I got Burned on Ebay !!!

[@strokermaverick]

"Yeah, we know there's a problem with those." We, just mail them out, until somebody complains.

[@georgemooyman7155]

And then do nothing about it.

[@kiwiclassicsandcustoms9160]

@@strokermaverick Get the money in and figure it out later....😡

[@itneverwasme]

EZ Steer just lost 24,000 potential customers

[@robertmoffett3486]

Easily

[@TheopolisQSmith]

I hope EZ steer contests Kiwi’s opinion. Could be popcorn type fun.

[@tarstarkusz]

@@TheopolisQSmith Presumably they shipped it to "Kiwi's Classics" in Tn. If you google that, his shop, website and youtube channel come right up. Imagine how they treat people who don't have 24k sub youtube channel.

[@mexicanspec]

I would never consider putting power steering in a car that one wasn't designed for it, and 2, doesn't need it.

[@TheopolisQSmith]

@@mexicanspec When those cars were new little old ladies drove them all the time. Easier to get a newer car on the initial buy if power steering or brakes are necessary.

[@jackpalczynski7884]

I am SO glad you named this vendor. So many videos show problems but don't name the vendor and we're left to wonder who it is which doesn't help if we want to do the same project ourselves.

[@sometimesleela5947]

It might be helpful if Kiwi put the manufacturer/model in the title/description so people searching for reviews of these systems find this.

[@fgrau7376]

I was surprised Kiwi mentioned it at all!!! He seems to not want to get in the middle of things

[@kiwiclassicsandcustoms9160]

@fgrau7376 I'm careful getting in the middle of things because both sides can be guilty of not telling the whole truth. In this case it was just them and I so I know the truth and I have the documentation to prove it so it's gloves off. 🥊

[@todddenio3200]

I'm glad you made this video which is actually a public service announcement. A friend of mine was literally going to be ordering a kit from them until I showed him this video a few minutes ago. He has since decided to not order it or anything else from them. You just saved him a lot of money and even more stress. Thank you.

[@kiwiclassicsandcustoms9160]

Thanks man and thanks for watching!!

[@todddenio3200]

@@kiwiclassicsandcustoms9160 You don't owe me any thanks. In fact my friend and I as well as many of your viewers owe you thanks. When there is someone getting scammed out of their money by some business or even an individual, it is better to bring attention to their deception rather than staying quiet about it. Yes speaking up is going to make the scammer upset, but if they had been honest and upfront with you it would have been compliments instead. You did the right thing and have saved others from getting ripped off by them.

[@pghguy7320]

Can you imagine if this is a regular guy working in his garage, purchasing these products ? Pennies in his pocket, and his dreams getting crushed , with no recourse!

[@MrTheHillfolk]

That's exactly who I'm thinking of ,and it makes me sick. Maybe Kiwi said it or UTG said it ,but this is the type of 💩 that can turn an average enthusiast off from ever playing with cars ever again.

[@glennnickerson8438]

"I know we have a problem with these--that's why we sold it to you..." Thank you for your purchase...🤑

[@kiwiclassicsandcustoms9160]

Exactly!!

[@TheLowerman]

Sucks that companies do this. Great save of the project Kiwi!

[@rawbsworld6604]

I’d say it’s not a real company then! What’s sucks is having to modify something that should’ve been as advertised 👍 otherwise why not fabricate from scratch in the first place 🤷‍♂️🤦‍♂️😆

[@CAROLDDISCOVER-1983]

Seems like EZ steer has steered away a lot of customers potentially.

[@Timrsnakess]

What a headache, im sure it was fun having to relay this to the poor customer too

[@craignehring]

Thanks for the heads up EZ should be ashamed of themselves

[@redneck5356]

Thanks for the heads up on that company

[@bengahzijr.4293]

This is why I never install aftermarket components like this on vintage cars.

[@ProblemChild-xk7ix]

Formal complaint on Ebay is required to get them dinged by Ebay.

[@al_dente4777]

In my case, the company who burnt me just changed its outfit's name and continues selling through Ebay, despite my claim. Since then, I don't do business with Ebay anymore, despite it sometimes costing me more for buying through an outlet which is unaffiliated with Ebay

[@jamesmisener3006]

Yes report them to E-bay Kiwi.

