Corolla 1988 restoration SCAM by Cars Doc Yard

[sarosh.farid]

SCAMALERT

This is a long post but you need to read this to protect yourselves

Buying a car in today’s age is extremely difficult which is exactly why I decided to restore our family car with which we have a lot of memories. Unfortunately, my expectations (however realistic they were) weren’t met and I was left high and dry.

This is a feedback post for Cars Doc Yard/**Syed Shahab** who provide (or at least claim to provide) car modification/engine swapping/restoration services.

CARS DOC YARD

What we look for when restoring a classic car like Toyota Corolla 1988 is a one stop solution for everything and it was promised to us. Unfortunately, it wasn’t the case with Cars Doc Yard as they promised everything they couldn’t deliver. With a 1 nz-fe 1500 cc Manual Transmission Engine swap, we were promised a fuel economy of 15 km/ltr which wasn’t realistic to begin with and I was comfortable even if we’d get 10 km/ltr, but we’re only able to get 6.5 km/ltr at best. The original AC with a genuine compressor was far more efficient in cooling and maintaining temperature as compared to the new and improved one installed during the modification.

Paint job was the only reasonable thing when it wasn’t compounded but showed its true colors after the final compound when it started to come off from several places and visible scratches appeared. The customer service was like “hamaray pas sirf apki gari to nai hai”, need I say more? The original hydraulic power steering was as smooth as it could be but now the new one has a leak in it Syed Shahab didn’t even have a clue whether he changed the pump or not. Imagine how clueless this guy is about rides.

I’m not trying to demean anyone but try to put yourself in my shoes and imagine spending over Pkr 3,00,000 and waiting for over 2 months for this project and still not getting even 50% result from it, how’d you feel? Befuddled right! Imagine when the mechanic tells you, “It is what it is” after delivering a car with a vibrating engine, severe knocking, poor fuel economy, struggling suspension and an inefficient AC. After spending more than 30k on fuel and then traveling for at least 60 kms every time to get an update on the project, I find it really hard to get over this experience and wouldn’t want anyone else to fall for the YouTube hype of Cars Doc Yard. It’s genuinely NOT worth it.

What: overcommitment and under delivering
Their unique selling point was: one stop solution, once they deliver the car I wouldn’t ideally have to take it to a workshop again, cos they would already have tested and redone everything in the two months they kept the car.

Cost: Over 300k and two months + around 30k worth of fuel
Services: Engine swapping, paint job, ac works, poshish, minor body works.
There were more things requested in the beginning and were reiterated multiple times to which they agreed but did not deliver stating and I quote their exact words “humaray pas sirf ap ki gari tou nai hai jo itnay chotay chotay kaam kartay rahain”

My rating for the work they did for me:
Engine swap: 3/10 (cost 200k)
it’s 1nz-fe 1500 cc manual transmission

very poor fuel economy 6.5 km/l, they committed 15km/l which is obv not likely but it should at least give 10km/l
vibrations and knocking
damaged the stock steering assembly, repaired it and it’s still leaking power steering fluid
meter: shows at least 15-20km/hr more than the actual speed

AC works: 5/10

they charged me 25k over the agreed upon cost even though it was included in the original package, and I had no issue with that cos I needed results
Even then the AC is below average.
and their response to this complaint was, “it is what it is”

Paint Job: 6/10

initially, when they delivered the paint job was the only thing that I thought was okay
then I gave the car back for a week for compound polishing and several other problems that I had to identify
When they delivered it the second time, there were visible scratches plus discoloring

Customer Service: VERY poor

When we were locking the deal and giving them the car, their owner Syed Shahab repeatedly said, “ap kisi aam mechanic se kaam kara lain, lekin bad me masla ho tou wou munh bhi nai lgatay”
And that’s exactly what he did after he was done with my car and had collected all the money
His workshop is around 60km from my place. Cost of traveling back and forth aside, I went all the way to pick up the car from his workshop and he wasn’t there.
When I called him telling there are still alot of unresolved issues and he should come meet in-person, he said he was at his office and couldn't come because he was attending guests.
So I then drove my car to his office which is another 7-10km from his workshop.
He came down with a couple other people, kept telling us that we were wrong and lying and didn’t know a thing about cars.
And then just left saying he had to attend the guests, without talking about how to resolve
And after we had left he texted me that we should test it for another 15-20 days and then he’d see if there are any issues.

