Hello! Since the golf customer does not want to pay you for your time, do not give him his engine back until he pays. You have an email stating there would be a charge for tear down and inspection. Also, send him an email stating you will be billing him for storage if not picked up and paid in full. Play hard ball with this guy. You have the proof of him acknowledging your services and he agreed to it. Let him take you to court if he feels the need but he will loose and you will get paid.

Next time get them to bring the car to you so you can see the engine running. To honour the warranty. This way you can check oil pressure ect on a gauge or diagnostic computer. This gives you the opportunity to see what the problem is. Pulling engines apart on the customer's say so is crazy.

The big red flag, to me, is the mis-matched cylinder head. Is there a possibility that an oil restrictor was missed during the swap? Something that the 2L head has, that the 1.8L head doesn't? Not saying for sure that there even is an oil restrictor on the VW heads, but if there was one and it's missing, the overall pressure would be low, depending on the pump and other layout, etc.

Lee, my policy is, if the engine is in anyway modified, or uses secondhand parts or parts not supplied by myself there is no warranty given or implied.

I learned along time ago that with service businesses you will always have to deal with people taking the p155

Mate, i been working myself for years and definitely agree with you there about the difficult clients. Lately it has been really bad. Cars are the easy part.

I've always said "All you have to do to upset someone is to do the right thing". So many want something for nothing to the point that just telling them that things don't work that way pisses them off.

That little t-o ring in the BMW V8 was a traditional failure point. It eventually gets firm, cracks and becomes a major oil-leak. For a $5 part replacement you need to lift the engine because BMW decided to run an oil-cooler connection through the engine mount position. That requires removing a bunch of accessories and other parts. I was quoted $2500 by the dealer to fix it on my 2008 750Li…Did it my self for the part price plus a weekend of hard-work.

Hi Lee. With regards to the golf engine. Perhaps a report in detail of what you have done and found with the engine, and ask the customer where he intends go from here. And point out that you are prepared to store the engine for a limited time before storage charges are incurred, probably best done through your solicitors also pointing out that there is a bill to be settled ASAP? What do you think?

Just tell him to piss off pay the bill or you keep the engine and sell it. It was nearly two years out of warranty that's his fault for not bringing it sooner if he thought there was a problem. Sometime you just need to tell people straight.i run my own buisness and sometimes mate you have to put your foot down. Too many people take advantage.

He called you a liar???????? That alone would be sufficient for me to get my hair up - much less the continuing on and on verbose $hit this guy has dealt out. 400Lb and 100Lb a week until he picks it up. Box it up and shove it into a corner. When he shows up, "that will be 400Lb (+ 100Lb/Wk) - PERIOD - and don't bring me anything else - PERIOD". If he don't want to pay it, slap a Mechanic's Lein on it, and, obviously any Legal charges that may come with doing that. Lee, I've watched your channel for a very long time. The work you guys put out is unquestionably OUTSTANDING. Quality comes at a price. You stand by the work you do and everyone knows it. Unfortunately, this low-life, bottom-feeding LOUT seems to think he can get one over on you by going after your underbelly - your reputation. Your reputation is equal to the work you do - OUTSTANDING - PERIOD. Non Illigitimus Corborundum......Don't let the Sons of BIataches Wear you Down. This has MY blood pressure up and I'm 4000 miles away.

My thought is if you have a non garage customer come back you should require an independent engineer, either one you hire and they pay for, or one they hire and send. After that report you can discuss warranty, and I definitely would do anything outside warranty the ones that come back long after the warranty expires always seem to be trouble.

If you trick up those Rover 2.6 side valve engines, they'll make almost 20hp.

Loved the Rover. That 6 cylinder engine is a very quiet smooth engine from standard. Made even better by you. Don’t fancy the MPG though. Bet it’s about 20.

Hi , I have been looking at channel for a some time , yiur a decent guy tried your best being reasonable and going extra mile , some customers are completely unreasonable, carry on with the good work . Regards mark

He wants a free return after he changed his mind and then got a different engine. Charge him for stripping the engine. If he refuses to pay then take him to small claims court. He's got no proof at all of anything amiss; out of warranty.