[@diegosilang4823]

Lol, they just messed with the wrong customer.

[@kiwiclassicsandcustoms9160]

I do think it's cost them some sales, will they learn from it....... hard to say

[@BareRoseGarage]

I'm fighting one right now over a "Small Cap HEI" distributor. Met a guy at the car show that bought one and is really happy with his, but the one we got is a TOTAL nightmare. Dead out of the Box. So far, they are working on it for us, but it's put the build on hold for a week now. It's really hard to get good stuff now days, even if it's made in the USA. And that's really hard to say, but it's true.

[@Broken_Yugo]

Any new distributor is tear down and full inspect for me, bought a new production one for an odd application a few years back, not eBay crap either, you wouldn't believe the amount of sand, slag, and swarf hiding in that thing between the bushings, probably would have killed the engine if I didn't have to disassemble and modify it first. Even stock stuff for late model cars I look over real careful now, you can't trust anything, QC is dead.

[@jamesmisener3006]

Thank you, Kiwi for outing a scam company preying on the hobby. EZ STEER in TEXAS got it. Will pass this on to our 500 member Antique & Classic car club up here in Ontario Canada. Cheers 🇨🇦

[@kimdearrington258]

Thanks for the heads up on that company!

[@3rdpig]

"That's part of being in business" only when you're a legit business who takes care of their customers.

[@kiwiclassicsandcustoms9160]

It seems to be working me, I've got way more business than I can do😎👍

[@afwoods]

Sorry to hear. I got a power brake kit from ebay and pretty much had the exact same problem. I couldn't figure it out, my mechanic couldn't figure it out, supposedly a new bracket was sent, nobody ever got it and by the time we'd given up on it the guy said it was too late to return it. Ebay wouldn't help and I called my credit card company and they did a charge back. After they finished the investigation the chargeback stood, so I'm only out what I paid the mechanic. Maybe give that a shot.

[@charlesdalton985]

This job made me think of Sisyphus, good golly. I admire your ability and tenacity to work through it. Thanks for the heads-up, take care sir ~ Chuck

[@douglasatkinson2476]

Appreciate the info. It sucks when you spend good money on bad parts.

[@GwynnOak1]

That really is outrageous! Thanks for the warning.

[@Richard-R-S]

Sad this happened, thanks for our free lesson. Maybe we all ought to send a couple of bucks for it though🤔? Vice Grip Garage guy, Derek refers to them as "Evil Bay", seems might be most fitting, aye❓ God Bless🙏🏻🚗💜, Richard🚴🏻‍♀

[@rctopfueler2841]

Kiwi gettin burned by a fool on ebay , time to expose the truth , lets see what they say ,dont sell something that dont work the right way ,youll lose your preferred seller rating by the end of this day. Nice way to expose the scammers politely and with dignity they dont deserve

[@johna1160]

Good on you, Chris for calling out these sheisters. Unfortunately, you are the exception. I've heard more than a few YT'ers who suffer similar rip-offs and crap for customer support, but decline to mention the offending party, which is both annoying and frustrating. We want to know who these rat bastards are so we can "steer" clear of them. As James Plotkin commented, you probably should have mocked up entire set-up before making irreversible cuts. Not your fault, but two valuable lessons learned.

[@kiwiclassicsandcustoms9160]

James is right, I had been lulled into a false sense of security by Borgesson who put out a stellar product that fits and works every time. I assumed these guys would be the same, silly me😳

[@The_R-n-I_Guy]

Easy steer? Sounds like a way to easily steer money from unsuspecting customers to a fraudulent company without scruples. Thanks for the heads up. Hopefully it saves people time and money from getting ripped off

[@abcullens2328]

If somebody makes a kit that says it will work on a certain year, make and model of car, then it should work as advertised. Making a quality product used to mean something, sorry you had to deal with that.🤬 Absolutely love the car though! 👍

[@paulhare662]

Been going on since the J.C. Whitney mail order days.

