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vintagebusimport [email protected] Laurent Piani
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aeromech
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PostPosted: Mon Nov 23, 2015 9:40 pm    Post subject: Re: vintagebusimport [email protected] Laurent Pi Reply with quote

I may just lock up my box and become a full time VW Bus survey guy. God knows there's a market for it.
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PostPosted: Tue Nov 24, 2015 11:09 am    Post subject: Re: vintagebusimport [email protected] Laurent Pi Reply with quote

vintagebusimport wrote:


Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.



Drag link lock nut is not locked.

Hard to tell, but bumper bolt does not look fully tightened.

Is brake clevis lubricated?

Brake switches really do need those boots, (available at WW)
Colin

(hey! is that stabilizer bar installed UPSIDE DOWN?) Laughing
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StefansBus
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PostPosted: Thu Nov 26, 2015 1:56 pm    Post subject: Re: vintagebusimport [email protected] Laurent Pi Reply with quote

Too true, aeromech.

Thanks for the pointers, Amskeptik. The bus is presently being torn apart completely again and will be sandblasted (partially) before being done properly.

Looks like the honorable Mr. Laurent Piani has decided not to contribute anymore. Well, as they say: Actions speak louder than words. He claims he cares about his customers but it appears he puts short term profit over customer satisfaction, or at least damage control. His choice. I am not surprised.

I will be opening a new thread in the bay window sub-forum with pictures of the "real" restoration, due to begin shortly.

Thanks for all your moral support on this one. I appreciate it.
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PostPosted: Thu Nov 26, 2015 2:10 pm    Post subject: Re: vintagebusimport [email protected] Laurent Pi Reply with quote

StefansBus wrote:

I will be opening a new thread in the bay window sub-forum with pictures of the "real" restoration, due to begin shortly.


Be sure to include before and after pics of the worst of it to show how it should be done Wink

Never fun getting taken, but most of us have been there, especially after the advent of the computer/internet. Looks like you are going to make the best of it and carry on. Good luck and I'll be watching…remember to post a link here Smile Popcorn
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aeromech
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PostPosted: Thu Nov 26, 2015 3:19 pm    Post subject: Re: vintagebusimport [email protected] Laurent Pi Reply with quote

I think I actually have dealt with Mr. Laurent Piani before. A few years back I sold a 1978 Champagne to a french guy from Los Angeles. He said he had shops there that would restore the buses and then he would sell them back in Europe. We never met face to face but he did follow through fine with the purchase.

My impression is that he does this for a living and that means he tried to maximize profits. The way to do that is hire cheap labor and in Los Angeles that means Mexicans. This guy isn't the only one I know of. There are at least two more down here in San Diego doing the same thing. We call them "flippers".

Buyers should be very careful when dealing with this type of seller.
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VWDog
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PostPosted: Thu Nov 26, 2015 5:08 pm    Post subject: Re: vintagebusimport [email protected] Laurent Pi Reply with quote

aeromech wrote:
We call them "flippers".

Buyers should be very careful when dealing with this type of seller.


I would agree "flippers" is a universal term for this type of activity especially in the auto world.

Very good advice to "be very careful". In fact, I would say if I were thinking of purchasing a "used" something for the kind of dough spent here, I wouldn't think twice about shelling out more money/time to hop on a plane to inspect it myself. It would have saved this kind of end result.
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aeromech
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PostPosted: Thu Nov 26, 2015 5:11 pm    Post subject: Re: vintagebusimport [email protected] Laurent Pi Reply with quote

I wouldn't think twice about shelling out more money/time to hop on a plane to inspect it myself

A guy recently did just that. He could have hired me for a lot less though.
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PostPosted: Thu Nov 26, 2015 6:56 pm    Post subject: Re: vintagebusimport [email protected] Laurent Pi Reply with quote

aeromech wrote:
I wouldn't think twice about shelling out more money/time to hop on a plane to inspect it myself

A guy recently did just that. He could have hired me for a lot less though.


