Shadowman and Discovery Automotive...

Did all the mods on the FGT also get reimbursed by the insurance? That one was a Heffner TT as well like his other 2 or 3 right? Or did he just eat that 60-100Gs? And why did Shadowman have to lie about the whole thing in the first place. That wreck isnt something you think "oh no! when they drag the car up it might make it worse." Looks more like he accidentally parked the thing under Big Foot.

Thanks for posting another perspective Silversurfer. There are always 2 sides to a story and up until your post only one viewpoint was shared. Before I make up my mind on anything I try to hear as many facts as possible. I won't be spoon-fed... ..regardless of who brings me the information first. Perhaps if your post was made earlier this thread wouldn’t have escalated the way it did as you make some very smart and valid points both from a 3rd party point of view as well as personal experience. But then again, maybe not.

 

After digging around it appears there are a few more facts to consider and certainly another view of the chain of events. But there's no debating that this sucks for everyone involved.

 

There is only one point, and one point only to be taken from all this... Shadowscum is a fcuking douchebag..and take your car elsewhere...

Rob, Silversurfer is a very well respected member of the Seattle area car community with a substantial car collection. He doesn't just "own" cars, he truly participates in the automotive world. His views matter.

 

The whole idea of forums is to debate the issues and I'd hate to see people stop posting other points of view.

When your wrong your wrong. I dont care who you are and what you own,when you come here toting a whole bag of bullshit like he just did your going to be called out on it.

Shadowscum is working on a new identity and business plan to get back into the swing of things....I can almost guarantee it. One thing Ive learned from being around habitual liars is that they even believe themselves....that's how good some of them are.

 

You are 100% correct in my opinion.

Rob, Silversurfer is a very well respected member of the Seattle area car community with a substantial car collection. He doesn't just "own" cars, he truly participates in the automotive world. His views matter.

 

The whole idea of forums is to debate the issues and I'd hate to see people stop posting other points of view.

 

Did shadowman say "I cant tell you what really happened" to Ray and in front of witnesses?

 

If he did, for Silversurfer saying Shadowman is a good guy is not enough; no matter how many cars he owns.

 

At the very least shadowman let everyone know there is something he doesnt want the insurer to know - most likely excessive speed

 

The little ol lady was driving dangerously...dont they all?

is this the same Silversurfer who surfed up his Aero SSC on the goldrush?

is this the same Silversurfer who surfed up his Aero SSC on the goldrush?

 

Is that one of the wrecks he is talking about?

Just a couple of observations:

 

1. There are multiple reports from other forums about other cars that he had modded that turned out to be disasters which he walked away from leaving owners high and dry.

2. He is running a business without insurance by his own admission, regardless whether it is required or not by law, it is irresponsible and unprofessional not to have it. He is not modding VW's.....

3. Based on the damage suffered by the car and the description of the accident, does anybody really believe he has tooling along at 65 mph and suddenly lost control for no apparent reason?

4. Claiming poverty while you have an SV parked in your driveway is hard to swallow regardless whether there is a note on it or not.

 

I don't get this "other point of view" that there are 2 victims or why this should be left between the fgt's owner and the shop. The way I see it, the owner is the victim, the driver is just lucky to be alive.

 

Seems like it is a pretty straight forward cautionary tale. One from which I will certainly learn from....trust me if I mod my car, I will be asking a lot more questions and want to see a lot more documentation before I leave my car with any shop.

Just a couple of observations:

 

1. There are multiple reports from other forums about other cars that he had modded that turned out to be disasters which he walked away from leaving owners high and dry.

2. He is running a business without insurance by his own admission, regardless whether it is required or not by law, it is irresponsible and unprofessional not to have it. He is not modding VW's.....

3. Based on the damage suffered by the car and the description of the accident, does anybody really believe he has tooling along at 65 mph and suddenly lost control for no apparent reason?

4. Claiming poverty while you have an SV parked in your driveway is hard to swallow regardless whether there is a note on it or not.

 

I don't get this "other point of view" that there are 2 victims or why this should be left between the fgt's owner and the shop. The way I see it, the owner is the victim, the driver is just lucky to be alive.

 

Seems like it is a pretty straight forward cautionary tale. One from which I will certainly learn from....trust me if I mod my car, I will be asking a lot more questions and want to see a lot more documentation before I leave my car with any shop.

 

 

 

on the front page of autoblog

 

http://www.autoblog.com/2010/10/20/tuner-w...ves-from-there/

I find it hard to believe how anyone unbiased can defend Shadowman's actions. Here we have a shop owner who destroys a customer's car while testing driving it and refuses to take responsibility for his actions and he actually has members that condone his actions. WOW.