[@lockystuart4218]

Ezy steer-clear.. got it. cheers Kiwi

[@kiwiclassicsandcustoms9160]

😁😎👍

[@donolbers]

I feel for ya, we want through hell with a big block Camaro exact repro power steering kit, and not one piece worked without modding. Even the bolts it came with had to be messed with, junk!

[@joshrodgers9366]

I use to buy lots of stuff on eBay and had no issues, but the last few years I have not gotten a single functional part from eBay so I quit buying from them or any other online marketplace

[@TheDasbull]

I am so tired of dealing with $hit aftermarket parts. It seems that just about every part sent requires a re engineering just to attempt to use this junk. Not singling any company out, its just one thing after another 🤬

[@grantlucas6678]

It's not shaming the vendor It's about warnings others

[@debbiebermudez5890]

Mr. B. Here ! 🍩☕️👀😎👍. This is I am a guy who refuses to go aftermarket . Unless it’s American reman kit don’t buy ! Oh nice work on Kevin channel ! 🍩☕️👀😎👍🇺🇸

[@kiwiclassicsandcustoms9160]

Cheers Mr B

[@strokermaverick]

EZ steer, needs a link to thus video, sent to them.

[@robbieautrey3158]

Thanks for sharing your nightmare with us Kiwi and warning us about companies like that one. It's a shame there is not Pride in making things anymore. I'm sure the lady was happy with all the work that you had to do to make it all work as it should. 🙂

[@Fleetwoodjohn]

It’s such BS nowadays that people are just out to get your money, not make a quality product

[@TireSlayer55]

It's rampant in every industry now and it makes me sick.

[@rljuddjr]

Thank you Kiwi for the heads up!! I really appreciate your advice and your craftsmanship.

[@kiwiclassicsandcustoms9160]

Thanks man and thanks for watching!!

[@kennethkarlsson7421]

Thanks for the heads up that Company!

[@darrenbyrne4622]

That sucks I bet you saved someone going down that same road cheers kiwi mate

[@kimdearrington258]

These companies these days overcharge and underproduce alot of the time. Unless you spend a fortune with a certain company you usually don't get satisfaction.

[@1998dodgejd]

Thank alot Kiwi, very helpful video on crappy parts. Yeah right bolts right on and works great sure. Got a shelf full of these parts.LOL

[@donthompson2188]

Man do I hate it when people do screwy business. Thanks

[@Diggers-Garage]

Interesting video I watch your channel and I have subscribed to your channel. I'm in the UK and the issues you brought up happen all the time here to be honest, you are lucky to buy after market parts that do what they were intended for. What surprises me being a classic car restoration guy myself I was always under the impression that in the states you had got it properly sorted but obviously not. I just know nowadays that everything I purchase after market will give plenty of trouble just refurbish all existing bits I appreciate this was an upgrade but I just steer clear of them. Great channel.

[@julianlord2697]

It is frustrating. As you have said on your other videos, the quality of parts is going down and that is because people want cheap. Whether cheap hoses or steering kits, they want basement pricing. i have a fleet of old cars and Jeeps and even when I get parts with missing components it is hard to get refunds on eBay.

[@kiwiclassicsandcustoms9160]

This one was extremely frustrating !

[@TimothyArnott-m7z]

Hey Kiwi, Tim here, THANK YOU for exposing these awful folks......i'm gonna let my boss know to STAY AWAY from EZ steer......as we have converted a # of old cars to P/S, using old brackets and such, but all were on 60's cars....we do get an occational 50's car in for various things......we need to stay away from EZ steer, as we learned to STAY AWAY from Right Stuff brake conversions......that Co. Is awful......we will only do Wilwood conversions now.....we went thru 3 nitemares with "right stuff" with ZERO cust support......TY sir!!!

[@PETERNESS]

Mate that sucks hard ,luckily we have the best here in Australia ,they do conversions for damm near everything and theyve been around for decades ,say hello to The Castlemaine Rod Shop ,oh by the way Kiwi a MUST visit is Rotorooah i hoped i spelt that correct ,your a good man most mechanics would pass on the extra labour charge to the customer ,what you loose on the bends you will make up on the straights

[@kiwiclassicsandcustoms9160]

It's Rotorua mate! I've heard of Castlemaine Rod Shop 😁

[@PETERNESS]

@@kiwiclassicsandcustoms9160 have you heard of one of the best engine builders on earth,from The North Island in Palmerston North ,Hartley Engines ,for such a small population theres a lot of talent from New Zealand

[@OllamhDrab]

Not on topic but that looks a lot like the color combo I'd want to put on a tri-Five Chevy. :)

[@ew1usnr]

That Buick is a beauty.

