Issues with Texas Motor Works

[JeffersonRaley]

I have hesitated posting this for a long time because I really didn't want to damage someone's reputation unfairly. On the other hand, I don't want to hide useful information from the Seven community.

 

Last year I bought a used 2010 Birkin. Unfortunately the motor ate its bearings at a track event about a month into ownership. I decided to have a shop do the work since I had a lot of other car projects on my plate at the time and wanted the car back fast . I also wanted to add a dry sump, forged internals and higher compression pistons. I chose Texas Motor Works to do the work since I live in Texas. They originally built the car, and my logic was that their experience would help ensure a fast and high quality job.

 

TMW subcontracted the work to their normal mechanic, with terrible results. The work took 5 months, including months of "it should be ready this weekend". When they finally said the car was ready to pick up, I arrived to find that it was still being reassembled. Despite taking so long, there were many examples of shoddy work including:

- Oil pressure on the dry sump pump set far too low (10 psi at idle)

- Oil cooler did not fit under the nose cone

- Oil leaks in front timing cover

- Bolts had been RtV'd into the timing cover to plug holes that were leaking oil (didn't work)

- Electric water pump ran constantly, even when key was out

- Electric cooling fan wired incorrectly and never came on

- Missing bezels and interior pieces

- Various gauges not connected

- Various loose bolts (like engine mounts)

- MAP vacuum line not connected to ECU

- Alternator was loose (causing it to fail a few weeks later)

- Alternator electrical connection was broken and zip tied in place

- After less than 1000 miles the head gasket is leaking

 

I am sure there were other things that I've forgotten to list. I've fixed most of the issues since the car came home. This week I'll replace the head gasket and hopefully that will be the last of it.

 

I know a lot of you know TMW well, and Dick has always been friendly with me in conversation. I may even continue to buy parts from him when I can't get them from BirkinDirect. But his mechanic will never come near my car again.

[xcarguy]

JR,

 

At the risk of stirring the communal pot and pouring an a$$-load of old, stale salt into your freshly opened wound, I too have had a 'less than stellar' experience with TMW and associates. The end result, after many months of worthless fretting, lawyer fees, and an additional $11K loss, the most profitable course of action was to simply walk away and carry on with my life. The greatest loss ended up being what it had done (at the time) to my health (both mentally and, eventually, physically). Money comes and goes, but health and integrity are irreplaceable.

 

Obviously, there's much more to my experience. And just as you, I chose to remain quiet and to not post any info for the 'sake of the community'. But, just so you know you aren't alone. I do, indeed, feel your pain.

 

Having said this, I believe I'll take the Storker out for a 'spirited' drive.....a great form of anger management.

 

On a more positive note, we should get together at MSR Cresson for a track day....put that dry sump to good use.

[NVP66S]

I want to say, for the record, that all my experiences buying and building my Westfield were positive. The factory visit in Britain was pleasurable, and my dealings with the importer were 100% positive. There were a few bits missing from the kit and the importer had the factory replace them in a timely manner with no questions asked. The builders support organization returned my emails ALWAYS within 24 hours.

 

My only negative comment is that there were a few aspects of the kit that were not straightforward assembly that needed some creativity.

Edited December 27, 2014 by NVP66S

[Anaximander]

Good on Jefferson and xcarguy for posting their experiences. There are always two sides to every story but the hesitancy to post negative experiences suggests that the two posters went out of their way to give Texas Motor Works the benefit of any doubt.

 

The nice thing about the Internet is that it more rapidly allows others to get a sense of how people are operating and to be able to do their due diligence with as much information as possible. It is troubling to me that the owner who seems nice and helpful would allow a customer to be harmed as was described above. This is too small a community for those shenanigans to go on for very long. People have the ability to vote with their wallets.

 

I know for sure that xcarguy is having a ball with his Storker and I think Jefferson is about at the end of a tedious journey where he will begin to enjoy the fruits of his labors in 2015. Thanks to both of you for sharing some painful memories that may help the next person who thinks about a particular vendor.

[Kitcat]

Ditto the negative quality of TMW constructed Birkin. Dick's the nicest guy in the world. But.... I put maybe 500 miles on my Birkin and had every problem known to man. Spent scary money trying to fix it ($10K?) All due to poor construction. Finally sold it to a person who had built 2 Birkins in the past and was looking for a project. So, sold it for $10K less than I bought it. You can do the math.

 

The new buyer is completely rebuilding it. And BTW, when it did run, it was wonderful, certainly the equal of the Caterhams I have driven/owned, so not a knock on Birkins.

[Taber10]

.... certainly the equal of the Caterhams I have driven/owned, so not a knock on Birkins.

