Castro Motorspots, you would have to be high as hell to go here...

[castros]

Dude, shit missing from my car isn't he or she said. Please address why it was taken from my car. Im sure you've seen the sticker in question. Its probably still in your shop.

I don't care about actual parts. You let me take the car out on the street with no notification of a problem with the brakes. Its only when I drove off the lot and discovered the brakes weren't working properly and came back that you told me the issue. I was also left off the lot with no notification that the linkage on the z3 shifter install was grinding too. I had to drive off the lot to figure it out. FACT! This is why I'm pissed off. Too many things gone wrong. I don't care about warranty. Why would I want to go back?

And why not give me back the selector rod that I brought to be installed if it didn't work. Why did you just keep it? When you kept it, I was even more under the impression that it was installed on my car. If you would have given it back I obviously would have known it wasn't used. I only discovered it wasn't when I got under the car myself and this is what sparked this whole thing.

Please address these issue.

Till this point I have no idea what your talking about as far as the sticker goes? But if some one did take it out I'm sorry, I don't tell my guys to search customers cars to find things we can take, nor do I sit there looking to see what I can take.

You decided to take the car after I told you about the brake issue, since you said you were going to be replacing your brakes, that was a mistake because I should have had you tow your car out of the shop rather than driving it out.

Like I told you over the phone, I Installed the selector rod, if you think I kept it or wanted yours in particular, come and look for it in the box of the hundreds of selector rods I have to see if you find it, or if you'd like me to buy you another one I'll be more than happy to replace it.

[phreshkid]

Your right I did handle our particular situation unprofessionally, that I do not deny and till this day it bothers me that we ended over a few hundred dollars. I was having a bad week but that was no excuse for disrespecting you, but I could have denied giving you anything but knew that was not right, the catalytic converters I installed where defective which I found out months later due to the manufacturer contacting me, I refunded you the parts cost and did not refund you the labor, but remember you were the one asking for that amount and I didn't pay you any less or any more than what you asked for. I've matured and grown from all my previous experiences so I am not ashamed to admit that I made a mistake handling our situation the way I did. So if its of any use I do apologize for the way I acted towards you, because I didn't just see you as a customer but as a friend in the E30 community.

Bygones are bygones. I hope your business is doing well. I'll see you at the next meet.


Thank you for your apology, Chris.

[castros]

Bygones are bygones. I hope your business is going well. I'll see you at the next meet.


Thank you for your apology, Chris.

Your welcome, only way I better myself, is if i have someone to point out my flaws, looking forward to seeing you, hope you make it to vintage.

[QUKBMER]

Again, no. A sticking caliper doesn't cause a soft pedal, and a soft pedal is NOT a fault, but a symptom of another fault. Also, a sticking caliper is cause by nothing other than a seized piston or sliders. It is not possible for any of the 3 causes of a soft pedal to contribute to uneven brake wear.

Air in lines
Leak
Master cylinder.

That's it, nothing else will cause a soft pedal, and a soft pedal will not cause a caliper to stick.. What you are stating happened to you, didn't. You misdiagnosed your issue.


By giving the explanation that his sticking caliper had caused his soft pedal you are indicating that you have no idea how a hydraulic system operates. Either that of you were relying on the hope that the customer lacks the knowledge. This is kind of worrysome.

Edit for cleanliness.

^^^^.I have been working in the automotive field for 27 years and this is absolutely 100% correct.

[tonywonder]

Again, no. A sticking caliper doesn't cause a soft pedal, and a soft pedal is NOT a fault, but a symptom of another fault. Also, a sticking caliper is cause by nothing other than a seized piston or sliders. It is not possible for any of the 3 causes of a soft pedal to contribute to uneven brake wear.

Air in lines
Leak
Master cylinder.

That's it, nothing else will cause a soft pedal, and a soft pedal will not cause a caliper to stick.. What you are stating happened to you, didn't. You misdiagnosed your issue.


