Colletti Motorsports: The "unknowledgable" Steve Colletti

If you are just tuning in, this is my blog about how I got ripped off from Colletti Motorsports.  It serves two purposes.  One, I wanted to detail the events that happened for my own peace of mind.  Two is to help other consumers be aware.  While writing this, it does help me organize the events in my mind as to how they happened.  It also does upset me reliving these events in my mind though.

The last post mentioned the problems with the head gasket.  I am continuing from that.  Here is the next BBB statement from Steve (the "ripper off-er") Colletti:

"Now, out of the blue, he first wants $600 from me supposedly as 1/2 the cost of replacement head gaskets, which while he never claimed, at least at first he never claimed, that either has failed. Instead, he claims he was told the head gaskets are "known" to fail. We used Fel-Pro gaskets. They are well known in racing. We have used Fel-Pro gaskets in a great many applications. They are an industry standard. I dispute the assertion that we used the wrong head gaskets. The head gaskets of this engine are no more prone to failure than any other. There is some "chatter" on the internet to the effect that some manifold gaskets sometimes fail, but that is only anecdotal, and that is not what he is claiming."

I did forget to mention that the head gaskets failed.  I should have been more specific, but I was hoping a professional mechanic, as he claims to be, would either figure it out or at least contact me to understand the specifics.  Instead, I get only "I do not warranty race engines" (see email below).  This so called professional, did not care to hear anything I had to say.  He did not care to hear that the car basically went straight to the new mechanic and had been sitting there this entire time waiting to be tuned.  And then when it was tuned, they found out the head gaskets were bad.   Steve (the "ripper off-er") Colletti did not care and still does not care. 

I only asked him for half the cost of replacing the head gasket.  I thought I was being a really nice guy by asking only half.  I only asked for half, because it made sense.  The work went bad but Colletti Motorsports did not have the opportunity to fix it, because the car was now in Florida instead of Ohio.  Also, I would not have let them touch it anyway, but typically, the shop is at least afforded the opportunity to at least say they will fix it at their own expense.  But then who wants a shop fixing something that they didn't do right in the first place and has caused a multitude of problems?  Half the cost was a fair and reasonable offer.  Instead I get the answer that they do not warranty race engines.  You can imagine, with all the troubles I have had with this non-professional, how upsetting that was.

I told him that the gaskets he used are known to fail often in Buick Grand Nationals.  This is what my Buick Grand National specialist has told me and I have heard it before from Jack Cotton, another specialist.  His answer is that they are an industry standard and are no more prone to failure than any other.  This answer right here really shows how inept he is.  Many companies offer many fine products, but sometimes there are products that just don't work well for certain applications. Steve (the "ripper off-er") Colletti does not admit this and this is an indication of a "lesser" mechanic.  Any good, highly professional mechanic would admit to the possibility.

side note: When my car was rebuilt by Millet's Automotive in 1999, they did not use the Fel-Pro gasket.  The Fel-Pro gasket might be fine for a stock rebuild, but it is not for a high performance rebuild.

Steve (the "ripper off-er") Colletti then states there is some "chatter" on the internet that sometimes these head gaskets fail.  If he would have done this research before installing the head gaskets, rather than after, the head gaskets would not have blown.  But he did not bother doing the research until I told him the head gaskets, that he used, had failed.  A good mechanic would have done this beforehand and also reimbursed me as well for his mistakes.  

Steve (the "ripper off-er") Colletti then says the gaskets failing are anecdotal and that is not what I am claiming.  As I previously stated, I may not have explained myself very well, but a professional mechanic would have followed up on my statement to find out the full situation rather than saying that they do not warranty engines.

I now wonder if the head gaskets failing caused the cam to go flat and also ruin the front camshaft bearing.  The new mechanic said, when he is finished, he will write a detailed report of his findings.  It is ironic that Steve (the "ripper off-er") Colletti likes to blame all kinds of things on me, on why it took so long for him to finish the car.  But when time has passed with my car at the new mechanic's shop, it seems ok to use that excuse as a way of not reimbursing me.

It is upsetting the new mechanic has had it so long.  But you can't expect him to rush things when he has so much business and he has to fix another mechanic's mistakes.  It is also somewhat embarrassing for me to take my car here because he told me long ago, to never have anyone that is not familiar with Buick Grand Nationals, to work on your car.  He said typically they'll barely run long enough to get it to his shop.  Wow, how true.  

side note:  I had this new mechanic check over my car when Millet's Automotive rebuilt my car.  Everything checked out fine except for the camshaft timing which was slightly off.  Millet's rebuild lasted me for 10 years.  I talked about that in another post.