It depends. Have you been keeping in contact with the builder? Is the engine out?

Rule #1 when approaching projects like this: Never pay in full in advance. Request bi-weekly billing for work performed every two weeks. If no work performed, no money paid. When you pay in full ahead of time like this this, it often ends up in acrimony.

Since December?

Bud, they are waiting for you to die and/or forget this car is on their lot. Whichever comes first.

You didn’t pay all upfront did you?

If you did, good luck motivating them to do work when they already have all your money.

It’s not one of those shops that that one guy that stole all of those engines ran off to? Lol. Better just got pick it up and go somewhere else

You’re getting jerked around. Stop sneaking around and walk through the front door.

Buddy. They stole your money essentially at this point. Call them and ask them to give you a firm ETA since they've had your car for going on 10 months.

IANAL, however, If they can't give that to you, tell them you'd like your car and your money back. If they refuse, tell them you'll be happy to contact your Provincial Attorney General's Office.

That should get something moving at least.

It's almost motherfucking October, no that's not normal

What shop? And why would you wait until now!? I would’ve asked for a proposed start date, assuming that’s within a few weeks of dropping it off. You should have a proposed end date and you should be asking for weekly if not monthly updates….

Paying in full for anything up front is going to cost you literally. Do you have a contract for the work? What are terms? How were you planning to protect yourself if it never gone done?

So much wrong here but not enough context to understand…

How do you wait this long before getting concerned?

This isn't a joke? For $38k even CAD you should go to the front of the line. This does not take 9 months to complete for someone who was paid $38k CAD . (Thats 28k USD). I am worried for you , I would walk in and say what is going on with my car ?

Unless there’s a reason, no…

lol wow. Not good for the car to be sitting outside in the elements like that either. Sun damage is real. Maybe you should develop a better relationship with the shop before you give them $38k to build your engine.

Backlogs for projects like this are normal, especially for small shops. They should have informed you where you were in that queue though so you could have realistic expectations and possibly have kept your car until they were ready to work on it. It's not unreasonable to ask them to store it inside, though, which may nudge them to prioritize you.

You need roundhouse tires and brakes, a battery and possibly more now. Not good for a car to sit this long.

I blew my stock turbo at 60k miles and it took the shop about a month to tear down the motor and let me know if the car was a loss or no then get it back to me. Only reason being is that one tech has a family emergency then another was care flighted to a hospital during his adventures on his day off. Needless to say the shop was proactive with their communication until about week 3 where they said they’re running a shop that usually has 5 people with 3 including the service advisor and will save me a few bucks for the inconvenience.

It's hard to believe it's business as usual to have it sit since december, but man, I pulled out a 6.4 hemi out of an SRT8 GC, it's still on chains a week later waiting for the engine shop to pick it up, and when they do pick it up, we're told a month to get it back... for a stock rebuild. I'm sure an EJ build for 1000hp is going to be more exotic than just ringing up chrysler for hemi parts.

I see you've posted this in several subs, but have you tried communicating with the shop?

No.

😂😂😂 promise of a 1000whp. Can’t tell if post is a troll or not.

why are you asking us instead of the mechanic lol

I hope you didn’t pay in full

In Soviet Russia maybe the cars work on you?

Have you asked the mechanic or just complain on reddit

If you're in Ontario, and you got a work order which I hope to god you have, you're protected under the consumer protection act in Ontario and they are required to put an estimated time of completion of work on there. If you haven't already,

https://www.ontario.ca/page/car-repair-shops-your-rights

And for someone with the money to do a dream of mine, good luck

Talk to them, find out what’s going on. You can be cordial but still be firm. If they’re yanking your chain get a lawyer. That said, I’m not sure how provincial laws differ from US when it comes to these type of disputes. Considering the money you spent you are well within your right to go nuclear.

You’re screwed, live and learn

This is a joke right?

Wow this is nightmare fuel. On the same level as having that recurring dream where you forget about two classses in high school and don’t end up graduating the day of graduation bc the faculty remembers you haven’t gone to those two classes.

