[hamster]

OP, do you have an attorney handy?

What a dreadful experience. I really hope there's a good ending to this story.

[DS3IAM]

I had a similar situation with ZNM aka Matt. Last year I got a call from Matt offering me ST DOC Race build after the group buy failed within this regional forum. Just to be clear, I had contacted his other build owners and no one had any issues.

Here is the links and you will notice my forum ID on them

https://www.e90post.com/forums/showt...&highlight=ZNM

Here is the other link to his part store post

https://www.e90post.com/forums/showt...&highlight=ZNM

Time Line:

April 2018 paid $5,900 plus for the DOC Race 6466 Kit. Also paid $895 for SPEC 3+ SFW clutch. KIT was charged on my credit card and clutch paid through PayPal. He also said he will include for free the VRSF Race IC and Motiv E85

June 2018 - Agreed Build date would be five weeks out sometime mid June 2018. June came and going with issues with the DOC race kit. Pushed it out for another two weeks. Supposedly the ceramic coating guy sat on it

July 7 2018 - Meet Matt at his shop to show me the DOC RAC Kit. The only thing he showed me was Manifold and SPEC 3 KIT. As you will see from the photo the manifold looked used with carbon build up.

July 2018 - Because I was not happy with the coating aka used, the build got pushed back further to have the manifold redone by a different vendor.


August 2018 - Now we agreed during my vacation he would do the ST Build. Guess what that build never happened. He thought I was on vacation for two weeks and he hasn't started it yet. Waited another week to get a call from Matt that my Rod Bearings aren't good after he did an oil analysis. Btw, I never saw the analysis. He then sent me email regarding King Bearings and how it's backed ordered. He said he would do the rod bearing for free but I will have to wait for them in Mid September. I told him if that is the case why not just put in the stock OE bearings and just do the build? He wanted to put in King Bearings. That was enough for me. I called off the build and requested my refund. Btw, he said he had changed my rod bearings too. I then picked up my car and I can assure my car was not touched. Same leaves in the engine bay and spider webs on the car. Dust in the engine bay too.

I went to pick up some RTD shifter at Matt's shop. He showed me some rod bearing that he stated were from my car. I don't know why I didn't take any pictures that day. maybe I was just beyond annoyed.

Starting in August 2018 until December 2018 I was lucky enough to get my credit back from my credit card. Matt did reimburse my Paypal account for the SPEC 3+ within three weeks. It was the DOC RAC refund that took a very long time!

During this entire process I was trying to get my car ready for inspection. After number of months, deleting my Dinan Tune, going back to OE tune and then loading MHD by myself. I was able to finally be ready for inspection after DP Fix. I can tell you it was very stressful him loading my OE tune on my DME. I was just waiting for a call like other that my DME is fried! Matt did complete that in end of September 2018.

In my case, I was made whole by my credit card company. There are a number of repair items on my car and my gf car whether it's actually been done and whether we actually needed it to be done. ie Index 12's and HPFP, oil pan gasket etc. Also, I will admit he did honor my GF rear shock.

I have finally moved on from this shop and found another shop! (If anyone needs a referral let me know) I promise you the guy actually does the work and he will not up sell you on maintenance items that you don't need.

To be honest I really liked the dude. Maybe that is why I feel like I was betrayed but again I was lucky to actually receive my credit from cc company but I can assure you it was very stressful and frustrating to wait for the credit process. I am just wondering where it went all wrong. Maybe it's his parts business ? he bit off more than he can chew?! probable more details I left out but I think everyone gets the idea.

As you can see there was a number of people having similar stories,excuses and promises from Matt during the same time period. I don't have any legal action because I was made whole but I just wanted add that I was part of his ponzi scheme.

[spook830]

say that dirty word ..... "Class action" ??? kidding but not kidding - seems like a lot of people were affected ( not me personally; but sucks to read this )

[Supra2k6]

Originally Posted by DS3IAM

I had a similar situation with ZNM aka Matt. Last year I got a call from Matt offering me ST DOC Race build after the group buy failed within this regional forum. Just to be clear, I had contacted his other build owners and no one had any issues.......

