ben_harmer32

It is Friday evening and I have not heard from Hidden since last Saturday. Parts were supposed to be delivered early to mid week. I have no idea on the current condition of my car, if the parts were delivered or if any progress has been made. I haven't chased as I don't want to slow progress as I really want and need the car, I also feel I shouldn't have to. I have previously requested on more than one occasional progress pictures of what is being done. Am I wrong to expect them to update me regularly?

Email received today from Hidden Performance. They have taken the new cambelt back off the engine. After the extended road test and getting the oil up to temperature a small amount of oil was discovered coming from the intake side cam seal and leaking down the front of the engine. This was making it appear to be the crank shaft seal leaking. New cam seals and rocker cover gaskets have been ordered to replace the sealant previously used. A new crank seal has also been ordered which will be change as they have the cambelt off for peace of mind. These are expected to arrive during the week. 70amp fuse mounted on the fly by wire will be replaced by the correct 80amp fuse. The brake reservoir cap has been replaced. The sump leak has been sorted and the correct amount of sealant has been used. I will get another update once all parts have arrived and have been fitted later next week. Until the parts arrive the car will not be touched. I will update the thread when I get more news. Thank you for all the replies and the support. Hopefully soon this will all be resolved and I will have a car I can use and actually enjoy!

Another quick update. The knocking noise from the engine has been potentially diagnosed as a faulty bearing on the tensioner which has now all been replaced. Engine oil has been topped up to maximum. The radiator I supplied to replace the cracked one has been fitted. The front and rear of the sump have been cleaned and there doesn’t appear to be any oil leak from the front crank seal. The replacement downpipe and gaskets I had in the boot of the car have been fitted and there is no longer a blow from the exhaust. Hidden are still to investigate the leak to the rear of the sump and will update once they have carried out an extended road test. Still no update on the other items identified during the independent inspection however in my last reply i have specifically asked for items to be addressed. I will update when i know more.

Quick update on this. Car went back to Hidden last Friday (12th October). This was confirmed by them via email stating they would inspect the car Monday and report back to myself with reference to the noise from the engine in particular. On Monday (15th October) I received an email from Hidden stating they have replaced the cambelt and tensioner which appears to have resolved the whine noise from the overtight cambelt. It also stated they are currently waiting on replacement gaskets for the exhaust leaks which are being delivered Wednesday. Once fitted they will install the replacement radiator that I supplied and then report back. I replied thanking them for the update, I stated I very much appreciate that they had moved quickly with resolving issues with my car however I thought they were just doing an inspection to report back. I asked if they could confirm if the oil leak on the main crank seal was addressed whilst the old cambelt was off. I asked for an update on the other issues raised during the independent inspection by the other garage, as well as an update to the knocking noise which is my biggest worry. I also stated that I had brand new downpipe and gaskets in the boot (these were booked in to be fitted by a local garage near me but were put on hold when then engine started knocking) They could use these if easier for them instead of ordering more (to save them some time/money) I asked to ensure that I was kept informed of all progress on the car. Stating we need to work together to ensure the best outcome for myself and Hidden. I also asked to have pictures of the work being carried out and to ensure I got the receipts once complete for items replaced. I received a response stating they would revert referencing the various on Wednesday. All updates and responses from Hidden are being fed back to the Consumer Helpline, Citizens Advice and the independent legal representative I have looking after my case to ensure everything is done in the correct manner. I will update when I receive an update from them today.

I fully understand and i am very glad nobody else has had to go through what i have been through in the last nine months. Reading the above comments it seems that Mike has worked on all the Supras mentioned, my car has been primarily worked on by another mechanic at Hidden, i'm assuming as it's a Skyline. I've said before, it's a companies ability to deal with things when they go wrong that show how good they are. Not when everything goes to plan. This for me is where Hidden fell down. I really hope that i end up getting to see some of the great Hidden Performance service that you have all clearly been given.