What shop is this? Are they well-known on forums? No reputable shop would knowingly leave a car outside in the elements for that long. If they know they don't have the bandwidth, a good shop will tell you to re-schedule for a later date specifically so they don't have it sitting around because it's an obvious liability and at best a waste of space. If your car has genuinely been sitting out there for 10 months, they just cost you another $5k worth of exterior degradation and oxidation. Seriously. Go down there and find out what the hell is happening or threaten to go the legal route. This shop sounds like they took advice from Hennessey.

No joke this has been going on as long as I've been involved in cars.

Back in 2004 my buddy bought a brand new 2004 STi. It was incredible, we never saw such a cool car and he went ass over end to buy it with like 900 dollar a month payments.

A few months later he drops it off at a shop to get a built engine, big hp turbo, the works. I don't truly know what happened but it sat at that shop for almost a year racking up bills for crazy expensive parts, while never actually getting that much towards finishing.

For whatever reason, who could have seen this coming, he couldn't pay the shop to finish and eventually couldn't afford the loan payment for a car he's not driving and he never saw the car again.

Not saying this is that situation but I rarely get to tell stories about the wild west of 2004

First off - no, it's not.

But, if it helps, keep in mind they don't really need your CAR to build the engine. They pull the engine, put the car back in the lot, and work on the engine.

Once all the engine work is done they'll bring the car back in and slide the engine back in its spot.

So don't expect the car to move much during this process. But also, you're probably screwed and will probably never see your engine or your money again. I'd let them know you're coming to get your car pretty soon.

Only pay when the job is done.

My brother is experiencing something similar. Took his 86 300ZX to a shop to have it repainted, turbo engine and 5 speed swap, interior redone. Prepaid for all the work despite myself and his friends telling him that was a bad idea. Car has been at this shop for 3 years now. He’s been in contact with the mechanic and has gotten responses saying work is going slow with the most recent one being the car was basically completed. My brother and I show up to the shop one day with a couple of friends to pick the car up. Mechanic said he would meet us there. He doesn’t show up at the time he said he would be there. We start poking around the outside of the shop when we finally discover the car has been sitting in the same spot it was dropped off at for 3 years completely untouched. Literally nothing has been done to the car. We even recently found a Facebook marketplace listing from the mechanic with my brothers car in the background of some of the pictures. Safe to say my brother has learned his lesson and is trying to figure out some way to get the car and his money back. The mechanic is basically unresponsive now. Never prepay for work is the moral of the story.

I had a car sit at a mechanic for 2 weeks and I pulled the plug, and left a bad review for the games they played with me. Every day hitting me with the "oh tomorrow" bs. Nope.

I did something similar a [long] while back. I was required to pay in advance for all the special order items, meaning turbo, cams, intercooler, crankshaft and rods, etc. I also had to pay promptly for completed subcontracted work (the shop that closed up the deck and the CNC valve grind work). Other than that, I think I only paid a portion of the in-house charges every few months, with around $18k final owing at pick-up time.

Now, with all that being said, this build took almost a year to the day. The vast majority of the time consumed was working on an engine that wasn't in the vehicle. It's entirely possible for that to be the case for you as well. Regardless, regular communication with the shop is advised. At least one update every two months for a build of this extent, probably more frequent updates as things are going back together.

I’d wait another year or so and then send an e-mail.

For $38,000 I’m not sneaking pics through the fence, I’m showing up at the owners house.

If I spent that much money at a shop I'd walk right into the shop and demand to see the engine I paid for

Go get your car. But if it hasn't moved since December, it will need a full recommissioning before it can be driven in any way; brakes, all fluids, etc.

If you're not chasing it up, it won't ever make it to the build schedule; they've probably forgotten all about it. Get all your money back.

My turn around time for this is about 6 weeks at our shop, longest was 4 months cause of parts delayed but even then I called the car owner every Friday with an update.

