[Lshaw]

*TLDR at the Bottom
*Sorry for all the pictures, I posted a ton of screen shots. Keep in mind, everything in those texts. NOT ONE THING was done. Everything was a lie.


Hey guys, Its about the time that i write my full review of this shop. It has been a complete f**king nightmare, and it is still ongoing. The automotive community needs to know the truth about this shop and their scamming fraudulent antics.

You guys can criticize me all you want, suggest what i should have done, etc. I know i am partially to blame for my demise, but this thread a reminder that we can all be victims at anybody mercy. I just never thought this would happened to our n54 community for which i have been a part for since 2006.

Around November of 2017. It was about that time to think of the future of my 09 335i 09 6MT FBO with about 115k. The car has been absolutely fantastic and i've had virtually no issues with leaks, turbos that we n54 owners face. I maintained the car very well as well as plenty of preventative maintenance for a peace of mind. But as we all know stock turbos wont last forever. I chose to go the aftermarket turbo route instead of trading in my car.


Merchant
ZNM Performance/Auto
http://znmperformance.com/
https://www.znmauto.com/
19 Cannonball Rd, Pompton Lakes, NJ 07442
Matt Malave & Elyse Cruz are the owners of this shop



ZNM caught my eye on these forums as they were offering free labor for turbo installs if turbos were purchased through their shop. ZNM at the time had pretty good reviews, well documented builds. So i contacted Matt in the fall of 2017 to get a build list together. Pure Stage 2 DD's, all preventative gaskets replaced (oil pan, ofhg, vcg) inlets, outlets, ignition components. Very standard aftermarket turbo build nothing crazy. It was perfect timing as winter was right around the corner, and i had a secondary car to drive so emphasized that they had plenty of time to do my car right.

Timeline of Events
November 4th 2017: is when my car was dropped off to Matt Malave at ZNM Auto/Performance. Car was being dropped off to complete install of Pure Stage 2 turbos, install ancillary parts, code battery and overall maintenance of the car. All services paid for

Nov 6, 2017: Claims Rear Axle CV Boot is torn and Grease is gone

Nov 7 2017: Claims Valve cover Gasket is leaking, Agreed to repair. Matt calls me and explains I need a new cylinder head and I have no choice but to repair it. $2377.77 is what the cost of the part/labor costs. Matt claimed that whomever installed my injectors last did not install the decoupling elements, which in turn bored through the hole where the injector is seated. He pulled the injector already so i was left with no choice but to purchase a cylinder head through him.

Dec 27 2018: New Cylinder head that I paid $2377.77 arrived. More than a month and a half later. Stated that the cylinder head that he initially got for me was damaged and he needed to source a new one. Apparently the head was coming from California. Yes California....

Jan 8-26 2018: Cylinder Head that I purchased for $2377.77 is at ZNM and was sent out to a machine shop to be cleaned up to be used and installed into my vehicle. Relays to me that my car will be ready to be picked up Weekend of Jan 18. Sends me pictures of it. Which so happens to be the same pictures he sent to another one of his customers which he scammed as well.

https://bmw.s p o o l s t e e t.com/...l s t r e e t)


Feb 13 2018: No contact in between Jan 26 and now because supposedly Matt was working on my car, agreed to replace injectors is necessary.

Mar 8-26 2018: Blaming weather for delays on my car, says car will be done this weekend. Asked for an update again, blamed weather again for my car being delayed, says car will be ready this coming weekend

March 27-31: Says he contacted my tuner to tune my car, Tuner confirms he was never contacted. Confirmed April 6 2018 that Matt never contacted my tuner. Now i'm being skeptical on my car and why it’s not done.

April 16 2018: Claims to have my car on the dyno to be tuned this weekend and pick up is ready to go.

April 19 2018: Claims while dynoing my car, the outlet pipe had a rupture in it and needed to be replaced. Outlet apparently replaced 3 times throughout entire build. He could never get it to fit (2 VRSF, 1 MMP Alumunim)

June 2018: Matt claims that my turbo has failed and that he has sent it out without my consent to a third party re-builder. BRAND NEW PURE STAGE 2 Turbos, that he sent out to be rebilt without even consulting me. (All a lie though, bc he never even ordered me turbos) I start to get frustrated and question Matt. Another few promises of my car being ready that weekend.

