Modesto Customs is a scam, fraudulent and operates under zero ethical/moral values. Owner Albert Amavizca, aka "AJ", admitted to me on 5/30/24 that he used the money that I paid him for a front clip ($6,780) on his own house mortgage payment! This is only a slice of the pie of lies he fed me over the course of the 5 years he had my '64 Chevy Nova. I just recently repossessed my car; only to find that very little had been done to it! Not only were there parts missing that I had paid Modesto Customs for, but there were missing parts that had been handed over to AJ in 2019 when he took my car (rebuilt engine, brand new engine mount, rebuilt transmission, rebuilt rear end, new white wall tires, a rotisserie... just to name a few). In fact when I asked one of the employees where my tires were, he told me "don't know, but they had been used as rollers for other cars around the shop." When I asked AJ where all those parts were, his text response to me was "those are all gone" with no further explanation. Not only was I not able to repossess old/new parts given to AJ, there were numerous new items that I had paid for (like the front clip) that were not present upon repossession. My Nova was partially painted in 2021, but the remaining 40% of the car was never touched. The shop that now has my car now informed me that the car was never sandblasted or primed; which was supposed to be included in the $20k+ I paid AJ for the paint. Every time I visited Modesto Customs I met a new paint guy. They clearly couldn't retain any of their employees. Their communication is horrible and non-existent. There were often long stretches of months that would go by when I couldn't get a call or even a text back! When I finally did get a text response from AJ, it was always short/vague. AJ told me so many lies over the course of 5 years that he couldn't keep his stories straight as to why the car hadn't been worked on or when it would be finished. I would only get calls from AJ when he needed money for a part; "We're starting on your car next week, but I need payment for this part so I can order it and have it here in time." I didn't want to delay the work any longer than it already was, so I would pay the money. They were very pushy and aggressive to receive payment, but very slow to respond to any inquiries or updates on the car. In hindsight, they never bought these parts, they were needing the money for some other reason/debt. At one point AJ told me their bank didn't allow them to accept credit card payments anymore and future payments had to be paid to his wife's business "Winslow INC", but only via Zelle, ACH or check payments. I've come to learn that both Modesto Customs and Winslow INC have been defendants in multiple lawsuits over the past several years. Their record keeping and billing system is abysmal! They never provided any invoices and dragged their feet providing a simple receipt, if they provided one at all. AJ would just list things on the original estimate that he gave me in Sept. 2019. Additional notes were kept on a blank piece of printer paper. According to AJ, this was a "contract" per his defense when I first asked for a refund on undelivered services and parts. Even if it were a contract, it would be null and void as he added copy to it after it was signed by me. Not only did he charge me for parts that I never received, I've come to learn that he added a 30% increase on their retail value; way more than the average markup of most auto shops. The Small Block 383 Stroker engine that I paid AJ for ended up being a long block. So the one part that I actually did receive, isn't even the right part! AJ is quick to lose his temper and would threaten with inappropriate and unprofessional remarks when he is accused of not being truthful, or any time you ask or imply you want to take your car elsewhere and any time a potential lawsuit is mentioned. When I was at Modesto Customs the day I repossessed my car I had an employee call AJ, I asked him where several parts were, like the rebuilt engine I originally gave to him. His response was: "Just take the 383 Stroker, it's a better engine!" Of course I'm going to take the 383 Stroker.. I PAID for it!! Don't act like you're hooking me up with a better engine in replacement of the original engine I handed over to you to install. I never did get that engine back; I imagine it was sold and the money was used to pay off another debt. The last thing AJ told me on the phone that day was that he's closing and to "grab everything that's yours! I don't know when the landlord is going to lock the gates on me!" AJ refuses to provide any refunds or to do anything to rectify his illegal and wrong doings to me as a full paying customer. I can go on and on about how crooked this business and ownership is, but my time on this matter is better spent elsewhere and not on this review. You get the point. Do not bring your business here! It will be a waste of your time and hard earned money. read more