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Opels Unlimited

4K views 23 replies 18 participants last post by  LeftLaneGuy 
#1 ·
I'm a new member to this board but have already found MUCH useful information!

Some of the informatioin pertained to where to find Opel parts and the companys that sell them. --- This is whare I may step on the official posting rules for this board. BUT, this is a non emotional, completely rational, experience based judgment ---.

Due to poor representation of product [a windshild and a anti sway bar, both in used condition, $300.00 total] I will no longer be dealing with Opels Unlimited!

There is of course more to this story but I feel that my statement is enough said at this time.

Thank you for reading this and may my experience help someone else to make a better decision.

- James R.
 
#3 · (Edited)
Ok, I'll say it again. Your dealing with a 30 year old car and to even get parts is a blessing. In a world of high speed and instant gratification patience is the key. Yes Vendors can be hard to deal with at times, but try restoring, repairing one without them. Over the years I've had issues with them all and have worked them all out. I guess what I'm trying to say is that if anybody thinks they can do a better job than the vendors we have then go for it. Step up or shut up is a good way to put it. Tender an offer to buy them all out and do a better job of it in your own eyes if you have an issue.

I've watched several lose interest after finding what a task it is to restore, maintain a running car. All it really shows is the level of patience it requires to make it a success.

I've seen this type of post time and time again and so far there hasn't been anybody doing a better job. Be glad the option is there for all of us to pick and choose and order parts as we see fit.
 
#4 ·
"Step up or shut up is a good way to put it....... Tender an offer to buy them all out and do a better job of it in your own eyes if you have an issue...........I've seen this type of post time and time again and so far there hasn't been anybody doing a better job......... Be glad the option is there for all of us to pick and choose and order parts as we see fit."

James, Welcome to the board! You obviously stepped on someones toes when hes having a bad day. You are far from being alone about opels unlimited. You can search alot on this board and find enough to steer clear from vendors. You can also find enough to figure out which vendors are reliable. The people on this board are alot of "do it yourselfers" and are the experts in the opel gt field. I wish everyone would post their dealings with vendors (good and bad) with all community. It makes them accountable and gets rid of the attitude of "I can do what I want because its an old car and I feel like I am doing the world a favor ect..." It is your choice to post the details, some are glad you dont, and some wish you would. We are all different. I am glad you put a brief description but refrained from mudslinging. Anyway, I hope you stay on the board and share your progress on your baby for the good of all. Just my $.02
 
#7 ·
RitchieJ here again,

One more thing.... when I went to install the sway bar today --- IT DID NOT FIT! Too long!

Here's another one for O.U. !

-James

P.S. I am NOT an amature at car restoration; have been doing it since high school. I know about vendors and I know about ACCOUNTABILITY!
 
#8 ·
Ok, let's see. 8 months for carbs and intake from C&R , almost a year on gaskets from Mantapart, backordered till who knows when gaskets and springs from OGTS. Blown ignition, titanium retainer failure, solid lifter failure, the list goes way back. No vendor is perfect 100% of the time. All I was trying to get across is patience. I wasn't singling out any one vendor just emphasizing patience with them all. It's amazing what a wee bit of tolerance will get you.

I know OU can be hard to deal with and then OGTS doesn't have everything in stock all the time. Charles orders from Germany on a up front basis and then there are a few used parts dealers that you can try as well. All I was trying to say was that if it's instant service on whatever you may desire you picked the wrong car to work on. Patience
 
#9 · (Edited by Moderator)
"P.S. I am NOT an amature at car restoration; have been doing it since high school. I know about vendors and I know about ACCOUNTABILITY!"

Not to rag you, but you need to be more detailed in your explanations. Why were you unhappy with the windshield?

Perfect example is your post above. It tells us nothing.

Oh, and Ive never had a problem from C&R or OGTS. I dealt with OU years ago and can't remember a problem either.
 
#10 ·
mod note

MICAH1 said:
Ritchie,
This thread will most likely be closed shortly .
well it might if it goes the way of most vender gripe threads , but for now it is in good faith

ritchie it would help a lot if you answered the questions asked so folks could help because if it is just a stream of gripes without example then we the moderators tend to think it is a deliberate flame exercise and they all go in the bin

for all a quick reminder that there is a forum @
http://opelgt.com/rp/showcat.php/cat/11
to be used to rate vendors and help inform folks who is good , cheap, quick or bad

i am leaving this hear for now but will move it to that forum in a day or two if it stays within the rules of posting or dump it if not
 