July 12 2018: replaced my windshield bc he claims he broke it going UP and Down on the lift (keep in mind, NOTHING was installed on my car.)

July 16 2018: Claims car will be done that night again, going to dyno. However that afternoon, claimed that my outlet is still leaking. I advise him to get my car 100% before giving it back

July 20 2018: After speaking on the phone prior, Matt ordered a new outlet and claimed that my car was done except for installation of the outlet

July 25 2018: Said car will be ready that weekend. We talked about what I was going to owe him for the remainder of the install of parts and what he “supposedly” installed on his dollar

July 30 2018: I pick up my car thinking that my car is 100% complete and done. Picked up the car. he managed to install the inlet ONLY however with my OLD intakes, he lied to be over the phone saying it was done. And to this day December 2018, that was the only part to be installed. He told me to bring back the car and we will have everything installed and tuned once he has the parts in...SO im like WTF...i was expecting a completely done car. He said he was supposed to have it done, but the outlet was delayed or some bullshit again

July 31 2018: I get error codes for voltage overcharge. MY MAIN FUCKING reason i brought in my car to have my battery coded. I didn't think anything of it at the time, bc the CC ID codes go away from time to time.

August 10-14 2018: I drove my car a total of 300 miles since i picked it up. I cannot confirm if the turbos are installed, bc it is not tuned. I notice that oil is pluming from my exhaust and the day while im in my trunk i noticed a burning plastic smell....The battery cove panel has a burn spot on it and i pull it off to find that my IBS unit is melted and burned all the way through. Just look at my pictures shown below. This MOFO did not even code my battery and let it sit in his fucking lot while my battery melted in the trunk. I called Matt and he insisted that he had it coded and there were no codes when he had the car.

August 17 2018: finally get it towed to ZNM again because of my melting battery, leaking oil, and for Matt to COMPLETE all installs that I paid for.

August 20-31 2018: Says the outlet again was on its way. Matt diagnosed my battery issue and ultimately blames the issue on a battery cable issue which is a 10 hour job and that he is completing. Installed a new IBS unit....Did the motor blower recall out of GOODWILL...Keep in mind there are all texts saying he did this all to me.

Sep 1-6 2018: Says there is a boost leak and there is a problem with my BRAND new turbo once again. Confirmed that the oil leak from August 17 is from the oil drain line that I provided and that it in turn made the turbo seals fail...[/U]

Sept 6-20: Blaming the oil drain line which was kinked as the culprit, he states he sent out the turbo AGAIN against my will to his "shop" for rebuild. More and more excuses on why my car is not done. ALL WITHOUT MY acknowledgement

Oct 2 2018: Another false promise of my car being dynoed and ready to go that weekend.

Oct 4 2018: Blamed weather for another delayed dyno session

Oct 5 2018: Says it will be done this weekend.

Oct 7 2018: New problems, wheel speed sensor, ABS problems. ALL LIES, confirmed by my secondary shop none of this was ever fixed nor a problem

Oct 10 2018: Used the battery issue that arrised in August as the culprit for the new issues of car computer problems, ABS problems. He said he fixed everything and fixed my car computer (DME) Harness with new parts. Also says he replaced my ABS module

Oct 18 2018: Matt still working on DME harness and I am confirming that Everything is installed and up to date. Matt Confirmed.

Oct 20 2018: States that the outlet is having heat issues...

Oct 26 2018: Claims to be another leak in the outlet area

Oct 27-31 2018: More excuses, says he is repairing my car cosmetically so he can buy more time. NO COSMETIC fixings were done, more dyno promises, another day of bad weather and no power. Explains to me why the part that was never installed was leaking. Another lie. See texts.

Nov 2 2018: Apparently he hit a pothole with my car, flat tire. Keep in mind, when I picked up the car 12/7/2018. The car still had a flat tire. He never fixed nor moved it like he said he did.

