Post by thetravelingpenguins on Jun 8, 2021 12:28:25 GMT -8
Where to start? Doesn’t fit in a nutshell.
We bought our VW 1972 bay window bus back in December 2020. It was in the shop getting worked on for 5 months. We have plans on taking the bus across the country for an epic road trip and we shared such intentions with the seller. The seller pointed us towards a selection of buses that, in his opinion, would be suitable for the trip we had in mind and also could work with our budget we had available. We picked one we felt an instant connection with. After working out price and some details it was time to sign the contract.
Here it starts to get strange. The contract contains a paragraph on how to resolve issues between buyer and seller and that you, as buyer, should not under any circumstances discuss issues you have with the object bought and/or the work performed with anyone else, but the seller. I wondered but signed the contract and returned it to the seller. I had to ask him, several times, for a signed copy back for myself until I finally received one.
In the process of selling us the bus, the seller mentioned that all the work would be documented with pictures and videos for references should we need mechanical work done later on. He said he would make these available to us but in all of the 5 months we never received any pictures/videos up until the very end (select pictures only). The seller also told us verbally that he bought a big bin full of brand new tires because they’re hard to come by these days and so he would put a set of those new tires on our bus. The new set, including a spare, is also mentioned in the contract. However, we never got them. Instead, a set of 20 year old ones (we checked the DOT numbers on the tires, which were installed facing inwards) is what we received. All of them showed cracks in the old rubber and were deemed unsafe to drive, as per an inspection. Oh and the spare tire… is non- existent. The same way the fire extinguisher, also mentioned in the contract and paid for is non-existent. We also paid $200 for a kill switch, which we still can’t find.
The day the seller sends us the message that the bus is ready for pick up, he also mentions that there was extra work that needed to be done and that he required the 15% overcharge should any additional work arise, which was stated in the contract. However, there was no communication during the whole 5 months of extra work executed, nor was there a heads up given that the seller would need the 15%, to the tune of $2300, to address the extra work. We still don’t know what that “extra work” was. We think it is unprofessional to deliver the bill of extra costs the day of completion when you’re all excited about receiving the bus.
The day of pick up we spent 3 hours standing around watching the seller and his mechanic trying to fix the emergency brake, a hole in the floor that (although mentioned by me a couple of times before) was still not addressed, trying to find out which keys goes with which door and spray lubing the keyholes and also trying to fix the sliding door which would not close properly and still does not, to this day.
While standing around we started to look at the bus a little closer, we realized that none of the door and window seals were replaced, as per the contract. One of the vent windows almost fell out of its frame as there was no pin (rusted out and dissolved) to hold it in place. In my opinion, none of the seals were looked at or even touched other than the front window (replaced by seller due to cracks in glass) and one of the side windows which we purchased ourselves and had the seller install it.
We had a small time frame to get the bus home before the rain sat in. The vehicle had its pop top missing as we brought it home months earlier to overhaul hinges, wooden brackets, and to give it a complete new paint job in and out. Because the takeover took unexpectedly longer we were suddenly facing a drive in the rain. I guess the seller felt bad and gave us a free vehicle cover to protect the van from the rain which we still can’t use as the seller instructed us to wait at least a month for the paint to off-gas.
Fast forward….
We get the bus home and park it in our driveway with emergency brake pulled only to watch it roll away on a 8% grade. At this point we are very disappointed. So I pull the rear wheels off in an attempt to fix the parking brake myself only to discover that the mechanism for the parking brake was held together with wire twist ties and a washer. The second time we take the bus for a short drive within town, we made it 5 minutes into the drive when I couldn’t shift into 3rd or 4th gear anymore. Drove the bus home in second gear and parked it again. Made some adjustments to the shifter plate which solved the issue. The third attempt to drive the bus across town, the brakes begin to seize up. I called my wife to bring tools. More adjustments were made. Makes me wonder if anyone actually had a look at those brakes? Now concerned about the overall state our bus is in and it’s safety, we signed up for an inspection.
The inspection came up with the following issues.
- Rear right tail light not working
- Both brake lights not working
- Parking brake not working
- All tires show cracking and ply not suitable for this weight/ type of vehicle
- Left tie rod ends have play
- Steering link joints have play
- Two CV boots are cracked, all of them are brittle
- Heater exhaust pipe rusted through and leaking
- Left side cylinder base gasket leaking
- Fan belt old and cracked
- Brake fluid contains too much water
There were a few other minor issues which are easy fixes.