 

Yes, but it is hard to quantify Caterham's more direct "spiritual linkage" to Colin Chapman.....A linkage that has not held up in the courts and the F1 world!

 

Wanted to put some levity in this otherwise depressing thread......

 

Taber

[Davemk1]

I've had a mixed experience with TMW and Dick Brink. I bought a used Birkin from him many years ago and very much enjoyed the transaction. Only in time did I discover that there were lots of short cuts taken in the build of the car. It was running well when i sold it but shortly thereafter it developed serious engine trouble that was eventually traced to the MBE ECU having too aggressive timing.

 

Mr. Brink was always very nice to speak with and I met him and very much enjoyed his company. I always felt like I was being treated fairly and honestly. Where the whole thing fell down was on the mechanical side and it took me some time and money to get the whole car sorted. Once done it was wonderful but it was a good amount of work. Unfortunately only luck and timing made it so the next owner of the car was holding the bag when the engine went.

 

I autocrossed the car a lot and a fellow racer loved my car so much he wanted one of his own and on my recommendation (made before my real issues surfaced) he bought a Birkin from TMW. I don't know the details but I know he could never get it running right and that TMW was not able to help him much. In the end he told me he spent more than $8k to get it running as it should and now it's a great car - what it should have been all along.

 

I suppose all of this might be moot. Isn't there a new distributor for Birkin in the USA now......he's in Colorado as I recall. So I anyone would need to do biz with TMW if they didn't want to.

 

I could own a Birkin again in a heartbeat. I built a Westfield last year instead because the timing of the wide body Birkin seemed so uncertain but I wouldn't hesitate to put money in that direction.

 

dave

[wemtd]

FWIW I Bought my car (unassembled) from Dick and found him to be a congenial fellow. I had trouble with one or two miss-matched parts which TMW was quick to exchange once convinced of the situation. Beyond that the car was a reliable joy to drive and only required an ECU re-tune by my local boffin.

 

The new Birkin America contact has also be friendly and I can update the forum once my upgrade parts have arrived. So far there have been morgan-esqe delays on the factory side, but things look promising this week.

[JeffersonRaley]

Wow - I didn't expect such a response. For the record, I second everyone's comments about Dick being a nice guy and helpful. I also second, third and forth the comments about his mechanic taking shortcuts and doing a poor job.

 

I'm removing the head today and the new gasket should arrive today or tomorrow. So hopefully I'll have it back on the road & track shortly. Then I'll definitely take you up on a MSRC meetup XCar. I'm a member at HHR too, so we could do a day there as well.

[Kitcat]

JR: For track use of my '09 Duratec Birkin, I discovered (the hard way) that in addition to adding extra breathers to the valve cover, it was necessary to modify the Redline oil pan (that on paper is aggressive enough for track use), by adding a trap door. I blew my engine due to the lack of said trap door. Keep one eye on oil pressure at all times, at least initially, to be sure its not dropping precipitously (it is esp severe at end of long curve with braking).Also, check that the rubber boots protecting the rear CV joints are adequately and securely attached. Mine came off at speed at my 1st track day, and I lost the grease there and both real axles had to be replaced. Make sure suspension points and engine mounts are properly torqued. Many of mine were loose, leading to some huge, and uncontrollable, "tank slappers" on track at speed. My engine never ran properly until completely warmed up. My local tech said the ECU system was inadequate.(This is a very partial list of my Birkin's mechanical issues, I am just listing those that come to mind that are track related problems).

 

Mike M.

Edited December 31, 2014 by Kitcat

[Croc]

Mine came off at speed at my 1st track day

 

I recall you went off everywhere at speed that day - warm up laps, cool down laps and everywhere in between.

 

leading to some huge, and uncontrollable, "tank slappers" on track at speed.

 

Well thats a new excuse that Xcarguy and I could use in 2015

 

 

 

To add balance to my having fun with Mike above, I will say his Birkin did show the obvious signs of needing a good fettling - more than you would expect of a new car. And he did have some amazingly heavy tank slappers in front of me on track which I have not seen before in a seven - I have the video of one somewhere.

[Kitcat]

As Croc wisely notes, my existing reputation was unscathed by the Birkin's evil handling and his opinion of my driving level was completely unaffected:).

[xcarguy]

. . . . . . Make sure suspension points and engine mounts are properly torqued. Many of mine were loose, leading to some huge, and uncontrollable, "tank slappers" . . . .

 

Mike M.

 

I recall you went off everywhere at speed that day - warm up laps, cool down laps and everywhere in between. . . . . Well thats a new excuse that Xcarguy and I could use in 2015

 

No excuse needed for me........I like playing in the dirt. I have the Old MacDonald Award (and reliable witnesses) to prove it. :jester:

[xcarguy]

I'm removing the head today and the new gasket should arrive today or tomorrow. So hopefully I'll have it back on the road & track shortly. Then I'll definitely take you up on a MSRC meetup XCar. I'm a member at HHR too, so we could do a day there as well.

