 
     |
| JohnWPB 1986 GT Fastback worklog (Page 32/71) |
|
JohnWPB
|
AUG 11, 03:26 PM
|
|
| quote | Originally posted by 2.5:
Sounds like they are trying, some of them, but are still incapable and dont understand what customer service is. |
|
Jason, that probably sums this entire situation in that one sentence. As I have to at least admit they are trying.... failing along the way, but definitely trying.
I am keeping track of everything and posting a lot of information in this thread, to keep a journal for if and when it becomes necessary to get an attorney. I wanted to avoid that route, as it can take so much time and effort as well as being a long drawn out process, and also quite expensive.
Over the past couple pages, I have mentioned, that they basically call me a liar on everything related to the car. The other day was no exception. The battery on the car was dead when I got there. They said that they have been pushing it around to the paint booth, and prep area as needed. I told them that there is no problem with the car, and the battery is new. I tell him the car goes a week or more at a time in the carport without being started, and the battery has never drained. They insisted that the car is old, and the battery goes dead from just sitting somehow, and that it is most certainly nothing that they did. We go back and forth on this, and he is insistent that it is not their fault in any way that the battery is dead in the car.
I had a look at the pictures I have taken over time, and noticed that the trunk appears to be open in all of the photos of the car. He tells me that that's correct, as they have been working in the jams and such. I ask if it's been that way since I dropped it off, and he said yes. I then proceed to walk over and open the trunk and point out 3 LED light panels in the trunk; one in the stock location, and one on each end under the lip that the trunk gasket goes around. I tell him even when the trunk is down, and it is not COMPLETELY latched, all 3 of those lights are on, and that is how the battery has went dead. I got the typical response... "oh."
EDIT: I have been wondering something and it has been bothering me. When the owner emailed me, he asked me to remove the video of the damage to my car from YouTube. When I went to the shop, he asked again, and said that The Corporate office was looking into it, as I did not have permission to video tape them, and they will be contacting me. This made me nervous enough to mark the Video as private on YouTube, but I didn't remove it.....
I did a little research today, and came across this on a legal website. The fact that it takes place HERE in West Palm Beach, is just a crazy coincidence!
This pretty much sums it up, that I was 100% within my legal rights to record audio or Video at MAACO, with or without express consent.
Here is the link to the page I copied the information below from.
Question:
Asked 3 months ago - West Palm Beach, FL
I had someone come into my business and video taped a conversation without my consent and is now posting it on youtube.
Is this legal and what actions can I take? This was a hidden camera.
Attorney answers (2)
Response:
Christopher Robert Dillingham II : Licensed in FL : Civil Rights Attorney - Apopka, FL
There is not reasonable expectation of privacy in a public place or a public business; therefore, no crime or tort exists. The Supreme Court calls this the "unreliable ear" doctrine. In other words, if someone can see it and hear it in public, then they can record it. [This message has been edited by JohnWPB (edited 08-11-2014).]
|
|
|
|
JohnWPB
|
AUG 11, 11:00 PM
|
|
Trying to take my mind off of MAACO for a bit, I started to look into some things I had been wanting to learn more about and do with the interior. I posted a thread asking about different steering wheel options for the Fiero. PaulJK had a couple Firebird steering wheels that he said were fairly easy to install. I looked into them a bit, and it was the older style with the radio control buttons and such in the middle of the wheel. Not quite what I was looking for. I wanted something a little more modern.
He then pointed me to Rickady88GT's build thread, and a Mailbu steering wheel that he had customized:
That is ONE SEXY STEERING WHEEL, but also unfortunately, it entailed changing the entire steering column. Definitely something I did not want to get into.
Continuing with the direction Paul pointed me in, I found a post bu jscott1 showing a more modern Firebird steering wheel in his Fiero:
This was more in the direction that I wanted to go, and I found a 93' Firebird steering wheel on eBay, and got it for $40 shipped. It has the radio controls and such where they are easily accessable with thumbs while driving. I have a custom circuit board to interface the buttons with my CarPC, and ability to assign any button on the steering wheel to any function.
As you can see the center is missing, but after reading Rickady88GT's thread, and how he constructed the center out of fiberglass, I am going to attempt to do the same with the Firebird steering wheel.
This is an image from Rickady88GT's thread, showing how he created a custom center for the Malibu steering wheel.
.JPG)
And just as a raw unfinished part inserted into the steering wheel:
.JPG)
I just got a notification that the steering wheel was shipped, and will be here next Monday. I am hoping that there is no major work involved with trying to get this to all work, and installed in my Fiero.
