Caution Notice for potential owners
Discussion
Dear all,
I am aware that the forum does not allow to directly pointing out people/companies, hence I will avoid mentioning any names. This is to let you know that I have been facing very serious problems with a company which used to build my Ultima (other than the factory).
It is clear, however, that the problems which arose are problems from my personal point of view. The company has insisted on having built my Ultima correctly and in accordance with our agreement. This, however, was not acceptable to me, and I was forced to hand in a claim based on tort.
Despite my willingness to reach a friendly settlement throughout 2011, this has not been possible. The trial is set for the forthcoming months in Graz (Austria). It goes without saying that should the judge agree that I am proven to be right; all the evidence will be uploaded in the forum.
My main advice for any potential owner is that, if for whatever reason you decide to have your car built by any company other than the factory, to really do a proper due diligence before going ahead. Do call the factory (I didn’t …) and ask for references (I did, but seemingly to not enough owners).
I would appreciate if you guys could avoid mentioning any names in the forum until the end of the trial. I would like to avoid opening a new field of litigation with this company.
Thank you.
Jacobo
I am aware that the forum does not allow to directly pointing out people/companies, hence I will avoid mentioning any names. This is to let you know that I have been facing very serious problems with a company which used to build my Ultima (other than the factory).
It is clear, however, that the problems which arose are problems from my personal point of view. The company has insisted on having built my Ultima correctly and in accordance with our agreement. This, however, was not acceptable to me, and I was forced to hand in a claim based on tort.
Despite my willingness to reach a friendly settlement throughout 2011, this has not been possible. The trial is set for the forthcoming months in Graz (Austria). It goes without saying that should the judge agree that I am proven to be right; all the evidence will be uploaded in the forum.
My main advice for any potential owner is that, if for whatever reason you decide to have your car built by any company other than the factory, to really do a proper due diligence before going ahead. Do call the factory (I didn’t …) and ask for references (I did, but seemingly to not enough owners).
I would appreciate if you guys could avoid mentioning any names in the forum until the end of the trial. I would like to avoid opening a new field of litigation with this company.
Thank you.
Jacobo
Hi Jacobo. It's very sad to hear that you've had issues with your builder, but I have to say it does seem like a very hit & miss area, in the Ultima world. Someone else I know on here has had all sorts of grief with a so-called expert too and that almost ended up in court. Sad, sorry state of affairs that only serves to spoil your own ownership experience.
I hope you get it sorted and the decision doesn't take too long. Fingers crossed you can get to enjoy your car this year (assuming it's roadworthy!).
Don't loose faith in the community though, there are some knowledgeable guys out there who I'm sure would be happy to help you
I hope you get it sorted and the decision doesn't take too long. Fingers crossed you can get to enjoy your car this year (assuming it's roadworthy!).
Don't loose faith in the community though, there are some knowledgeable guys out there who I'm sure would be happy to help you
papaulaborgne said:
Dear all,
I am aware that the forum does not allow to directly pointing out people/companies, hence I will avoid mentioning any names. This is to let you know that I have been facing very serious problems with a company which used to build my Ultima (other than the factory).
It is clear, however, that the problems which arose are problems from my personal point of view. The company has insisted on having built my Ultima correctly and in accordance with our agreement. This, however, was not acceptable to me, and I was forced to hand in a claim based on tort.
Despite my willingness to reach a friendly settlement throughout 2011, this has not been possible. The trial is set for the forthcoming months in Graz (Austria). It goes without saying that should the judge agree that I am proven to be right; all the evidence will be uploaded in the forum.
My main advice for any potential owner is that, if for whatever reason you decide to have your car built by any company other than the factory, to really do a proper due diligence before going ahead. Do call the factory (I didn’t …) and ask for references (I did, but seemingly to not enough owners).
I would appreciate if you guys could avoid mentioning any names in the forum until the end of the trial. I would like to avoid opening a new field of litigation with this company.
Thank you.
Jacobo
Dear Jacobo,I am aware that the forum does not allow to directly pointing out people/companies, hence I will avoid mentioning any names. This is to let you know that I have been facing very serious problems with a company which used to build my Ultima (other than the factory).
It is clear, however, that the problems which arose are problems from my personal point of view. The company has insisted on having built my Ultima correctly and in accordance with our agreement. This, however, was not acceptable to me, and I was forced to hand in a claim based on tort.
