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A Bloody Paraplegic
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From the beginning of this story:I started writing about this car in June 2009 though the story on this 1978 XC Coupe goes back as far as 2006. It's what got me started on the A Bloody Paraplegic website.
This is a story of stuff mainly going wrong which tends to happen
when you are dealing with people in the motor/mechanic/second hand
car bits business. Normally when things do go wrong I take a few
pills, drink a carton of beer, and try to tough it out but stuff it.
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| Note: 23rd June 2011.
I have been advised by my web hosting company that a certain
Fernando..............has lodged a complaint against
having his name mentioned on the website. I have no idea if
it is the same Fernando because he didn't contact me
directly. My email
address has always been on the site but here it is again
jjpdwyer1@yahoo.com.au should he wish to so. As you can see by the email content below I was able to contact the Fernando who sold me the XC early on but once it actually came to compensating me for all of the bits that he sold me which were either stuffed or I did not get he disappeared. I have all of the original emails and can link to them if need be. I have a copy of the original receipt here I have removed the surname from the pages of the website only because there may be another Fernando with the same surname however if it was someone else why wouldn't they contact me directly? |
Wile my experience with Fernando ............ was the main motivation in starting my little story I am including other experiences as I go along.
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A little note here as people are going to say why didn't you take a more active role in watching what was being done but the simple answer is that I have suffer from clinical depression which pretty much renders me unable to make decisions when it hits. I also have anxiety attacks which lead to more depression.
I rarely go out as I don't like the real World so when I do make a decision it's a big thing for me and I pretty much have to hand it over to the people who I hope I can trust to do the right thing. This is not a whinge, it's just the way things are.
I currently have a 351ci 1974 XB Ford Falcon 500 Coupe which I bought new In 2004 and I decided to do some much needed work on it.
As I had been putting boats in and
out of the water for some years the XB Coupe had a bit of rust apart
from the usual thus the different rear end. That was done before
you could get the after market parts that are available now.
Putting
my wheelchair behind the front seat for some 41 years hadn't helped
the upholstery either.
The problem was that I would need to have the XB Ford Coupe off the
road while any rebuilding was done and I couldn't do without a car.
I mention rebuilding as it wasn't my intention to restore it. I just
want a nice old V8 to drive.
Around this time I came across a 1978 XC Ford
Falcon Coupe that was
being sold by Fernando
...........on EBay. It looked good in the
photo's and the description of the car, even though it was being
offered without a motor, fitted what I needed.
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The idea was to finish the XC while still driving the XB, and then sell the XB to pay for the XC. I put a bid in on the XC and got the car for $10,300 which I was happy with.
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The XC was advertised with the following and this is where I have problems.
Approved LPG conversion, has tanks, lines
regulator etc....(use it
or sell it)
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Then I had to get it from NSW to Perth. See Vehicle Transport from NSW to Perth Western
Australia
on the
right >>
A week before the car was to be picked up I found out from
Fernando ..............that the C4 transmission, the Walker mufflers and pipes
and drive-shaft weren't actually on the car and would have to be
shipped separately as
V.I.P
Automotive Solutions wouldn't
allow any items to be transported within the car. For example the
boot.
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I asked Fernando if he would wire everything underneath car. He agreed to do this with the help of a mechanic friend for $270. I thought that was a bit stiff but had to say ok as time was running short.
He actually asked at this time if I really wanted the C4 Transmission and I said yes as I was going on the description that he gave on eBay. I had paid for it and obviously needed it. Bad move in hind sight.
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The XC
Coupe arrived 2nd Jan 2007 and as I didn't have the motivation to
start work on the car straight away I put it in Ding Bob's shed, put
a cover on it, and left it there until May 2008. It was only then that I found out that the Walker mufflers, pipes and drive-shaft weren't with the car and that the gearbox was stuffed. |
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This was a report my
mechanic made out after pulling the gearbox down. |
I sent Fernando an email outlining the problems and asked him to at least help me to pay a part of the cost of repairs to the gearbox. When I put the following email together I wasn't aware that the mufflers and pipes weren't there. My mechanic only mentioned it when I asked him to use them. As in "What mufflers..................".
As far as we knew the Walker mufflers, pipes and drive-shaft were still at Fernando ...........place. He never did get around to sending the 3200rpm stall converter which I also paid for.
