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JPS - one unhappy customer's advice.

TomD (hacksaw57)TomD (hacksaw57)
DO NOT BUY A JPS !!!!! DO NOT BUY A JPS!!!!!!!!!!!

John Steele is a man without integrity!!!! He does not live up to his commitments! I have experienced this many times - yet again at Carlisle when he failed to show up to look at my car as promised MULTIPLE TIMES.

All I have ever wanted from JPS was for this car to work. Is that unreasonable?

John Steele considers his cars "used VWs" (read one of his latest emails to me below). So understand what you are really buying in John Steele's eyes - a used VW! Nothing more.

I have tried to be reasonable. I have tried to give JPS every opportunity to help. Result is always half-hearted and produces poor results.

BEWARE. You WILL be on your own. I have been promised many many things and received 1/10th of what was promised.

Warranty - forget it. How good is it if JPS won't help you or find someone to help you?

Following is what John says to me despite NOT EVEN taking 10 minutes to meet me and look at the car as he promised he would do (multiple times) at Carlisle last weekend (both on Saturday and Sunday):
"Because, I have seen the abuse that you have done to that car and I paid for mistakes you made already, even giving you a discount on the purchase price because I believed you would understand about owning a kit car especially one as complicated as yours. I have tried everything you asked within reason to help you with the car. Now it is your turn to meet me halfway. I am still willing to help but if you think legal action over a used VW is necessary go ahead."


John P. Steele JPS Motorsports, Inc.
11323 Vanowen St.
North Hollywood, CA 91605
(818) 985-8891
www.jps-motorsports.com

The abuse he talks about refers to brake rotors that overheated because they do not cool very well with drum skins on (How should I know that?) & a nerf bar that was torn off the first time I drove it because they were never test fitted for clearance by JPS. The discount was to honor the price he quoted me in writing and I had to fight for weeks to get him to honor.

I LOVE THIS CAR. IT IS MY DREAM CAR OR LEAST IT COULD BE, but it has been an abomination thanks to JPS.

NOW John wants to ship the car back to JPS again (at my expense). He wants me to spend more money on this expensive piece of junk that needs a total going over. How do I meet him halfway when he won't even look at the car first hand when he has the chance? How do I trust him to fix it when he did not do it last time it was sent back? Why should I spend more money to fix what should not be a problem at all????

Does this look like an abused car?
Be sure to check out the result of driving home 90 MILES in the rain. 4 inches of "Lake Steele" water came off my floor into my 12X12 SHOP VAC CONTAINER!

BEWARE. UNLESS YOU LIVE IN JPS PROXIMITY YOU WILL GET STUCK WITH LITTLE OR NO WAY OUT.

There is much much much more to this story. All documented in hundreds of emails. I have tried to work quietly & constructively, but it is not and has not been working. So I am going public with my advice. John Steele is an arrogant and unreasonable man to try to do business with. Nothing is ever his responsibility and he does not do much of what he says he will do. Many of my problems persist from the beginning with no resolution strategy from John Steele.

BY THE WAY - John says water damaged carpet is NOT covered under warranty.
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TomD (hacksaw57)TomD (hacksaw57)
DO NOT BUY A JPS !!!!! DO NOT BUY A JPS!!!!!!!!!!!

John Steele is a man without integrity!!!! He does not live up to his commitments! I have experienced this many times - yet again at Carlisle when he failed to show up to look at my car as promised MULTIPLE TIMES.

All I have ever wanted from JPS was for this car to work. Is that unreasonable?

John Steele considers his cars "used VWs" (read one of his latest emails to me below). So understand what you are really buying in John Steele's eyes - a used VW! Nothing more.

I have tried to be reasonable. I have tried to give JPS every opportunity to help. Result is always half-hearted and produces poor results.

BEWARE. You WILL be on your own. I have been promised many many things and received 1/10th of what was promised.

Warranty - forget it. How good is it if JPS won't help you or find someone to help you?

Following is what John says to me despite NOT EVEN taking 10 minutes to meet me and look at the car as he promised he would do (multiple times) at Carlisle last weekend (both on Saturday and Sunday):
"Because, I have seen the abuse that you have done to that car and I paid for mistakes you made already, even giving you a discount on the purchase price because I believed you would understand about owning a kit car especially one as complicated as yours. I have tried everything you asked within reason to help you with the car. Now it is your turn to meet me halfway. I am still willing to help but if you think legal action over a used VW is necessary go ahead."


John P. Steele JPS Motorsports, Inc.
11323 Vanowen St.
North Hollywood, CA 91605
(818) 985-8891
www.jps-motorsports.com

The abuse he talks about refers to brake rotors that overheated because they do not cool very well with drum skins on (How should I know that?) & a nerf bar that was torn off the first time I drove it because they were never test fitted for clearance by JPS. The discount was to honor the price he quoted me in writing and I had to fight for weeks to get him to honor.

I LOVE THIS CAR. IT IS MY DREAM CAR OR LEAST IT COULD BE, but it has been an abomination thanks to JPS.

NOW John wants to ship the car back to JPS again (at my expense). He wants me to spend more money on this expensive piece of junk that needs a total going over. How do I meet him halfway when he won't even look at the car first hand when he has the chance? How do I trust him to fix it when he did not do it last time it was sent back? Why should I spend more money to fix what should not be a problem at all????

Does this look like an abused car?
Be sure to check out the result of driving home 90 MILES in the rain. 4 inches of "Lake Steele" water came off my floor into my 12X12 SHOP VAC CONTAINER!