Despite my willingness to reach a friendly settlement throughout 2011, this has not been possible. The trial is set for the forthcoming months in Graz (Austria). It goes without saying that should the judge agree that I am proven to be right; all the evidence will be uploaded in the forum.
My main advice for any potential owner is that, if for whatever reason you decide to have your car built by any company other than the factory, to really do a proper due diligence before going ahead. Do call the factory (I didn’t …) and ask for references (I did, but seemingly to not enough owners).
I would appreciate if you guys could avoid mentioning any names in the forum until the end of the trial. I would like to avoid opening a new field of litigation with this company.
Thank you.
Jacobo
very sorry to hear about your troubles - just out of interest, did you have a "standard" Ultima built or was it somehow modified (e.g. exterior, body mods)?
t..i think the truth with ultima building is that there are tons of undisclosed costs especially if you are not making a factory car. So the specification and expectation of an ordered car is a difficult task and it is probably very difficult to put every detail in a contract especially if you are new to the car.
I am interested to see the outcome of this story.
In the end it comes down to what you have paid and what you got for your money.
If you build a LS7/G50 car yourself it will be difficult to do so for less than 45.000-50.000 pounds (60.000 EURO), so if a company does this for you I would really expect 70.000 to 80.000 pounds minimum.
Potential ultima buyers should consider that a built factory car is probably best bought from the factory, if you have your own special ideas and you want somebody to do it for you, read this forum carefully and you will find the right guys quickly.
I am interested to see the outcome of this story.
In the end it comes down to what you have paid and what you got for your money.
If you build a LS7/G50 car yourself it will be difficult to do so for less than 45.000-50.000 pounds (60.000 EURO), so if a company does this for you I would really expect 70.000 to 80.000 pounds minimum.
Potential ultima buyers should consider that a built factory car is probably best bought from the factory, if you have your own special ideas and you want somebody to do it for you, read this forum carefully and you will find the right guys quickly.
I think i bought the same company a complete splitter and rear diffusor
deemed to fit a standart Ultima without huge modifications...
Never manage to install it.
I guess i am a perfect victim in this Ultima's world.
I ordered to a warmly recommanded professionnal a (so-called) complete
package (engine with complete gearbox, complete exhaust system, etc...)
and receive 50% only of my order. With months of delay.
And paid of course 100% ! And made a very important job just to
install this engine in my Ultima as it was absolutely not dedicated for it...
And above all, this engine was so badly assembled (too tight) with not
enough clearance for both main and rods bearings that it broke almost
immediately !
I had to buy again a bare block plus complete rotating assembly.
And despite my claim (and others claims), the Court decided this professionnal
was just a bad businessman...And nothing to do as he is deemed to have no assets...
deemed to fit a standart Ultima without huge modifications...
Never manage to install it.
I guess i am a perfect victim in this Ultima's world.
I ordered to a warmly recommanded professionnal a (so-called) complete
package (engine with complete gearbox, complete exhaust system, etc...)
and receive 50% only of my order. With months of delay.
And paid of course 100% ! And made a very important job just to
install this engine in my Ultima as it was absolutely not dedicated for it...
And above all, this engine was so badly assembled (too tight) with not
enough clearance for both main and rods bearings that it broke almost
immediately !
I had to buy again a bare block plus complete rotating assembly.
And despite my claim (and others claims), the Court decided this professionnal
was just a bad businessman...And nothing to do as he is deemed to have no assets...
budala said:
I think i bought the same company a complete splitter and rear diffusor
deemed to fit a standart Ultima without huge modifications...
Never manage to install it.
I guess i am a perfect victim in this Ultima's world.
I ordered to a warmly recommanded professionnal a (so-called) complete
package (engine with complete gearbox, complete exhaust system, etc...)
and receive 50% only of my order. With months of delay.
And paid of course 100% ! And made a very important job just to
install this engine in my Ultima as it was absolutely not dedicated for it...
And above all, this engine was so badly assembled (too tight) with not
enough clearance for both main and rods bearings that it broke almost
immediately !
I had to buy again a bare block plus complete rotating assembly.
And despite my claim (and others claims), the Court decided this professionnal
was just a bad businessman...And nothing to do as he is deemed to have no assets...
deemed to fit a standart Ultima without huge modifications...
Never manage to install it.
I guess i am a perfect victim in this Ultima's world.