This weekend we took our bus on her first real road “test” trip to Tofino and as you would expect we hit some wet West Coast conditions. It is no surprise… 4 window seals are leaking and the water is dripping down the brand new wooden door panels and across the newly installed floor.
Interestingly enough, when we came home and the bus rolled out of the driveway, I sent the seller an email addressing all my concerns (not beating around the bush) to which he replied they could not install a new seal on the sliding door as this would prevent the door from closing properly and in general the seals don’t leak and his employees are not slaves and “that when people changed their perspective, from one of disappointment to one of happiness, for how they see things, it was in that shift that their life changed… so miraculously it is with an old VW bus”.
Not counting on miracles we approached the seller and asked him to fix some of the more pressing issues which he refused to do all together (because he was upset that we were upset with him) although it states in the contract “Vehicle comes with parts/labour warranties on any new work performed, as applicable, generally 30 days”.
In our attempt to resolve these issues with Joseph Borkovic, aka FIOR I BUA SUSTAINABLE TRADING LTD, aka ORGANIC & SUSTAINABLE TRADING CANADA, aka Earth Spirit Refurbishment & Restoration, aka EARTH SPIRIT PUBLISHING LTD., aka crankcrankvrooom(.)ca, we realized this man, who called us greedy, reiterated his employees were not slaves, implied we might have buyers remorse and are not entitled to an instant anwser and “how dare you attack anyone is such a manner with your self-importance” (when I messaged him again about the $700 tires that needed to be installed for our upcoming trip) was not going to work with us amicably.
He had offered to resolve the issue by buying back the van as long as we put it back in the condition we first saw it in, knowing that we already had begun extensive work on components of the interior (reupholstering, fabricating new door panels, fiberglassing and repaint of the pop top and refabricating a whole new canvas for the pop top amongst numerous other purchases that were made to refit the interior to the tune of $5000).
NOTE: the positives…bodywork looks great and we made it to Tofino and back without incident (aside from water leakage and emergency brake failure) with many peace signs from VW van lovers along the way. We love her and will restore her to her full potential.
Sentiments,
“to be clear, take care of your own attitude and affairs, on your own greedy wavelength
Genuinely, Joseph”
And that’s what you get for $22,344
Bottom line, buyer beware!!!
Sacha & Kara
We bought our VW 1972 bay window bus back in December 2020. It was in the shop getting worked on for 5 months. We have plans on taking the bus across the country for an epic road trip and we shared such intentions with the seller. The seller pointed us towards a selection of buses that, in his opinion, would be suitable for the trip we had in mind and also could work with our budget we had available. We picked one we felt an instant connection with. After working out price and some details it was time to sign the contract.
Here it starts to get strange. The contract contains a paragraph on how to resolve issues between buyer and seller and that you, as buyer, should not under any circumstances discuss issues you have with the object bought and/or the work performed with anyone else, but the seller. I wondered but signed the contract and returned it to the seller. I had to ask him, several times, for a signed copy back for myself until I finally received one.
In the process of selling us the bus, the seller mentioned that all the work would be documented with pictures and videos for references should we need mechanical work done later on. He said he would make these available to us but in all of the 5 months we never received any pictures/videos up until the very end (select pictures only). The seller also told us verbally that he bought a big bin full of brand new tires because they’re hard to come by these days and so he would put a set of those new tires on our bus. The new set, including a spare, is also mentioned in the contract. However, we never got them. Instead, a set of 20 year old ones (we checked the DOT numbers on the tires, which were installed facing inwards) is what we received. All of them showed cracks in the old rubber and were deemed unsafe to drive, as per an inspection. Oh and the spare tire… is non- existent. The same way the fire extinguisher, also mentioned in the contract and paid for is non-existent. We also paid $200 for a kill switch, which we still can’t find.
The day the seller sends us the message that the bus is ready for pick up, he also mentions that there was extra work that needed to be done and that he required the 15% overcharge should any additional work arise, which was stated in the contract. However, there was no communication during the whole 5 months of extra work executed, nor was there a heads up given that the seller would need the 15%, to the tune of $2300, to address the extra work. We still don’t know what that “extra work” was. We think it is unprofessional to deliver the bill of extra costs the day of completion when you’re all excited about receiving the bus.
The day of pick up we spent 3 hours standing around watching the seller and his mechanic trying to fix the emergency brake, a hole in the floor that (although mentioned by me a couple of times before) was still not addressed, trying to find out which keys goes with which door and spray lubing the keyholes and also trying to fix the sliding door which would not close properly and still does not, to this day.