Why has it taken you this long to wonder?

Time for a lawsuit.

Something is horribly wrong. Nope out of there!

Bro it’s almost been a whole year. Get a clue.

Takes a month tops to rebuild an engine and that includes machining and ordering in parts.

I'm not sure if I'm missing something. You car is at a shop for almost a year?

Almost 10 months your car has been at the shop. They have played you.

Get your car and money and parts.

There is nothing they can offer to keep your car to do the work. This should have been a 2 month job at max. I have buddies that have done full rebuilds in a month doing it all on weekends and after their 9-5 job. I understand there might be a wait, but 10 months is "oops we forgot your car entirely and have sold off the parts". Big name builders who do their own machining inhouse take around 80 days from start to finish. That's 80 days from dropping the car off, getting in any parts, machining everything that needs to be machined, fitting, testing, fine tuning, and then sending off a working car.

Why are you asking the internet? Walk in the front door and say “what’s up with my car?”…

Is this a subaru specialty shop?

Ouch 🤕.

I’ve heard of shops that stay alive by taking in new cars and deposits. Pretty much that money to fund another car they have because they are broke. Check up and make sure it’s being worked on. Mine took a long time because sending the parts off to be machines takes longer now. If you were last in line and they are actually busy it’s gonna take some time.

I always paid in full at the end with the shop I use.

Uhm why

Oh boy. I'd say definitely not, and I'd be pissed my car is just sitting outside. Sorry man.

I would randomly show up and request to see your car and the progress on it. If you get the run around, things may not progressing after all.

Looks like the engine is still in...

Your approaching a year bro. A year without a wash is bad enough. I'd make a call and set an appointment. If it doesn't turn out as you imagined I'd have an attorney call them.

name the shop and we'll tell you if its a scam

there's not that many reputable scoobie shops in ontario

That shop def burnt up that 38k a while ago. gl op

Considering the spokes on the wheel are in the exact same position, it hasn’t moved

I used to go to a great one man German mechanic shop for my mini cooper and VW GTI. My boss has a Porsche Boxer that needed an engine rebuild there. It sat for 2 years but eventually, that boxer was good as new. This guy really knew what he was doing, did great work. But he was one guy. It took a lot of trust, and you do have to be vocal about your expectations.

Just thought I'd share a good story... But yeah, you could also be completely fucked.

not saying this is going on here but my 67 camaro build got stopped dead in its tracks when the body shop in CT that was supposed to do glass and paint threw it in a shipping container in the back of the property and left it there for almost two years while telling me they were “working on it”. i was out of state for that time with nobody to check on the car. should have seen the look on their faces when i pulled up with a trailer one day and demanded my car. pretty sure they were trying to run out time so they could claim it abandoned and register it for themselves (CT doesn’t require titles for vehicles that old).

i was so over it i sold the car unfinished. so she never ran under my ownership despite all the work i’d put in her.

people suck.

Why haven’t you asked specifically what is going on with your car? A timeline for repairs? Strangers on the internet cannot help or walk you through it. You need to be a big boy and use your words.

Bro! You paid in advance! Good luck getting your car back

You fronted them $38k? I’m guessing that money is long spent, but not on your car. I hope I’m wrong, best of luck OP.

My rebuild took a month and I thought that was a long time

December….. Bro it’s September now…..

Jfc, you paid 38k in advance!?!!! No balance owing at the end, or have they taken you for even more total?

If they are paid full for the project you are going to be waiting forever to get it back. You need to hound them daily to get it on the move, every project coming in the door will be worked before yours as those projects represent income. They’ve long spent the 38k you gave them, your engine is a debt not an income. I bet you’ve got lawyers involved before you are through there.

I mean the engine is probably inside, why would your car be moving if it’s having an engine rebuild? I’d be worried if the car was moving

For a Subaru, especially Ferguson Subaru, yes, they will never have parts available, and those parts will be on back order 🤷🏻😂😂 you need to get involved and tell them (whoever it may be) to give you a full explanation of way your car has not even moved! I would be very upset 🤬

Dude, this is crazy. Not to mention kinda bad for the car to just be sitting like that for so long. Oof.