By giving the explanation that his sticking caliper had caused his soft pedal you are indicating that you have no idea how a hydraulic system operates. Either that of you were relying on the hope that the customer lacks the knowledge. This is kind of worrysome.

Edit for cleanliness.

I think i wasnt being clear enough and I misunderstood what was meant by a "sticking caliper." By your explanation it is actually different than what i understood it as and different from what i was experiencing.

I also was not saying that the "sticking caliper" was causing a soft pedal. I was merely stating the soft pedal and what i was defining as a sticking caliper were symptoms of a leak.

To be clear a leaky master cylinder, which was my problem, was causing one side to constantly brake as if it were stuck. This was evident when jacking up the car and one side would freely spin while the other did not. Maybe this was part of a combination of issues but once the unit was replaced the problem was gone.

[tonywonder]

Mind your business. You know nothing of my car or dealings with Castro. As far as trans oil goes fucking 90% of e30 owners are confused about which is the right one to use. ATF or MTF. Only after doing hours of research do you come to find out it doesn't matter as long as you use the correct weight MTF.

You posted on a Public forum. If you want people to mind their own business dont post on the forum.

e30 manual transmission fluid

Maybe 5 minutes of reading for options. Definitely not hours.

[KIRIEIW]

again, no. A sticking caliper doesn't cause a soft pedal, and a soft pedal is not a fault, but a symptom of another fault. Also, a sticking caliper is cause by nothing other than a seized piston or sliders. It is not possible for any of the 3 causes of a soft pedal to contribute to uneven brake wear.

Air in lines
leak
master cylinder.

That's it, nothing else will cause a soft pedal, and a soft pedal will not cause a caliper to stick.. What you are stating happened to you, didn't. You misdiagnosed your issue.

By giving the explanation that his sticking caliper had caused his soft pedal you are indicating that you have no idea how a hydraulic system operates. Either that of you were relying on the hope that the customer lacks the knowledge. This is kind of worrysome.

Edit for cleanliness.

+1

[goarmy]

+1

+2

[semaj4712]

I feel like I need to just make a quick comment about something, I have noticed this is becoming a common trend as of late, somebody has a problem with Castros and turns to R3V to vent their frustration.

Now not having any idea to the legalities of the claims that have been made, and I am not about to take sides on a he said she said argument, plus I have my own experiences with Chris to take into account but that is for another day.

Castro's and Chris in particular is a highly respected member of the southern California BMW enthusiast scene. Many longtime BMW enthusiasts have gone to his shop with nothing but positive things to say and many have worked with Chris and had nothing but positive things to say.

However, the fact that about once a week or once every few weeks somebody posts about their experiences at Castro's and how they feel they were not treated fairly has to have some sort of validity at this point. Too many people have had issues, and I am not talking about a small issues, I am talking about large issues where people have major issues with the work or experience they had at Castro's. So much so they have to come to r3v, time and time again to express their problems. There is at-least three already in this one thread.

Chris, I am sure you do not like to come on R3V on a weekly basis to defend your work and your shop. You know you do good work and have one of the most reputable shops in SoCal.

So my word of advice comes as such, look at each customer, regardless of budget, knowledge, or desires the same way. If somebody comes in to get an oil change, treat them the same way as you would Frank Ocean. If you build a working relationship with someone, they will come back, they will spread positive reviews of your work, and what a pleasure dealing with you was. A guy coming in today for an oil change may be the guy next year coming in with a crazy turbo s54 swap. You never know.

Again this is just my 2 cents, take it or leave it, but something in the way you are dealing with customers is leaving them to take to the internet, and that is never good for business.

[castros]

I feel like I need to just make a quick comment about something, I have noticed this is becoming a common trend as of late, somebody has a problem with Castros and turns to R3V to vent their frustration.

Now not having any idea to the legalities of the claims that have been made, and I am not about to take sides on a he said she said argument, plus I have my own experiences with Chris to take into account but that is for another day.

Castro's and Chris in particular is a highly respected member of the southern California BMW enthusiast scene. Many longtime BMW enthusiasts have gone to his shop with nothing but positive things to say and many have worked with Chris and had nothing but positive things to say.