Well wasn't expecting the Rover to be painted like that...look fab

I've been self employed for many years, dealing with tenants, millennials, entitled and "Karen's" occasionally all rolled into one is becoming more common! Frankly it's getting to the point that I'm going to give up!

The golf engine, now box it up and tell him to collect it. Failure to collect a storage charge will be charged weekly (upto you per day etc) have the report you did and tell him it’s his responsibility now. You are not further going to work with him on said engine. He’s in breach of said agreements. Wash your hands of him move on to a customer that will respect the work you do as a company. There was a prime example of some awesome craftsmanship you did with the guy who wanted to show you his car. You haven’t got to justify to no one !! You work is proven quality, keep up the good work and content 🙏👍👌

Try this - next time a customer comes with an out of date warranty claim, say you want to be paid for the strip down up front, and put a simple agreement in place that says if something is found by you or an independent engineer, he gets the money back. Entertaining the strip down as part of an out of warranty is already being more than honourable. Customer paying up front adds a different level of honour and commitment on both sides. If they don’t want to pay - walk away. Whatever happens they pay for an independent engineer if needed - that’s how that bit works. If it’s your fault - you fix it, as is your honourable intent from the get go.

It's quite interesting, I work in light aircraft maintenance, and the same people exist, but the "community" is very small and close knit, so we all soon get to know who the bad guys are. We are also required to keep and research very detailed records, and a new customer pretty much needs to present the aircraft's full maintenance history for scheduled maintenance checks to be carried out. If we look, and find the last 3 or 4 checks carried out by as many different maintenance companies, there's a good chance we have a serial "non payer". I do suspect your channel will attract a few of this type as it's obvious that you try to be reasonable when people come back to you. I think there's a percentage of the population who see that and just want to exploit it. Any way - keep doing what your doing, always interesting!

Glad to see you treat this as a business Lee... you absolutely can't satisfy everybody, and it's clear from his actions he wants to avoid or duck the bill for your parts and labor and time ongoing... I'd say be done with this customer, figure out the balance for you to assume ownership, if you don't already own it (with storage fees you haven't assessed).... Tell him he has to begin paying storage starting 3 business days from now if he's local or up to a week for elsewhere. Document it on video with speakerphone that you've called and spoken to him with a witness not employed by Barum, with customer's verbal response that he knows he's being recorded and acknowledges HIS debt to Barum and that storage fees will exceed engine value soon. When you DO have to assume ownership, find a local Golf owner willing to try engine out, sold for near actual costs, provided they show and continue documenting it's working right, WITH oil pressure readings documented to prove your work WAS correct as part of a short term warranty for new owner.

A friend of mine had a P4 back in early 2000s here in Australia, then decided to cut the roof off like he does to everything.

Lee, what a treat to see an engine you guys repaired and now running in a really nice older car. So quite!! Runs like a watch! Purrs like a kitten. What kind of car was that? Super nice guy. I too would like to see some of your finished work come back to shop for a final look. Sweet ride! I hope this comment finds you well. Remember, pick your battles. Sometimes it better to act like your best friend, the dog and scratch some cover over the shit and move on. Take care!

That Rover is the dogs nuts, I restored a Rover 90 myself waaay back in the day

Lee, I don't see a Barum Engines sticker on the Rover, come on guy give the fella a couple if stickers, it's free advertising. 😆😆

Invoice the guy, charge him for storage but after 30 days if payment is not made then sell the engine to get your money back

Hey Lee. I truly understand your situation. It is irritating when you have offered to do the right thing, to only have them turn on you. It seems that is happening more in this world. You are a man of your word. It is nearly impossible to fault you in any way. Until Friday! Be good. Remain safe. Wishing you a Deluxe day!

Send the bill and get the solicitor to get the money

Hi mate,definitely invoice him for your time and any parts,if he doesn’t play the game I would weigh it in with the scrap can’t be no fairer than that

I would be saving woodrufe keys myself. Handy things to have around as they are often difficult to source individually. As you may notice, being on YT does bring out all the spivs and shysters as well as the genuine customers. The joys of doing business. Make sure he is notified of storage charges for the engine "in writing". If not willing to pay, just sell it off per normal practices.