I'm glad you managed to get your car sorted and issues resolved. I can't help but feel this thread is a little bit of a dig at mine but everyone is entitled to an opinion so I'll take it with a pinch of salt. I think there is a huge difference between a complete build and an afternoon diagnostic session. But well done to Mike for helping you out, especially on a Sunday. If anything this just makes what happened to me feel a lot more personal rather than just business. I really hope I can update my thread soon stating how my car is now fully resolved and running exactly how it should have been from the beginning. Only time will tell!

Just a quick update. The car has had a visual inspection carried out by another well known garage. A number of items have been identified. Unfortunately the engine knocking could not be properly diagnosed without taking things apart. Hidden Performance have offered to assess and repair the car as required. They have organised collection for today. I am being guided through this process by the Consumer Helpline, Citizens Advice and an independent legal company. I'm taking it one step at a time. I will update when i know more.

Sold

As per pictures. Bought for my car but never fitted. £170 delivered

Yesterday after picking my kids up i got home to hear this noise: I'm hoping it's not the bottom end as this was only done in February. I have sent this to Hidden and i am awaiting a reply. I will update this thread once i get a response.

I appreciate the replies and everyone is entitled to their own opinion. I created this thread to show everyone what I had been through and what I’m still going through. My original post does nothing other than state the facts in the chronological order they happened. It was never meant to be a ‘bashing’. The above replies ‘defending’ Hidden come from someone who is friends with them, who I also thought was my friend. Those replies only focus on the painter and the former employee who left. Whilst I understand what you are saying you seem to be forgetting that the outstanding issues are all mechanical. The employee who left never directly worked on my car. This was done by the mechanics who are still present at Hidden, and they are the ones who have let me drive away twice with a car that is not fit for purpose and potentially dangerous. This is a car I need to use every day. I pick my children up from school in. It needs to be safe not just for me but for them. In its current form I’m not sure I could call it safe. Yesterday a crack in the top of the radiator was discovered, I have looked back at old photos sent to me by Hidden and I can clearly see a wet patch in the exact same area. Whilst I would not expect Hidden to foot the bill for a replacement I would expect them to identify it and inform me considering the substantial amount of work I have had done in the engine bay. I have received communication from Hidden regarding the cambelt and we are working towards a solution. In the communications they have stated to me that they have had nothing but 100% satisfaction from customers over the last 6 months. This is all very well if these jobs were completed without any issues. What I think makes a company great is how they deal with the situation when it doesn’t go correctly. For me this is where Hidden have greatly faltered.

Review of Hidden Performance (HP2) who built my car: http://www.mkivsupra.net/vbb/showthread.php?350654-My-experience-with-Hidden-Performance-Ltd

It has not been a very good experience at all I have questioned that many times and always been given the answer it was out of there control. Granted they don’t own the body shop but surely you wouldn’t let an out sourced company mess one of your customers around without some kind of action? I was even told at one point if it wasn’t ready by said date they would pull it out and take it elsewhere. But again, this never happened. Chasing the painter was pretty much left up to me in the end. This is my main concern now, what else has been missed accidently. A few bolts on the exhaust or something a lot more serious. I have had a lot of work done on the engine and it does hugely concern me. The final invoice is literally just a list of everything I have paid for. I made all payments at thr beginning of the build or when requesting extra bits along the way. I do not owe them anymore money. It’s just frustrating I am now going to have to pay someone else to sort what should not be an issue in the first place. Then I will be needing to take them to court to reclaim the costs. A few of my close friends who have been there throughout all of this for me have asked that many times. I have never once been aggressive or threatening. It’s just my nature, probably not always a good thing as people tend to walk all over me lol I took this into account. It frustrated me more once it was painted and was just left to sat when all it needed doing was putting back together. But then to have my freshly cleaned engine bay, all the interior covered in dust. Paint on my dash in places. It’s just not an acceptable way to treat a customers car. Hidden said they were going to do full valet on it but I’m certain this was just a quick rush job before I collected. If I take of the engine cover it’s still covered in dust. As are the back seats. I was never told the reasons why they split.

