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So, Andrew Garcia, from Garcia Alfa Racing in Houston Texas finally concludes a deal to purchase Vick AutoSport in the Dallas, Texas-area of Fort Worth!
As our "buddy" Andrew rides off in to the sunset - firmly atop his new cash-cow venture - he leaves behind in his wake a wave of unfinished business, broken promises, defrauded customers, screwed-over former friends and a bewildered and disillusioned (I'm sure) junior friend/partner/employee - Michael Keith...
I want to apologize right now to all of those here who have given business to Andrew based on my recommendation and who got screwed in the process! I really thought that he was a nice guy and an honorable business resource, but I have come to see the error of my judgment! I am sick of covering for this guy and others here deserve to know the truth before perhaps also falling in the same Houston-Heights trap!
Leaving customer names out of it - let's look at a brief (and only partial - I'm sure) synopsis of just some of the Andrew Garcia/Garcia Alfa Racing deals (that I am personally aware of), hanging out there - unfinished. I think that since the BB is a place where we all try to help each-other and look out for one-another, and given that there are others here who may deal with this scum-bag in the future, we all deserve to know some facts first;
Customer # 1;
Gives Andrew a Spider to have his engine rebuilt (after it fails to pass emissions testing). Almost 15K dollars paid later AND OVER TWO YEARS OF BEGGING AND PLEADING to have the car completed and the project is in shambles, Andrew simply walks away and leaves the poor guy to just mend the mess on his own! (I had to fly from Seattle to Dallas to go and help get the car started because Andrew was too incompetent to do it!)
After Andrew somehow bends valves and has the head repaired again, the car is delivered with a RAT'S NEST for wiring in the engine-bay, overall shoddy work, make-shift brackets, oil-leaks and 92 horsepower at the wheels! How bad do you have to botch a high performance 2.0 Alfa rebuild on a 15K budget, with high performance (variable) cam(s), custom headers, ported heads, high compression pistons and a fully-programmable stand-alone EFI engine-management system - only to make 90-odd horses at the wheels!?
At a minimum a clean car could have been delivered to the customer, but Andrew doesn't even have the balls as a man, or the honor as a professional to admit that much! Simply refers to the customer as "difficult" and "unrealistic in his expectations"....
From what I've seen, the customer wasn't that difficult and unrealistic when he was making progress-payments to Andrew - money which Andrew promptly channeled to support his pursuit of his new venture in Dallas - Vick's - as he did with many other customers/vendors' money...
Customer # 2;
Pays Andrew almost half up-front for a custom super-duper transaxle race box purchased via yours truly. Upon request, the customer also pays the balance in full! It's now almost a year later and still no gearbox. Broken promise after broken promise after empty promise - and still - no gearbox!
Customer # 3;
Gives Andrew his beautiful 24 valve 164 for some general repairs - 14 months later and the car is still at GAR with the motor on the floor and in pieces! (Michael Keith - WHO IS A GENTLEMAN I MIGHT ADD - has to step in and bat clean-up for Andrew.) Andrew took progress payments and spent the money to support his pursuit of Vick AutoSport and never delivered!
Now Andrew is up in Dallas every week ad poor Michael basically had to stop taking in new projects in order to finish Andrew's unfinished commitments! I hope that it is all worth it Andrew and I hope that you share some of the Vick's success with Michael!
Customer # 4;
Lends Andrew money to buy a 164 S. Doesn't get paid back. Agrees to purchase a rebuild GTV6 from Andrew (in lieu of the loan) - pays Andrew additional monies to have the car completed - this goes back to 1995 by the way - Andrew Garcia is yet to turn a wrench on the car! Again Michael Keith has to step in and work on the project where possible!
Customer # 5;
Pays Andrew for a super-duper race gearbox. The car does not even make it around the track once ON A WARM-UP LAP, before spitting itself to pieces. Andrew Garcia won't even return phone-calls.
Vendor/Customer # 6;
Andrew asks for supply and subsequent delivery of several specialty, custom-order items - including custom 50mm 12 valve intake runners, GoTech engine management systems, a 6-speed 156 gearbox, 24 valve side-shafts, lower control arms, wiring harnesses etc etc. Andrew receives MOST of the items but fails to meet final payment demands! Andrew won't even answer phone-calls, reply to repeated emails or return countless messages! Andrew proceeds to sell THE SAME 156 gearbox unit to TWO SEPERATE customers, but fails to pay ONE DIME of the proceeds towards the vendor!
Vendor/Customer # 7;
Accepts an order FROM Andrew Garcia to purchase on his behalf 3 x 6-speed 156 gearboxes in South Africa for export and conversion here in the US in to customer 164 cars... Andrew Garcia never pays ONE DOLLAR towards the gearboxes! Tells the man in South Africa to blow it out of his arse! Again, Andrew refuses to communicate with the vendor/Alfa-friend/customer!