If you were communicating via email that "SHOULD" go in your favour if it goes to court. In any case, No money, No engine and No exceptions. As for that old Rover, that's a very nice car.

There are so many chancers around now... maybe a money up front for these out of warranty jobs with a percentage return if faults with your work are found, you have to cover yourself with these people, Stand your ground. PS, Love the channel and can't wait to see the E30 finished.. Take care,,,

Time wasters like the golf engine customer are best dealt with businesslike. Keep it short, stay on the facts and don't let emotions come through to the customers. The moment you spend extra time on them they latch on to you and before you know it you spent hours getting frustrated in email with them. Not saying you shouldn't be friendly and "customer oriented" in general, but once warranty claims are made, it's time to stay businesslike. 1. No fault is there, unless you or a garage you trust has verified the complaint.2. Nothing gets taken apart by others, or you can't honor warranty since there is no telling if it didn't get broken when the 3rd party worked on the car. 3. Warranty claims come with full cost to the customer if it turns out that your work was not the cause of the problem. Make sure this is communicated in all the places legally required and again before you agree to do anything warranty related for a customer.

Lovely P4 a credit to the owner and he is a satisfied customer of barum and delighted with the engine work as everyone should be, Barum haters eat your heart out. Great to see a baum engie fitted but would really have loved to hear it and see the car being driven,many thanks for another great video.

Hi Lee, This may have been suggested previously in your comments. My suggestion would be before even accepting the customer's word about low oil pressure after such a long period of time out of warranty and commencing any work, I would quiz the customer and ask the following; What pressure gauge was used and was the pressure gauge accurately calibrated that the customer used to determine the drop in pressure and where is the calibration sign off and the date? What proof does the customer have about the drop in oil pressure such as repeatable oil pressure data logger information or an engineer's report? If the customer cannot provide any proof then request an engineer's report before proceeding. If the customer will not fund an engineer's report then end of story. If there is no concrete proof of oil pressure issues then no action to be taken by you which will save yourself a lot of disruption and money. Put the onus back onto the customer to prove the claim with evidence. Also, since the engine has done 1000km or so and you have measured and inspected everything possible and all is perfect, then any fractionally low(?) oil pressure would appear to have not had any adverse effects on the engine anyway, which is the concern at the bottom of the claim. Another thought also is that with all tolerances in the motor including the oil pump, the factory oil pressure figure when hot must surely have a lower and upper figure itself as example 50PSI +/- 5PSI which may be what the customer has experienced. And yes. The customer sounds like he is really trying it on for sure. So after a maximum of 3 months in storage defray for your costs. All the best. Cheers.

doing the videos is basically showing these morons up for who they really are and they basically dont like being proven wrong and will go the extra mile to make everyone else look like a bell end other than themselves.. keep up with what you do guys.

In England, can you put a mechanic's lean on the engine? If so, I would make sure you have documentation to support your offer to look at the engine, then slap a lean on it, and if you can, impose a deadline which, if not met, allows you to sell the engine.

Just bill him and state exactly how long you will store it before sale to recover cost; add storage cost plus Vat

Its same in IT people have SO little understanding of the technology they cannot understand what labor it takes.

Send him the bill for work so far. Add in the first weeks storage. Advise him of the max weeks of storage. Advise him that you will dispose of the engine after that. Perhaps have a lawyer write it up and include the lawyers bill to show you are serious and pi**ed off. END OF PROBLEM !!

Remember, it was the customer who said there was low oil pressure. I think you ruined his plan when you took the engine back and tore it down . I don't think he was surprised when you told him everything checked out and there was not mechanical reason for the "low" oil pressure. You are correct that he had the "new" engine already in his plans and was hoping you'd throw some $$$ to him for the low pressure problem but you killed that idea. He will never come back to pick up that engine.