He loves to upsale bearings since it's something you cannot check. Most people i've talked to over at the other forum got upsold bearings.

Just in this thread DS3IAM arhoads335i and me got upsold bearings.

I never got my blackstone lab results either and this was on top of the whole turbo issue i just got a picture of 3 bearing shells that could belong to anyone but they're %100 not from my car.

Another pattern i've noticed between stories is he loves to use the word "ancillaries" and something along the lines of

"if i were you i would get rid of this car it has a lot of issues"

My car is a one owner 09 with 70k miles that had zero issues before ZNM touched it


Matt Malave the next Billy McFarland ???

[Senpai]

I definitely got lucky here as this shop did install my VM kit on my 335xi without too much issue but that's about it.

I was told my front differential output shaft seal had been leaking and I didn't have anymore fluid and the gears were no good. I gave him the okay to "rebuild" the front diff and put in new fluid and seals. I highly doubt that any of that was ever done to be honest and it's not like it's something I could've checked. I asked for pics of the leak and was told they'd be sent over but of course nothing.

Throughout my time going to him it seems like every other visit there was something major that needed to be done or replaced. I've had 3/4 axles replaced on my car as well as wheel bearings for the same reason stated as OP, the boot is torn and there isn't anymore grease or something. After my single turbo install I was told my rear axle was no good so it was a replace it while it's there kind of thing. Mind you oem XI remanufactured axles go for 600+ each before labor costs, wheel hub/bearing assembly at $130 a pop as well. Almost 1k each time a axle and bearing needed to be replaced. Also no proof that any of this was done. I had never received any pictures of the remanufactured axles showing up or my bad axles being pulled.

All in all it seems like I wasn't the only one that got taken for a ride and although many of us are out of money having dealt with him I don't expect a shop to last much longer with this kind of reputation lingering. Honestly, if you can get your car out of there the sooner the better but last time I went it seemed like most were already gone except a few cars.

[Spyro235]

EDIT: now that I've thought about it, lots of scammy and predatory tactics have been used throughout my years using Matt. Still owes me nearly $850, and hes for 4 months. Stay away.

Ill be honest here- I’ve used ZNM for 2 years. I haven’t actually had a bad experience with mMatt, although some things took a bit more time than I expected. I’m pretty clingy with my cars and often stood there watching while they did the work, and all of his guys seemed to know their way around the n54.
I do all of my own work nowadays, and just use him for parts. This wasn’t because of him, it’s just a byproduct of me getting shop space and having the ability to do my own work for the most part. I order a lot of bmw parts, or oe equivalents, and they seem to come in super quickly and be fairly priced. I change my oil with his warrantyable oil, and when I break something I bought from him it’s pretty painless to swap it out.

Again, just my personal experiences. I’m not affiliated with him or anything like that, I just haven’t had any markedly bad experiences like others, and I figure it could’ve worth noting. His shop isn’t too far from my work, so I can grab parts on the way home which is convenient for me.

[Lexxan]

I’m glad I had an emergency that put off upgrading my turbos last year. I assume I was about to be one of the scammed people if I went through with it. Sorry that all this happened to you guys and thanks for making this public.

[Lshaw]

Originally Posted by DS3IAM

I had a similar situation with ZNM aka Matt. Last year I got a call from Matt offering me ST DOC Race build after the group buy failed within this regional forum. Just to be clear, I had contacted his other build owners and no one had any issues.

Here is the links and you will notice my forum ID on them

https://www.e90post.com/forums/showt...&highlight=ZNM

Here is the other link to his part store post

https://www.e90post.com/forums/showt...&highlight=ZNM

Time Line:

April 2018 paid $5,900 plus for the DOC Race 6466 Kit. Also paid $895 for SPEC 3+ SFW clutch. KIT was charged on my credit card and clutch paid through PayPal. He also said he will include for free the VRSF Race IC and Motiv E85

June 2018 - Agreed Build date would be five weeks out sometime mid June 2018. June came and going with issues with the DOC race kit. Pushed it out for another two weeks. Supposedly the ceramic coating guy sat on it

July 7 2018 - Meet Matt at his shop to show me the DOC RAC Kit. The only thing he showed me was Manifold and SPEC 3 KIT. As you will see from the photo the manifold looked used with carbon build up.