Nov 3 2018: Excuses about rain and how he couldn’t order another tire.

Nov-Dec 7 2018: I came across the S p o o l s t e e t.com (google ZNM and it should be the first thread) thread which everybody needs to read , and it immediately made me sick to my stomach. I found out Matt could be a potential scammer and fraud for which EVERYTHING made sense I was that naive to let Matt smooth talk his way through my build. . Ive been giving Matt pressure for the past 6 months of so, but i played his antics because i thought he an honest guy (man, was i fucking wrong). I gave Matt an ultimatum and set a date that i was picking up my car no matter what. This POS has the audacity to tell me car was drivable, and he has been working on it non stop so i could pick it up that Friday of the 7th. When i arrived at his shop, i arrived to the most grim, jaw dropping sight. My car was on a flat, dented beyond belief, non drive able, engine bay covered in leaves. Oh yeah he decided that was a good time to tell me the valve cover was cracked as well...I confronted Matt and he still has the audacity to say he was working on it the night before.

I had my car towed from his shop by AAA 12/7/2018 to MNC Performance for an immediate secondary inspection.


Aftermath/Conclusions TLDR
Absolutely nothing was installed on my car besides the inlet and that was even installed incorrectly. He lied about everything he made excuses for.why my car build was being delayed
I had my car towed to MNC Performance in Oceanside, NY directly from ZNM on December 7th 2018 via AAA. I created a spreadsheet for MNC to fill out to confirm that everything that i paid for and was promised by Matt at ZNM was or was not completed. And they confirmed that i was indeed scammed and victim of fraud by ZNM Performance/Auto.

Matt was a very nervous man when i confronted him, he blamed his mechanics stating that he didnt know if they completed the work or not...I told him it was a simple yes or FUCKING no if he installed the parts or if he even ordered them. All he did was scratch his beard as he froze in front of his computer. I immediately asked for every single dollar back from Matt to his face, obviously he said he would refund me everything back as soon as i left. I asked for all my parts and/or receipts that he even purchased these items, Matt said he would have to find them. When asked his he even worked on my car, Matt said "yes i was working on it last night late." I laughed so hard in his face and walked out the door.

-He never installed PURE stage 2 turbos, In fact he put on some unknown turbos on my car, and conveniently, they are also shot and pluming smoke. Picture confirmation that my turbos are some sort of stock rebuilt turbos
-NO OUTLET was ever even installed. His excuse for the 3 times he replaced my outlet was a complete lie. The stock outlet is not a piece that can be put back and forth that easily. In fact, most shops would cut it out
-My cylinder head is still my stock cylinder head. He scammed me into purchasing a used cylinder head for which was never installed, and probably never had in hand. In fact he sent the same pictures he sent me of the cylinder head to another customer of his claiming that was his.
-ZERO gaskets changed, oil pan, valve cover gasket, oil cooler
-Alternator was shot as well bc of my battery overcharge issues, replaced by my secondary shop
-Not even spark plug was replaced nor coil
-ECU was never fixed as he claimed needed to be rewired
-Battery cable never replaced as he stated he did (Yes i did the battery cable recall)
-IBS Unit never replaced as he stated he did, Matt never diagnosed the issue. He had no intention of fixing my battery issue whatsoever
-DSC Module never replaced as he stated he did, obviously everything he told me he replaced while diagnosing my issues, was never replaced (ABS sensors etc.)
-Valve cover was cracked, had to have it replaced by my secondary shop. My car did not have a cracked valve cover when i brought it in
-Flat tire, told me he replaced it, and then told me it wasnt a few hours before pick up
-Paint on my car is atrocious as it sat in his back lot for an entire year, 4 seasons of NE weather
-Stage 2 Fuel pump never installed, flex fuel module never installed
-No parts were given back to me, nor the new parts that i paid for
-Food debris was all over my driver side floor area, hes been fucking using my car and eating in it

Fucked up part also is i think he might have stolen my clutch as well. I have a Mfacotry SMFW and Spec Stg. 3+ and for those who know the nature of this set up. Very very high clutch engagement point and sounds like a lawnmower with all the clutch rattle at stock idle, and even with raised idle as well. Well when i got my car back, the engagement point is back to the middle, below middle, and there is virtually ZERO clutch noise anymore. I lowered the idle back to stock ~500rpm and its all quiet. I cannot confirm he took it or not until i actually get in there. But most likely he did.