If the buyer is a newbie(which he wasn't in this case) and doesn't know what to look for….maybe both? Wink
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aeromech
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PostPosted: Thu Nov 26, 2015 7:06 pm    Post subject: Re: vintagebusimport [email protected] Laurent Pi Reply with quote

In this case the buyer was in Germany. I'm probably 100 miles away from the seller in this case. Hiring me or someone like me would have been good business. A few months ago I was contacted by a buyer in Denmark to do an inspection on an eBay bus located about 30 miles away from me. His $150 for my time was money well spent.
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vintagebusimport
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PostPosted: Thu Nov 26, 2015 8:12 pm    Post subject: Re: vintagebusimport [email protected] Laurent Pi Reply with quote

Hi everybody,

Sorry for not answering your posts earlier.

Again and you are all totally right regading the fact that i should have verified everything and after all that even the pictures that have been posted on my own website. YES THIS IS A MISTAKE AND YES ITS A DANGEROUS BUS THE WAY IT IS.

To fix these mechanical issues we would have paid for that YES WE WOULD HAVE PAID. This said, it nevertheless does not allow you to judge MY WORK as cheap or talking about MEXICANS as cheap labor because this is not fair. Im not a "flipper" as some of you say but YES i do this as a living and I love what im doing AND i know what im doing. HAVE YOU EVER HEARD OF ME OR MY BUSINESS BEFORE???. Find something wrong on either me or my business and you. will talk. CHECK EBAY, YELP and ALL the internet and come back to me.

I particularly do not appreciate your comments regading the fact that We only flip vw kombis and maximize profits and stuffs like that...That's bullshit. Yes we import more and more kombis and we have to make everybody happy. From customers from $20000 and others above $40000 most of you think they deserve the same! ALL our kombis are inspected by MYSELF in MY WAREHOUSE.


We've sold for than 20 buses last year and I never ever had a problem. Of course i was the only one working on these 20 buses and YES FOR STEFANS PROJECT I TRUSTED AS A BLIND PEOPLE WORKING FOR ME and YES I SHOULD PAY. SO YES I SHOULD HAVE NEVER QUALIFIED THIS BUS AS RESTORED WITHOUT CHECKING IT ENTIRELY!!!!

Now you can feel free keep talking on this forum but i have nothing to offer than fixing these mechanical issues.


Have a great thanks giving to all.
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aeromech
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PostPosted: Thu Nov 26, 2015 8:36 pm    Post subject: Re: vintagebusimport [email protected] Laurent Pi Reply with quote

Sorry, but you admit that you make your living buying buses in California, sending them to your shops (Mexicans), and then selling them to Europe for $20k-$40K. You sure sound like a flipper to me.
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vintagebusimport
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PostPosted: Thu Nov 26, 2015 8:49 pm    Post subject: Re: vintagebusimport [email protected] Laurent Pi Reply with quote

Hi Aeromech,

We dont buy buses in california, we buy them from south america, fix them and sell them ( Is there something unusual??). All the nice buses have been shipped to Europe, Japan...So why not bringing more buses in the US fixing them and selling them for a reasonable price compared to the crazy pricing of the buses sold nowadays in the US

Then we dont send them to our shops as you say because everything is done IN MY WAREHOUSE BY MYSELF ok? and I invite you to come at anytime! I dont really like the fact that you categorize mexican people like that...Ive hired people for this project does not mean that its still the same and it does not mean that all mexican are CHEAP!!. Ive never hired people and won't unless i know them from now thats for sure.

Who said that we are selling our kombis to EUROPE???? 90% of our customers are in the US sir!
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aeromech
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PostPosted: Thu Nov 26, 2015 8:58 pm    Post subject: Re: vintagebusimport [email protected] Laurent Pi Reply with quote

I have several past emails to quote. Here's one:

Hi,

Im currently in france right now for holidays and will be in LA on 25th of January (i maybe forgot to tell you that...) so i will send the wiring from my french account and it could take couple days. As a result you could not see the wiring on your account. HOWEVER if it is a problem for you i can pay the balance by paypal and support the fees...I do not want to loose the sell of the van
I planify to pick up the van by a towing company to LA. I did the same thing few weeks ago. Then the van will be restored by my garage on venice Bvd before to be shipped in Europe.
I believe in you and she can put it in the van or to give it to the tower and he will give it to me.