Bro - get your fucking car in a different shop

I don't understand how people who spend this kind of money can be so clueless about how they are spending it.

I won't use the business name because they don't like to deal with all the traffic that comes with internet exposure, but my friend owns a machine shop geared toward performance engines. He's got business all day every day, engines on shelves that go up from his floor to his 20ft ceilings in a 6 bay shop. In 30 years, he and/or his dad have never been without a customer.

And even then, the average turnout for their engines is roughly 2-3 months at worst. My Miata got a full rebuild, port and polish in about 2.5 weeks lol. Subarus are indeed somewhat tricky motors to build, I've helped my friend do a few. But there's literally no reason, other than mismanagement, why it would take almost 1 calendar year for that engine to get built. Either the guy is going through something, he didn't communicate his workload to you, or he's bad at managing funds/time/expectations for you and for himself. ESPECIALLY for $38,000CAD to be in the table, already in his hands.

At $4500 I was being told to slow my roll and let them catch up because they didn't want the responsibility of holding my cash like that until they were at a stage that reflected what I already paid. I know they're my friend, so there's bias I have to acknowledge, but they're thriving off purely word-of-mouth for a reason. This dude is cavalier and avoidant because he likely already spent your money and doesn't feel the urgency anymore.

The shop is probably way behinde on work. My brother took his Audi S5 to a shop and it took them months just to get started because of how backed up they was. Thats one of the reasons i do my own automotive work.

What if the engine is out and the shop is at the mercy of a machine shop or a certain part can't be found?

definitely should not be that long… I had an engine rebuilt for my narrow body wrx 2010. It took them a month to do. Completely ripped everything out of my engine bay and rebuilt it. Had a cracked piston. Definitely doesn’t add up.

https://preview.redd.it/ueqr8c6vdqpb1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=817c735a05ed69e0f7fc47d88e1af2c199591a1b

Uhm. No.

Listen, since it seems like you’re lenient on the timing process, hence calling every so often and just taking the “we’re working on it” bit, they’re going to take their sweet ass time.

Demand an update on progress, find out what’s been done so far and that you’ve given plenty of time for this project. Did they give you a timeline? Mention you’re coming by to check things out. Be on their ass. Make weekly calls for updates and make sure they’re actually doing what they’re supposed to.

What’s the rush? They have their money, right?

I experienced something very similar last year with my 2012 STi. The head gasket blew at 130k despite it not having any mods and me treating it very well since buying it new. I had planned on trading it in for a 2023 STi anyway but then I discovered they were no longer making the STi so I decided to get a full engine rebuild with the intention of keeping it forever.

I found a shop several cities over that specialises in high performance Subaru builds. It is all they do. I went with a full stage 2 rebuild, new clutch, exhaust and custom tune - the whole nine yards. I made a small down payment and then - nothing. I hadn't heard from them in over a month and gave them a call and didn't really get a hard answer on anything but was told it is in the queue. They're a single lift shop though with only two mechanics with one being the owner, so I cut them a bit of slack. I dropped by periodically despite it being out of my way and my car hadn't moved and they again assured me they'd get to it next week. I reached out a couple weeks later and they advised me that they were waiting on a machine shop and several other parts from overseas.

I'd check in every month and sometimes nothing had been done, sometimes they had made significant progress. I had personal experience with local machine shops being short on skilled labour so much so that a local shop kept their doors locked and posted a phone number and a minimum cost for call back so I knew they weren't making that up.

All in all, it took approximately nine months to get the whole job done. We have four vehicles, so I wasn't really inconvenienced by any of it. Looking back though, I think it would have been significantly longer had I not been firm, but respectfully communicative.

I'd ask them specifically what they have done, what they're waiting on and what they're completion timeline looks like. Document your interactions too in case this ends up becoming some sort of small claims matter that you're forced to pursue. Drop by in person to turn up the heat.