[@bradywilliams2666]

That newer style pump doesn't look correct on the old engine. An older style saginaw pump would look more period correct.

[@stevesadusky8634]

Well EZ Steer won't be getting my business or my customers business ever after seeing this! Thank you for sharing Kiwi!! Sorry you went through this...

[@ajs1340]

Great video Kiwi, thanks for the heads up. Crap vendors and crap products should be vilified for what they are. Who knows how many gear heads you just saved a lot of time and money on inferior kit.

[@GhettoWagon]

i had some block from summit racing that was supposed to be a guide it was kind of made same way "made in usa" too so much junk + time waste its just a buy n return game. Atleast ebay you get a return easy

[@meek01__53]

Sorry that you had such bad luck, we just recently installed EPAS (on my 67 mustang convertible)from a 2009 Toyota prius and it went very well biggest issue was we didn't buy a kit and we had to get the right u-joints but we'll worth it now.

[@ripstitchupholstery]

Thank you for saying what needs to be said Kiwi 👍👍

[@kiwiclassicsandcustoms9160]

Thanks man and thanks for watching!!

[@gearymarsolais962]

I can't believe all the negative responses based on just ONE KZbinrs experience..... social media is poison

[@kiwiclassicsandcustoms9160]

Reputation is everything ! Customer service is a close second

[@TheJoefussGarage]

I've seen ads for several EZ Steer products over the years, in Hot Rod, Street Scene and other custom car mags.. Sometimes, the only way to spot a poorly engineered product or kit, is buy and try to install it... That's how many of us, have learned this trade/hobby.. The school of hard knocks.. Shame on them, for not owning the outcome here . Though we see how they 1st failed on product quality, then completely bailed on the customer on support.. The balls in their court, though Kiwi Classics was the wrong user, to bail on . This one's gonna hurt them...

[@gulfy09]

Too bad. Now we know..hey kiwi you need to take us out on a road test

[@waynebuzzell2483]

Im glad you have had more wins than fails Kiwi.

[@brianandrews7099]

Seems like a kit designed to fit one application but the seller is trying to pass it off as fitting completely different applications, then sticking the buyer with something they can’t use without heavy modifications, if at all. I have experienced the same issue on eBay recently, just on a smaller, cheaper scale. Fortunately, I have been successfully getting my money back from buyer protection. The problem is, a few rotten sellers are going to make eBay a completely untrustworthy place to buy from. Eventually, eBay will have to tighten the screws on the sellers which will make life more difficult for the honest sellers.

[@bradeastham5494]

Good to know I was thinking of putting power steering on my 52 Plymouth but might just stick to Armstrong!😂

[@kiwiclassicsandcustoms9160]

I've got a conversion kit for Marge from a different supplier so hopefully that will have a happier ending.....

[@bbarnett3469]

Damage Control at this point mate! Good on you fo' havin' a platform to vent & inform others. I truly appreciate learning from other people's mistakes & misfortunes, always have. I recently moved to da Midwest and am simply blown away with how some folks/shops stay in business! Da Big City makes short work of these types b/c of da ($$) overhead to have a shop facility. But out here in BFE everybody has a pole building/barn on their land, many with car-lifts installed, and just (end up) storing cars, long-term (forever) projects & (sub)exist.....SMH! But on da Interwebs everybody can look & sound like they know what they are talking about & offering, but their (non)scheduling, prioritizing, shipping, follow-thru and excessive talking/excusing when things go or look wrong is simply stupifing! Many long drives home, talkin'/screamin' to myself..... If you or a buddy (shop) have a hose-maker/crimper, I think you could make some custom hoses w/fittings to make dat routing a lill' (hidden) nicer. Lesson(s) learned. Warnings sounded. Time fo' a cold snack (adult beverage) & carry-on, as you were Kiwi....life is still good mate! You da Man......