However, the fact that about once a week or once every few weeks somebody posts about their experiences at Castro's and how they feel they were not treated fairly has to have some sort of validity at this point. Too many people have had issues, and I am not talking about a small issues, I am talking about large issues where people have major issues with the work or experience they had at Castro's. So much so they have to come to r3v, time and time again to express their problems. There is at-least three already in this one thread.

Chris, I am sure you do not like to come on R3V on a weekly basis to defend your work and your shop. You know you do good work and have one of the most reputable shops in SoCal.

So my word of advice comes as such, look at each customer, regardless of budget, knowledge, or desires the same way. If somebody comes in to get an oil change, treat them the same way as you would Frank Ocean. If you build a working relationship with someone, they will come back, they will spread positive reviews of your work, and what a pleasure dealing with you was. A guy coming in today for an oil change may be the guy next year coming in with a crazy turbo s54 swap. You never know.

Again this is just my 2 cents, take it or leave it, but something in the way you are dealing with customers is leaving them to take to the internet, and that is never good for business.

I completely agree about treating everyone equally, many may think that we are snotty just because we've worked and built cars for a few particular customers. However I'd much rather be working on small projects and tending to routine maintenance, rather than big long tedious projects. I work side by side with my guys at the shop but sometimes am driven out with the business aspect of things, but I love building relationships with all the people who come into the shop. Many may think all I wan't is the high paying customer but frankly their is way more stress involved working with those particular customers. I make mistakes, but all my intentions are true and sincere. I thank those who come to my shop and keep my doors open, those who've had bad experiences with my I truly apologize, and those who chose not to come to my shop have all the right to do so.

[goarmy]

I had a tech service my rear driver brakes as it was under their care as I bought the car from the tech and service was at no charge. I noticed he took the caliper off and noticed the piston dropped to the dirty floor..

I was already concern but you know, you don't say anything because you trust them. I see he couldn't put it back.. I told him I wanted a reman one! Later he told me he was going to autozonegetting another caliper. Later on he told me it was done and fine. I drove off.. later on, my brake pedal just went completely to the floor.. The car would not stop.. What happen?

It was on my way to work I noticed my pedal wasn't so firm.. I see kids about 80 feet in front of me with skates.. I proceeded to slow down to give them time to give me pass. I noticed that the small amount off pedal pump I usually do was not doing anything.. I proceeded to press again and again to create pressure and nothing It just immediadly went to the floor with ease.

It was a one way lane no left, had to run the car to the right and between the grass and the tree was what helped me to stop the car.

I checked the brakes myself and noticed brake fluid all over the wheels, mud guard, muffler and where ever the wind drag took it. I noticed also it was the same caliper..

Personally I lose all respects for someone that could have caused a life to be taken away.

Anybody can be well respected, but respects go beyond the person having knowledge. It's character, people in my neck of the woods love me and respect me for my work ethics, kindness, honesty not just for my knowledge or what I do for them : /

[mkcman17]

I haven't been up to the shop in a while now as cars have taken a backseat in my life, but every time I've dropped by unannounced Chris has taken care of me. It's not easy to be a paid mechanic of any sort on older+modified vehicles. Often times you're undoing shoddy work or taking blame for problems extracurricular to the actual servicing. He has always been understanding when money's tight and given me options, not just upselling the profitable parts or jobs. When I've heard of any issue with castro's the car usually touched several hands and/or stayed for an extended period. I can't speak for these. I've had Chris fab a custom trains brace, two full exhausts and replace two fubar rear wheel bearings in the past. Everything else I do myself, if only for the security that if something fails I know exactly what's been done. I'll be back for my 2002 trans brace, soon.

[CENTURION]

but but isn't the customer always right?

[torqueflight]

The car is now totaled. There will definitely be an empty place in my heart for the rest of my life for that car but Im glad to be leaving the scene and happy to never have to deal with situations like these anymore. Good luck with everything Chris.

[efficient]

What happened to the car