July 2018 - Because I was not happy with the coating aka used, the build got pushed back further to have the manifold redone by a different vendor.


August 2018 - Now we agreed during my vacation he would do the ST Build. Guess what that build never happened. He thought I was on vacation for two weeks and he hasn't started it yet. Waited another week to get a call from Matt that my Rod Bearings aren't good after he did an oil analysis. Btw, I never saw the analysis. He then sent me email regarding King Bearings and how it's backed ordered. He said he would do the rod bearing for free but I will have to wait for them in Mid September. I told him if that is the case why not just put in the stock OE bearings and just do the build? He wanted to put in King Bearings. That was enough for me. I called off the build and requested my refund. Btw, he said he had changed my rod bearings too. I then picked up my car and I can assure my car was not touched. Same leaves in the engine bay and spider webs on the car. Dust in the engine bay too.

I went to pick up some RTD shifter at Matt's shop. He showed me some rod bearing that he stated were from my car. I don't know why I didn't take any pictures that day. maybe I was just beyond annoyed.

Starting in August 2018 until December 2018 I was lucky enough to get my credit back from my credit card. Matt did reimburse my Paypal account for the SPEC 3+ within three weeks. It was the DOC RAC refund that took a very long time!

During this entire process I was trying to get my car ready for inspection. After number of months, deleting my Dinan Tune, going back to OE tune and then loading MHD by myself. I was able to finally be ready for inspection after DP Fix. I can tell you it was very stressful him loading my OE tune on my DME. I was just waiting for a call like other that my DME is fried! Matt did complete that in end of September 2018.

In my case, I was made whole by my credit card company. There are a number of repair items on my car and my gf car whether it's actually been done and whether we actually needed it to be done. ie Index 12's and HPFP, oil pan gasket etc. Also, I will admit he did honor my GF rear shock.

I have finally moved on from this shop and found another shop! (If anyone needs a referral let me know) I promise you the guy actually does the work and he will not up sell you on maintenance items that you don't need.

To be honest I really liked the dude. Maybe that is why I feel like I was betrayed but again I was lucky to actually receive my credit from cc company but I can assure you it was very stressful and frustrating to wait for the credit process. I am just wondering where it went all wrong. Maybe it's his parts business ? he bit off more than he can chew?! probable more details I left out but I think everyone gets the idea.

As you can see there was a number of people having similar stories,excuses and promises from Matt during the same time period. I don't have any legal action because I was made whole but I just wanted add that I was part of his ponzi scheme.

Thanks for sharing, its crazy to see how many people are coming forth with their experiences in this certain time frame.

btw any chance that dp fix was from ZNM? Bc mine is missing from my trunk. Matt asked me where mine was so that he could install it and run some tests. But in reality, he just stole it from my car. Bc its nowhere to be found.

[Lshaw]

Originally Posted by Spyro235

Ill be honest here- I’ve used ZNM for 2 years. I haven’t actually had a bad experience with mMatt, although some things took a bit more time than I expected. I’m pretty clingy with my cars and often stood there watching while they did the work, and all of his guys seemed to know their way around the n54.
I do all of my own work nowadays, and just use him for parts. This wasn’t because of him, it’s just a byproduct of me getting shop space and having the ability to do my own work for the most part. I order a lot of bmw parts, or oe equivalents, and they seem to come in super quickly and be fairly priced. I change my oil with his warrantyable oil, and when I break something I bought from him it’s pretty painless to swap it out.

Again, just my personal experiences. I’m not affiliated with him or anything like that, I just haven’t had any markedly bad experiences like others, and I figure it could’ve worth noting. His shop isn’t too far from my work, so I can grab parts on the way home which is convenient for me.

I did my homework with ZNM and they did have a good reputation at some point, otherwise how would 10+ people choose his shop in order to be scammed.

Anyways, even if ZNM completed my car and gave it back to me with everything that they stated they would. After seeing all these threads and people coming forth about their problems...i wouldn't have a peace of mind anymore.

[delmarco]

Well this thread just saved me a lot of headache!!!!

