Mexico Paint Nightmare Final Chapter (I hope)
I finally heard from Shane on his offer to remediate my Van. That was on Oct 16th. In order for him to make good on that offer, I had to take all the social media posts and reviews down and he wanted an NDA that I would not speak to anyone about him. I told him we needed to assure I had some recourse if he did not make good.
I proceeded to remove all references to him and these blogs. He told me I had to wait a few weeks for him to fit me in. First delay tactic. We agree that I am going to bring the Van to TJ to be shipped the week of the 17th. On Nov 7th he emails me about bringing it on the 15th. It’s tight because I have to get the luggage rack back on and all the bolt through the roof are stripped thanks to Shane but I tell him that will work.
On the night of the 10th he sends me a contract about not disclosing about him. Please keep in mind that this is almost a full month of me waiting to bring the Van down but less than a week away he sends this contract. Again a delay tactic.
There is no way I am just signing my rights away to a guy who did this kind of damage to my Van. I need to speak to a lawyer and have them review the contract. I reply to Shane and say as much. He tells me
“Do as you wish, if it can’t be shipped next week the next time I will have available will be middle of December (shops are closed from 20th to Jan 3rd). I won’t pay to have it shipped both ways and won’t pay to have the work redone without a written agreement in place as provided. You will have an opportunity to review the van at Geraldos as stated in the contract. ” Here we are with the customer service and attitude I have come to expect from Shane. Also this is more with the delay tactics.
After what he has done to my Van you would think, if he is the legitimate Van guy he portrays, he would want to interject some customer service. Maybe some sorrow for what he has done but no its my problem. If you go read his social media post it’s a totally different tone.
I get a lawyer and spend an additional $800 to get the contract to be a proper legal agreement. Shane disagreed with many of the parameters of the new contract. Here is one of the many things he objected to. I include it to show livethevanlife offers no warranties with their work.
5. Workmanship Warranty a. The Company warrants to the Customer that the workmanship of the repairs to the Vehicle will be free of defects for twelve (12) months from the date the Vehicle is released to the Customer. b. At no charge to the Customer, the Company will correct any defects in workmanship defect. The Customer must notify the Company and provide the Company with an opportunity to cure the defect.
*”A warranty was not originally offered or agreed upon, and will not be offered now” – Shane Jordan
I remove all the things he requests in the contract. 100% give him everything he asked for and he agrees to the contract. That is on 11-15-21.
Shane delays and pushes into January when we are finally set for me to bring the Van down. Via Docusign I send him the list of things he needs to remediate, as part of the contract agreed upon.
Here is the list attached to the contract. I did not ask him to fix the luggage mounting bolts as I had to epoxy them to get the rack back on already but that is a real sore point with me. I also did not ask him to fix the bored out holes in the luggage rack because I was pretty sure there was no way to make it better. You cant tell with the bolts I have and only I know but it’s definitely another sore point. I also did not ask him to pay for the backup camera system at $300 which he astoundingly blew up.
Schedule A
Shane agrees to repaint and repair all damages to the Vehicle, including but not limited to the following:
- Fiberglass of Pop Top damaged at 2 points in the front just behind the luggage rack.
- The paint on Pop Top is scratched and blemished on top.
- Fiberglass of luggage broken off at both back corners
- Luggage rack has black epoxy stain on 2nd of rear mounting bolts
- The entire roof of the van above rain gutters is sanded and damaged with multiple places that the paint is rubbed to bare metal.
- The texture coating is incorrect material. It has a gray-white cloud to it and should be uniformly black. It has multiple drips runs and blems. The lines are not cut in symmetrically and matching on each side of the Van. In the rear, for example, the drivers side line to the upper color is one height and the passenger is another height. In addition, it is not level. On the front of the Van over the blinkers, it is different on each side and neither correctly follows the contour of the body as per the Go Westy referenced article and picture provided. Footpads and carpet are not symmetrical driver’s side and passenger side. The footpads need to be removed, the holes filed and the area uniformly textured.
- Overspray into mat and carpet on passenger side interior from texture coat.
- Holes from drywall screws for the lower grill – rusting.
- The entire interior of the van is filled with sanding dust. In particular the rear over the engine compartment and the pop top bed area and side channels.
- The exterior black stripe has multiple blemishes in particular by the passenger door handle. There is a clear white line along much of the stripe. It has scratched blemishes throughout. The material is very soft and scratches very easily. It is a not a car grade paint.