I ordered to a warmly recommanded professionnal a (so-called) complete
package (engine with complete gearbox, complete exhaust system, etc...)
and receive 50% only of my order. With months of delay.
And paid of course 100% ! And made a very important job just to
install this engine in my Ultima as it was absolutely not dedicated for it...
And above all, this engine was so badly assembled (too tight) with not
enough clearance for both main and rods bearings that it broke almost
immediately !
I had to buy again a bare block plus complete rotating assembly.
And despite my claim (and others claims), the Court decided this professionnal
was just a bad businessman...And nothing to do as he is deemed to have no assets...
VERY OUCH!
Hello,
My two cents:
1. Problems with not fitting parts, wrong parts or missing parts - which are especially build for an Ultima (and not from the Ultima factory):
My "plug and play" LS2 kit for an Ultima GTR was not fitting in some ways. Wrong mount for alternator, EFI (PCM) not working, wrong knock sensors, electronic throttle not reliable, wrong acc pedal, wrong motor mounts, wrong fuel pump, wrong cabling, manifold in wrong direction, missing remote oil filter, missing climate compressor mount, missing documentation, missing air filter.... It was sold by a German Ultima "specialist". I had to invest some thousand Euros and some hundred hours to get it working right.
2. Problems if an Ultima is build for you:
What is "standard" and do you want this standard?
My build was beginning in 2005. The standard Ultima GTR at this time was with a SBC motor. It was not possible to get this road legal with a German TUEV approval. I had to move from "standard" to the LS2 motor (Euro 4 emission group).
After finishing my Ultima GTR I was not very happy with my car. I wanted a sports car for usage on the road - not a car for motor sport or track days. The Intrax suspension from Ultima was bad on German b roads and high speed Autobahn. The gearing was much too short. The wiper was scratching on the screen, the climate control was not working, the wheels were touching the body, the body hinges were broken ...
If an Ultima is build for you:
It's difficult to define exactly what should be build in which way. What is standard and what do you really want?
Please check who will take care about the problems which will come up while driving it? Who will pay for this?
Who should build it? If you choose a motor sport company you probably will get an Ultima for motor sport and not a reliable car which drives well on normal roads.
3. Problems with selling an Ultima after a few years:
I invested over 1.200 hours and over 95.000 € in my Ultima GTR which is now a reliable sports car. It's driving very good on B roads and German Autobahn. It's possible to travel huge distances (eg. to go on holiday.) Unfortunately I have to sell it. This is very bad. It's difficult to find someone who sees the difference to "standard".
Regards
Oliver
My two cents:
1. Problems with not fitting parts, wrong parts or missing parts - which are especially build for an Ultima (and not from the Ultima factory):
My "plug and play" LS2 kit for an Ultima GTR was not fitting in some ways. Wrong mount for alternator, EFI (PCM) not working, wrong knock sensors, electronic throttle not reliable, wrong acc pedal, wrong motor mounts, wrong fuel pump, wrong cabling, manifold in wrong direction, missing remote oil filter, missing climate compressor mount, missing documentation, missing air filter.... It was sold by a German Ultima "specialist". I had to invest some thousand Euros and some hundred hours to get it working right.
2. Problems if an Ultima is build for you:
What is "standard" and do you want this standard?
My build was beginning in 2005. The standard Ultima GTR at this time was with a SBC motor. It was not possible to get this road legal with a German TUEV approval. I had to move from "standard" to the LS2 motor (Euro 4 emission group).
After finishing my Ultima GTR I was not very happy with my car. I wanted a sports car for usage on the road - not a car for motor sport or track days. The Intrax suspension from Ultima was bad on German b roads and high speed Autobahn. The gearing was much too short. The wiper was scratching on the screen, the climate control was not working, the wheels were touching the body, the body hinges were broken ...
If an Ultima is build for you:
It's difficult to define exactly what should be build in which way. What is standard and what do you really want?
Please check who will take care about the problems which will come up while driving it? Who will pay for this?
Who should build it? If you choose a motor sport company you probably will get an Ultima for motor sport and not a reliable car which drives well on normal roads.
3. Problems with selling an Ultima after a few years:
I invested over 1.200 hours and over 95.000 € in my Ultima GTR which is now a reliable sports car. It's driving very good on B roads and German Autobahn. It's possible to travel huge distances (eg. to go on holiday.) Unfortunately I have to sell it. This is very bad. It's difficult to find someone who sees the difference to "standard".
Regards
Oliver
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