 

JR,

 

We need to make it happen. HHR looks like a fun track, especially for a Seven type.

[oilteq]

I bought Kitcat’s Birkin. Before I pile on, I want to emphasize the importance of the builder and mechanic (whether it is you or a professional). I think the Birkin chassis is excellent, but it is no better than the guy who assembles it. I have seen a locost that looked fantastic, and a Caterham that looked dangerous. The difference was the quality of the guys putting them together.

 

I cannot point fingers at who to blame, because I am the 3rd owner and do not know who did what. Like KitKat said, a couple of the suspension bolts and one of the motor mount bolts were finger tight.

 

I bought the car knowing the clutch was slipping. It was because the spacing was too tight, so the clutch did not fully release. The spacer ring that goes between the engine and transmission bell was missing, making the problem worse.

 

A bolt that holds a rear plate that ties the back of the frame together was broken off. In drilling and retapping, there was an obstruction of some type near the bottom of the threads. My theory is that it caused the bolt to snap off before it clamped, and the builder or mechanic did not think it was worth fixing.

 

Then there were repairs when electrical circuits failed. It was apparently easier to bypass the existing wiring with additional wiring than to identify and fix the problem. Wire nuts in a headlamp speak for the quality of workmanship that went into the electrical repairs.

Edited January 1, 2015 by oilteq

[oilteq]

There were particles in the filter, so decided to overhaul the engine. I found the crank timing was off, which was later confirmed by the marks on the pistons where they had collided with the intake valves. I assume that if TDC is 18 degrees from where the ECU thinks it is, it contributed to the tuning difficulties.

 

I doubt that the oil pan baffling was the cause of the oil pressure issue. The O-ring between the oil pan and engine had apparently slipped out of position. A picture was posted here http://usa7s.com/vb/showthread.php?t=9172&page=2 The holes line up, but it looks like the O-ring was in the wrong place. I assume that would cause the engine to suck air in with the oil, which would help explain those particles in the filter and KitKat’s loss of oil pressure.

 

Kitcat, it may not be your driving. The front dampers are too short. When set at Birkin’s recommended height, they give only about ¼” of rebound. I do not know what “tank slapping” is, but when you are hard into a corner, if the inside front damper hits its extension limit, I assume it would create a handling issue.

Edited January 1, 2015 by oilteq

[Kitcat]

Blaine: "Tank slapper" is a motorcycle term. Because of my vast experience with disastrous results whist motoring about, I have had the unfortunate experience of a tank slapper on a motorcycle. It is not pretty: mine occurred when I braked suddenly, the rear of the bike slid wide, i reflexively released the brake and the rear swung back fast and hard, all the way over to the opposite side, then back to center. This set up a huge shimmy or oscillation that ran the length of the chassis out through the handle bars. That resulted in the handle bars "slapping" the bike's tank. In other words, the bars were yanked hard right til stopped by hitting the tank then hard left, repeat. Obviously forward progress was quickly interrupted and down I went. A mere 52 years ago and I remember it like it was yesterday. Broke my arm, with various long term implications, but I digress....

 

So, the exact same thing happened in the Birkin, I over braked at the track, set up a lurid (and unexpected) slide, reflexively jumped off the brakes, car slid way far the opposite direction, thus setting up an oscillation in the chassis that ending with the front wheels slamming right, then left, without my ability to control it, in spite of tight steering wheel grip. The only thing that solved it was eventually coming to a rest, and starting over. It happened every time I was aggressive with the brakes, so I backed off a bit, slowed braking inputs, etc.

 

Why it happened is way beyond me. I know it has never happened in either of my Caterhams, in spite of my "exuberant" driving style. I do know 1/4" of rebound is essentially a solid suspension, which is not good!

 

Sounds like your rebuild is progressing methodically. I agree the initial shoddy build issues were further complicated by shoddy repairs. I think I finally have found a responsible local mechanic, but that was post-Birkin.

Edited January 1, 2015 by Kitcat

[JeffersonRaley]

@KitKat - thanks. I went ahead and replaced the Redline pan with an AT Power dry sump when I rebuilt the motor. I've checked all of the other fasteners, and have started the (slow) process of safety wiring key bolts. Everything else is getting Locktite as I put it back together.

 

Yesterday when I pulled the crake pulley off I discovered that TMW had left out the diamond coated friction washers. These are absolutely critical to Duratecs since there is no keyway on the timing chain sprocket. Glad I found that one the easy way!