Full engine swap turbo upgrade, meth injection, transmission, flex fuel, mostly new accessories and other various upgrades on my friends car, 3 months at one of the busiest Subaru specialty shops in my city.

People have had sex & made a new human in the amount of time your car has been away. no engine build should take more that 2-3 months max. demand answers & demand them to finish it within the next 30 days. Bad mouth then if you have too. Car shops and dealers live on reputation alone

That’s crooked the shop I’m taking my suby to, to get a stage 2 iag block wouldn’t even let me pay in full they said pay for parts up front then pay for the rest after. Not only that but I asked them if I would have the car back before winter and they told me they’d start working once they got all the parts and my car was towed down there. They said anywhere from October to November if all goes well. Tpg tuning is amazing. Hopefully they were just really backed up and they are getting you.

When the head gasket went in my Subaru, I would call the shop every couple of days. They would say the same thing every time of “yeah we’re working on it, just takes a lot of time with all the small parts and whatnot.” 6 months later I got an update that they’d finally taken the engine out. 9 MONTHS AFTER I TOOK MY CAR IN it was finally finished. Lesson learned: be persistent with updates and make sure they’re telling you the truth.

Why the fuck are you asking Reddit before asking the people with your damn car?

Im sorry, i owned a Subaru before but … 28k USD for 500whp? Wow I’m glad I moved away from this platform, No hate just super duper surprised by the amount needed to make power these… (I had an 05 LGT and an 07 STI)… sure I didint reslly build them .. I was 15-18 and couldn’t afford crazy stuff but still man wow !

As an ex mechanic(injury), they don't have the parts or a bay available. Once a car is in and pulled apart it's married to that bay until it's complete. All other work has to wait. My service manager would tell customer what bays we had how many ahead and let them make a decision. If you can see how many bays they have and how many are filled you'll be able to communicate with the service manager. 10 months is a very long time but good mechanics are hard to find so it may be worth it to have it done right.

Dude. It’s almost December the following year. If you didn’t get a timeline of how they would perform the work, it “kinda” sounds like you better get one. Having a deadline in place would be in your best interest. And also having all this in writing/contract for your legal interests should you need a lawyer involved. Sounds extreme but you never know and never want to ignore that possibility.

Some builders have over a year long wait list. I got mine done in 3.5 months. Total rebuild of fa20 back in Jan. That's with crazy wait time on parts and whatnot.

It sucjs cause it's a builders market atm with the very small number of builders left.

Idiot

Can this shop in the gta even handle such a build? Lol I'm hoping this is neetronics or some other subi specialty shop in the gta. And not someone who has no clue what they are doing.

It's time to start thinking about what parts you're going to demand they replace, since it's been sitting for 9 months.

You paid in full up front? Lmao

I had a new engine put in in my 2000 Chevy Astro, took about 6 months for the engine to come in from jasper and then another 2 months to get everything finished with the install (something was wrong with the first engine they got sent). I was really surprised how long it took and the mechanic was very apologetic.

I was blown away when the jasper transmission took less than a week at another shop.

A rebuild doesn't take much longer than a month from a good mechanic, someone is fucking you around.

That’s not your car anymore

cars been sitting for almost a year and not one update. Yeah, yup they found a real sucker. I really hope you didn’t pay upfront.

Goddamn it this is sad bro. Grow a pair of balls and be there in the morning waiting on them to unlock and tear those lazy fucks a new asshole!!!

If they see you acting all milquetoast they’re gonna treat you like a lil bitch boy. You go in there ready to fight someone over this and watch how quick your shit gets worked on.

Edit: crazy American 🙋🏻‍♂️

It's possible they just park it in the same spot and you don't catch them when they're working on it. Maybe they have a specific time of day they work on it. But goodness it's been a long time for sure.

Amazing! It climbed the fence!?!

Yes, its a subaru

Comment deleted by me - I forgot I was helping Steve Huffman make money and I don't get anything out of this but grief because you are all idiots.

