Zinguy

We purchased a '93 JB500 in 2021 from OttoEx in Portland. $35K plus upgrades like durable/cleanable flooring, Webasto diesel furnace, solar, new refrigerator, new hot water heater, LED lighting, USB ports, etc.
We flew to Portland for 2 days after it arrived from Japan to figure out exactly what we wanted done. Alex and Sam worked on the $10,000 worth of upgrades and notified us that the work was done in late October 2021. I picked the vehicle up in January 2022. Interestingly, globs of caulking that had just been applied to the "completed" work was still wet when I arrived to drive it home to Iowa. This should have triggered alarms and red flags. I was too excited about our new camper to take note. Sadly, Sam, who Alex tells me did most of the work, managed to screw up every single system he worked with. Correction, the new refrigerator works , you just can't open the door all the way because they purchased one that opens on the wrong side . The thorough mechanical checks that Alex assured me the vehicle had gone through we're nonexistent. Being intensely involved in Elder Care for my mother-in-law, the discovery of what exactly they had messed up was a long, drawn out, frustrating process. What follows is a chronological listing of the problems as I found them. On the way home to Iowa, brake fluid leaked onto my feet from the master cylinder located under the steering wheel. I experienced overheating and coolant discharge from the shot water pump. Diesel fumes from the leaking exhaust system filled the cabin through the holes in the decaying plywood and the holes Sam had drilled and not sealed during installation. I sourced a master cylinder and a water pump and had them installed that spring. During that process I discovered the leak in the new fan installation where Sam had not sealed around the holes he drilled in the roof. Alex said he was sorry. I filled the holes in the floor and had the exhaust system repaired. When the weather warmed up I found some time to take get out of storage and go for a drive. The air conditioner Alex had assured me was working, was not. The AC compressor had obviously not functioned in several years. I found a company in Florida that completely rebuilt the compressor since new ones are no longer compatible with the installation mountains on the vehicle. Alex said he was sorry. A few months later I found time to put some water in the systems. Surprise. When Sam had installed the new hot water heater, he had not drained and winterized the system. The vehicle was stored outside on their lot in December and January when temperatures got well below freezing. Little did I know when I picked it that freezing in the water line had already split the copper tubing in the new hot water heater as well as some components in the shower. I've sorted through and corrected all the things they messed up in the installation including repairing the hot water heater. Alex said he was sorry, he also told me that he fired Sam because of all the poor work he'd done to mine and others vehicles. He said he was sorry about that too. Luckily the engine and drivetrain of the vehicle we're in great shape so they weren't able to mess those up by working on them. Happy to have a great running, lovely little JDM camper now, two years later. Through all of this and the additional thousands of dollars of parts and labor the only comments I got from Alex were that Sam was a great disappointment and that he was sorry. He flat out refused to do anything to help make it right. He pocketed the money and turned his back on the issues that his business dumped on me. If you do purchase an import from him. Check it thoroughly and have someone else do any required work.