We do live in a sick world.

on the front page of autoblog

 

http://www.autoblog.com/2010/10/20/tuner-w...ves-from-there/

 

ouch..

ouch..

 

and jalopnik

http://www.jalopnik.com/

ShadowScumBag is most likely accustomed to doing business like this back in the 70's and 80's.

 

Back then we didn't have a public forum to spread the good and bad concerning performance shops.

 

You cannot go around shitting where you eat, not in today's world. Not ever.

 

He takes no responsibility for his actions and points the blame elsewhere. I am too familiar with this set of personality traits. I truly hope that every car enthusiast can have the chance to read this story.

 

Someone needs to teach "old man river" a lesson. First Legally then physically.

 

Maybe his hydraulic lift will fail soon!! Who knows

 

 

I guess I am curious then, in response to Silversurfer and Tommy, what would you expect in this situation?

 

You leave your Verde Ithaca, one of a kind (as is similar with a Heritage Edition FGT), LP 670-4 SV with Lamborghini Bellevue on Consignment/Servicing. While in the hands of Lamborghini Bellevue (they are being used purely as a hypothetical as they are close to you) a salesperson/technician takes your car out for a test drive either prior to sale or in the process of diagnosing an issue and wraps the car around a pole. What would your expectation be of Lamborghini Bellevue? I would think that your expectation would be similar to most involved here, either directly or indirectly, that the dealership would make you whole. I have to imagine that, if in fact the dealership called and said, "I am sorry Mr. James, we punted your car into the woods, but since it is your car you are responsible." Oh, and, "also, Mr. James, our salesperson/technician was injured during the incident and is planning on filing a claim against your insurance to cover his personal injury." Additionally, "also, Mr. James, we are of the understanding that your insurance is denying coverage of your 100k turbo system and engine build that we were diagnosing, we will not be held liable for the amount over and above that which your insurance company is not covering."

 

I guess what I am getting at is this, if the tuner/dealership/liable party/defendant did this to you what would your expectation be? How would you react to the tuner, whom you placed trust in, if he informed you that he was unable/unwilling to provide access to his insurance or personal finances to compensate you for your loss at HIS hands? How would you feel if Lamborghini Bellevue, or in this case Shadowman, turned their back on you after they destroyed your property and then slapped you in the face additionally by claiming a B.I. claim on your policy further damaging your rates?

 

In the end, this is what I surmise. Lamborghini Bellevue, being a highly regarded dealership of the utmost quality and reputation, would NEVER HAVE THAT CONVERSATION WITH YOU. They would contact you, tell you what happened, and tell you, "Mr. James, our technician/salesperson had an accident in your car. We are in the process of taking care of paying you in full for your car as we speak. Our insurance has been contacted and they are already handling it." That is what you would expect and in Lamborghini Bellevue's case that is EXACTLY what they would do being a dealership in the highest of standings. My ultimate question is this, why is Shadowman/DA Automotive/Bill Knobloch being afforded a different set of parameters to work within? Why would anyone expect that he should do any less than the dealership? I don't understand. I don't understand why Bill told Ray that he could not and would not tell him the actual course of events. I can only come to the conclusion that, possibly in a moment of weakness, Bill decided that when he hit that stretch of highway (known popularly by tow truck drivers, law enforcement officials and would be dragracers and tuner alike as the local "dragstrip") he was going to test out/extrapolate/joy ride/experience 1000+ hp in a Ford GT that he didn't own. When he acted irresponsibly and wrecked the car, instead of taking the high road, he chose to lie or fabricate a story of Ray's car HURTING HIM! He all but said, "hey Ray, your car was to blame for this accident." Couple that with the fact that he reinforced this statement by pursuing a B.I. claim against his insurance.... Amazing.

 

All I can say is, WOW.

 

Oh, and Tommy, I am by no means implying that you felt the same way as Silversurfer or that he is wrong in his assessment of the situation. I lumped you together with him in regards to you both being close in both proximity and automobiles. No offense, I just wanted to ask the questions of you both. I also know that this might hit home a little bit with you since you have experienced monetary damages, from your own admission, at the hands of a dealership before (Vik and Nora at LOC).

Wow. Autoblog and jalponik! Anyone have any good contacts at CNN?! Haha

Wow. Autoblog and jalponik! Anyone have any good contacts at CNN?! Haha

 

CNN? Hell no, I'm calling Jerry Springer!

Good post Chris. You think and write pretty well for a non-lawyer.

I have to say that when he sent one of his missives here last night and this morning to plead his case, that really burned my ass. He's claiming HE'S a VICTIM. Spare me

I would love to see some pictures of the crash scene, skit marks, tree damage etc. It wouldn't take much to calculate the trajectory and velocity required to attain it.

 

What is the over/under that this calculated figure is give or take double what driving miss daisy is claiming?

