CobraRestorers.com Beware!

[John McMahon]

I've never had a problem with them, but I was trying to find an old post from Paul Sutphen, he had purchased a complete ERA 427SC and the moder blew up almost immediately. He went to court and won.

Maybe Computerworks can help, it may be in an archive somewhere. It was in the Consumer Forum maybe 2+ years ago.

[casaleenie]

Just reading this thread would cause me to shop elsewhere.
Maybe it's time for them to rethink their position on returns and customer satisfaction. Keep up the pressure....I've seen it work on this forum before....

[johnnyfive]

I just got a few parts from finish line
( oil cooler & shroud, Cobra OE Cap
for steering wheel center) to name a
few and thought they were all in
great cond. matter of fact have never
had anything come from them that was
bad. The price is an other matter. 60.00
dollars for a steering center is a little high
I have to say. But I most of their prices
are about the same as others..

[Excaliber]

Long delayed respsone to the question:

When did I buy my side emblems from Finish Line?

Couple of YEARS ago, the current quailty maynot be the same as when I bought. The ones I bought I was happy with.

[Jack21]

For what it's worth...

No experience with Cobra Restorers in Atlanta. From what I'm reading, never will.

Good experience:

Summit. Great! Jegs. Great! CRII for factory parts, Great!

Finishline. Product, service, quality; fine. But PRICY!

My OEM Cobra stuff (mirrors, gas cap, some emblems, windshield, all Lucas stuff) came from europaspares.com. They have a sister site just for Cobras called cobraspares.com. They are in England where Cobras are still made. Their service, products, and quality are all first rate. Their prices I would rate as fair for OEM quality parts. Order on-line, they convert from British Pounds (now Euros) to U.S. dollars, and parts come well packed in a box in a few days. Don't know about returns, never had to return anything.

Tony Branda is another good source for emblems and badges. A little on the pricey side, but not like Finishline.

[pgermond]

Have never had an issue with Finish Line (Enzo) - great service, good products..... use them whenever I need something.

My $0.02

[427 S/O]

Short and sweet, most of us who come from the ATL area stay as far away as possible from C.R.

[Ron61]

I quit using them years ago due to their policy. After an hour on the phone making sure an air filter would fit and being told we have it right here and have measured it and it is exactly the size you want, I ordered it. When I recieved it, the darn thing was two times the thickness, length, and width of what I could use. I called and wanted to return it and was told, it isn't damaged or anything due to our fault and since there is no damage and it is good, we won't take it back, so no return. At that price it really ticked me off to have to just throw it away. I also threw away their catalog at the same time.

Ron

[JoseMorales]

Order on-line, they convert from British Pounds (now Euros) to U.S. dollars, and parts come well packed in a box in a few days. Don't know about returns, never had to return anything.

Have the British gone to the EUROS ???????...I still travel there with POUNDS.

[BLACKJACK]

UUHHH, JOSE - - - -

WHO ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT??

BLACKJACK

[Fitz]

Never had a problem FYI- I purchased a number of items from Finish line and I have been pleased. Just got mats from them.

[vettestr]

I also purchase many items from the folks at Finishline in Florida. Paula and Enzo are some of the nicest people around to do biz with. I have found a part cheaper here and there but there is a lot of value in knowing you will get what you ordered and it will come ASAP. In the rare time something is wrong for whatever reason they JUST Make It Right and that is worth a little more to me in the end.

[Ford of France]

Cobra Restorers has always had one of the worst reputations on CC since I have been here. Rarely does one hear anything good about them---just a litany of complaints.

Finishline, on the otherhand, has always been at the top of the hit parade for excellent service and quality.

[DaxSC]

From across the pond here, I've had nothing but good service from Europa in the U.K and Finishline in the States.

I've just checked the change in my pocket and can confirm that the U.K. is still using the pound. (Over my dead body will we adopt the Euro!)

[Enzo Alibrandi]

Paula here from Finish line. John told me a few weeks ago Tim called and wasn't happy with his emblems and he told him to throw them away and sent him a new set. Tim subsequently called and said they were fine and he had made a post but was going to correct it. I guess he never got around to it. Just so all of you know we want all items to be perfect just like all your dollars are perfect. I do have packers in the back and vendors that sometimes change something and it may get out before I get a call. I never remember anyone not having items replaced that are for any reason inferior.

Regards

Paula

[BB427]

I just ordered a leather Moto-Lita wheel from Finish Line and they shipped a Wood MK3 by mistake. When I called they apologized for the problem, offered to pay for my shipping return to them, and stated they would hold the price to what it was prior to the recent price increase. All without me asking!

Good company with good people

Brent

[jams]

Brent, It is not to say every transaction is a negative one with Cobra Restorers but there are too many for me!

Glad you got what you needed.

[BB427]

jams,

I was talking about Finishline.

I did not mean to change your thread. I just wanted to give props where it was due. Too many say when things go bad and few mention the good things. I have not used Cobra restorers (nor will I unless I have to)

Thanks
Brent

Brent

[Cracker]

Like most organizations, the closer you are to them (geographically) the better chance for decent service. Chuck Gutke is a split personality, fine one day and an A$$ the next. Their Cobra parts business has been dwindling for years and they have switched to hot rods, primarily. They still do decent volume but it is geared towards real cars, more or less. The last time I was there he was pricing something out for the Kirkhams.

With all this said, they have never failed to accept a return from me and I've NEVER so much as paid a restocking fee - EVER! They basically only have 4 shelve units and a wall of inventory - it's common practice but criminal. Buyer beware!

Sorry Jams!

[RedEsprit]

I've dealt with Cobra Restorers and Chuck Gutke many times over a twenty year period and have never received a product that was of poor quality or misrepresented in any way and this includes buying convertible tops and aluminum panels as well as various accessories. I can't attest to the restocking charge since I have never had to return anything. Cobra Restorers has always dealt in original or very accurate replications of parts and accessories for ACs. Since most replicas are only approximately true to the original car's shape, some items will not fit various manufacturer's bodies and this is definately true regarding tops, bows, and side curtains. Chuch is a fairly direct guy and he will tell you that he can only be certain about original ACs, Kirkhams and ERAs regarding fit an d finish. When I ordered my first top from him over twenty years ago he actually "grilled" me on what type of car it was going on telling me more than once the top would only fit an original car. Doubt that has changed much. On a very positive note, Chuch has restored over 50 original cars to date. If you want to know something about the originals and how something fit or was attached, this guy is a wealth of great information that can usaully be had for the price of a phone call.