Announcement! Sniper Performance is no longer a website sponsor

[meissen]

Guys,

As most of you who visit the site regularly have seen, there were some issues with the build for @jakes_GSXR's third gen build. Admittedly with the information I was given, it seemed like there was some mutual mistakes in the project which caused the rift. Recently, though, Matt Carver @riderman329 and Steve Pettis @lanzar4155 both came to me with complaints about how their projects were handled as well. As of today, Sniper Performance (masterfab) is no longer a sponsor on our website. I know Ken has a lot going on in his personal life, and I saw on Facebook he recently closed his shop so he could concentrate on that instead of trying to rush the projects he was working on. While I would like to believe that there were honest mistakes made, some of the things I'm hearing aren't good. I'm sure Matt and Steve will be documenting the issues in their project builds or in this thread.

I'm asking in advance - let's try to keep each thread civil. @riderman329 and @lanzar4155 - I agree with posting/documenting the items you found wrong or explaining why you guys are having to do things that were supposed to be done by Ken, but I also ask that we not blatantly bash Ken in the process if that makes sense (e.g. no name calling - just post the facts).

Thanks,
meissen

[ruckusz28]

Well, that's unfortunate. Hopefully these situations right themselves. Good people with good intentions generally do good deeds.

[riderman329]

Thanks Brian, I was going to stay quite but after he did what he did to Steve and myself it needs to be out in the open. He’s my side of the story and I have all the information/ Text/ receipts to back up what I’m describing, Ken Warner screwed me and my car over pretty good. I first got in contact with Ken in January to bring my car to him around the first of march to give him 3 months to get mycar finished before the meet and greet. I know how ken runs his “business” he’svery slow takes his time. I get that he’s a one man band. I’m not knocking him because of that. With that in mind I figured 3 months would be enough time. I bought all my own parts and have all the receipts to document everything going in to my car dropped everything off (except for the convertor and lash caps) all at one time. I only changed a few things during the build, but had parts to him within a matter of days.

March 15^th I dropped my car off to Ken as well as $340 dollars to get him going for bills and gas, 4 days after I drop my car off to him, I get a phone call from Ken explaining the issue with his son being taken from him by the state and him having to move out, and start a life on his own with just him and Nate, I told him I completely understand, and if I need to I can pull my car and go somewhere else to free up some time for him. He told me know just bear with him and he’ll get it done. So a Month goes by only get updates on how the progress with Nate and updates on how Steve car was coming along. Only getting a few updates on my car if he needed something or asked a question. Late April I went out on a Wednesday night and sprayed the engine bay of my car while Ken dismantled my engine. At that same time I asked him if my rear end was done he told me yes. I looked under the car and the diff cover was all still wet with oil from the gasket leaking. Moving forward a week before the Meet and greet I was told by Ken will have your car ready, so I lined up the use of a 26ft enclosed trailer to go get the car. Come to find out he never measured the lash cap size I need for my Ti valves so I had to rush in a set to get them to Ken. They get here and there the wrong size. I got every excuse in the book from him “I called the Manufacture these are the ones they told me to get based off the Part numbers he gave them, which leads me to believe he never measured the actual valve stem himself. So I pulled the heads from Ken and took them to Fenton Machine shop to get new Ti valves put in, that took about a week. It took 2 weeks after that for Ken to get everything on. He told me that the AEM fuel pump I bought was no good, had an issue with it on Steve car, so I Saturday delivery to him on June 14^th a $200 garniatle fuel pump… So that a total of 6 weeks that my motor has sat open with No oil in it. Saturday June 21^st was the agreed upon day to pick my car up from Ken. Well we ran in to a snag. When I switch to and LS6 valley cover I forgot to get the steam tube and block offs as well as the plug that goes in the driver side rear valve cover. So I scrambled on a Saturday to find almost everything but the valve cover plug and I had delivered it to him. the plug I paid for overnight shipping to have it to him on Tuesday morning June 24^th. He sets up a date to have Blake come over Thursday to his uncle’s barn to do the tune on my car. Thursday Morning he calls me and tells me that the metal LF brake line ruptured while he was bleading the brakes, and that his Uncle is sick and he’s going down to University Of Michigan Hospital because he is in ICU with and infection in his left toe. So I asked if there was any way to get my car pushed out and I’ll just come get it, he tells me he’ll try. Get a text from him at 3pm saying he couldn’t get the car out and will have to do it tomorrow that there taking his uncle into surgey to remove his lower leg and he has a 20% chance of survival.

Friday morning June 27^th comes around I text him at 9am to see how his uncle did, he tells me that they just took and he’s doing good. Then we talk business. He tells me to be at “the shop” 4:30p to be there to hear my car start, and help him blead the brakes because he got me a new brake line (which I still don’t have.) He calls me at 1pm and said he won’t be there till 5:30 I was mad but will make it work. Then calls me back at 4:30 and that he doesn’t have keys to the barn to get my parts out but my car is sitting out in the drive way ready to be picked up he’ll be there when he could. I asked how did the duelly get move and he tells me that his cousin "James Jim" must have had keys and that also pushed my car outside Thursday, Strange how this all happened and he tells me that his gun loving neibohor is going to come over and collect the money. So we show up to his uncles house, my car is outside, Ken said all I need to do is fill the engine and trans and fire it up.

