up, missing gaskets and covers on the lights, power steering pump missing and not installed, no AC of any sort which was suppose to be installed, my battery was thrown in there and was only supported by some engine wiring, intake was not on, wiring everywhere were cut up. It’s a fire hazzard and cannot be driven. Car starts and shoots out power steering fluid. None of the lights work, windows, etc. Missing my JDM Front Bumper Pole Relay and lots and lots of bolts in the engine bay and the car. The shop was very unorganized. Car parts were everywhere.
I asked Vu where my parts where and he just looks at me with a blank expression on his face and says I dont know. He claims my original front bumper along with the lip was STOLEN by his mechanic. I asked him how and why and he kept saying I dont know. He doesnt even look sorry or apologetic. Not once did I yell at this guy or do anything at all. I was pissed off and all I could think about was the car and how it was before and now. I just got robbed by this guy! I called the local PD right away to make sure this was reported. He told me that he will fix everything if I leave it with him and I told him Hell NO! The car is leaving today with me and he never gave me any reason to trust him at all. He sent me a pic of the car a couple of days before and my gf was even wondering why the car looks dull. Not shiny or glossy. I told her maybe the lighting or so but I was wrong because it was not painted at all correctly. This was the pic sent to me via email:
First set of pics sent were about 20 or so pics. These were process of taking apart the dash, interior wiring, and the black tar. Sent on April 8, 2009. Nothing else after that. He kept promising me that pics will be sent but he never does and he always had excuses after excuses. The only pic he sent me next was on 04-30-09:
That was all. Nothing else. I was still waiting for the pics from the RHD process which were never sent to me at all. I kept asking for pics over and over again when I do get a hold of him which was once in a blue moon. I kept texting and still nothing. The next 2 pics he sent and the last one were on 05-11-09 and my gf who is not really into cars unless it was mine even recognized that it was not glossy at all. It was dull from the pics. I gave him the benefit of the doubt and told her it was probably the light. But I knew better.
Officers responded to the scene and do their routine questions. Its a civil matter they said so I have to deal with him personally and take him to court. Vu mentioned to the officers that my front bumper was stolen by his mechanic and that he was willing to give me some Recaros for the bumper and among other things. The Recaros were f***ed up. They were missing rails/sliders, broken latch to incline/recline the seats, the bolster were messed up and it was dirty as hell. We kept asking were are my car parts and what belongs to me. He says I dont know. So we just started packing things in the car to get the hell out of there and took the seats also. Vu calls the cops and the same officer comes back. He told the officer that we were stealing the seats from him but the officer remembered what he had said that he was going to give them to me. So he could not do or say anything. The officer told us to take all of my stuff including the Recaros and car and leave. So we did.
Before we left, I decided to see if he wants to settle now or go to court. I do not know what is missing from the car (completely) except for the JDM Bumper, lip, hood latch, missing gas/trunk cable inside the car, ITR VIN tag, bumper pole relay, bolts, license plates, etc. until the car has been overhauled. But those were things that stick out for me. I wanted my money back that I had given him when I dropped the car off plus for any of the missing items. He did not want to give me the money right there andthen and wanted me to come back at night. For what? So that I can get jacked? We settled on an amount which to him would be a steal but a loss for me and decided to meet up at the Police Station for my safety (just in case). I took the amount we decided because it was better to have something than nothing at all so at least I can get the right shops/people to work on my car. I know at the point I am at a loss since it will cost more to fix the damage he did to my car than my original plans.
The car has been towed out of his shop the same day and dropped off at another motor shop to do my electrical and motor parts. They were able to take off the motor within 15-20 minutes. Part of the reason was because the motor were missing tons of bolts. The same day, the car was towed to a body shop and work has already begun.
I lost lots of money and time on this whole thing. A lot of people, not just myself, has been affected by this. Thanks to the help of wrx-killer-Sti-eater and hooking it up with another shop that can actually do the work and is capable of it. Not some mickey mouse shit.
I think thats enough explanation. i have videos of the car from Vu’s shop when we picked it up. My agreement with him was to settle everything that day as he paid me my money back and that I will erase one of the videos (which I did) from his shop. I did not agree to erasing anything else or not posting on Honda-Tech about my situation and to warn others.
FYI: My JDM Front Bumper, grill, hood latch, and lip were not STOLEN by his mechanic. Vu actually sold my property to another member here on HT that was scammed by him and got a lawyer. I spoke with the member on the phone about this to verify my property and indeed it was mine. He owed him all of those things since January or so and this member just got his items about 3-4 weeks ago when my car was there at his shop. I reported this also to the Fountain Vally Police Department. Here are pics of my front bumper he sold which is now on the HT members car: Sleepyboy2004.
Here are pics of my car before I dropped it off to his shop:
Pics of how it looks like from what Vu did. (this was taken at the current shop by wrx-killer-Sti-eater who has been helping me out a whole lot deal with this. Without his help, I would be lost and feeling hopeless). Parts that were sanded down were done by the new shop. They work fast. But the whole car was shit when I brought it:
Anybody else that wants to get there cars fixed up by this shop, go right ahead. You will end up with a nightmare than a dream car.
This thread was locked because it was not intended for commercial sales as stated on the bottom of the page. But read the last page and the postings on there. Vu calles out wrx-killer-Sti-eater as a scammer and this guy, desmon, is the only person that was there to help me out and is still helping me out with my car to fix what Vu created.
Needless to say, there is plenty more to this story. I’ll pass along the original link to the thread which contains so much more stuff about what happened. I just thought the videos were hilarious so I’ll put them up on here for you to see haha….
This one is the good one, reaction of the owner is priceless haha…
When all you can do is cover your face in shame, it pretty much means you fucked some shit up big time…haha. I sure hope this guy gets his car fixed and the owner of Crown Autosports gets his…