On the 10th May 2018 after asking for an update I received a message from the painters wife (and equal business partner) stating the painter could not handle the strain from myself and Hidden Performance and that I would need to message her for updates from now on. I would get replies and a few pictures, but they would never commit to giving me a completion date. On the 17th May 2018, after asking for an update, I received a message from the painter’s wife asking me to come down so they could show me the kit. She stated I didn’t know what they were dealing with and that she didn’t have time to message me updates. She also said to me to come down and collect my car if I did not think the vehicle would be up to standard. I immediately contacted Hidden Performance who told me they would sort it out. The car continued to progress slowly. On the 24th May 2018 I received a message from the painter stating Hidden Performance was on his case and his wife wasn’t in the workshop that week. I was told that all going to plan the car would be painted the next week. On the 28th May 2018 Hidden Performance messaged me stating the car was in the paint booth. I messaged the painter and asked about this and he informed me that he was still working on the bumpers and the car was not in the booth. I messaged Hidden Performance, I was informed they were mistaken about it being in the booth. On the 30th May 2018 my main point of contact at Hidden Performance who had been over seeing my build messaged me to let me know that he was leaving Hidden Performance and starting a new company. This came as a shock to me but he assured me it would have no impact on my car as my deal was with the company. I made contact with the other owner who confirmed he was now the sole owner of Hidden Performance after recent management restructuring. It was confirmed this would not impact on my car. On the 31st May 2018 I received communication from the painter that the car was in primer and he sent me a video to confirm. On the 5th June 2018 Hidden Performance emailed to state that paint work would be complete within 2 weeks. On the 8th June 2018 a member of Hidden Performance went and test fitted my wheels with the new kit. It was discovered that they were never going to fit and that I would have to buy new ones. On the 12th June 2018 I received a video update from the painter showing the bonnet, seals and rear lights in paint and lacquered. I provisionally arranged to come up and collect the car on the 22nd June 2018. This was confirmed ok by Hidden Performance and the painter. On the 19th June 2018 I received a message from the painter stating that when doing a big job like mine they cannot afford to turn way regular customers. He stated he had had a 2 day job in over the weekend. He said he had done a few bits on my car to push it along but it would not be finished in time for me to collect on the 22nd June 2018. Upon hearing this I called Hidden Performance to get an actual completion date. I was told they would go there first thing the next morning. I stated I would be in training that day and would call them when I could. On the 20th June 2018 I called Hidden Performance at 10am. They had not been to the paint shop as the painter was not in yet and that they were heading over in half an hour. I then called again at 12.30 on my next break and was told you still hadn’t been and would be heading over at 13.30. I called again at 14.30 but got no answer. At 15:00 I got a text saying one of Hidden’s employees was heading over to see the painter. At 16:41 on the 20th June 2018 I received a message from the painter stating that if I wanted the car to be a priority it would cost an additional £5000. As soon as I received the message I panicked and called Hidden. The owner answered the phone in a very aggressive way. He informed me he did not need me ringing and bugging him all the time. He would not let me speak. I eventually managed to tell him about the demand for £5000 to prioritize my car and that this had panicked me. He told me he would look into it and get back to me that evening. I received no further communication. On the 24th June 2018 at 22:30 I received a message from the painter stating my car would be in colour this week. I received another message at just gone midnight stating the car would be painted Tuesday all going to plan. After seeking advice from Citizens Advice Bureau I wrote all the above into a letter and sent it to Hidden Performance on the 26th June 2018. I asked for the car to be completed ready to collect by the 6th July 2018. On the 29th June 2018 I received an email response to my letter from the owner of Hidden stating he was “both surprised and disappointed that you felt it necessary to take this approach” and that he would reply as soon as he had time to read it and formulate a considered response. I never received a response. The painter stayed in contact so I knew the car was progressing slowly. On the 23rd July 2018 I received a picture of the car almost complete with only a few items to put back on. I emailed Hidden Performance who had not been in contact with me since the 29th June 2018, stating the car was almost finished and could they sort out collecting. They replied stating they would liaise with the painter and get back to me as soon as. I received no communication. On the 28th July 2018 I asked Hidden to collect my car from the painter in whatever state it was as no progress had been made since the 23rd. Home life meant I needed the car and could no longer wait. On the 31st July 2018 Hidden went to collect my car to find the paint shop locked up and no one in. Despite several attempts all day by myself and Hidden we could not get hold of the painter. Eventually on the 3rd August 2018 the car made it back to Hidden Performance. It was in a state. Dust from sanding covered the whole engine and interior. Passenger window switch had been broken, number of items hadn’t been refitted and it had running issues. The above was sorted and the car was booked in for MOT on the 24th August 2018 with the plan to collect on the 28th. Unfortunately the car failed its MOT on rear brake pads and track rod ends. These were sourced and the car passed the following day with no advisories. I collected the car on the 28th August 2018. There were a few items I wasn’t happy with after a quick look round. I noticed the washer bottle had been stuck on with duct tape, the electric window wasn’t working and fuse box lid was missing. Due to desperately needing the car I had to take it as is and get home. I got the car home and after driving it around for a bit I noticed a number of serious issues. The idle was way too high and the car would stutter and try to stall every now and then. The tiptronic gearbox would not always change gear, eventually getting stuck in 3rd altogether. I emailed Hidden who asked me to do some further tests the next day. I got up early on the 29th August 2018 and went to start the car. It would fire up but then immediately stall. The car was returned to Hidden Performance on the back of an AA lorry. Hidden looked the car over on the 2nd September and confirmed the issues. I sent them a list of things to sort, including the window switch, missing fuse box lid and washer bottle. They agreed they would sort most the issues but that I would have to pay to sort the gearbox issue. I called citizens advice bureau who linked me to a website for the consumers rights act. This clearly stated the car needed to be fit for purpose and it was there legal requirement to fix the car. I sent this to Hidden. I received no communication and was getting ready to take legal action, then on the 7th September 2018 I got an email stating everything had been resolved and the car was now fit for purpose and ready to collect. I arranged to collect the car on the 14th September 2018. All issues were resolved. On the 20th September 2018 I noticed I was getting a noise from the cam area. I posted a video on the owners club and they are fairly certain it’s the cam belt is too tight. I also found an exhaust leak as I have 2 out of 6 bolts missing on the back of my turbo elbow. I sent a message to Hidden with the videos on the 24th September 2018. They responded saying the bolts were an over site and that the noise sounds more like a water pump (which is brand new?) or AC compressor (air con isn’t on). I have had the car looked at by another tuning company and it is coming from the cam belt area. I am also still waiting on a final invoice which I have been promised this week! If you made it this far I thank you for reading my post and apologies for the length of it. This whole experience has been extremely stressful for me and is one I will never repeat. I just want to confirm this is my own personal experience only.