To this day 2/19/2019. Matt has ceased to talk to me after about a month and half of me trying to get my refund from him. The refund issue a a broken record type situation. Matt claims he has initiated a refund, blah blah blah then for some reason after the maximum transaction pending period, the money never was refund. He even showed me FRAUDULENT paper work and emails for which i will attach. Matt has run me around refund process of his Credit car company. I mentioned paypal as the next step.... As you can predict, his account conveniently is suspended because fo the large amount of money he is trying to transfer from his bank. He stated he is transferring money from his bank to his paypal balance and THEN refunding me. Instead of directly paying me from his bank to my paypal. Obviously this never happened and when i asked for an update, he said that paypal was checking his credit score, that they need his licence and etc....All bullshit.

Matt Malave and Elyse Cruz are 100% con artists and scammers. Ponzi Scheme type. This is my first hand experience and i am not the only one to go through this. At least 4-5 confirmed individuals are dealing with this as we speak. They have blocked my number from their shop and Matt at this point is ignoring my texts and phone calls.

[Lshaw]

Pictures

[NightStalker]

damn what a time to be alive lol

[mrshizznat055]

I see this guy and his shop are still scamming people. Did the same thing to a lot of other people as well as myself

[Amitt]

This shop needs to be shut down for good.

[mrshizznat055]

Originally Posted by Amitt

This shop needs to be shut down for good.

Agreed

[Needbmwpartzz]

[N55xi]

I spent a lot of money on my 335i at ZNM before realizing the scam Matt was running. I first brought my car to him on April 22nd of 2017.

Took the car to him 1 week after I bought it. Car seemed like it only had a slipping clutch but quickly realized there was more to it. I wanted to get the opinion of a BMW shop as this was my first BMW.

He looks over the car and tells me I should take it back to dealer and he'd back me up as far as stating what's wrong with the car. But there's a catch. The dealer (Jeep/Dodge dealer) did the brakes before selling the car but according to Matt the brakes were gouged, I couldn't tell anything. So I figure if the dealer couldn't do brakes correctly they likely couldn't fix the rest of what's wrong properly.

So I give Matt the go ahead and he does the clutch job and some other things he "found" wrong with the car. In the end this what was replaced in my first visit: clutch/flywheel, brakes, oil pan gasket, axle, wheel bearing, tires, and oil change.

One week later I go to pick up the car and Matt has it washed and looking nice. I drive it back home and the car keeps jerking and stalling out when I get off the highway. I limp the car home and call him the same day and tell him what's happening with the car. He tells me he'll send a tow truck to pick it up from my house. That tow truck never came.

I end up getting Triple A and tow the car back to him the following Saturday. A few days later he says it needs new transmission but wont charge labor and he'll replace the clutch and flywheel again. I give him the go ahead as I didn't have any other option. He said he put in a transmission with 23k miles. Didn't provide me with any proof of this other than a picture of a transmission in his shop that was said to be mine.

Because of conflicting schedules, Matt ends up delivering the car to my house. I drive the car around and everything seems well.

2 months later the belt started to squeak so I told him to replace the belt, belt tensioner, and oil filter housing gasket. He gets back to me and says the front main seal and power steering pump need replacing as well. Give him the go ahead on that.

I get the car back and the squeaking stopped for a few weeks then slowly came back again. In September I take it back it him again and now he says it's the AC compressor and it needs replacing. I naively tell him to replace that.

Guess what? Still squeaking. He says it's squeaking because he hadn't driven the car yet so the belt didn't have tension.

To top it off he says the front end of the car looks like it was in an accident and judging by what he's seen I'll have more problems with it. He suggests I get rid of the car.

