Hardcore Hot Rods

I brought my 1972 Buick Skylark in for work to be done. The owner Alfredo promised me the world and said my car after paintwork and engine work would be amazing.

Long story short I spent over 14k for a paint job and engine work that was lackluster to say the least.

The "fix" for engine lasted a week before having the same over heating problems and non-starting. The paint work was very lame, there was still tape on my car when I took delivery and the mechanic didn't even put all of my lug nuts back on my car, they had to run out and buy a set. They installed a brand new A/C that would not blow cold air and the mechanic damaged my Riddler Wheels.

The worst part that *** me off the most is that the owner acts like your best friend and then ghosts you once you pay and will not work with you to get things fixed. I hope I never run into that guy again.

After my husband had taken his vehicle to Hardcore Hot Rod for a complete professional re-paint, I decided that I also wanted to have my 2012 Nissan Murano touched up to remedy those small chips and scratches that were most visible. As this car was relatively new and had never been in any type of an accident we felt that this would be an easy task for professional painters. I took the Murano to Hardcore Hot Rod, although in hindsight the major blunder that was committed by us was not waiting to see what the quality of work performed on my husband’s vehicle (a mistake we paid dearly for but Hardcore’s owner benefited from).

Upon taking the Murano to Hardcore Hot Rod the young man working the front desk went outside, with me, to inspect the Murano for the chips and scratches. We circled the vehicle while I pointed out all the discrepancies while he took pictures of them. After this process was completed we were advised that we would receive an estimate while the owner inspected the pictures and formulated the estimated. We did not hear back from them even with our phone calls and emails. We went to their facility we went to their facility and where they advised us that the estimate to repair all of those chips and scratches would be $1,150. Remember stated above, a 360 degree evaluation was done with the vehicle owner pointing out all of the discrepancies with the Hardcore representative taking pictures.

After leaving the Murano with Hardcore Hot Rod for two weeks we received the vehicle back. When we picked up the vehicle ironically there was no owner available to discuss those issues that we immediately observed. We inspected the vehicle and realized that all the large chips, scratches, etc. On the rear of the vehicle still existed along with marks on the side of the vehicle. Days later we took this issue to the owner whose justification was that he had only given an estimate to fix the smaller barely visible marks on the front of the vehicle and not all the scratches, chips etc. What!!!!! Why in the world would any vehicle owner outlay $1,150 to touch up those scratches/chips that were barely visible on the front of the vehicle and leave those discrepancies on the sides and rear? After reviewing issues all around the vehicle and their representative taking pictures of them how can you even give a customer a justification like that unless your sole purpose was to take advantage of them?

Finally, post arguments, the owner agreed to finish the job as it was portrayed to us so when the inspection/evaluation was being completed. We once again, inconveniently, returned the Murano to him for what he stated would be a two day project. Four days later we had received no communications from Hardcore so use of our vehicle for the weekend was an improbability. In the end that two day turn around really took five days with no status updates ever received (at least not on our home voicemail or either cell phone).

I received the Murano back again from Hardcore Hot Rod and once again there are still multiple scratches, chips that are visible. I expended $1,150 and I STILL have a vehicle with scratches, chips, etc. so what did I really pay for? If a complete job can’t be performed the quality work that they promise should never be made. It is very, very obvious that customer satisfaction is not the priority with Hardcore Hot Rods but what is the priority is the owner maximizing his profit at the expense of giving the customer a quality product.

Think very carefully where you take you vehicle for any paint repairs. Use the Fairfax County publications that recommend certain facilities, use AngiesList for those facilities that have had NO issues.

Other than review sites, copies will also be submitted to the following agencies/organizations for review by other potential customers:

Selecting Hardcore Hot Rod as the facility to repaint my Corvette Z06 goes down in my history as one of the poorest decisions I’ve made over a sixty-four year lifespan and one that I regret every single day when I look at my Corvette with its Hardcore $7,600 paint job.

At my initial visit, the owner used smooth talking hard sales pitch on me advising me that he guaranteed that I would not get a better price from anyone over what he was offering me. The great price was supposedly to offset the rude treatment that I received from him spending 30 minutes with a customer who came into the facility afterwards, so he stated that he would make it up to me.

At that time, my Z06 needed to be painted due to minor fading on the hood but primarily due to all the swirls that could be viewed in the paint under the sunlight. These two concerns could easily be resolved as, for that $7,600; Hardcore could make my car “look like glass” (per the owner). Subsequently, I put my blind trust in this man only to eventually receive a poor paint job leaving me feeling deceived, out $7,600 and leaving the owner of Hardcore financially benefiting from my expenditure with no consideration about performing a professional service.

Two weeks after leaving my Corvette at Hardcore for a paint job that was to leave my car looking like glass, I received the Z06 back. When viewed, all of the same swirls in the paint that were there prior to the $7,600 professional paint job were all still visible which I pointed out to the owner. The swirls led me to believe that there was no full paint job (all the way to the fiberglass with fiberglass preparation) had been completed. At that time, I was informed that it should look that way because of all the wax that they had applied after the paint application (smooth talking once again), which would be remedied once I brought the car in for final detailing after the paint had cured.

Months later, I dropped off my car for what was to be two day detailing process from which I expected the result to be my car finally looking like that glass effect that I was promised. Once again problems arose; my two day detailing took five days (even though car detailing facilities will do it in an afternoon). Secondly, while extremely frustrated, I picked up the car and brought it home to inspect where I was shocked due to the fact that the car crevices (between hood & fender, trunk & body and the doors & body) were inundated with wax left for me to remove. What an embarrassment it should have been to Hardcore to give a customer a product back that looked so unprofessional. The key word there was “should have” as I am sure that they weren’t. There was absolutely NO consideration of doing right for the customer spending $7,600 by giving them a professional service, which I did not receive.

The third issue, which is the major problem here, is that ALL the swirls embedded in the paint, which I had paid the $7,600 to remedy were all still there. Additionally, the roof has multiple white marks (on black top) appearing to be chips leaving me with the perception that the roof was not even touched for that $7,600. There are marks in the paint on multiple locations such as the rear driver fender and I also had a body shop specialist who pointed out a paint run that resulted in a blob of paint on the front side bumper. I feel that I paid a great sum of money to receive the product I did, and I also feel deceived by the Hardcore owner and believe that his conscious is not even bothered by taking my money and performing a shabby paint job where corners were clearly cut to ensure they made more profit obviously the finished product was NOT the priority.

Therefore, if you own a Corvette, or other treasured collectible vehicle, be very careful whom you select to perform paint work on your vehicle. I can only convey my nightmare with Hardcore Hot Rods (which I already see that other reviewers have done also with no subsequent resolution, by Hardcore, to their complaints). As Hardcore Choppers apparently is under the same ownership umbrella one can only surmise that if there are problems/complaints/quality issues with one that the same situation would be present at the other. Hopefully others do not waste $7,600 (or whatever amount) to receive a paint job that they will be unable with for years to come at the same time financially benefiting the individual/company that took advantage of them.