[sarosh.farid]

[Xulfiqar]

SCAMALERT

This is a long post but you need to read this to protect yourselves

Buying a car in today’s age is extremely difficult which is exactly why I decided to restore our family car with which we have a lot of memories. Unfortunately, my expectations (however realistic they were) weren’t met and I was left high and dry.

This is a feedback post for Cars Doc Yard/**Syed Shahab** who provide (or at least claim to provide) car modification/engine swapping/restoration services.

CARS DOC YARD

What we look for when restoring a classic car like Toyota Corolla 1988 is a one stop solution for everything and it was promised to us.

I see you are an entry level novice in this kind of work and task.

Do you have any scale of measure of work done or are just going to use “ac was better betore” steering was better before”, never got 15 km/lit etc etc

These are signs of extreme novice level and you will get nowhere; to get project work done properly (for any job, not just cars) you need to know how to measure its stages of completion and final result.

If you jump in blind, you will get hurt. Like you did here.

[bigrickyjones]

HE IS AN EDUCATED THEIF.

I am not surprised. I have heard same stories from other people about Mr syed shahab shah (car doc yard) and his tricks to fool people. Forget about mileage and quality of work he is a complete amateur with hardly any knowledge of cars so this is expected of him. The worst part is that he is a liar and dishonest person who can't be trusted. He changes his words every time you meet him regarding what work has been done and how much it costed. On every meeting he will increase the price of things. Every time some new cooked up story.

He will charge you for an A category product but give you C category. He will insist on getting engine that he sees most profit in.
Once you have made the full payment he will not be reachable, he will be rude and threatening in his tone.
What you see in his vlogs isn't true for all the cars. Maybe he has delivered some good projects but that doesn't mean that yours will be same.
He doesn't test each and every car with an OBD scanner. Not every car is as good 'mechanically' as he shows in his videos so blindly trusting him is going to leave you hurt. He is a very good salesman, great at selling his work but the quality is nowhere near what he claims. Since he is a newbie in this field he has no way of telling if the work done by the mechanics is good or bad so he takes there word and screws his customer.

Hatti ke daant khane ke aur dikhane ke aur.
Ye chor admi hai.
Ye sara maal kabaar se uthata hai: engine kaheen se, gearbox kaheen se, computer kaheen se, paise bachane ke liye.
Apse lega 3 times more money aur samaan lagayega subse lowest quality wala. Jitne paise ye leta hai itne paison main kafi achi quality ka samaan asakta hai. Lekin isko apna margin bharhana hai is liye dandi marta hai.
Kaam ke duraan aur hojane ke baad apko talay ga har cheez main. Apko kahega humari taraf se 100% ok hai gari jabke gari start hone main bhi struggle kar rahii hogi.
Is bande ne kafi logon ke saath fraud kiya hai.
Voice of customers par bhi complains ayeen hain iske khilaaf.
Na isko samajh hai gariyon ki, aur na hi iske pass koi apna mechanic ya electrician hai.
Enton (bricks) wali workshop hai. Jack stands tak nahi
Loot maar ka bazaar hai ye aur kuch bhi nahi.
Ye agay thekon par Kaam karwata hai
Ise jo cheez pakrarata hain mechanics ye agay customer ko chipkadeta hai.

Ye puranay samaan (engine gear box waghers) ke sirf 25 hazar rupay detay hai jabke is wakt 90 hazar ka hai ye samaan. Har cheez main apna margin maximum aur customer ke liye subse lowest quality faulty samaan.

In summary he cant be trusted with a bicycle let alone a car. If you stand on his head maybe you will get better results. If you leave your car with him with 70% advance payment which he demands, then god bless you.

[zeeshanghoribk]

I had similar experiences in the past. this pong post but read it completely.

Scam Alert!!!!

It took me so long to come up with a feedback post. I should have posted my feedback way earlier.

I got my alto 1000CC 2007 model converted to 660cc.

Story begins when I saw car doc yard videos on youtube. He was swapping k10a 1000cc engine in old alto. So I contacted him for the swapping. He gave me the price swapping k10 1000cc engine in my alto. Although his price quote was too higher but As per the videos this guy had a positive image so I agreed the high prices and travelled from Lahore to Islamabad for this swapping.