Please note the following are my own personal experiences. I am only sharing so people can see what I have been through and make an informed decision themselves. On the 21st January 2018 I approached Hidden Performance Ltd. regarding an R34 Nissan Skyline that they had for sale with a blown engine. I emailed my requests to have the car completed to the spec I wanted. I received a quote which I agreed to and I promptly paid in full. (Please note I did not request any special prices or discounts, I emailed what I wanted and asked for a price) I then received an invoice that stated an estimated lead time of 5-7 weeks from commencement of project. Work on the car began on the 23rd January 2018. After ordering the body kit online I was informed it would not be arriving until early March. This would delay the car slightly but I was told the painter would need it for 8 – 10 days to fit and paint the kit. To go on the car I bought some 19” alloys which I had delivered to Hidden Performance. On the 4th March 2018 I received notification that the new wheels I had bought for the car would not fit as they were hitting on the suspension. I was informed that I’d need new smaller profile tyres and some spacers to get them to fit. This would be addressed once the body kit was fitted due to the wider arches and measurements needing to be taken. On the 10th March 2018 the GTR body kit for the car arrived, I requested for it to be test fitted when it arrived (due to concerns around fitment as it’s all fiberglass and they never fit) but this did not happen. On the 16th March 2018 I raised concerns that the bonnet pictured on the eBay site for the GTR body kit did not look the same as the bonnet on my car. I was told it was fine and would not be an issue. On the 18th March 2018 the mechanical work was completed. My car was run in on your rolling road and the car was ready to go to the body shop. On the 22nd March 2018 after chasing Hidden Performance for an update I was told that the car was at Sandwhich Body Repair Centre (the body shop they outsource the work to)to have the kit fitted and be painted. I was informed that the kit was of terrible quality but they would get it sorted. I then received a message from Hidden Performance asking me to urgently call regarding the bonnet. Upon calling I was informed that the bonnet was too long and would not fit with the bumper (which I had raised as a concern previously and been told it was fine). After a conversation we decided to cut the OEM bonnet and weld to fit correctly. Work on the body kit continued slowly. I would have had to chase Hidden Performance for updates and was constantly reminded about the bad quality of the kit and how much extra work was involved to fit it which I accepted. On the 5th April 2018 I was lead to believe it would only be a further week’s work to fit and smooth the kit. On the 10th April 2018 Hidden Performance messaged me to tell me the kit was all on and the car was to be in primmer that day and would be in paint over the weekend. On the 16th April 2018 I messaged Hidden Performance as I had not received any communication from. I got a reply stating the car was not in paint and that the painter was still adjusting the body kit. It was then stated Hidden Performance had bent over backwards to help me get the car done cheap as a favor. This is the first time this was mentioned to me, and as previously stated, I never asked for a discount or cheap work. I simply asked for a quote at the start and paid. I received an apology for the delays and it was stated the painter was behind on the project. On the 18th April 2018 I was given the number to the painter at Sandwich Body Repair Centre. He would send me updates as and when he could but progress was still very slow. Hidden Performance informed me that James was working on my car roughly 4 hours a day as and when he could. I received an update on the 27th April 2018. It stated my car was getting there slowly. I asked when it might be ready for paint. I was told there were still a few fiddly bits to do but I would see some real progress the following week. On the 30th April 2018 I messaged the painter asking for an update. I raised my concerns that the car was a month overdue. He confirmed he was only working on it for 4 hours a day and that I had to bear with him as he was mainly working on it on his own with no assistance. He told me he had 3-4 days left of body work to do and that it should be in primer by next week.

