Ferrari Mechanics in Alabama

Hesco in BHM generally gets good reviews.

Ron Reineke in Atlanta is excellent.

Drew


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There are none I can recommend for Ferrari specifically. I have lived in Alabama for 48 years. Go to Atlanta.

 

HESCO was the only place to go for a long time. Lee has worked on numerious Ferrari's, Lambo's, and that quirky Jaguar XJ220. You know he is trusted when you take your DB9 in for service and on the rack is a Diablo which is having a total engine rebuild due to a rod letting loose.

In Pelham Empire Autohaus also works on Ferrari's. I have seen a few 328's and a 430 there over the years since I use them for the wife's Mercedes service.

Also in Alabaster Impatient Creations did the interior and body/paint on a local 1972 246Gt and the service on a 1989 Testarossa for a local dealer. Though they seem to specialize in hot rods they did an awesome job on the 246 even though it was Brown.

These are the options you have in Alabama to my knowledge. More are in the Atlanta area and even Nashville. We have it rough here getting someone to work on Italian autos.

And don't even try the new Maserati dealer.. They are set up more to sell than service as I found out taking my 08 Quattroporte in for a transmission service before I sold it.

 

Absolutely under no circumstances would I ever allow a car in Empire Autohause or anywhere else Alan Apel may have any contact with my car.

Anyone want more details, please PM me and I will happily discuss my multiple first hand experiences with him (I was there from the very beginning). I will also fill in more fun facts about other issues with other people that have refused to return.

I have on hell of a soapbox on that SOB and I will spread the word until I die. I stand behind my post and as you can see I use my full real name. I have NOTHING to hide or fear.

 

Let me add one more thing too, If anyone reading this know Alan, please let him know I posted my opinion here and am happy to share my experiences with him and his shop.

I have nothing to hide and would welcome Alan himself to join and discuss my situation. It would be my great pleasure to talk about how long one of my cars spent with another employee at his house "fixing" what he fixed - for free because it was so bad.

His gift never stops giving either. I have spent years with a gas gauge that half worked. We found out last May it was because the lever arm was installed 180 degrees off (yep - HIS shop).

It works now. I fixed it.

I could go on and on and I will for the asking. (yeah, I'm still that pissed)

 

You gotta stop holding back your true feelings Tommy, its bad for you.

On a serious note, sorry about what was obviously a nightmare.

 

You have PM sir!

Steve

 

I have been living in Birmingham since 1972. I never moved away, even for my education. I have owned lots of cars - all three pedals. Sports stuff beginning with a 70 P1800. There isn't an independently owned small "foreign car shop" in this city I haven't used on some level at some time. I know all of them because I drove and still drive Ferrari's, Alfa's, MG's, BMW's and Mercedes. I don't own any Fords or Chevys (not that there is anything wrong with them - I just prefer different cars)

I have my favorites for certain things (I own 10 cars now) and have had good experiences and bad experiences with all of them at some point. Things don't always go as planned, I understand that and generally I just forget it because sometimes it is best to not even act pissed because they are good at something else I need. You know what I mean. I could write a book but mostly they do me pretty well and I don't have a problem with anyone - except two: Bobby Bitterman at Speciality Automotive and Alan Apel at Empire Autohause. Those two S.O.B's hold a special place in my heart for screwing me so bad that it is beyond belief.

When an employee has to take my car to his house and fix - for free - what I was charged for by Alan while apologizing endlessly for Alan... Well you get the idea. It was bad after 4 trips back. Not that this was the final straw but when Alan had my 308, he replaced a part and charged me for the time he spent on the internet reading on how to do it. I kid you not. I had to pay him for his time learning how to fix my Ferrari because he didn't know how (or maybe he didn't charge me after I complained - I don't recall now but he TRIED to get money out of me for that). Sorry, but I'll just stick with someone that has done it before, knows what he is doing and charges less because I am not having to subsidize his on the job training with my car. I am not the only person he did this to.

There is more - enough that after 32 years of experiences in this city (I turned 16 in 84) he and Bobby have been the only two that have pushed me over the top and I am not going to forget it. Ever. Bad. 100% bad from beginning to end at their shops and I have no problem warning others. All out in the open.

And if you are reading this, Alan, you have my number. Call me and we can have a man to man conversation about this posting. I am free Mon through Thurs between 1 and 2 unless I am seeing an emergency. Have at it. Nothing would please me more than to field a call from you.

 

I didn't mean to stir up bad past experiences. But I have never had Alan or his crew work on anything besides Mercedes and a Jaguar (when I was in my sadist point of life). Never had a problem with them on those two brands but nothing major was ever done by them on anything I had them service. My go to for most all British and Itlaian vehicles has always been HESCO. I know Empire does service Italian as I have seen a yellow 328 and a red 308 there while the Jaguar was getting some of it's quirks worked out (4 months time frame). But I cannot remember anyone I know of using them for anything Italian either.

Sorry you had a bad. No awful experience there. I can remember when I was at a dealership in Maryland even though we didn't do much with Ferrari due to the owner being a Lambo guy we took them in trade. My service guys hated seeing one come in especially if they were 10 years plus in age with under 5k miles on them. But I am not a service type so all I knew was fix it so I can sell it. And as quickly as possible.. lol

 

Fortunately, it wasn't my Ferrari that Alan (or Bobby at Speciality Automotive) got their hands on and sent everything into a tailspin.

HESCO is pretty much the only game in town of certain cars, especially if you need a dyno. (I know Jeff and Lee quite well). The biggest problem we as "vintage" car owners have today is finding a shop that will take on a big project. They don't want them. They may SAY they will, but the profit for them isn't there and your car simply sits while they turn over the ones that have quick, profitable repairs necessary (new cars). They will work on ours for the first week or so but after that it just sits and sits and sits. A few months go by and you start calling. Once the issue of inattention comes to a head, they try to do everything in a couple of days in a serious big hurry, all the time angry about having to. Believe me I have been it that position with 5 local shops here in Birmingham multiple times. The work is crap but your bill is handsome. The last thing you want is to go back. That is where the issue began with me and Alan. I went back 4 times and he never even bothered to check his work. That is when an employee stepped in and just told me to bring the car to him at his house.

I'm sorry but that is bad.

If that 400 makes it into a shop here in town, the owner better damn well know it will be there a year and not because it takes a year to repair one but because they completely lose interest after the first two weeks.

 

You are so right on that. The first thing I had Lee do for me was rebuild the engine, transmission, and rear end on a 1967 Shelby GT350 I picked up in 1992 from a guy in Columbiana who bought it new from Sherman Holland Ford in Alabaster after coming home from Nam' in 67. It was rough. But for 6 grand I couldn't walk away from it. The 289 was locked up but had a rare dealer installed 3X2 carb and manifold sitting on it. Lee was straight up it would take time but was happy I just brought him the parts and not the entire car. Think all told I sunk 18 grand into that car and still kick myself for selling it when I was in Maryland in 2002 seeing what the market price for them is currently. But Lee is a great guy and is meticious. Plus he like me is a Jeep guy. I should have used him for my son's 6.4 conversion in his Wrangler but I went with Bruiser due to time constraints. But if I pull the trigger on this 74 Pantera I finally located in St. Claire county he will be seeing a lot of me. She is in sad shape but been in the state since new and two owners.