As a business owner myself, I genuinely dislike leaving negative reviews. I understand that…read morerestoration projects can run long and old cars can present unexpected challenges. But after nearly 4.5 years dealing with Bromley's Corvettes and Doug Bromley, I feel obligated to warn other Corvette owners about my experience.
Doug had my 1981 Corvette for a body-off resto-mod project using components from my totaled 1979 Corvette starting in January of 2022. The car was first returned after roughly 3.5 years, and it immediately had major issues. I towed it to my detailer for a full protective film treatment and during his inspection he pointed out an obvious rock chip in the passenger door paint that had been covered up with cheap touch up paint. I spent $1000 out of pocket to have my detailers quality body shop re-paint the door.
About 2 weeks later I drove the car home from my detailer. As soon as I parked the car in my garage I noticed a significant transmission fluid leak and the car had to get towed back to the shop, ultimately for another 10 months.
When I finally picked it up again in March/April 2026, I smelled gasoline on the drive home. I stopped to inspect the car and found fuel actively spraying from the main fuel line. This was a serious safety hazard that could have easily resulted in an engine fire. The car had to be towed back again.
What made the experience even more frustrating was the constant stream of excuses rather than accountability or solutions. Nearly every leaking hose, failed component, or malfunction was blamed on "cheap Chinese parts since COVID." I never asked Doug to use cheap parts. My response was simple: if the parts are known to be unreliable, why are they being used in customer builds in the first place? None of my other cars have these issues after repairs.
The same thing happened with the Dakota Digital gauges that Doug specifically recommended I purchase. The speedometer was never calibrated correctly and currently reads approximately 15-20 MPH fast, meaning I cannot accurately determine my speed without GPS. When I raised the concern, the explanation became that "Dakota Digital gauges don't work well." Yet many respected resto-mod shops continue to use them successfully every day. At some point, repeated excuses stop being believable.
The most frustrating part is that Doug already had a detailed list of unresolved items when the car was first returned. During the additional 9-10 months he had the vehicle, almost none of those issues were corrected.
The car was ultimately returned to me with numerous basic functions still broken or incomplete, including:
Headlights turn on but do not open
Emergency brake does not work
Horn does not work
Wiper blades do not work
Passenger window electronics do not work
Passenger window hits the roof when closing unless partially rolled down
Dome light missing bulb and cover
Mirror controls do not work
Antenna does not work
Clock does not light up
Subwoofer does not work
T-top trim falling off
Oil leak still present
Dakota Digital gauges still not calibrated properly
After bringing the car home, I immediately notified Doug that the speedometer issue still existed. I received no response. After spending additional time inspecting the vehicle, I sent another detailed list of unresolved issues over a week ago. That message was also ignored.
What makes this especially disappointing is that I treated Doug with complete honesty and integrity throughout the entire process. At one point he accidentally under-billed me by $10,000. I voluntarily corrected the mistake and paid the additional amount owed. Unfortunately, that integrity was not reciprocated in workmanship, accountability, urgency, communication, or customer service.
The issue was never simply that the project took too long. The issue was poor quality control, repeated safety-related failures, unfinished work, excuse-making, and ultimately a complete lack of follow-through after years of delays.
I am now eating the expense of taking the car elsewhere to have the work corrected properly.
If you value your Corvette, your time, your money, or your safety, I would strongly recommend looking elsewhere. I sincerely hoped this project would end differently, but after nearly 4.5 years, multiple safety-related failures, unfinished work, non-stop excuses and complete lack of follow-through, I cannot recommend Bromley's Corvettes.