- Every edge and crevice of the exterior of the van is marred by some sort of white material.
- The passenger front window tint is bubbling and peeling
- There is paint overspray or some other sort of adhesive material on the rear window top left driver’s side.
- Rear hatch seal is not installed correctly and falls out whenever door is opened.
- Clearcoat overspray on driver’s side middle window seal top forward.
- Interior top of middle window drivers side was torn on install and has glue where it was attempted to be hidden. Needs to be replaced.
- The rear window seal is installed incorrectly and bowed in several places not sealing correctly
- there are ripples and swirls in the paint of the sliding door that continue to rear panel.
- There are paint runs or places where the paint was applied too heavily and sagged/dripped in the following places.
- A pillar mid-front passenger side
- Passenger D pillar lower portion of window height section
- below drivers door just above texture coat mid rearward
- inside of driver’s window top forward
- The paint below the windshield is pitted blemished and rough.
- the paint is chipped and roughly done around Wolfsburg logo and antennae
- Paint on passenger window vent seal.
- The passenger vent seal installing incorrectly and bowed out in multiple places.
- Drivers vent seal installed incorrectly potentially over old seal in places. Whistles while driving.
- Windshield seal installed incorrectly bowed in several places and not sealing.
- Drivers interior door panel not installed correctly.
- The paint around the gas cap is very rough and blemished-looking. Likely thick bondo applied.
- Pop-top tent sanded raw all around, particularly at corners.
- The rear portion of the interior of the driver’s window opening is painted rough with no smooth final coat.
- top of rear hatch appears to not have final coat. Is very rough and matted.
That is 1-6-22 and after all the delaying tactics we have agreed for me to bring it on the 10th. On 1-7-21 Shane emails that he looked at the contract again, he’s had 2 months but now he has a problem with it! Basically, Shane wants me to have the Van in Mexico with him and the shipper and I assume all liability. Shane can drive a tank over the Van and that’s “on me.”
We trade a couple of emails where as usual Shane says too bad and I finally tell him to eat a bag of dicks.
Shane never intended to fix my Van. He is the lowest most dishonest charlatan in the business.
I have to accept that Shane Jordan and livethevanlife.com scammed me and there is very little I can do about it. He has my $10K and I have a van that needs $10k in repairs and painting at a minimum, likely much more.
Learn from my mistakes. Don’t use a Mexico shop and if you do go to a TJ shop and pay around $1500. That is what the work south of the border is worth provided they don’t do other damage. Shane’s work is not worth anything and you have to drive to the tip of baja to use him.
I have tons of content that I will add over time. I will continue to optimize these blog posts in the hope that I can save some people from this headache and hassle. I know I have saved a couple and that is a little consolation. For a little while at least my Van will stay in the condition Shane left it and I will happily show it to you just drop me a line. I am in North County San Diego.
Justin, thank you so much for posting your experience. We have owned our van for going on five years now, the paint looked pretty good when we bought it but it slowly started to peel off and flake as time when by. Turns out it got a bad previous paint job. I too have followed Shane on Instagram for years and was convinced in taking my van to him here in the next month or two for complete windows out paint job. I am so glad I found your blogs, I am a perfectionist and expected good work from someone that claims to be “restoring vanagons”.
So sorry for your experience.
Thank you I am glad that I helped you. His work and expectation setting are just very bad. Go to a US shop where you have recourse and a warranty. Mexico you get neither. I am sorry your current job is bad. That’s a bummer and a symptom of these Vans getting so valuable that flippers and people of low moral character are getting into their trade.
Why did you expect a 20-30 k USA paint job to be only 5k in Mexico ? I mean really you get what you pay for. Your first mistake is forgetting Mexico does not have the oversight and recourse as the USA and secondly you should have been there for the paint job. Your do,picky I cannot imagine you ever being satisfied.
Next Shane can tell his side.
I expect people to do what they say and say what they do. At the very least he should not have damaged my Van. I am not sure how you can justify him sanding and destroying my roof to not paint it, breaking the pop-top, breaking the luggage rack, blowing up the backup camera, on and on. Maybe you could say the crappy painting he did was justified but even to that I say he is not advertising a cheap paint job. He is advertising a Vanagon restoration by the “best in the business” who “treats every van likes his own.” People like you boggle my mind. He is clearly lying about what he supplies but the buyers should know that and be happy with the outcome? Interesting business you must be in.
