There are plenty of sketchy shops out there, but it would be nice to think the ones that get famous would be safe. After all, they have a reputation to uphold, so why would they cheat their customers? Well, unfortunately for everyone involved, the fact that because a business is well-known is in no way a guarantee the owner will treat you fairly. The latest scandal involves 1 Way Diesel Performance, the diesel shop behind MotorTrend TV’s “Texas Metal’s Loud and Lifted.” As the Drive reports, some angry customers claim they’ve been cheated out of a lot of money.
Currently, these are only allegations, and it’s entirely possible that by the time the smoke settles, the courts will clear 1 Way owner Chase Wells of any wrongdoing. We don’t know for sure what actually happened and only have other people’s word to go on. Additionally, no one at the shop ever returned the Drive’s “repeated requests for an interview, a comment, or any sort of defense against these allegations,” so Wells’ side of the story still has yet to be told. For all we know, his lawyer advised against responding.
Brad Ekstam, owner of FASS Diesel Solutions, has been one of the most prominent former customers to speak out. Ekstam told The Drive he hired 1 Way to turn a Ford F-450 Super Duty into a six-door creation he could use for promotions. He said it wasn’t right when he visited the first time, and it still wasn’t up to his standards after a second visit. “We had a seatbelt fall off while going down the road,” Ekstam told The Drive. “We had a door that wouldn’t open, windows that stuck.”
He also claimed 1 Way swapped out new parts in favor of used ones and had replaced some interior components with ones that were the wrong color. There were also reportedly some concerns about the quality of the welds on the frame. After he still wasn’t satisfied with the work after the fourth visit, Ekstam decided to turn the truck into a mobile billboard attacking 1 Way. He didn’t stop there, either. If you drive through Nacogdoches, Texas, you’ll also see the billboard he took out warning people not to trust the diesel shop. He’s also sued 1 Way.
Ekstam’s lawsuit will likely take a while to work its way through the courts, but he’s also far from the only customer who has come forward with complaints about 1 Way. Be sure to head over to The Drive to read the whole story. It’s a long one, but it’s also a good one that’s worth your time.