My dad suggests taking it to the mechanic he used to take his Camry years ago. The mechanic suggested to replace the tensioner assembly and belt again. I give him the go ahead and finally the squeaking was gone. This small shop that usually works on Camrys and Corollas managed to solve this squeaking issue that Matt and his team of BMW Master technicians couldn't do. The mechanic also showed me the tensioner assembly and belt he pulled off the car and neither part looked like they were 1k miles old.

I still have the car and it hasn't needed anything other than basic maintenance like plugs, coils, and fluid flushes which I have done myself. However, I just had to have the oil filter housing gasket replaced again. From my understanding that isn't something that gets changed yearly, so i'm doubtful Matt replaced it in the first place.

My experience with ZNM puts me in an difficult position. I've spent so much money on this car but I can't sell it showing maintenance receipts (nearly $9k) because I don't know for sure if the work Matt billed me for was actually done.

I guess you live and you learn.

[arhoads335i]

I was part of that free turbo install promo. Though my experience wasn't as bad.

I apparently got pure stage 1 turbos put in, with inlets and outlets.
Also new valve cover and rod bearings.

I still am not sure if the rod bearings were done but oh well.
I sold that car and surprisingly the guy I sold it to says its still running good.

The things that I encountered that were weird was:
1. The oil level was low when I got the car back.
2. Rod bearings still have no idea to this day if it was done.
3. Could have easily put stockers back on but with the inlets and outlets I could not tell because the car actually drove great with a big improvement.
4. Under body plastics were all riveted together.
5. Turbos had the slightest rattle to them on partial acceleration.

To conclude, I have actually gone there two other times for other fixes like oil filter housing gasket with a walnut blast. Both were good experiences.
One was with the 2008 e92 n54, most recent one was with my M235i.

I probably will not go back there due to me moving but I find he will do the work if you sit and wait and bring your own parts in.

[Leane90]

I was almost sweet talked into the too good to be true group buy Matt had going around . So I go for a pre install meeting as he was insisting on just paying over the phone(so I don’t loose my spot on group buy)and Not the type to give away 5k without actually talking In person first . As I was there talking to Matt he suggested that I get my motor compression tested which it sound like a good idea before going big single so I did . I told Matt to change the oil while we are at it too . As he insisted I waited in the waiting room . Again I’m not the type to let a stranger work on my car without me being there . I went ahead and kept an eye out . So long story short his “master tech” as Matt would call them . Drained my oil and turned my car on without any oil in it!! And began to rev luckily it wasn’t for long as the oil delivery came in right infront of me . And it was ME the customer who had to remind his “Master techs” that yo there’s no oil in the car and wtf are they doing . Both of them say “shit “ and hurry to shut my car off .

Right then and there the rumors are right and I was convinced beyond belief that these guys gave no shits about my car and all they was worried about was taking my money and that’s it . Usually not the type of person to write reviews and stuff but people need to know ! And this guy needs to get shut down ! Only reason I went to him was because of e90 post so I want to make sure people stop going to him because of this group also ! I consider myself lucky compared to all these other horror story’s !

[arhoads335i]

OP one question, have you taken this into the small claims court? Or not going to bother? I for one have no evidence anymore as the car is gone but it seems like the new shop you took it to has substantial evidence.

[gurusan]

Originally Posted by Leane90

I was almost sweet talked into the too good to be true group buy Matt had going around . So I go for a pre install meeting as he was insisting on just paying over the phone(so I don’t loose my spot on group buy)and Not the type to give away 5k without actually talking In person first . As I was there talking to Matt he suggested that I get my motor compression tested which it sound like a good idea before going big single so I did . I told Matt to change the oil while we are at it too . As he insisted I waited in the waiting room . Again I’m not the type to let a stranger work on my car without me being there . I went ahead and kept an eye out . So long story short his “master tech” as Matt would call them . Drained my oil and turned my car on without any oil in it!! And began to rev luckily it wasn’t for long as the oil delivery came in right infront of me . And it was ME the customer who had to remind his “Master techs” that yo there’s no oil in the car and wtf are they doing . Both of them say “shit “ and hurry to shut my car off .