You have got to get EVERYTHING in writing. Signing something really brings it home.

trouble is these days some customers are opportunists, they know bad reviews are a good way of getting free stuff, a lot of businesses are scared [ rightly so ] of this and will at times pay out of give stuff for nothing, personally i would send him the bill with a daily storage charge

Hello Lee,don't give in,your done your job,time for him to pay £££££ plus storage,the fact his conduct hasn't been good ,dig your heels in,if his attitude was better,you could let him off a lil,no his in your head and realise his extracting the urine,recover your costs,love the content,keep it coming💯

A story the other day from an online forum, where a former photographer client, a couple of years down the road, wished to return her wedding photos for a full refund as she no longer needed them, they'd gotten a divorce! These people exist.

I always make sure that when I have work done for me all the specifics are spelled out ahead of time . I treat people fairly and pay them accordingly. I have to say that from watching your vids you do "bend over backwards " to try and work with your customers , I'm in the States but other than that I would be happy to be one of your customers . That being said to a less than reputable person you do come off as an easy mark sometimes . For example , in this case the engine was out of warranty , it's not your problem any more . You still did try to accommodate the customer when it appears that his motive was to get something for nothing. You took it apart ,found nothing wrong as is your way of doing things. He complained and refused to pay as is his way. Now you don't get paid and he still gets to be a deadbeat. Put the engine on a pallet , oil it so no rust , have your solicitor send him a bill with a notice that if he doesn't pay for the work and storage in 30 days his property will be auctioned off and he can go pound sand. There are plenty of good people to work for don't waste you time on losers.

A happy customer Lee! I'm pleased Ken was the first. Congratulations. Great work lads!

Experience indicates that 90% of the customers take up 10% of a busnesses' administration effort, whilst the remaining 10% of customers take 90% of the administration effort that in some cases descends to downright 'ugliness'. The owner of the Golf engine falls into the latter category.

Used to get customers with cameras full of sand complaining they were faulty. Never wanted to pay the check and estimate when it came back as customer fault.

Low oil pressure could very well be a faulty gauge, crack or possible blockage in the block.

It's a different world we live in, even from 10 years ago Lee. My .02c, consult with someone who knows warranty, and consumer rights, to explicitly explain your warranty in writing on all invoices(if you haven't already). Why should the business deal with anything to do with installation or parts outside of your work, furthermore any engineers coming in should only be concerned with the processes you have performed. There are too many variables outside of your control, all this engineering work has an equal amount of documentation to go along with it to thrive. Also it's not your concern once the customer signs the work order whether or not the understand, lay it out for them yes, but you know how people are, most don't read what they sign, and then bitch later when actions on their part have an undesirable result.

Re the golf engine and low oil presure when hot, something I have seen many years ago in engine development was a crack in an oil gallery which resulted in a faling oil pressure when the engine was on the dyno, it took ages to find and we had to resuld in an xray of the block, maybe today a bore scope may unlock a problem

Hi Lee, in regards to the E30 5 stud swap there's a lot of different ways to go. I personally would go for E36 front hubs, E36 M3 EVO LCA's, with E30 M3 strut tops flipped and rotated - unless you go fully adjustable strut tops. Lollypop bushes use E30 M3 offset ones set to pull the back of the LCA towards the outside of the car, this will help with not only camber but also castor and ackerman. For the rear, E36 Compact subframe is the way to go, or Z3M also apparently works. If it's lowered though, castor and camber are out. There are companies that make adjustable trailing arm mounts to correct that, that are weld in. I would also recommend Silver Project offset bushes, these apparently have the same effect without welding new mounts into place. Garagistic also sell a kit, that can include modified diff bushes, to realign the diff to the tailshaft properly. And the E36 Compact subframe will take a medium sized diff, the rear case of the diff has to be swapped (and possibly another mount welded on) to make it work but there's room there for a larger diff, and more factory ratios to play with. The best bit about going the E36 subframe/suspension way, then becomes the brakes. If you're planning on running a 17" rim, E46 330i front discs and calipers, E46 328i rear discs and an E36 M3 master cylinder work really, really well, and are bolt on mods that will work with the E36 stubs and rear trailing arms. Anything like this, let me know, can give you loads of tips and tricks that you can pass on and show how easy it can be to DIY some of these things. Been playing with these things for years now.

Lee you have to stick to your warranty period, and the warranty should be void if it's in any kind of motorsport or tuned to the inch of its life.