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First email:
I don't know when or how water got into it but the car has been
under a cover and inside a garage since I got it and my mechanic
seems to think that the gearbox may have had to be used with water
in it to do so much damage. |
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The Reply: From: Fernando ............. To: Johnd1 Sent: Wednesday, June 25, 2008 3:38 PM Subject: RE: Re C4 Transmission. Hi John, nice to see you got things under way. imp sorry to hear about the gearbox, I am not in the business of lying, I only passed on the info I had from the previous owner. because he has misled me, I will try and get in touch with him , and ask him to pay the difference. dont know the chances, as its been 5yrs. thats the best i can do, in relation to the converter, its still here, but it i wouldnt be betting on the 3200 stall considering the situation. to have it sent there will be expensive due to its weight. a truck maybe, on the way to WA? do u know how to find one? Kind Regards, Fernando .............. |
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I then sent the
following: From: Johnd1 Sent: Thu 17-Jul-08 3:40 PM To: Fernando ............... Subject: Re: Re C4 Transmission. Hi Fernando, Thanks for getting back to me so quickly. I have been looking at my options re the gearbox speaking to both Small Claims and Department Of Consumer Protection. Basically I have to claim off you and you then have to claim off the person who sold you the gearbox. The description of the Gearbox in your eBay add is clear and distinct and is one of the reasons I bought the car. There is no indication that it was being sold by you on behalf of anyone else. There is also no indication that it had been sitting for 5 years as is suggested by your last email. If I had known that I would not have asked you to send it over when you asked me if I really wanted it. From the description of the gearbox it is reasonable to expect that I would not have had to spend any money on it. That's what I have been told. With small claims I have to fly over there with my mechanic as a witness however I do have a chance of getting those expenses back along with the cost of repairing the gearbox. I can do that in October of this year. The Dept Of Consumer Protection here are also prepared to take the matter up for me, over there. That is the way I went with the tyre/wheel problem with V.I.P. Automotive Solutions. I would then ask that I be reimbursed to cost of rebuilding the gearbox to the advertised state, as well as the cost of the 3200 stall converter plus the added cost to wire the gearbox up to the body for transport. Or we can settle without having to do all the paperwork. I am prepared to share the cost of the repairs to the Gearbox 50/50 plus $200 of the cost to wire it up to the body. If you take this option I will also forget the Stall Converter. That means you owe me $595 as against $1060 plus the cost of the stall converter if it goes through Dept. of Consumer Protection. Please let me know what you wish to do. Sincerely John Dwyer Perth Western Australia. |
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The reply. From: Fernando ................ To: Johnd1 Sent: Friday, July 18, 2008 12:32 PM Subject: RE: Re C4 Transmission. hi john, i only advertised what i was informed of by the previous owner. I m sorry to hear that u have to rebuild the box. couple of things ive moved out of home and im doing it very tough over hear financially and Im currently out of work. you have been kind and reasonable. i have $300 owed to me, and i hope to get it soon, i can give that to you. ? Kind Regards, Fernando ................ |
I actually felt a bit of sympathy for the guy but then I had another look at his toys (below) and the feeling didn't last long. Fernando and I actually got along well as you can see from the note with the receipt of sale for the Red CX Coupe. I haven't heard from him since the last email on July 18th 2008 so perhaps he was just being nice in the hope that I would go away!!!
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This is Fernando .............. car |
* More on the next page on LPG: I contacted Pat at Pebco Automotive in WA (July 2009) to hook up the Gas conversion and finish the car off ready for licencing only to find that the so called 'Approved LPG conversion, has tanks, lines regulator etc....(use it or sell it)..' didn't have the lines, regulator etc.
Fernando .............ripped me off and then flicked me off and I figure he owes me for a CS4 Gearbox as advertised, 2 Walker mufflers, pipes, drive-shaft, 3200rpm stall converter and the $270 I paid to have the whole lot wired up to the Coupe as well as the lines, regulator etc for the LPG Conversion.
My offer to pay a portion went out the window when he didn't get back to me.
I figure he owes me around $1,800 would do the trick. What do you reckon!!
next >> 1978 XC Ford Coupe (2)
Getting the 1978 XC Coupe from NSW to Perth, W.A.
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As I only decided at the last minute to put a bid in on the XC Coupe I didn't have a chance to check what the real cost would be to get it to Perth, Western Australia but I naively thought that the figure Fernando ........... put down in the *Question and Answer section of the eBay add might be a reasonable guide. Boy, was I wrong!!! Full ebay listing here
*Note in the Q and A section he says that the engine that was in the XC Coupe had been sold. the one in his car sure looks like the same one! He also indicates that it would cost $500 to have the car transported to Western Australia.
First I had to find someone who would take a car without a motor. All the main transport people wanted to be able to drive the car on and off the transporter so didn't show a lot of interest in a non runner.
After a bit of a Google search I managed to find a
few specialist people including
V.I.P
Automotive Solutions.
After phoning and emailing photo's of the
Coupe I got a quote of $2,100 to get the car from Fernando
............. place in Alfords Point NSW to Perth Depot.
I might add here that I thought V.I.P. Automotive Solutions actually did the transporting but it appears that they only broker the deal.
The plan was for the XC Coupe to be picked up from
Fernando .............. place on a tilt tray and then from Sydney to
Melbourne with
Ceva Logistics on a (RAPT) Race and Prestige Transporter.
These are specifically designed to carry Race & Prestige cars with
special requirements due to low ground clearance and are fitted with
a hydraulic tail gate lifter.
To this point everything is good.
The XC was then handed over to T.N.T Vehicle Logistics who put it in a container for the run to Perth, and this is where the tyres were damaged.
Daniel Somers of All Car Towing Services in Perth noted the damage when he picked the car up to take it to Wattleup in WA.
I then got in touch with V.I.P Automotive Solutions who really didn't want to know about the problem. They suggested that I get in touch with T.N.T and sort it out with them. I have all the emails.
I spoke to T.N.T. but they claimed the tyres were rubbing against the guard due to insufficient clearance and to get back to V.I.P.
I sent a letter to V.I.P. who forwarded it on to T.N.T
who replied with this letter.
I then got this letter from
V.I.P. offering $300 compensation.
I then sent this
letter to V.I.P. (the date is out of synch but I am not sure how
that happened. I think it should be 5.3.07).
I then contacted The Dept of Consumer Affairs and after explaining
the problem got
this letter.
I then got this
letter from V.I.P. which finally put the matter to rest.
I think it would only be fair of Fernando .............to reimburse/pay back the cost of the
CS4 Gearbox with stage 2 shift kit, a pair of Walker mufflers with
exhaust pipes, a drive-shaft and a 3200rpm stall converter as well
as the $270 I paid to wire the lot up to the XC Coupe.