[@Jim-ic2of]

Thanks for the tip .😊 EZ Steer in Texas 🤮💩

[@1911MikeinOregon]

That really sucks Kiwi. Hopefully you at least left them really crappy feedback. Two weeks to send out a replacement part is unacceptable. So is selling parts when they openly know there is a problem with them.

[@kiwiclassicsandcustoms9160]

I did!!

[@DisabilityExams]

When the manufacturer says their parts "bolts right in" they mean if you are an expert fabricator, have access to NASA's shop, and a BIG sledgehammer, you MIGHT be able to get it to fit.

[@kiwiclassicsandcustoms9160]

LOL. Lot of truth to that statement😎👍

[@61rampy65]

I wonder if that P/S bracket was for a 55 Buick. The 55 used a much narrower, but longer battery. When I was 16, I had a 68 Mustang 390 with manual quick steering. Junkyard supplied everything I needed for P/S, except the pump. I used a 55 Buick pump, and made my own bracket. It actually worked very well! Sorry to hear of the troubles with the steering.

[@davehad-enough2369]

Sounds quite typical of eBay .... there's a lot of dodgy crap on their site but there's also some good stuff. You've just got to pick your way through and hope you don't get ripped off. Sadly eBay won't help .... it's either good news or nothing with them.

[@al_dente4777]

The sad part is, Ebay was known for policing their site. Perhaps, they've gotten so big that it no longer matters to them, if they lose a handfull of customers

[@fishgeralding9224]

I ordered a belt keeper off ebay for my 17 year old riding mower after the original broke. It was the only place I could find one, and it was cheap. Shit quality, it snapped right where it bolts on in a few months. I took it to a local welding shop and the built it up, fine now. I should have done that with the original one. We live, we learn. Recently a locally owned mower parts store opened in our little town. They carry about everything I need for my mower, right down to a molded vacuum line I needed. I try to keep my money local best I can. Sorry about your bad luck Kiwi, thanks for the information, and honestly. 👍

[@Vegaswill714]

That is a beautiful 56 Buick, love the color.

[@kiwiclassicsandcustoms9160]

Yes! Cool colors for sure !

[@txsailor57]

Its a good thing that someone as skilled as you was installing it and could fab the stuff that would fit. My question is if the customer can make proper brackets why can't they? It would take little more effort to make a part that works than one that doesn't.

[@kiwiclassicsandcustoms9160]

That's a good question that I don't have an answer for...😕

[@colinjowylie7553]

Unbelievable Chris.

[@franklincormorant8312]

LOL "just relocate the battery to the trunk". And it's done, just that easy! 🤔

[@damarapoledna3636]

Back in the seventies my father taught me about purchasing aftermarket car parts, you pretty much had to mod all of them. You would think fifty years later the business would be better🤔

[@ericuncapher9922]

Easy steer should refund your money. But that will never happen.. good job!!

[@afraid2crashrc]

I quit ebay after 23 years. They took my money, nearly $500, for an item that wasn't delivered and returned to the sender by the post office. I'll never go back!

[@Bradydog-in7ut]

Unbelievable that someone would sell a set up like that. I’d never by anything off them eventhough I have the luxury of having a brother who owns a machine shop who can machine any piece I need! All he does is scan the piece into a mult head-horizontal miller, set up the tooling for the different cuts and -Walla!, brand new piece (it’s not as easy by the way!$

[@kiwiclassicsandcustoms9160]

You need to stay on his good side!!!😁😎👍

[@ipaddlemyowncanoe.7441]

I don't think I've ever bought anything off eBay. Everybody says you can get whatever you want but just cuz you can get it. Doesn't mean it's any good just as you found out. 👍👍🙂🇨🇦

[@unclebob7937]

There's a story about Steers and 'beers' and Texas .....

[@kiwiclassicsandcustoms9160]

Beers.... yeah that's it!!🤣😎👍

[@BrandonBuckaudioanarchy]

Not sure if he would have had a solution for you but I've used EPAS steering in Florida and they provided excellent service from start to finish. I think they specialize in electric power steering conversions and frankly, I think that would have been a better option in this case. Jeff over there was always helpful on the project I used them for and I wouldn't think twice about using them again.