After meeting him he suggested me to swap 660cc k6a engine instead of k10a 1000cc. He told me that my cars is accidental so I shouldn't swap k10a engine in my car. At that time he convinced me that it will make no difference but even he told me k6a will be a better engine fuel efficiency as well. He claimed to me that my car will do 14-15km in city and 18-20km on highway. He did many other claims which in the end proved false. (I asked the mechanic who did the swapping work he said it is not true that we cannot swap k10 1000cc engine in my alto)

So we fixed the cost of swapping and I handed over the car to him. Even though we had fixed the swapping cost he charged me 9500 for silencer work and 14000 for AC work. I had no other choice as I was badly stranded. I asked him to give me test drive and mileage test. He said car is giving 15km/l mileage in city.

At the time of taking the car I was not satisified because car performance was poor. Car was hardly going above 80kmh. When AC on its performance was even pathetic. It was taking too hard to go above 80kmh when AC was on. He said car needs to be drive for 400kM then its oil will get changed and plugs will also get changed.

I took the car and I drove the car for about 100 km in Islamabad. At that time its milege was around 9km/l. I am a soft foot driver still mileage was pathetic. I told him that mileage is not as claimed. I have voice note proof of him saying it is giving around 15km in city. He said I should drive back to Lahore and get its oil and plugs changed then it will give mileage of 15km/l in city.

He said I will be responsible if there is any issue I will change the engine. So on his assurance I drove car back to Lahore. Its mileage on motorway was 10km/l. (I have audio proof if someone is interested)

After reaching back I got oil changed and plugs were also changed. But still car was lacking performance and mileage in the city was no more than 10-11km/l without AC. With AC car performance was very pathetic so I didn't drove the car on AC. I contacted Him and then he said I must get catalytic converter installed otherwise mileage will not improve.

I decided to get AC and catalytic converter installed. I travelled from Lahore to Islamabad to get this work done. I asked him to get the work done but I asked him are you sure it will do 18-20km/l on highway and 15km/l in city. He said I cannot guarantee it, mileage might get improved or not. Even after spending 30000 on catalytic converter He was not sure. He also said I must get my car body wiring changed. So I asked him are sure after changing the body wiring it will give me 15km/l. Again this guy had no clue. He said he is not sure.

He calls himself a car swapping expert but He doesn't Know anything about cars. He is just a "tukka" mechanic. Not even mechanic more like a youtube actor. He doesn't have his own mechanic and not his own electrician. He is like a commission agent who is deceiving people.

I would highly highly not recommend this person if you are looking to get your swapping work done.

Also one thing weird I noticed is that when you leave comment on his YouTube channel https://youtube.com/@carsdocyard he will delete your comments. I aslo left review on his Facebook page but got the review hidden. Then I reviewed on Google map but he is so dishonest and frightened to get exposed so he changed his business name to "pia maintenance" on Google map.

Check out this review of Carsdocyard on Google Maps
https://goo.gl/maps/KgV4ipnArkPeGsky7

[sardarg]

Scam Alert in Rawalpindi

@Hassan1991 @moderator @ser_gtr @VCheng @HanifBhatti @argtr65 @syncview @nnabeel @brownrose78 @dani_kk

[helper_learner]

This thread should be pinned i guess . And also Scam Alert should be added in title.

[Hassan1991]

Should change the category?

[helper_learner]

Should change the category?

"General car discussion/fraud theft alerts" i guess,

[Hassan1991]

[Xulfiqar]

My question is that do people think a car is a burger?

As in they can add mayo or remove ketchup to get a different taste?

[SER_GTR]

unfortunately people who had zero knowledge gets that bait and get trapped

PLUG changes , CAT Add , Oil Changes are giving that must boost....woow.. i wish it could be that beneficial in real

above is a straight case of weak engine with underpowered ratio...

installing 660cc in any car wont make it economical...forget the old good chassy over these 660cc's

those original 660cc struggles with CVT over any inclined slope roads . you literally hear them crying under hood when someone push them to limits....

[MBILALNAWAZ]