Keep me informed

Cordialement / Best regards,

Laurent PIANI / SPLIT4U
www.split4u.com


Tél Fr : +33 6 71 22 84 98
Tél USA : +1 (323) 533 2116
Email : [email protected]

For the readers I'd just like to say that when I did this deal with this guy he was straight up and followed through with the purchase honestly. The only thing I'm pointing out here is that he really is a "flipper" even if he won't admit it.
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vintagebusimport
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PostPosted: Thu Nov 26, 2015 9:06 pm    Post subject: Re: vintagebusimport [email protected] Laurent Pi Reply with quote

Re,

Im just gonna answer a last time to this.

YES SIR i had a company SPLIT4U in France WHEN I STARTED YEARS AGO and by the way you can spend your time finding something wrong on internet as well if you have nothing else to do and YES at this time i was buying WESTFALIA BAY WINDOWS that a garage on VENICE WAS FIXING FOR ME BEFORE SHIPPING THEM TO EUROPE.

OF COURSE I WANTED to make some money to open my shop one day because I LOVE VW!!!!!

And by the way, you should give us the date of this email i sent you!?

This is ridiculous...
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PostPosted: Thu Nov 26, 2015 9:24 pm    Post subject: Re: vintagebusimport [email protected] Laurent Pi Reply with quote

I believe the date of the email was in 2011. I can dig and find the exact date if you want. Like I said, my dealings with you went well and you were an honest buyer.
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PostPosted: Sat Jan 30, 2016 5:04 am    Post subject: Re: vintagebusimport [email protected] Laurent Pi Reply with quote

Hi guys,

Update on the bus I bought from Laurent (Vintage Bus import):

It has now been sandblasted here in Germany and the results are not pretty: Excessive amounts of body filler all over the vehicle, corrosion, bad weldings. The list is long.

I have written and updated a review on yelp including pictures of what the bus looks like now. I think this will probably conclude my feedback on Lauret and his company. I may write an update form time to time in the bay window section. The bus will be fully restored and this time it will be done right.

Here is the link to yelp with pictures http://www.yelp.com/biz/vintage-bus-import-whittier
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PostPosted: Mon Mar 21, 2016 4:07 am    Post subject: Re: vintagebusimport [email protected] Laurent Piani Reply with quote

When you look at the pictures of the bus, without knowing the 2 parties ...you think either :
- The buyer shows pictures of another bus than a 25.000$ sold by this shop. Because selling $25.000 a piece of crap like that is very dishonest.
- The seller has made a big mistake and should assume by refunding around $10.000 which would make the bus around 15.000$ already expensive of a poor quality "restoration".

We didn't saw the initial ad for the bus, so it's hard to tell how it was annouced...but for sure if they spent 8 month restoring this bus, there is a real big problem !!! That's not good work and a professionnal, honest seller should know that ....
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PostPosted: Fri Jun 24, 2016 3:49 pm    Post subject: Re: vintagebusimport [email protected] Laurent Piani Reply with quote

Quick update: I filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau but the business (Vintage Bus Import) never responded. This is now reflected in their BBB rating (D+) and my complaint is available on the BBB website for everyone to see. http://www.bbb.org/losangelessiliconvalley/busines...complaints
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PostPosted: Thu May 18, 2017 1:05 pm    Post subject: Re: vintagebusimport [email protected] Laurent Piani Reply with quote

I just bought some stuff from Laurent at Vintage Bus Import and feel its only fair to him to post my dealing with him and his company.

He was great to deal with, communications were excellent, even when I was about 12 hours later with the payment than I said I would be. He was flexible and cool with this.

He shipped parts very quickly and the parts arrived as advertised and packaged very well, a bus windshield was one of the items and it arrived in perfect condition.

Price was extremely fair, i would buy from him again.

Thank you for a smooth transaction Laurent.
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PostPosted: Sat May 20, 2017 5:02 am    Post subject: Re: vintagebusimport [email protected] Laurent Piani Reply with quote

My splash pans and windshield glass arrived yesterday in perfect condition. Sprite my cat inspected the parts and gave it an A+. Thanks Laurent, they are better than the photos and very fair priced. Hope you have other parts I may need in the future.

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