Auto Restoration Shop Accused Of Swindling Customers

Far too often, car restoration shops take advantage of customers, cheating them out of money and sometimes a vehicle. While there are plenty of legitimate, honest establishments out there, it’s stories like this latest one out of Houston which makes us all pause and think twice before dropping our classic car off to be restored.

See how Tanabe aluminum wheels are made.

Authorities are on the hunt for Jesse Montes, who operates American Vision Auto, accusing him of swindling customers out of more than $100,000, reports KPRC 2. The sad thing is monetarily that’s on the low end of many car restoration scam cases we’ve seen over the years.

However, that amount is apparently only for the three victims who have come forward so far. The total could grow if there are more victims willing to speak with authorities, so this case could be pretty big once all is said and done.

What’s more, this case does go a layer deeper than most, with authorities also accusing Montes of money laundering. He’s been indicted for theft and money laundering, so the hunt is on to bring him to justice.

According to prosecutors, Montes was selling classic cars without holding title, a scheme we’ve seen often. He also promised to perform restoration services for customers even though he didn’t have the capability of performing them.

This case is a valuable reminder to do your homework and thoroughly check out a restoration shop before dropping your car off. Since restorations often involve big deposits up front, you don’t want to be handing that kind of money over to someone who has zero intention of finishing the job.

Also, when buying classic cars you should also research the dealer to make sure there isn’t a pattern of problems. In most of these types of cases a simple internet search uncovers a string of outraged former customers who are out thousands, if not tens of thousands of dollars.

Image via KPRC 2 Click2Houston/YouTube

Follow The Auto Wire on Google News.