Honestly it had crossed my mind many times to take my van down there for some full on bodywork. I’ve been to La Paz and had an air cooled Vanagon engine rebuilt there by Geraldos which was great work. Probably worth waiting until I can afford a more local job. Lots of good body shops in Canada, just long waitlists.
There is a place for Mexico work. If your Van is marginal and you just want to get some lipstick on it then Mexico is ok. But go to another shop where you pay for what you get. Shane is marketing up that work and providing no value. I think I said in the blog, although I cant remember, that I saw a guys $500 paint job. That was a bargain. Yea it was crappy work and they sprayed the door handle but for $500 the actual material application was many times better than I got.
So sorry this happened to you and your van. The worst part of it is that he tried to buy your silence. I hope you continue to share this story—but I know the issues that comes with. Shane’s posts over the years within the community have always rubbed me the wrong way, for a reason I couldn’t quite explain. There just always seems to be an underlying air of ego and self-serving. This story confirms my gut.
ITs funny you say that because several other people have said the same thing. That he just rubs them wrong. Sadly he did not do that to me till it was too late. LOL. Live and learn. Thanks for coming and Van on!!
Man this is a nasty situation! I’ve been through similar things with false promises and fake completion dates. Most all of them were much less in terms of $$ than your hassle with your Vanagon, but the frustration, aggravation, and time wasted was similar.
I had a vehicle repair business for 2 decades and worked as a mech/tech for a decade before that, so I’ve seen many sides of this stuff. Note that all my business experience was B I (before internet). There were people that wanted me to pay them to recruit customers. They called it something different, but that’s what it was. Usually I was booked with work a month or more in advance so I did not have to invent any story to get rid of them. Why pay for something you already have?
What your situation really recalls for me, is people would bring me their cars, mainly VW or Porsche, after they had gone to another shop and spent a lot of money. Usually they went to the others because of what you had, customer reps that were good at talking themselves and their shop, up.
Of course, if the car was going to my shop something(s) was wrong.
There was a shop less than ten miles away that had ads in the local ‘free’ paper where people could sell their stuff, cars, parts, furniture, etc. A craigs list type of thing. The paper was supported by paid ads from companies, stores, and shops. The shop in question had an ad for years that claimed they could have a “completely overhauled” motor in your VW for about 1/2 the realistic price. Their M. O. was to disassemble motors and then contact the customer, tell them the —– and the —- are (no good) and it will be $xxx more to get it done. Most people went along with this, but many of the engines “rebuilt” by that shop had early failures; oil leaks, poor running, and complete stoppage, within a few months.
After many years enough people complained to the Bureau of Auto Repair that there was an investigation. All the records from the shop were confiscated. No surprise (to me), the shop never did an “engine overhaul” for their advertised price. The shop was shut down. I don’t recall if any restitution was made to the people that they scammed.
I got some of the fallout from that place and others, like the guys that used “re-ground” camshafts in VWs. We saw a lot of poor running motors that came from there. Stalling, hesitating, lousy gas mileage. So eventually I got out the degree wheel and dial indicators and found that the “re-ground” cams had 4 different lobes on them. No fixing that from outside of the motor.
Problem was, as you experienced, the car owners had already spent their money at the scam shops and had little left to remedy the situation. Those that complained to the scammers got a similar routine to what happened to you. “Just drive it some more. It needs to break in.” “I had one of our mechs drive it and he said it was OK”.
Not that many wanted to take the time to go to small claims court.
Also I got those scams from suppliers, “Yeah, its on the truck. It’ll be there soon.” Remember no internet then so no tracking. Liars could tell you anything. Waiting 3 days to 2 weeks for parts delivery that never happened causes a business problem. Customers are frustrated or angry and sometimes took their business elsewhere.
I don’t miss dealing with that stuff, but there was a lot of good to displace the hassles. Otherwise would not have kept at it for 22 years.
Best of luck with your van.
What I learned over the years; About 30% of people are honest, About 30% are scammers, and the rest are dumb, but think they know.
I’d like to think the percentages are better than that. I meet a lot of great people, especially in the Vanagon world. That said automotive in general and then older car circles there are a lot of low-quality people. Vanagons are a “thing” now and you really have to watch yourself or you can get taken. Thanks for the note!