This is a very rough Photoshop of what I am thinking it could look like when I get done:
 [This message has been edited by JohnWPB (edited 08-11-2014).]
|
|
|
|
zzzhuh
|
AUG 11, 11:16 PM
|
|
| quote | Originally posted by redraif:
I'm so sorry to hear all this complete crap you have been going through. Yeah for the videos. And Patty wonders why im so paranoid with our cars... I have nightmares about this exact thing. Note to self for future... get everything always in writing!
|
|
Better yet, never go to Macco. They are scam artist's and want nothing but your money. I will never even attempt to go to any useless place like this. Definitely finding a good business to get my car painted when I find the money/time.------------------
Take a corner at 130, and you'll understand the term "dirty."
|
|
|
|
2.5
|
AUG 12, 08:44 AM
|
|
John you should put some leds in the steering wheel center to backlight the Fiero logo. 
|
|
|
|
redraif
|
AUG 12, 12:10 PM
|
|
| quote | Originally posted by 2.5:
John you should put some leds in the steering wheel center to backlight the Fiero logo. |
|
That would be cool!
|
|
|
|
JohnWPB
|
AUG 12, 09:21 PM
|
|
| quote | Originally posted by 2.5:
John you should put some leds in the steering wheel center to backlight the Fiero logo. |
|
Like I do not have enough to do and worry about right now! But, yea.... good idea 
How to pull it off I don't know. Light will show through fiberglass no problem. Not so much wen you add gel-coat and paint to it.. I am still just trying to figure out how to make a horn work with a fiberglass plug that has to be mounted on the steering wheel in some custom way......
Well I have not heard back from Maaco. They were supposed to call me yesterday to come pick the car up. It has been at the shop a staggering 2 months now.......
I have went through old receipts and have the invoices printed out for the purchase of the floor mats that have been ruined, as well as the quarter windows.
|
|
|
|
2.5
|
AUG 13, 11:31 AM
|
|
|
|
|
redraif
|
AUG 13, 01:33 PM
|
|
|
|
|
JohnWPB
|
AUG 16, 10:20 AM
|
|
| quote | Originally posted by redraif:
Or you do the whole thing with acrylic and mold and paint it. You could even cut the fiero emblem or etch it to create a fiber optic style glow to the edging versus a back lit design. I made a glowing floating amp rack for the mustang this way.
|
|
Wow, that looks really good! Unfortunately trying to cut a clear piece of acrylic into the Fiero Logo, and then somehow embed it into fiberglass, keeping the same shape and all.... a little more difficult
I will toy around with it here, and see if I could come up with something....
I just got off the Phone with the manager at Maaco. He said all they have to do is fix the quarter windows, and they would probably do that on Monday. Not sure what they have been doing with the car for the week and a half since I was there last.
I mentioned the bad repair job in the back, and he says he as to get the owners approval to fix that, being it is not on the paperwork. I will probably have to go down there again, and show him the pictures of that area being repaired in the first place, just to prove, yet again, that it was paid for and done, just badly.
|
|
|
|
JohnWPB
|
AUG 19, 08:42 AM
|
|
Yesterday sucked. Will (InfinateWill) was in Ft. Lauderdale yesterday, and I had plans to go down and watch his PhotoShop class and do lunch. I came down with some sort of bug be it a cold, flu... who knows. I haven't gotten sick in like 4 years... bad timing....
Anyways, I was woke up at 3:30 PM yesterday afternoon by my postal worker delivering a package. (Yes, I was sleeping as I felt like total crap). Anyhow, I got the package from her and went back and laid down. When I decided to get up around 6:00, I opened up my new steering wheel and got a chance to get a good look at how the wires were ran and such. Still feeling like crap, I ate dinner and went back and laid down again. I woke up around midnight, and could NOT go back to sleep, as I slept so much in the previous day. I got up, and surprisingly feeling quite a bit better.
I got more of a chance to look at the wheel, and get some stuff done. At 1am I was in the shed with the multi-meter and getting readings on the steering wheel. The four wires from the left controls, and the 4 wires from the right control meet, and tie in, to then produce only 4 wires on the harness.
Through trial and error and about a half hour of testing all sorts of combinations, I was able to figure that all of the switches, both left and right, just use the Yellow and the Green wires. That determined, I was able to get the Ohms for each individual switch.
The new problem is now with further testing, i need both of those wires run down the wheel to get a signal, as ground is not involved in any way. I was originally going to use the horn wire to send the signal down the column. It looks like I am going to need to find a 2007 Firebird in the junk yard, and pull it apart to get the lower portion of it. I have never done something like this, so it is going to be a challenge for sure.
In the mean time, I started sculpting some green foam into the rough shape to make a mold for a cover for the center of the steering wheel:
Thats it for now, as I have to leave for work... man my hours are so screwed up right now.....
|
|
|
|