Vendor/Customer # 8;
Andrew Garcia accepts 4 x 12 valve pulleys for conversion to 60-2 triggered setup (along with full-payment towards the acquisition of said 60-2 trigger-wheels) for the conversions! Fails to even start the work - the pulleys have been sitting at his shop in Houston for more than 8 months to date, while he spends every week up in Dallas with his new venture!
Customer # 9;
Buys a super-duper race gearbox (again via yours truly), from Andrew. Gearbox has sand in it, leaks and the clutch is slipping. Initially Andrew commits to fix it and then eventually just stops returning phone-calls. Andrews proceeds to charge the end-customer ADDITIONAL money and commits to fix the gearbox - we all know now what these commitments from Andrew are worth - an on-going saga on that one...
It goes on and on - there is another 24 valve 164 sitting over there in pieces for almost 2 years now - Andrew just walked away. Another customer's freshly painted bronze GTV6 stripped to the bone - just sitting there for close to 2 years as well - Andrew is MIA - irate customers calling Garcia Alfa Racing every day and poor Mike Keith has to tend to the mess that Andrew left behind!
It goes on and on! This USED TO BE a guy that we could all trust. Andrew USED to be a reliable resource for Alfa repairs - not any more. For those here about to rush to Andrew's side with reports of PAST stellar service and kind-hearted gestures - keep in mind that I TOO had PAST positive experiences with Andrew, but something happened on the way to heaven (or should I say, on the way to Dallas...?)
Bottom line is that Andrew lost his head. He pulled in major projects, took money up-front and along the way, asked and received continual progress-payments, but once a project was paid for - he stopped communication and just rolled the next fairy-tale project/commensurate deposit in through the door!
The cookie crumbled when these things had to be completed, the progress-payments were spent on over-head and the pursuit of Vick's AutoSport (because Andrew sat on his arse for over a year instead of turning wrenches to make ends meet...)
I have met Robert Vick. He is a VERY nice man and he has built an amazing little business over there (about 80% Fiat and maybe only 20% Alfa...) With this deal however, Robert is stepping down and Andrew hopes to increase Vick's share of the Alfa parts-pie... I sincerely hope that he doesn't think that he is going to be achieving that elusive goal THIS way!
You know what they say about ill-gotten gains!
As our "buddy" Andrew rides off in to the sunset - firmly atop his new cash-cow venture - he leaves behind in his wake a wave of unfinished business, broken promises, defrauded customers, screwed-over former friends and a bewildered and disillusioned (I'm sure) junior friend/partner/employee - Michael Keith...
I want to apologize right now to all of those here who have given business to Andrew based on my recommendation and who got screwed in the process! I really thought that he was a nice guy and an honorable business resource, but I have come to see the error of my judgment! I am sick of covering for this guy and others here deserve to know the truth before perhaps also falling in the same Houston-Heights trap!
Leaving customer names out of it - let's look at a brief (and only partial - I'm sure) synopsis of just some of the Andrew Garcia/Garcia Alfa Racing deals (that I am personally aware of), hanging out there - unfinished. I think that since the BB is a place where we all try to help each-other and look out for one-another, and given that there are others here who may deal with this scum-bag in the future, we all deserve to know some facts first;
Customer # 1;
Gives Andrew a Spider to have his engine rebuilt (after it fails to pass emissions testing). Almost 15K dollars paid later AND OVER TWO YEARS OF BEGGING AND PLEADING to have the car completed and the project is in shambles, Andrew simply walks away and leaves the poor guy to just mend the mess on his own! (I had to fly from Seattle to Dallas to go and help get the car started because Andrew was too incompetent to do it!)
After Andrew somehow bends valves and has the head repaired again, the car is delivered with a RAT'S NEST for wiring in the engine-bay, overall shoddy work, make-shift brackets, oil-leaks and 92 horsepower at the wheels! How bad do you have to botch a high performance 2.0 Alfa rebuild on a 15K budget, with high performance (variable) cam(s), custom headers, ported heads, high compression pistons and a fully-programmable stand-alone EFI engine-management system - only to make 90-odd horses at the wheels!?
At a minimum a clean car could have been delivered to the customer, but Andrew doesn't even have the balls as a man, or the honor as a professional to admit that much! Simply refers to the customer as "difficult" and "unrealistic in his expectations"....
From what I've seen, the customer wasn't that difficult and unrealistic when he was making progress-payments to Andrew - money which Andrew promptly channeled to support his pursuit of his new venture in Dallas - Vick's - as he did with many other customers/vendors' money...