Right then and there the rumors are right and I was convinced beyond belief that these guys gave no shits about my car and all they was worried about was taking my money and that’s it . Usually not the type of person to write reviews and stuff but people need to know ! And this guy needs to get shut down ! Only reason I went to him was because of e90 post so I want to make sure people stop going to him because of this group also ! I consider myself lucky compared to all these other horror story’s !

That is crazy. Your engine was toast I assume?

[NYBulldog]

wow... thats just terrible

[spook830]

What I personally find remarkable is that the shop hasn't commented yet. I'm sure almost any shop worth calling themselves enthusiasts would at least visit this forum periodically.

I visited the "stance shop" in Astoria, Queens recently and so far Keith has done right by me!

[Torgus]

Holy fuck. FUCK THEM. That is so fucked.

[wdb]

Oh wow. TTT

[Lshaw]

Originally Posted by arhoads335i

OP one question, have you taken this into the small claims court? Or not going to bother? I for one have no evidence anymore as the car is gone but it seems like the new shop you took it to has substantial evidence.

Lawsuit is 100% underway. I have enough evidence for a solid case. If Matt stole my clutch, I will be pursuing fully. He is known for taking parts from customers cars. And I'm almost positive my clutch was replaced, I have brand new bell housing bolts for some reason...

Originally Posted by spook830

What I personally find remarkable is that the shop hasn't commented yet. I'm sure almost any shop worth calling themselves enthusiasts would at least visit this forum periodically.

I visited the "stance shop" in Astoria, Queens recently and so far Keith has done right by me!

Oh he is lurking alright. He might not use his ZNM accounts anymore but 100% he knows what is going on. He also called me as soon as i posted in the s p o o l s t r e e t.com thread bitching to me that Elyse Cruz (Co founder, GF, whatever) is not involved and i need to take her name out of the thread. He explained to me that the shop is now two separate entities and she is running the shop now and online parts department. Literally BULLSHIT she is not involved, nobody can be that naive that your business partner is scamming every single person that walks through that door.

He begged me to keep this quiet between us when i picked up my car. I did refrain from posting for a few weeks to give him time to refund me. But as time went by, more and more issues arose and more victims of ZNM are surfacing.

In the long run, i am deep in the hole and i may never get my money back, but at this point, i want to make sure this doesn't happen to anybody else and best case scenario, he goes to jail for consumer fraud.

[mrshizznat055]

Its not going anywhere, too many people talking about this

Originally Posted by Lshaw

Oh he is lurking alright. He might not use his ZNM accounts anymore but 100% he knows what is going on. He also called me as soon as i posted in the s p o o l s t r e e t.com thread bitching to me that Elyse Cruz (Co founder, GF, whatever) is not involved and i need to take her name out of the thread. He explained to me that the shop is now two separate entities and she is running the shop now and online parts department. Literally BULLSHIT she is not involved, nobody can be that naive that your business partner is scamming every single person that walks through that door.

He begged me to keep this quiet between us when i picked up my car. I did refrain from posting for a few weeks to give him time to refund me. But as time went by, more and more issues arose and more victims of ZNM are surfacing.

In the long run, i am deep in the hole and i may never get my money back, but at this point, i want to make sure this doesn't happen to anybody else and best case scenario, he goes to jail for consumer fraud.

[mrshizznat055]

Also, already made multiple complaints to consumer affairs in NJ and other offices

[Amitt]

Originally Posted by spook830

What I personally find remarkable is that the shop hasn't commented yet. I'm sure almost any shop worth calling themselves enthusiasts would at least visit this forum periodically.

I visited the "stance shop" in Astoria, Queens recently and so far Keith has done right by me!

+1 The Stance Shop

I also had to go through the same experience with znm I went to the shop and demanded to see my car. It was parked in the back and hadn't been touched. I asked him to show me the parts he ordered, also had no parts to show me. I asked for a refund and he gave me every excuse about his computer. I called my credit card company to let them know what was going and did a change back. He had my car for two weeks. I have all the text messages saved. Elyse Cruz is definitely involved.

[Nickco43]

I learned day one on this forum that BMW owners will call you out for any wrong doing. What kind of drugs does this dude think he is on thinking he can scam BMW owners?