I will be writing a full review on a separate post to share my experiences with the paint shop and garage soon. - - - Updated - - - Car is now back. Few things to sort. Need some wider wheels but hopefully i can start enjoying it...

got car home. Drove back 2 hours fine. Went out again later and auto box stuck in 3rd. left it until this morning to see if it does it again and car wouldn't start. Now heading back to the garage on the back of an AA carrier.

Had MOT on Friday and failed. Rear track rod end and rea brake pads Garage managed to get the parts Sat morning, fit them and retest. So it is now ready to collect. Going up Tuesday.

Pics of how it is now looking from Friday. Couple of bits to re-fit. Full detail is going to be done to bring it back to spotless. Hoping it'll be finished for me to collect this week. It has some parts i am not happy with so i will be hunting for items. This has been a long and stressful experience for me. One i now know i will never repeat. I am hoping once i get the car i'll love it but this has left a sour taste in my mouth and i am considering getting rid as soon as. We shall see what happens!

My wife has passed her driving test 2 weeks ago and is now using the daily car as her own so i am now car-less. After no further progress on the skyline, and the fact it's been in paint shop for near on 4 months (has been 7 months in total since i bought the car) i made the decision to pull the car from the painters. It is now back with the garage to be finished off looking a bit sorry for itself. I am gutted the paint shop couldn't finish it, but hoping it will all be good in the end.

Mine only ever made a noise when i didn't put it in the boot properly. Need to make sure the back engages properly before clipping in the front.

PM Sent

Why go to all the effort of building a replica with the right parts and not use an aero top!

So close now...

Almost finished now. Few more adjustments, bolt on bumpers, spoiler etc. Change wheels, MOT, then it's mine [video=youtube;0UFIz-qoIDs]