I feel sorry for your loss. I don't know of any such workshop which offers a one window solution for restoring old cars in rwp/isb. I always prefer getting work done by specialized workshops. It results in extra trips to different places but peace of mind.
Anyways! For engine swap you could have opted for a reliable mechanic who can source and afterwards install it properly in your car. For your current engine and current status check with @rajaatta. He is an educated and humble fellow with "sidhi baat no bakwas" attitude. He can for sure bring your engine back to factory specs for a decent fuel average along with suspension work. I guess he can take care of your ac and wiring work as well. I have an excellent experience with him. His workshop is on ijp road near faizabad (Google Rehman Autos).
In case you need a dedicated ac guy check with abu bakr universal car ac(G-8/4). Not excellent, not bad but tbh that's the best I can find in rwp/isb. I have heard good words about dmotorsports for ac work too but i don't have any personal experience with them. you can google their locations both are in Islamabad.
For body work, Seven Brothers is the best you can get in Isb but they are quite costly but amazing work. You can also check autoreforms in rwp for body work and alignment. Autoreforms do have a one solution type work shop and have seen good dealing and clientage but I don't have a first hand experience with them except some small work and estimates for work. Their biggest edge is that the biggest scrap market of rwp, sultan ka ka khu is at an arms legnth from their location. The owner is quite a gentleman and very learned person.
I will suggest you to squeeze your current workshop as much as you can without offering more money and afterwards start sorting things one by one.
Lesson Learnt "Don't trust everything you see on facebook and youtube".

[rajaatta]

First of all why people in Pakistan thinks that swap is the only option which can save them a ton of fuel and will perform like a brand new vehicle.
That's bull shit every engine available in market has some of it's cons and pros.
If some one tell me to swap a 2020 alto k6a with dct engine in 2004 alto vxr and it will perform like it does in new alto it will not.
First of all we will be tangled in Electric bakwass hassles which old vehicle is lacking.
Then comes the body weight etc etc factors who will control them so I always prefer stay stock and get maximum juice out of it but don't expect to get the enhancement performance of new vehicles out of your old vehicles. There is a reason for a damn high price for those new vehicles and technology shift and enhancement.

[dani_kk]

Let me help you in understanding a little bit about swap.
Whenever you are planning to revamp your car or restoring it and want to swap a engine.
Always take atleast 2-3 advices, cons and pro of the system and before that ask about best possible swaps.
This is a public forum, complaining about someone as scam and not asking or discussing the swap ideas before here is something you should have done before the swap.

While swapping or doing any project take a pen and pencil, and write it in bullets the jobs the workshop is getting done.

1) engine to be swapped (what parts and stuff will come with engine and what parts will be required later and approx what will be the cost)
2) what jobs the workshop will do?
3) what will be the finish and end level of the job being done, discuss like paint finish, denting finish like moulding gaps, moulding, rubber seals or hinges?)
4) if ac job to be done what parts will be changed, what parts will be reused from your car & cost of the done job and cooling level will be excellent or mild or what will be the charges if ac is excellent.

5) what will be poshish design and finish level
6) incase of engine swap what will be the economy and take everything in writing.

In case of all the above bullets, decide if these goals are not achieved what payment is to be made, if full payment is to be made then are the goals successfully achieved and what will be the settled resolution incase of failure of parts or any job performed on the car.

So before getting in to any sort of project always do self analysis that will be the finish quality, possibly cons and pros so the picture is clear in your mind. If the picture is clear that you are gonna sit with mechanic every week and get the stuff fix then be mentally relaxed if not then don't do that project. So always discuss the end product, and do self assessment before project execution...

I hope the information I have provided might help everyone in all aspects of project completion.

[xenerking]

i think, when there a TURNKEY project undertaken by a ONE STOP SOLUTION provider then the responsibility shifts to the solution provider to put down the requirement for a SUCCESSFULL turnkey project.

otherwise it just defies the main purpose.

Yes, if the solution provider can clearly show that the requirements were not sanctioned and were not agreed upon as per advice and guidance provided with the impact understood, then its otherwise!

Furthermore, Boss ap befekar ho jayen, Boss ap be gham ho jaein, these are the killer lines used by solution providers to create HUGE gaps in expectations.

ab her kisi ki befikari ka level alag hota hay

[dani_kk]

Yes highly agreed to your verdict. That is from workshop perspective. Anyone claiming one stop shop should write even tiny details and explain the finish quality, what things can be done, what can not be done and cons and pro of everything should be told upfront.

The more you make user understand the the build quality and cons and pros of the project to be done the less are the chances of ineffective communication between both parties...

One should always own there work as profit and loss are both part of halal business, anyone just caring for profit might lead himself to earning haram.

And always sit back and communicate with the customer to see what problems are they facing, if that problem was mentioned in the package you have given then one should get it resolved, and if that wasn't discussed or noted earlier, one should guide the customer. And if possible for a friendly gesture try to resolve that issue as a compliment.

Both type of people exist either way.
Sometimes customers are being over sensitive and reacting for no reason and are unable to understand and keep bashing workshops. And on the other hand some customers are paying for quality work and the workshops or individuals are looting them and not delivering the quality promised.