@supra2k6 That is frightening as hell. I could basically put my name in place of yours and have the EXACT same story. Originally I was lured in by the group by on e90post. I was unable to complete in the time frame, but he assured me he would keep a spot open for me when I could make it in. Fast forward to July 2018, and from there my story is about the exact same as yours.
He has also told me verbatim "I have never had a customer leave unhappy" - He also likes to carry on with at-length unnecessary specifics about parts and ancillaries around every turn. No less than 4 times I was told car was ready to go, and would be on a transport that day. Only to be contacted either late night or the NEXT DAY offering and excuse as to something went wrong.
I too have asked him numerous times for proof of parts ordered, receipts, bill of lading, tracking, anything that would indicate he is doing work on my car, and he always promises and never delivers. So far in six months I have received a picture of my car sitting in his back lot in grass as a "proof of life" - a box that had my name on the outside supposedly containing my new clutch and flywheel, and a shot of some random engine that he claims was the replacement engine for mine. Like you, the list of suggested fixes to make the car optimal went on and on and on. Oil pan gasket, vanos issues, crankshaft sensors, rear main seal, timing chain, sprockets, camshaft, and then the nail in the coffin supposedly was that "someone" had previously attempted to repair the car using JBweld on a bolt at the crank hub. Yet, no pictures were ever provided of said issues, or replacement parts or anything along those lines, just an assurance that they are "an authorized parts shop and have a lifetime guarantee on parts".
I did a chargeback on my credit card which he is now battling. I told him, finish the car, you get your money, easy as that. He complained that he would now have a negative mark on his square account and that it would last forever, and he was not happy about that. He went on and on for almost an hour talking about how that would hurt his business, and if I was going to do that, he would not have proceeded with fixing the busted engine.
Thankfully at this point, I am not into him for any money. My issue right now is that he still has the car, and based on what I have read here, it is very questionable whether or not the car would even able to be driven. I drove it 6.5 hours to NJ without a hiccup, and prior to taking it there I personally replaced HPFP, High and Low pressure sensors, all new index 12 injectors, new PVC valve, new serpentine belt, and brand new head gasket. Also I installed brand new CP BOV, and 5" intercooler the weekend prior to sending it there. On top of that the thermostat and water pump and Oil filter housing gasket was replaced around 8 months prior. The thing should have been in the best condition it could be in since I bought it.
When questioning him how it was possible that there are tons of other people with the exact same setup as mine, and no major issues like the ones that were coming up on my car, he quickly deferred to "everyone has problems all the time, no one is going to post about them all the time, and I as a repair shop am not going to tell you that something could POSSIBLY happen when I don't know for sure."
To be honest, from what I can gather, it almost sounds as if he is running some type of ponzi scheme. Promise the world to people use the collateral and payments from other people to finish the current cars, then milk the next jobs, to make enough money to fix the prior jobs. Either that, or perhaps his whole shop is some type of drug front, not entirely sure.
I currently have a signed agreement stating that the car was to be done by Oct 19, and that has come and gone, and just more excuses and more (most likely) imaginary problems. I will be taking my agreement and contacting counsel that I had spoke with prior to see what they suggest as next steps for getting the car back, and recovering costs for rental cars, time lost, and having to acquire a new vehicle due to him being obviously and maliciously negligent.
What a mess.
