Be aware! Tru6 Restorations critique

[rattlecan]

It all started July 2021, I contacted Shaun Budka after seeing his ad regarding engine lid grille restoration for my '71. Via email we agreed I'd send 50% of the cost of restoration of my grille just to "get in line" and hold a place. At this time he said "it could be only about 4 months of wait time". How long to restore I asked? he said about 2-3 weeks.

Ok, got it. I sent $850 as the 50% deposit, thinking at the time, it will be fantastic when finished. Yes it is pricey, but as Shaun said, we do a perfect job.
When he received my grille, he said it could be as early as October. Ok, about 4 months. Excited I sent him a friendly note at the end of September to check status.

Then it began, "issues with my anodizer, testing another anodizer, he's sorry and it's been traumatic for him". I replied I understood and would be patient for a restoration at the highest level. Now it's November 6th, he said the week of the 11th is promising! Wow, it's being restored as we speak. I thought! His comment was I'm doing some black grilles now.
Black grilles? How did they get ahead of me? Ah the plot thickens! Mid January 2022, Shaun said "I doing 2 sets of door frames and quarter windows now" And by the way, black is more difficult to do. What does that have to do with my '71 grille?! End of January, what's going on with my grille Shaun? Nothing!
End of February, not heard anything so I emailed again, what's the status? Now here is the final straw for me, He said, "I'm sorry but a lot of work came in for Amelia Island" and I had to get that work done! WTF!!!

Shaun Budka is not honest, makes promises breaks them, and to top it off, takes other work on for more (in his words) important restorations for Amelia Island!
Send me my grille and deposit immediately Shaun. He did, but is horrible in customer service. I would not recommend Shaun Tru6 Restorations to anyone, unless you are prepared to be mislead and want to wait for nothing.
Sincerely,
Rich Peters

[911+1]

Sorry about your experience with Shaun. That is a long time to wait for your grill.
I found that if you want the best quality work done, you have to be really patient. It's like sending you wheels to Harvey.
Lots of other places will get the job done quicker but is the work on par? Grills are a real time consuming restoration.
I had Shaun do my fan, housing, hub and strap. It took longer than expected but it came out like jewelry. We'll worth the wait.
If you're a top tier business, things come up that need to be bumped to the top. Having your car in a judged concours is one of them.
I don't think he would intentionally mislead anyone.
He isn't hurting for business.
Tony

[mejia_anthony]

Shaun restored a couple of my items. Took forever but I knew it would be a waiting game going in. When received, I was very pleased.

[rattlecan]

Sorry about your experience with Shaun. That is a long time to wait for your grill.
I found that if you want the best quality work done, you have to be really patient. It's like sending you wheels to Harvey.
Lots of other places will get the job done quicker but is the work on par? Grills are a real time consuming restoration.
I had Shaun do my fan, housing, hub and strap. It took longer than expected but it came out like jewelry. We'll worth the wait.
If you're a top tier business, things come up that need to be bumped to the top. Having your car in a judged concours is one of them.
I don't think he would intentionally mislead anyone.
He isn't hurting for business.
Tony

Really, having your work pushed back because he's a 'top tier business' is ok with you? Perhaps you didn't read my long winded post about broken promises. You don't think he would intentionally mislead anyone? Just be honest, if you take work, tell the truth that the customer is not important and just wait, after all he's top tier. Sorry can't help myself.

[Chris Pomares]

I had him do all the aluminum window parts for a 69 coupe. At first it looked like a 6 month project. It took 18 months. I'm OK with that as I'm in the restoration business and that's just the way things are right now. Shawn is dealing with the same things I'm dealing with. I'm having an engine built off of a 82 SC longblock. It's highly upgraded. Good SC intake valves are impossible to get. I got some from a highly regarded source. Junk. My machinest wouldn't touch them. He said they would eat the valve guides. After many hours over a few weeks we finally found some in Germany. I won't get into how much, what shipping was, but now the engine is way behind on our timeline. Every shop I deal with right now is having the same issues. All have pissed off customers and all it does is make them want to quit. Be carefull or you won't have anyone to do this kind of work soon.

[beh911]

If you're a top tier business, things come up that need to be bumped to the top. Having your car in a judged concours is one of them.

Unfortunate you wrote something like that, but oh well. It is the way some businesses operate.
In this hobby it's the way most operate, including the wheel folks.

Pathetic

[62S-R-S]

Amelia or no Amelia, one part of the car I never appreciated till now..


http://tru-6.com/anodizing-2

[Theunz]

The following is in the FAQ section of the Datsun vender I buy most of my parts from.

Q. - I?m going to win Solvang best of show this year. Can you get my order out today even though there are other people in front of me for shipment?

A. ? I?m glad you want to win. No. I won?t put you in front of other people who have projects that are just as important as yours even if you believe yours is more important.

I applaud him for it.

[govols!]

I can sympathize with Rich. If this business had said that they might not get to him in 18 or so months, then he probably would have looked elsewhere. Being up front with possibly being bumped for one show or another would have gone a long way. And he asked for a deposit, don’t forget. Shipping across country also added. Just my take.

[mac73s]

It all started July 2021, I contacted Shaun Budka after seeing his ad regarding engine lid grille restoration for my '71. Via email we agreed I'd send 50% of the cost of restoration of my grille just to "get in line" and hold a place. At this time he said "it could be only about 4 months of wait time". How long to restore I asked? he said about 2-3 weeks.

Ok, got it. I sent $850 as the 50% deposit, thinking at the time, it will be fantastic when finished. Yes it is pricey, but as Shaun said, we do a perfect job.
When he received my grille, he said it could be as early as October. Ok, about 4 months. Excited I sent him a friendly note at the end of September to check status.

Then it began, "issues with my anodizer, testing another anodizer, he's sorry and it's been traumatic for him". I replied I understood and would be patient for a restoration at the highest level. Now it's November 6th, he said the week of the 11th is promising! Wow, it's being restored as we speak. I thought! His comment was I'm doing some black grilles now.
Black grilles? How did they get ahead of me? Ah the plot thickens! Mid January 2022, Shaun said "I doing 2 sets of door frames and quarter windows now" And by the way, black is more difficult to do. What does that have to do with my '71 grille?! End of January, what's going on with my grille Shaun? Nothing!
End of February, not heard anything so I emailed again, what's the status? Now here is the final straw for me, He said, "I'm sorry but a lot of work came in for Amelia Island" and I had to get that work done! WTF!!!

Shaun Budka is not honest, makes promises breaks them, and to top it off, takes other work on for more (in his words) important restorations for Amelia Island!
Send me my grille and deposit immediately Shaun. He did, but is horrible in customer service. I would not recommend Shaun Tru6 Restorations to anyone, unless you are prepared to be mislead and want to wait for nothing.
Sincerely,
Rich Peters

Thanks for posting this...does not surprise me at all given my experiences with plating, and of course, the patently misrepresented 1970-S I bought from him and his friend...well documented drama in early S. Despite your, mine, and others anything but pleasant experiences, he continues to have his fans in the early S community...I don't get it.