Lee, that guy with the oil pressure problem is a SCAMMER. With the time it takes to find a engine, purchase it, do what it takes to prepare it, put it in, get it all hooked up and running, he would have had to have planned doing that before he got the engine to you for this current claim. Sometimes people do things for the most irrational, I'll conceived and stupid reasons , there is nothing to say his thinking makes sense. His thinking might make sense to him but he is likely thinking bollocks . Some people put 2 and 2 together and come up with 22. Tell it to him like it is, charge him, and tell him to move on.

Also start stamping your work with a special stamp.

Love the Rover. He will have the rivet counters will be going mad.😂

Well said lee...about time someone said it as it is...👍

What a stunning car Ken has ! Guy with the golf is pulling your chain hoping you will back down and he gets a freebie probably watched the video about the court case and thinks you are a push over for settling Time to start getting every single job itemised ,photographed/videoed and everything in writing no iff’s or but’s !!

(purportedly) Mark Twain: “No amount of evidence will ever persuade an idiot”.

Well at least you aren't charging 18 hours to change a transmission in a Hyundai Santa fe at $2500 😢don't be sucked in by these scammers, thanks for sharing, all the best to you and your loved ones

03:58 - Lovely Rover P4. It's got the Rostyle wheels from the V8 3500 last P5, is it? Discontinued in the early 1970s, that one. Impressive model too - company director's type car.

You can get the 5 stud conversion parts from the 3 series compact, 318ti here in the states, or the z3

Some people are just unbelievable and absolutely horrible.👍👍👍😘😘😘

Golf customer wants a freebie. Perhaps when you get these customer disputes that escalate, you should engage an independent assessor in to verify your findings etc?

20:45 - Lee, you should organise a Barum track day sometime in the future for customers. Castle Coombe rather Perranporth - it's easier to get to, not such a mant.

You have proved your workmanship on that engine so its an invoice for your work and stop worrying about his feelings as he has none the engine he wants in is in !!

People have a natural belief that they have been wronged and prematurely apportion blame without the facts - the customer had expectation bias that you would find something wrong with the Golf, so regardless of the agreement, in his head he’d dismissed the fact that he’d ever have to pay for anything, before he even bought that engine in - so that’s why he was so keen to work with you on it … Now it’s come home to roost. It all comes down to brass tacks. From day 1 of a dispute get cards on table. Ask the customer what ‘happy’ means for them as an end result and work back from there with negotiating a solution. If you don’t know the customers objectives you’ll always be shooting in the dark. Might be wishful thinking as some customers will never tell you because they are trying be ‘smart’ - they will think they have the upper hand because you are the service provider and will think they can work you over - but they’ve come to you as experts in the field because they aren’t and they need to pay for expertise, including your time for inspecting, and an engineer of the customer wants to pay for that too.

Lee, put in your terms and conditions that any warranty claim shall incur a £600 strip fee that shall be subsequently refunded should the warranty claim be a valid one.

Easier said than done, but dont let it wind you up any more and potentially distract you from more important things. He expects you to get bored with it and give him the engine back FOC. Don't, as the ball is now in his court and your comprehensive audit trail is to your advantage although I am not convinced he wants to escalate.

Here for the "Warranty"... Claims..

Lee, if it's out of warranty, tough luck, tell these muppets to jog on.....🤦🤦

He's definitely after his money back. Send him the bill to date and tell him to jog on

110% he already had the new motor.

As it was the customer who said the engine had low oil pressure I wonder how he tested it? Also im with you Lee in thinking he had another engine fitted into the golf before he brought the suspected low oil pressure engine back to you as he seen a chance he could maybe wrangle some money back with a false claim.

Had a Landrover 109 with that 2.6 Engine in and fitted an overdrive Gearbox at the time and it made it a decent runner. Cheers Lee.

Dude,toughen up,you're a nice guy and chancers are taking advantage of it.when they call/email out of warranty,just tell them its a fresh job which will be billed accordingly. Whatever you do,don't offer anything for free or a discounted rate.people like that are like flies round shit and will take all they can. Put a sign up in your office opposite where you sit,saying "don't offer anything for free" Good luck with the golf vulture.👍👍

Golf man don't wanna pay, time to send email stating if bill isn't settled within 28 days engine will be sold to cover outstanding bill and storage charges of £25 per week, any extra money will be returned to golf man..... It's all a game and they will chance their arm on the off chance that you will roll over.