Customer # 2;
Pays Andrew almost half up-front for a custom super-duper transaxle race box purchased via yours truly. Upon request, the customer also pays the balance in full! It's now almost a year later and still no gearbox. Broken promise after broken promise after empty promise - and still - no gearbox!
Customer # 3;
Gives Andrew his beautiful 24 valve 164 for some general repairs - 14 months later and the car is still at GAR with the motor on the floor and in pieces! (Michael Keith - WHO IS A GENTLEMAN I MIGHT ADD - has to step in and bat clean-up for Andrew.) Andrew took progress payments and spent the money to support his pursuit of Vick AutoSport and never delivered!
Now Andrew is up in Dallas every week ad poor Michael basically had to stop taking in new projects in order to finish Andrew's unfinished commitments! I hope that it is all worth it Andrew and I hope that you share some of the Vick's success with Michael!
Customer # 4;
Lends Andrew money to buy a 164 S. Doesn't get paid back. Agrees to purchase a rebuild GTV6 from Andrew (in lieu of the loan) - pays Andrew additional monies to have the car completed - this goes back to 1995 by the way - Andrew Garcia is yet to turn a wrench on the car! Again Michael Keith has to step in and work on the project where possible!
Customer # 5;
Pays Andrew for a super-duper race gearbox. The car does not even make it around the track once ON A WARM-UP LAP, before spitting itself to pieces. Andrew Garcia won't even return phone-calls.
Vendor/Customer # 6;
Andrew asks for supply and subsequent delivery of several specialty, custom-order items - including custom 50mm 12 valve intake runners, GoTech engine management systems, a 6-speed 156 gearbox, 24 valve side-shafts, lower control arms, wiring harnesses etc etc. Andrew receives MOST of the items but fails to meet final payment demands! Andrew won't even answer phone-calls, reply to repeated emails or return countless messages! Andrew proceeds to sell THE SAME 156 gearbox unit to TWO SEPERATE customers, but fails to pay ONE DIME of the proceeds towards the vendor!
Vendor/Customer # 7;
Accepts an order FROM Andrew Garcia to purchase on his behalf 3 x 6-speed 156 gearboxes in South Africa for export and conversion here in the US in to customer 164 cars... Andrew Garcia never pays ONE DOLLAR towards the gearboxes! Tells the man in South Africa to blow it out of his arse! Again, Andrew refuses to communicate with the vendor/Alfa-friend/customer!
Vendor/Customer # 8;
Andrew Garcia accepts 4 x 12 valve pulleys for conversion to 60-2 triggered setup (along with full-payment towards the acquisition of said 60-2 trigger-wheels) for the conversions! Fails to even start the work - the pulleys have been sitting at his shop in Houston for more than 8 months to date, while he spends every week up in Dallas with his new venture!
Customer # 9;
Buys a super-duper race gearbox (again via yours truly), from Andrew. Gearbox has sand in it, leaks and the clutch is slipping. Initially Andrew commits to fix it and then eventually just stops returning phone-calls. Andrews proceeds to charge the end-customer ADDITIONAL money and commits to fix the gearbox - we all know now what these commitments from Andrew are worth - an on-going saga on that one...
It goes on and on - there is another 24 valve 164 sitting over there in pieces for almost 2 years now - Andrew just walked away. Another customer's freshly painted bronze GTV6 stripped to the bone - just sitting there for close to 2 years as well - Andrew is MIA - irate customers calling Garcia Alfa Racing every day and poor Mike Keith has to tend to the mess that Andrew left behind!
It goes on and on! This USED TO BE a guy that we could all trust. Andrew USED to be a reliable resource for Alfa repairs - not any more. For those here about to rush to Andrew's side with reports of PAST stellar service and kind-hearted gestures - keep in mind that I TOO had PAST positive experiences with Andrew, but something happened on the way to heaven (or should I say, on the way to Dallas...?)
Bottom line is that Andrew lost his head. He pulled in major projects, took money up-front and along the way, asked and received continual progress-payments, but once a project was paid for - he stopped communication and just rolled the next fairy-tale project/commensurate deposit in through the door!
The cookie crumbled when these things had to be completed, the progress-payments were spent on over-head and the pursuit of Vick's AutoSport (because Andrew sat on his arse for over a year instead of turning wrenches to make ends meet...)
I have met Robert Vick. He is a VERY nice man and he has built an amazing little business over there (about 80% Fiat and maybe only 20% Alfa...) With this deal however, Robert is stepping down and Andrew hopes to increase Vick's share of the Alfa parts-pie... I sincerely hope that he doesn't think that he is going to be achieving that elusive goal THIS way!
You know what they say about ill-gotten gains!