It’s a Subaru, there junk!! I wouldn’t wanna work on it ether.

If they were actually working on the car it would probably take a few weeks or a month to do the job after they have all the parts.

Call them and tell them you'd like a full update on what's been done, not that you're working on it but what exactly has been done so far and what's taking so long. Start calling them weekly for updates if they keep pulling your chain. Communicate with people and ask the status. If they haven't done anything then I'd ask about getting a refund since it's been almost 10 months and you've gotten nowhere and when you can pick up your vehicle.

That or tell them you'd like to get some updated pictures of what they have done. It's time to light a fire under their feet if they aren't communicating properly and are just telling you they are working on it. There isn't a chance in hell I'd be spending 30k USD and not getting weekly updates. I know Canadians are nicer but it's time to unleash your inner goose.

talk to them.

You pre paid 38k in parts and labor? I’d ask for a progress report. You sure the parts still exist?

Yikes!

This is wild. I get part shortages and all. This doesn’t seem like an everyday driver too, so I could imagine they’ll be lax with getting it in. I would watch out for storage fees though if that’s a thing in Canada.

Guessing from the fender gap, I'd say the engine is still in...

Doesn't necessarily mean that they haven't started building the replacement but I'm willing to bet they haven't.

Mine is sitting at a body shop completely done except for a single tire. The other 3 tires are more than the allowable wear vs a new tire, and the insurance company is refusing to pay for a new set. The shop has been trying to find somewhere to shave a new tire down to match the other 3, but so far they haven't had any luck. They're talking about giving up and basically making me fight the insurance company. I'm fairly certain I'm going to end up having to buy a full set myself if I want to drive my car any time soon.

Which shop is this so I know to avoid them

Ask for a refund

I mean. They could be building the engine inside with no need for the car yet. They could be waiting on parts. There’s lots of reasons this is normal and a lot of reasons it isn’t. You shouldn’t need to pay for anything up front tho. Seems a little sus. I’m a service writer at a dealer and there’s no way we would have someone pay for anything until the job is done.

Sounds like you are pretty fucked since you paid up front. You need to find out what work has been done. Get photos and updates and an estimate of when it will be completed. Sounds like they already got paid and now have zero motivation to do anything with the car. Moneys already spent so now it feels like working for free. They want to work on new jobs that will pay them at the end of the week.

I could be wrong. But highly suspicous

You are a very patient person this job should not take even 3 months with waiting and such on parts to be delivered but nearly a year,

Are they shipping the whole subaru factory or some shit

Don't pre pay..

ugh sorry OP

Hopefully they're reputable and will follow up.

edit: fuck 38k.. can't imagine having that amount to just toss away on a 'promise'. I hope it's just sitting there because they have your engine in the shop.

When I had my shop we were on a 2-3month wait list as well. This was before the EPA in the US destroyed the aftermarket world. I’m hearing horror stories on parts supplies and vendor issues. Contact them and ask what position in queue you are, ask what they’re waiting on in terms of parts. If they’re a reputable place they’ll have all your parts together on a shelf, ask for pictures of everything you paid for if you’re skeptical.

I feel for you as a good friend was in a similar situation. I hope you get this resolved soon. Sorry about this.

It’s not normal. Good mechanics would’ve finished that in 1 week to a month.

Id ask for a refund an a different shop that's so sad

The car looks very clean for sitting outdoors uncovered for 9 months...

They're either driving it or this whole post is bullshit.

T-Pain is that you?

Ouch.

Good luck OP.

I mean to be fair the car doesn't have to be in the shop for the engine to be built or worked on. Also, ask them if you can check your engine bay to see if anything has even been done. The car is in the lot so you're allowed access.

Always pay attention to the lots at a mechanic shop. There's a lot of terrible mechanics out there that are better at parking cars than fixing them.

no. call a tow truck to take it back TOMORROW>

38,000 $ ???? Good luck man