While standing around we started to look at the bus a little closer, we realized that none of the door and window seals were replaced, as per the contract. One of the vent windows almost fell out of its frame as there was no pin (rusted out and dissolved) to hold it in place. In my opinion, none of the seals were looked at or even touched other than the front window (replaced by seller due to cracks in glass) and one of the side windows which we purchased ourselves and had the seller install it.
We had a small time frame to get the bus home before the rain sat in. The vehicle had its pop top missing as we brought it home months earlier to overhaul hinges, wooden brackets, and to give it a complete new paint job in and out. Because the takeover took unexpectedly longer we were suddenly facing a drive in the rain. I guess the seller felt bad and gave us a free vehicle cover to protect the van from the rain which we still can’t use as the seller instructed us to wait at least a month for the paint to off-gas.
Fast forward….
We get the bus home and park it in our driveway with emergency brake pulled only to watch it roll away on a 8% grade. At this point we are very disappointed. So I pull the rear wheels off in an attempt to fix the parking brake myself only to discover that the mechanism for the parking brake was held together with wire twist ties and a washer. The second time we take the bus for a short drive within town, we made it 5 minutes into the drive when I couldn’t shift into 3rd or 4th gear anymore. Drove the bus home in second gear and parked it again. Made some adjustments to the shifter plate which solved the issue. The third attempt to drive the bus across town, the brakes begin to seize up. I called my wife to bring tools. More adjustments were made. Makes me wonder if anyone actually had a look at those brakes? Now concerned about the overall state our bus is in and it’s safety, we signed up for an inspection.
The inspection came up with the following issues.
- Rear right tail light not working
- Both brake lights not working
- Parking brake not working
- All tires show cracking and ply not suitable for this weight/ type of vehicle
- Left tie rod ends have play
- Steering link joints have play
- Two CV boots are cracked, all of them are brittle
- Heater exhaust pipe rusted through and leaking
- Left side cylinder base gasket leaking
- Fan belt old and cracked
- Brake fluid contains too much water
There were a few other minor issues which are easy fixes.
This weekend we took our bus on her first real road “test” trip to Tofino and as you would expect we hit some wet West Coast conditions. It is no surprise… 4 window seals are leaking and the water is dripping down the brand new wooden door panels and across the newly installed floor.
Interestingly enough, when we came home and the bus rolled out of the driveway, I sent the seller an email addressing all my concerns (not beating around the bush) to which he replied they could not install a new seal on the sliding door as this would prevent the door from closing properly and in general the seals don’t leak and his employees are not slaves and “that when people changed their perspective, from one of disappointment to one of happiness, for how they see things, it was in that shift that their life changed… so miraculously it is with an old VW bus”.
Not counting on miracles we approached the seller and asked him to fix some of the more pressing issues which he refused to do all together (because he was upset that we were upset with him) although it states in the contract “Vehicle comes with parts/labour warranties on any new work performed, as applicable, generally 30 days”.
In our attempt to resolve these issues with Joseph Borkovic, aka FIOR I BUA SUSTAINABLE TRADING LTD, aka ORGANIC & SUSTAINABLE TRADING CANADA, aka Earth Spirit Refurbishment & Restoration, aka EARTH SPIRIT PUBLISHING LTD., aka crankcrankvrooom(.)ca, we realized this man, who called us greedy, reiterated his employees were not slaves, implied we might have buyers remorse and are not entitled to an instant anwser and “how dare you attack anyone is such a manner with your self-importance” (when I messaged him again about the $700 tires that needed to be installed for our upcoming trip) was not going to work with us amicably.
He had offered to resolve the issue by buying back the van as long as we put it back in the condition we first saw it in, knowing that we already had begun extensive work on components of the interior (reupholstering, fabricating new door panels, fiberglassing and repaint of the pop top and refabricating a whole new canvas for the pop top amongst numerous other purchases that were made to refit the interior to the tune of $5000).
NOTE: the positives…bodywork looks great and we made it to Tofino and back without incident (aside from water leakage and emergency brake failure) with many peace signs from VW van lovers along the way. We love her and will restore her to her full potential.
Sentiments,
“to be clear, take care of your own attitude and affairs, on your own greedy wavelength
Genuinely, Joseph”
And that’s what you get for $22,344
Bottom line, buyer beware!!!
Sacha & Kara
