Well friends, here comes my story.
At the beginning everything was ok. I asked That Guy to sell me the complete engine for £320 (£350 was the original asking price) and he agreed (Apr, 10). I told him that a friend of mine will collect the engine from him and paid him £170 deposit! Here is what we agreed on:
I will save your time and will skip the part where I didn't get replies to my emails. I won't skip the most interesting part however where he explained why he wasn't able to answer my text messages nor my emails. First time he was sick, staying in a hospital (phones are not available there?). The second time he said he has been involved in a traffic accident ... I still wonder how much days he stayed on the scene?- complete engine with ECU, cables and the distributor
- engine loom
- fuel supply system (fuel rail, injectors)
- inlet and exhaust manifold + exhaust manifold's downpipe
- power steering pump stay (holder)
And know what? I don't care much about the explanations, nor about the late replies (when there were any)... Three things was most important:
- to arrange the collection on time
- to get all the required parts
- to get a fully working engine as per the advertisement
Although I was almost lose my faith, the first part (collection) happened almost as expected. Except that my friend told me there is no ECU.
I contacted That Guy and told him that I want either the ECU or £50 refund. He assured me that refund will not be needed as teh ECU is in his possession but he just can't find it.
Note that one month was passed away at this point. He explained that the ECU fallen off somewhere... Imagine how this large unit just roll down unnoticed huh...
This is where I get another cold shower! I was contacted by the engine shop with bad news about the engine. Short list below:
- no ECU (I knew that already)
- no fuel pressure regulator
- missing vacuum lines
- broken knock sensor
- no power steering stay
- missing ht leads
- blocked EACV and FITV (with some kind of red silicone)
- no exhaust gaskets
- throttle body and related sensors was literally covered with red silicone
- the oil cap from the photo was replaced with cheap alternative
...I didn't remember everything they told me. But you will get the picture even from the incomplete list above.
He promised me he will find the ECU and that was on May, 24. On May, 28th I opened a PayPal dispute as this was the last day I'm allowed to do this. On May, 11th I converted the dispute to claim because he disappeared again (no answers on email, sms, etc). He refused to pay me these £50 and PayPal had to take a side.
Unfortunately (for me) PayPal decided in his favour. The explanation was that "The item is ineligible for PayPal Buyer Protection because it is intangible."
Nevermind, I bought another ECU but I'm still unable to address the problems I have. The idle is unstable until the engine warms to 60 Celsius. The fuel consumption is quite bad and I have unpleasant hesitation in the low RPM.
I have proof for almost everything explained so far. Mercutio is aware of the case as I kept him posted about the progress.
I won't miss the part where I asked him about his name. He never told me his real name. But I found it, I also found his phone number, his messengers, emails, wife name, etc. The name of That Guy is Tomm Robinson. I don't care if you guys will listen to my advice, but here it is:
AVOID THIS GUY. HE IS TOTALLY UNRELIABLE!!!
I know some of you here on PUK. I'm proud to be the founder and the head administrator of the Bulgarian Honda Prelude Fanclub. Some of you already know I'm a man of his word. I always pay on time, and have never complained about someone publicly (until now). I always do my best to find a solution if there is a problem. And yes, I wait patiently even in such cases.
But there is a limit to everything. This case just crossed beyond the borders of my patience.
Tomm Robinson (That Guy) is a shame for the UK!
(I assuming he never responded to the claim?)