[@budd1814]

It was a test,,, just to see if you could engineer a proper fix for their attempt. so you tried your "first gen". now you can try again to refine it "second gen" soon you will be selling a kit that works..

[@duckbassify]

I put a Borgeson kit on my big block 68 Corvette, what a great product.

[@kiwiclassicsandcustoms9160]

Yes I agree, unfortunately they don't make a kit for the Buick.

[@hotrodray6802]

eBay/ Pay Pal would refund your money. Giving the seller a bad review costs the seller money for multiple future orders. Thats why most sellers give good service. JME 👍 PayPal is the only way I buy..

[@AlanSchildroth]

Makes you wanna just to pull one off a newer model car and build the brackets yourself!

[@bobclark5479]

That's exactly why I don't buy anything from eval bay.

[@maddthomas]

....Oooooooo...they done F'ed up...

[@Jstme303]

No chance for the average person to get anywhere with this kind of stuff.

[@kiwiclassicsandcustoms9160]

Not really no......

[@angusbauman7887]

What was the original power steering design?

[@al_dente4777]

It should have had a slave cylinder attached between the track rod and frame. A pump connected to the backside of the generator powered it. These slave cylinders were prone to leaking and were subsequently replaced by powered steering gears. I would have recommended converting over to a rack & pinion set-up. But for an old Buick, that in itself would likely be a custom-designed system only applicable to that brand, given that Chevrolet, Pontiac, Buick and Oldsmobile didn't start consolidating their designs, until the following decade

[@dougpendleton1266]

Thank you for sharing!

[@bigunone]

I know that BOM used an electric power steering pump that might be a better solution for a classic car

[@AussieSwagAdventures]

Thats why we use market place now

[@tedjones-ho2zk]

I'm sure it's too late now, but could the return fitting on the pump been welded closed and a new one welded in the back of the tank so the hose would not come across the battery or is it a plastic tank?

[@kiwiclassicsandcustoms9160]

It's a plastic tank😔

[@paulhare662]

Steer. Another word for Bull. MOOOO...

[@alrui]

We know there's a problem but we shipped it anyway, YIKES!

[@tubbs2132]

I hope that thing doesn't have power brake.. them's one year only on the '56 and muchos dineros if you can find em.

[@outlawbillionairez9780]

I'm concerned that this signals few people at your skill level are out there. A result of the LS-in-everything, quick and dirty rat rod boom .

[@thewholls7176]

That’s why we call it Flea-Bay nothing but a bunch of amateurs and fleas selling second hand pairs of shoes and half a box of used matches…….

[@christianheidt5733]

Sorry you had to go through that 😢, what is wrong with people today?

[@butcher390]

What a sh!tshow Never going to use Sleeze -E steer Thank you for sharing this nightmare , Kiwi . Sorry too see you suffering

[@kiwiclassicsandcustoms9160]

Ya live and ya learn...!

[@TAVOAu]

Yeah, can hardly call it a kit, if you have to fabricate most of it yourself😮

[@tarstarkusz]

Why is a kit required? Power steering was an option for this car, at least according to google. It's a known thing. It is probably the same exact pump used on 50 GM products across multiple years just with different brackets and/or relocated outlets and inlets. They could easily reproduce the brackets. People order and depending on the application they put in the appropriate mounting hardware. I'm pretty sure GM does this to this very day. It would be unmanageable to have 30 different power steering units to accommodate all the models. I know for certain they do it with the alternator. I think they've had the same one for 30 years. Am I missing something?

[@tarstarkusz]

@@joea9608 Obviously not. My point is that GM designed the mounting hardware 70 years ago. it's not really a custom job. They probably used the pump for many years in many models. It's just a hydraulic pump after all. If GM had to redesign every part of every car, cars would be 10 times the price. There is an enormous amount of parts sharing going on.

[@TireSlayer55]

Factory parts are usually the way to go when you can find them, the quality and fit will probably be better than anything aftermarket.

[@jamescereda2628]

Great info! Sweet Car!

[@roadrunnervsgodzilla2048]

Arm chair mechinc's bagging a bloke for doing a video to try and help out others.