Maybe draw up a contract prior to the work undertaken, any unexpected work or extra work, draw up a variation order, all agreed and signed up, I used to do when I did loft conversions, as I'm a carpenter, great video again and a bonus a car with the engine running sweet as a nut.

He who dare speak the truth shall be chased from a thousand villages. Sad but true. You've spilled blood in the water and they are on you like that ! Go figure . Chin up . I prefer reality too . Good work BTW .

Hi Lee. Maybe ask for fully refundable investigation deposit if found faulty of few hundred pounds up front to protect you.

relating to the GTI... Everyone wants something for nothing or very little

Problem people have a plan from the start that you’re not privy to. They’ve identified you as being reasonable which to them is an exploitable weakness. It’s also a rebound effect from their belief the trade is out to rip everyone off.

Everyone loves a reconditioned engine. They look great, they go great. It's not to suggest you're too expensive for what you do, but there's no denying that it's a time-hungry process and cumulatively the parts add up to a lot of money. All together, the cost to pay a business like yours to strip, check, machine, order parts and rebuild an engine results in a bill that very few people can finance. It doesn't seem too big a stretch to wonder if you don't get a steady dribble of rather naive people of rather normal means (i.e. spending power closer to national average figures, who do not have piles of cash to spend) who have visions of a shiny freshly rebuilt engine and think it will cost a few hundred quid and are staggered to be presented with a bill with another zero on the end who pay with their Mastercard and convince themselves they're victims owed their money back.

superb work from barum engines

So loads of us have been trying to work out why this Golf engine had “low” oil pressure and all this evidence is now pointing towards it wasn’t low in the first place All lies and bullshit to recoup money for new engine he’s bought

4psi low overall is not really that alarming given tolerance variances on the golf engine, and even the sending unit or gauge depending on age could have that in much error. Now if it was more than 10psi low, especially at idle, I would be alarmed. Doesn't really seem like much reason for you to even entertain the fact of tearing it back down in the first place. Also since he had barely the break in miles, was he running break in oil still because that is thinner and will drop the pressure.

Stand your ground or cut your loses. This is taking way to much of your time.

Send the boys around Lee!!!!!!!!!!

He isn’t going to come back for that engine, he is just trying his luck. Forget about it, don’t chase him for storage either, just flog it at some time and put the money in the Christmas beer fund.

He's probably swapped the engine giving you the knackered one. Charge him storage on top or sell the engine if he won't pay.

21 days if no joy it will be weighed in for scrap let him know if bill is not sorted in writing as a faulty engine with oil problem i wouldnt sell you will end up in world of hurt parts you done could be sold used

I would box it up, still in pieces, along with a data sheet showing all specs, send that lot to him, along with a 2,500 pound bill, with a 14 day payment time. No messing around. That guy has wasted too much of your time, & needs to learn that regardless of what engine, & it's internals, oil pressure will drop as the oil gets hotter. That guy has no legal warranty claim due to warranty period being expired. An independent engineer will have the same findings as you.

Just remember that if anything ever ends up in court then you need every piece of recorded information to back your claim. Keep everything categorised. Apparently you came to a recorded agreement so tell him to pay the money or sod off. You might need to add a piece to your paperwork in future noting that any non-payment of bills might require selling the customers property to recover your costs and any excess from the sale price will be refunded to them.

These guys are the nuts cant wait til mine goes in ❤❤

Gotta toughen up and tell em to jog on. Some people just like being difficult, go figure.

Give a time limit to pay and uplift ( seek legal advice on time limit ) bill him monthly and highlight weekly storage charge, once time limit is reached send him a final notice that it is your intention to sell the lump recoup your costs. Sell it as a short motor minus the oil pump and sell the cylinder head separately, dare say at some point you will get a customer for both.

Love the Rover. The Golf the guy is a waste of space and your time. Send a legal letter and if he dont pay in 30 days, flog it(he needs flogging too imo).

I'd be very wary about offering to help with out of warranty issues in future .