 

 

Ray - by chance did you have an onboard datalogging system in that thing? AEM or Motec?

Shadowman....soon to only be a Shadow...

I guess I am curious then, in response to Silversurfer and Tommy, what would you expect in this situation?

 

You leave your Verde Ithaca, one of a kind (as is similar with a Heritage Edition FGT), LP 670-4 SV with Lamborghini Bellevue on Consignment/Servicing. While in the hands of Lamborghini Bellevue (they are being used purely as a hypothetical as they are close to you) a salesperson/technician takes your car out for a test drive either prior to sale or in the process of diagnosing an issue and wraps the car around a pole. What would your expectation be of Lamborghini Bellevue? I would think that your expectation would be similar to most involved here, either directly or indirectly, that the dealership would make you whole. I have to imagine that, if in fact the dealership called and said, "I am sorry Mr. James, we punted your car into the woods, but since it is your car you are responsible." Oh, and, "also, Mr. James, our salesperson/technician was injured during the incident and is planning on filing a claim against your insurance to cover his personal injury." Additionally, "also, Mr. James, we are of the understanding that your insurance is denying coverage of your 100k turbo system and engine build that we were diagnosing, we will not be held liable for the amount over and above that which your insurance company is not covering."

 

I guess what I am getting at is this, if the tuner/dealership/liable party/defendant did this to you what would your expectation be? How would you react to the tuner, whom you placed trust in, if he informed you that he was unable/unwilling to provide access to his insurance or personal finances to compensate you for your loss at HIS hands? How would you feel if Lamborghini Bellevue, or in this case Shadowman, turned their back on you after they destroyed your property and then slapped you in the face additionally by claiming a B.I. claim on your policy further damaging your rates?

 

In the end, this is what I surmise. Lamborghini Bellevue, being a highly regarded dealership of the utmost quality and reputation, would NEVER HAVE THAT CONVERSATION WITH YOU. They would contact you, tell you what happened, and tell you, "Mr. James, our technician/salesperson had an accident in your car. We are in the process of taking care of paying you in full for your car as we speak. Our insurance has been contacted and they are already handling it." That is what you would expect and in Lamborghini Bellevue's case that is EXACTLY what they would do being a dealership in the highest of standings. My ultimate question is this, why is Shadowman/DA Automotive/Bill Knobloch being afforded a different set of parameters to work within? Why would anyone expect that he should do any less than the dealership? I don't understand. I don't understand why Bill told Ray that he could not and would not tell him the actual course of events. I can only come to the conclusion that, possibly in a moment of weakness, Bill decided that when he hit that stretch of highway (known popularly by tow truck drivers, law enforcement officials and would be dragracers and tuner alike as the local "dragstrip") he was going to test out/extrapolate/joy ride/experience 1000+ hp in a Ford GT that he didn't own. When he acted irresponsibly and wrecked the car, instead of taking the high road, he chose to lie or fabricate a story of Ray's car HURTING HIM! He all but said, "hey Ray, your car was to blame for this accident." Couple that with the fact that he reinforced this statement by pursuing a B.I. claim against his insurance.... Amazing.

 

All I can say is, WOW.

 

Oh, and Tommy, I am by no means implying that you felt the same way as Silversurfer or that he is wrong in his assessment of the situation. I lumped you together with him in regards to you both being close in both proximity and automobiles. No offense, I just wanted to ask the questions of you both. I also know that this might hit home a little bit with you since you have experienced monetary damages, from your own admission, at the hands of a dealership before (Vik and Nora at LOC).

 

Chris, you're 100% right in your assessment of me, nor do I always agree with Silversurfer, but I do think he raises some valid points and another point of view. It would be unusual for me to trust my cars to any small shop to do anything other than, cleaning, clear mask or audio- stuff that doesn't require them to drive it. That being said, I've got good lawyers and it would have been my first call. I've met Bill, he seems like a decent guy, but after reading so many stories of bad service, that would weigh heavily on my willingness to do business with him- meaning I'd likely go somewhere else. I've never met Ray, but he wrote a very compelling account of what happened. If you're asking what I'd do, I'd not take it to Discovery, as business is business. Anyone who knows me, knows that I can be friends and intentionally not a customer at the same time. As for Silversurfer's comments about accidents following the insurance, I think that's correct unless it's under the care of a service provider, then I think it's the service provider who's insurance would cover it, but someone else may know more. I'm really glad that bad actions are posted here. I think that's what's good about the forums. It sucks that it's someone I liked, even thought I never got the whole "Shadowman" thing.

Bernie Madoff was also a good person to some people.

CNN? Hell no, I'm calling Jerry Springer!

 

could Jay Leno be intrested as he is great car guy?