Start looking at the car, The car was damaged. Scratches, a new dent and paint scraps on the car, I was told the car was ready to start just needed engine oil and trans fluid, lifted the hood and there was trans oil all over the entire engine bay, Distroying the awesome carbon fiber hydrodipped valve covers and intake that Chris Lackey at Grand Rapids Hydro carbon did for me. So we pull the dip sticks and the both wet. Coolent was very low and was and look like just a dash of antifreeze was added to the water in the radiator. This is when we start looking. First think I look as it to see why the inside of my car smell so bad. That’s because there’s a used gear and pinion in the truck, weither it’s mine is yet to be know, Ken told me that the pinion was really tight and he didn’t put any shims in it. The cover for the rear Diff has been whipped clean on the bottom half only, but still has oil leaking past the gasket. Makes you wonder if he actually did change the gears and were did this other set come from were checking the numbers on the right now. Next came looking under the car to find that my exhaust had not been cut and none of the bolts were disturbed that that told me right then and there he did not put my fuel pump in my car. So after the car was loaded I told his neibhor I was not paying him for this lack of service. And he agreed. At this point I’m piping hot. So I call Ken and told him to get the damn barn open and give me my parts, I’m not happy that he destroyed my car and I called him out for not putting my fuel pump in and his response was “I forgot bud I sorry” which I’ll later get in to explaining that was a LIE.

So since I don't know the state of the vehicle’s engine to turn it over, I took the car to Detroit Muscle Speed shop on Saturday morning that’s when things got worse. We ran a scope down the spark plug hole, found the plug was not tight, found the valves were not lapped. Since there was no oil in motor, we pulled the oil drain plug which was also loose and found the windage tray has rust on it, so that told me this motor sat without oil in it, so we're pulling the motor to see how bad the inside of the motor is, I was having rod bearings and ARP bolts put in and we're checking to see if they were even put in my car. And also found most of my injectors were not put on right and the seals were split, and leaking fuel all over the place. So my hydrodiped intake and valve covers are distroyed now... so again this is now gonna cost me more money for things he distroyed on my car. On top of that he's holding on to parts of mine that were suspost to be in my car. Like a high flow fuel pump, the other AEM pump, some stock parts…

All I get are excuses, and more lies from this guy... oh and what really pissed me off was he put a used gear set in the back of my car and left my car to sit outside overnight with it... so now my car smells so lovely... my car sat at his uncles house for 116 days while, I kept hearing lie after lie, as to why this 4 week job is taking so long, Friday night he kept telling me he’ll make it right and to keep the remain $510 dollars to get things fixed.
Saturday night I found out that he told people, he's coming after me for the remaining amount I owe him and put a Mechanic lein on my car for lack of payment.... I just want my car done correctly and my old parts returned to me.

I took my Car over to my buddy Travis Carpenter’s house and he’s helping me get my car running, So Ken Facebook message Travis and finally admitted to Travis that he didn't put my fuel pump in. Because he didn't want to cut the exhaust to drop the tank. Also said he didn't set up my rear end up correctly didn't put the shims on the pinion. And he also told Travis he knew my windage tray was rusted when he put it back in the motor, and blaimed it on me for not havingthe motor sent to the machine shop to get cleaned I told him to do it if it needs it at the time, because it was getting close to the Meet and Greet, and also told Travis he only did rod bolt upgrades and never put my rod bearings in, also Ken told Travis he's gonna give me $510 dollars to fix my car... but we all know I'll never see the money.

On Sunday June 29^th Travis was sending Ken pictures of everything that was messed up on my car, he kept saying he doesn't need to see it. He's got so many lies, excuses, he can't keep the story stright. I really do think there's some mental issue he has. If I would I done what he said with my car, my car wouldn't have ran good or caught on fire, 5 of the injectors were leaking because of damaged seals.

I think people need to see what he's done to people cars. And just see the poor me story he comes up with, to show how he treats people that all they done is help him. it wasn’t even a year ago, I raised the money to get his 4l80e trans rebuild that Rich from Detroit Gearbox stepped up big time and did just that, buy giving him a completely build trans free of charge…

Best of all Ken then takes shots at me on his sniper performance facebook page, telling everyone that mistakes happen when your rushed… you tell someone 3 ½ weeks and it takes you 4 months and its still not done… yea real rushed there buddy, best of luck to you buddy I hope you can get yourself together so this never happens again to someone else, because they might not be as nice as me.

[kammi10]

now thats ****ed up...... wow

[mikewoods]

Wow, sorry to hear Matt. If you need help in any way let me know.

[birdie2000]

now thats ****ed up...... wow

x2! Good lord.

[MORNINGSTAR2101]

its a bummer to hear about this stuff happening. best of wishes to matt and steve

[OIF1VET]

Doesn't surprise me at all Matt.. Sorry to hear..

[Darren]

Doesnt surprise me either, and Matt didnt you head up the job to get his trans built? Paid for by this site and yourself?

[MORNINGSTAR2101]

double whammy to hear that some members arent surprised

[JoeliusZ28]

Wow.

[Gregs_gsxr]

Im glad its out in the open, I know I took a lot of shit from dozens of the members here. Thank you for the couple guys that have apologized to me. I feel for those that were taken from the situation.

[mcalus]

Doesnt surprise me either, and Matt didnt you head up the job to get his trans built? Paid for by this site and yourself?

Shitty to hear. Especially on this account. Almost felt bad for the guy....

[97firehawk]

Wow , that's terrible.

[MORNINGSTAR2101]

ive seen too many threads like this during my time spent on this forum