#11 ·
My experience with OU was quite negative. the first few months after purchasing my Opel Gt, I decided to upgrade the brakes and suspension, and went through and ordered $2000 worth of parts, including 75 brakes (calipers and rotors, front/rear sway bars, front spring, rear wagon springs cut down to fit a gt, shocks, all poly bushings, and then the main part was the Stage V Front suspension kit and Stage V rear suspension kit, I was told that all the parts were in stock aside from the last two. and that they would be sent out very shortly as they were in the shop. I was also told by todd that he had a container coming with many parts from germany in "a few months" 3 months went by and I had not received a single part, Since I told them to bill me when each part shipped out, I had not been billed either, then I recieved the rotors, half of the bushings, and the front sway bar. after a few choice words left on the message machine, I recieved the rest of the bushings front spring, shocks, rear bar. then another month later I received 2 brake calipers, one out of I beleive a 75 manta as its larger than stock, and one stock Gt caliper, both included fresh pads, with a good, 20 to 50 miles left on the pads. The communication ended here, although after the original order I only spoke to tammy twice in 5 months and todd none'ce. that was about 11 months ago, I still don't know what the Stage 5 Front and rear Suspension packages included or if they existed, as they were from the recently merged ciy prewe I beleive, all and all I was charged 1400 bucks for rotors, (one was warped and needed a heavy turning on the brake lathe to get true, ) one Gt caliper and one Manta caliper, 2 sway bars. a front spring, shocks, and about 150 bucks worth of bushings. Maybe Others have had a better experience, and I dont mean to libbel todd and his company, but I can't imagine how it was acceptable to parts that were in his shop, 6 months later, and not even send the right things, granted I knew very little about opels when I ordered these parts, but I can sure as hell say I didn't ask for one good brake and one stock one. just my $1.05, if I were to order now, I may have better luck as I have a better Idea of whats what, but if this is a first forray into Opel specific parts, I could not recommend todd, perhaps only if you knew exactly what you wanted and when, and could drop by rialto to pick up the parts or make him put em together for you. anywho, I'm done rambling
 
#12 ·
RitchieJ here, 'one mo' time',

I took the family today and drove two hours down to O.U. in the hopes of getting my windshield and sway bar problem resolved. So far, so good! Todd found a 'good' used windshield from a car he had on the back lot. The sway bar issue was not as smooth. We agreed that the bar he supplied did not appear to fit an Opel GT [we still couldn't tell for sure]. So, for some additional money I am getting a bar that is purposefully built for the GT.

All in all I am satisfied with the follow up service from Todd and Opels Unlimited. But, it was a wee bit of a hassle - the drive and all!
 
#15 ·
rolf there knickname on site is opels unreachable this will give you an idea of how bad they are to catch
the owner is not a keen user of the internet from what i can see so it does take some time to contact them :worried:
 
#19 ·
Opelitis MAXIMUS !!

From the looks of it Todd has the BIGGEST case of Opelitis ever .....
My guess is that he is first a "collector" amd would rather hang on to most of what he has (just judging him by my own standards :guilty: )

Looks like the best way to deal with him is face to face - get your parts to your own satisfaction - THEN pass over the money...... providing, of course, you can manage to catch him awake and get into the face-to-face mode!

I guess if you deal by mail order you need to know exactly what you want and be more than a little persistant to get it - :argue:
 
#21 ·
After looking at the pictures, my question is:

Is this guy doing a service to Opels or is it a dis-service?

I feel like we should all chip in and buy the man a circus tent to protect all those cars from the elements!

He has some very interesting cars there, and many body's that look quite rescuable if not restorable.
 
#22 ·
Steve's comment about Todd needing to put a tent over his gold mine makes me want to share a little something with you all. I'm heading a little bit :eek:fftopic: BUT you will like this.
Since I work at a boat shop these days, I've noticed that all the brand new boats arrive with a really NICE disposable plastic wrap. With a soft fuzzy layer on the side against the boat.
Well, we sell a lot of new boats. Shocking how many boats we sell a month!!
I'm in charge of getting these boats off the truck, onto their proper trailer, unwrapped, inspected, rigged, accessories installed, and lake tested. Thus I'm also in charge of getting rid of all these plastic wraps.
Boy, one sure made a beautiful cover for Speedway GT! Another for Parts GT, he hasn't felt so pampered in decades. One covers my wife's haystack, (good thing we sell boats up to 36').
I have dozens bundled up and stashed in a storage garage at work. I'm told that last year they hauled five pickup loads of 'em to the dump.
So, anyone who needs one should feel free to come and get one. Better yet, if a trip to Montana is out of the question, go to your nearest boat dealer and ask for one. You might be saving them a trip to the dump.
 
#23 ·
Excellent idea! The ones I see around here are just shrink wrap without the fuzzy inside. What brand of boat dealer do I need to seek out? I want one just to protect it from bicycle dings! We have plenty of boat places around...
 
#24 ·
Wow. Those pics bring back some memories..
I used to work @ OU.. Some of those cars I recognize! That was in '91!!
The grey manta with the hood scoop.... USED to be a friggen awesome car..:scared1:
that Ascona with the skirts... same deal...:rolleyes:
I see he's still got that old tow truck.. wow!.. As to the subject of best interest.. you have to consider that it's very dry where he is, so the cars are not going to rust away.. BUT, the glass and interiors are going to crap... He really needs to invest in a quonset hut (told him that *then*) and try to keep all those cars in-doors.. You guys should see the *PARTS* warehouse(s) he's got! Last time I saw them, he had approx 300 gt's in pieces... Maybe one day, I'll get back together with him, and help make OU a REAL Opel Restoration business. He still operates like it was 1985... The things that could be done with that man (and his knowledge) is really staggering, if you could get Todd to grow up.. (not a personal slam, just an observation, he's still a kid-at-heart)...

Maybe some of you guys would be interested in making him an offer to buy-out OU and keep him on as technical advisor...

dave
 
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