BEWARE. UNLESS YOU LIVE IN JPS PROXIMITY YOU WILL GET STUCK WITH LITTLE OR NO WAY OUT.

There is much much much more to this story. All documented in hundreds of emails. I have tried to work quietly & constructively, but it is not and has not been working. So I am going public with my advice. John Steele is an arrogant and unreasonable man to try to do business with. Nothing is ever his responsibility and he does not do much of what he says he will do. Many of my problems persist from the beginning with no resolution strategy from John Steele.

BY THE WAY - John says water damaged carpet is NOT covered under warranty.

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FM Former Member
i really feel bad for you.

the body was new, but wasnt the chassis indead, used?

i know in your mind it should be a perfect car, and i have no idea how much money you paid for it, but it is a fiberglass body, hand built car built by a small shop. it is not even in the same category as IM (who pumps out many more times the cars).

judging from your post - i bet both of you are sorry you ever met each other.
Gordon NicholsGordon NicholsMassachusetts 1993 CMC Supporting Member
Vince:

Scotch has way less calories than beer - remember that...

You always hate to see someone pay good money for their dream car (and how many of us really like the looks of a 356 coupe?) and then see the dream turn to a horror show because the builder gives them far less than they contracted for.

Sure, Steele's cars are built on a "used" VW pan, which is reconditioned to "as new" condition by either VS (who he gets his pans from often) or JPS. That means that you trash everything except the central tunnel and transmission horns and put in all new stuff (how else would it have disk brakes on it??)

For Steele to say that this is a "used VW" is ludricrous and he knows it. He's just trying to get out of the legitimate expense of making the less-than-acceptable product that he delivered live up to what he promised, which was a "new", problem-free 356A coupe.

It's too bad, too, because we've seen him deliver some (apparently) high quality, show winning cars to others (always, seemingly, to customers nearby on the West Coast where they drop in often during the build to make sure he's not cutting corners). I guess the reality is that if you're not sitting in his shop daily or weekly watching him every step of the way he'll whip something shoddy out to say it's done, get your last check, push it out the door (literally, if Tom and Kelly's cars are any example) and walk away. You are left asking yourself; "Why in hell does he DO that??"

I think 356 Replica Owners and future Replica owners deserve a hell of a lot better treatment after spending the far side of Thirty Grand for a NEW car.

You wouldn't get that from Beck or IM or SAS or even Vintage, so why should we put up with it from JPS?? (and let's not forget Eddy Karyadis' JPS Coupe catching fire on the way to Morro Bay - but I guess that was Eddy's fault, for driving his new car, right??)

Time to get the word out.
Terry NuckelsTerry Nuckels'04 JPS Speedster NorCal
Tom,
Sorry about your problems. It's no fun to expect one thing and get another.
But here's the bottom line.
This is OLD NEWS.
Go back and read past threads on this.
You can rant and rave, threaten legal action, Hell, fly into LA and stand in front of JPS with a sign stating Steele's a crook!
You might get some satisfaction out of it, you will definitely spend some more money.
I've said this before. Cut your losses. Fix the car yourself. Take advantage of those around you who have offered to help. Make it your car.
I know that's not what you signed up for but it's what you have.
MusbJimMusbJim'14 VS SoCal Supporting Member
Providing a new 'used-car' (kit on older VW chasis or whatever) is one thing...

While in Carlisle, telling a customer face-to-face to come back in the morning to the JPS display area to discuss his concerns with that 'used-car', is another thing...

Then to skip out the back door to avoid making contact with that customer is BullS**t, ChickenS**t, or any other term for cowardice!

JPS has shown to be very capable of building excellent, show-quality cars (as manifested by Gerd's car and others). JPS has also shown his generous side by lending his personal Speedster for use by out-of-town visitors. It's easy to be a supportive mfg when things go well, the true test of character & integrity comes when thing don't go as smoothly.

On a final note;

1.) I've personally seen the #1 JPS coupe at Carlisle (so-so finish).

2.) I've personally seen Tom Dewalt's JPS Coupe (saw many sub-standard quality issues).

3.) I've personally seen Eddy Karedys JPS Coupe burst into flames (might be a point of concern).

4.) I've also seen the other light green JPS Coupe in SoCal. The owner had to climb in the car on the passenger-side because the driver-side door handle was not functional.

In light of my personal observations of these JPS Coupes, I would suggest the following applies...

90% of all JPS Coupes are still on the road...the other 10% actually made it home!

...I'm just saying...
Alan MerklinAlan MerklinDrclock - Elkins, West Virginia Supporting Member
First ,it is way out of line to state that a hand crafted speedster is a used VW. as Gordon stated the only items retained is the center tunnel and wishbone rear suspension..... a bucket of crap that is.

I have constructed 15 speedsters and owned / built a total of 39 various kit replica's, two street rods so I feel I have enough knowledge to chime in here. I have inspected Tom's JPS coupe and it is not something that would exit my back yard hobby shop. Poor construction , poor trim work, poor sealing and now it's a smoking crop duster.

A couple of years ago, I was retained and dispatched by Steele to perform warranty work for JPS on "Neil's" speedster in NW PA. Upon inspection, I found this speedster to a less than craftsman like build. I hope Neil reads this I know he can add his own validation .

Tom, I will stand behind you though this and certainly more than willing to be a witness in any part of an action(s) that you proceed with.

Mr. Steele, I know in fact that you DO read these posts, do the right thing and make this right at your expense. A satisfied customer is your best advertisement. As you are well aware, this venue has potential for your future client base.

~ Alan













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