I was actually about to drive out there to have them change my Oil Filter Housing Gasket this weekend.

Not going to happen!!!!


Going to have to find another shop or DIY it if the weather is warm.

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

*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.

*Drained my oil and turned my car on without any oil in it!

[AWF10M5]

Just gonna leave this here

[nissubaru]

Originally Posted by AWF10M5

Just gonna leave this here

What are you trying to show us?

[toneatles]

Forget taking him to court, this guy needs a beat down.

[Trelos]

My last interaction with Matt.

Had them do a simple oil change....they neglected the O-ring on the filter....oil everywhere! All over belt assembly.

I fixed it myself however I should have replaced belt...my bad.

Belt shredded sucked into crankshaft.

I let Matt know.
After the discussion he told me to send me the bill and he would “take care of me”
I wasn’t expecting full reimbursement, however what I got was silence...I’ll never go back .

[SfGiants1984]

Originally Posted by nissubaru

What are you trying to show us?

I believe he's highlighting the fact that the reviewer used the word "ancillaries" like Matt often uses. So either the review is fake, or Matt hustled that customer as well.

[NightStalker]

Originally Posted by SfGiants1984

I believe he's highlighting the fact that the reviewer used the word "ancillaries" like Matt often uses. So either the review is fake, or Matt hustled that customer as well.

#DetectiveWork

[SlimE92]

Originally Posted by AWF10M5

Just gonna leave this here

: definitely his code word for making people pay up for "unexpected" fixes along the way. Smh

[DS3IAM]

Originally Posted by Lshaw

Thanks for sharing, its crazy to see how many people are coming forth with their experiences in this certain time frame.

btw any chance that dp fix was from ZNM? Bc mine is missing from my trunk. Matt asked me where mine was so that he could install it and run some tests. But in reality, he just stole it from my car. Bc its nowhere to be found.

Yes the DP Fix was done by Matt (and not Brian). I actually have some photos of him doing it. He recommended that I do not leave the DP Fix on all the time so I had him remove it after completed my inspection. Of course he took back the DP Fix. Now it looks like I will need to do it again at my next inspection. The actual date was September 28, 2018.

[Maestro]

Originally Posted by AWF10M5

Just gonna leave this here

Notice all the reviews only had one posting and Larry use the same language is Matt does in his email and text to people, so do you think Larry is actually Matt.

[WingZeroX5]

Originally Posted by Spyro235

Ill be honest here- I’ve used ZNM for 2 years. I haven’t actually had a bad experience with mMatt, although some things took a bit more time than I expected. I’m pretty clingy with my cars and often stood there watching while they did the work, and all of his guys seemed to know their way around the n54.
I do all of my own work nowadays, and just use him for parts. This wasn’t because of him, it’s just a byproduct of me getting shop space and having the ability to do my own work for the most part. I order a lot of bmw parts, or oe equivalents, and they seem to come in super quickly and be fairly priced. I change my oil with his warrantyable oil, and when I break something I bought from him it’s pretty painless to swap it out.

Again, just my personal experiences. I’m not affiliated with him or anything like that, I just haven’t had any markedly bad experiences like others, and I figure it could’ve worth noting. His shop isn’t too far from my work, so I can grab parts on the way home which is convenient for me.

He's using FCPEuro. No one does warranty-able oil but them. Heck, no auto parts business have a warranty policy like FCP does. Suggest you buy them from FCP directly yourself (and rightly supporting a legitimate business) and stop giving money to these jackasses.

[WingZeroX5]

Originally Posted by delmarco

Well this thread just saved me a lot of headache!!!!

I was actually about to drive out there to have them change my Oil Filter Housing Gasket this weekend.

Not going to happen!!!!


Going to have to find another shop or DIY it if the weather is warm.

If you're going to be driving all the way out there to NJ...ACM in Fairlawn

[F30lolz]

Wow another thread about this shady shop. I’m driving up to NY/NJ late June for about a week/10 days. Maybe I’ll swing by and see what kind of smoke this guy is blowing or whatever. Call BBB, blast this guy all over the net, YouTube, let Doug Demuro give him a Doug score, whatever it takes for ppl to stop bringing in their cars to him.