**Bad VW part vendor WARNING list**

Timmahhhh

Well-known member
Joined
Oct 1, 2011
Location
Glendora California
TDI
2005 Jetta Wagon 5 Speed
I just cut and pasted them from the top of the post. I am toying with the idea of a suing them on principal. It would be fun to start a class action. Who on here has been ripped off by Rothenbacher and how?
 

Timmahhhh

Well-known member
Joined
Oct 1, 2011
Location
Glendora California
TDI
2005 Jetta Wagon 5 Speed
Suburban TDI posted all the past websites and did a pretty good job of tracking this guy down, so I think suburban TDI got burned pretty good by prothe.
 

AARodriguez Corp.

TDIClub Enthusiast, Vendor , w/Business number
Joined
Nov 30, 2008
Location
South East USA
TDI
2009 JSW and Golf 2004 TDI
Sigh... just found a self-admitted distributor for Prothe a. K. A. Hans Auto

Universal Motor Sales in Miami
 

SuburbanTDI

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 5, 2004
Location
Midwest
TDI
Beetle TDI, and two Jetta TDI

High_on_TDI

Active member
Joined
Jun 26, 2011
Location
andover ma
TDI
97 Piss-rat for me, 03 jetta for the sis
Hans diesel testimony

Ordered some springs,back struts and a passenger side mirror from hansdieselparts about a month ago, and just got around to trying to put them in. first I put I take a look at the "OEM" mirror, which is supposed to be heated, its not. I install it, then sit in the drivers seat to adjust it. its off by quite a bit and at such an angle, that if I was to use it on the highway, all I would be able to see is the car in lane next to me. So I pull off the mirror, swap it onto the old housing, I can deal with no heat, ut atleast I can see on my passenger side now.

Pulled my back struts yesterday and Went to install the new ones from hans(Prothe) and come to find, they're front struts, newer passat? springs also don' fit, the're tiny!


Now its too late to return them and I have $150 in chinese s-crap sitting in my garage and 4-5hours of time wasted.:mad:


I just wanted all you newbies and bargain-binners like myself to be aware of what your getting into when you buy from prothe/Hans
 
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JSWTDI09

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Jan 31, 2009
Location
Las Vegas, Nevada
TDI
2009 JSW TDI (gone but not forgotten)
Hans Diesel is just the latest incarnation of Prothe (do a search on that name). He is a well known seller of C.R.A.P. (Chinese Replacement Auto Parts). He has probably trashed more TDIs than any other single person in the world. Whenever his reputation gets too bad, he just changes the name of his companies and starts ripping people off under a new name. He also has a site selling Mazda parts and probably others as well. Beware of Prothe (Peter Rothenbacher) no matter what the name of his current company!

Have Fun!

Don
 

jpsum

Vendor
Joined
Jan 30, 2011
Location
CT
TDI
2010
Ordered some springs,back struts and a passenger side mirror from hansdieselparts about a month ago, and just got around to trying to put them in. first I put I take a look at the "OEM" mirror, which is supposed to be heated, its not. I install it, then sit in the drivers seat to adjust it. its off by quite a bit and at such an angle, that if I was to use it on the highway, all I would be able to see is the car in lane next to me. So I pull off the mirror, swap it onto the old housing, I can deal with no heat, ut atleast I can see on my passenger side now.

Pulled my back struts yesterday and Went to install the new ones from hans(Prothe) and come to find, they're front struts, newer passat? springs also don' fit, the're tiny!


Now its too late to return them and I have $150 in chinese s-crap sitting in my garage and 4-5hours of time wasted.:mad:


I just wanted all you newbies and bargain-binners like myself to be aware of what your getting into when you buy from prothe/Hans

He claims to have an A+ BBB rating on his site, but he is only rated at B+.

http://www.bbb.org/charlotte/busine...othenbacher-engineering-in-matthews-nc-215356


I just sent an email to BBB and reported this.
 
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SuburbanTDI

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 5, 2004
Location
Midwest
TDI
Beetle TDI, and two Jetta TDI
I've added another half dozen or so false fronts to the list including Roth Engines. BKMetz also added a link to the original post of mine yesterday.

So it's still evolving and metastasizing. It looks like he's pushing into Europe where he can play off of the cheap US Dollar and still be ahead of his terrible reputation before they catch on to him there.
 

VeeDubTDI

Wanderluster, Traveler, TDIClub Enthusiast
Joined
Jul 2, 2000
Location
Springfield, VA
TDI
‘18 Tesla Model 3D+, ‘14 Cadillac ELR, ‘13 Fiat 500e
His BBB rating is indeed down to a B+. Keep the complaints coming and it will go down even more. Anyone who has ever had a problem with this guy needs to file a complaint. It's a long and tedious process, but if we're diligent, or efforts will pay off.
 

ryanp

Vendor
Joined
Jun 22, 2008
Location
Barnsley, South Yorkshire, UK
TDI
Arosa CR - 550hp - 9.7 @ 150mph 1/4 Mile, Citigo 4x4 CR TDi - 340hp, Caddy 2.0 CR 4x4 TDI - 300+hp, Golf Mk2 Van 1.9 TDI - was 290hp, Mk5 Ibiza 2.0 FR TDi - 270hp, BMW 135d - 360hp, BMW 330d - 335hp, BMW 335d - 380hp + a few more ........
ebay.co.uk/sch/prothe/m.htmlhash=item4cfb3f2e52&item=330632736338&pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&_trksid=p4340.l2562

He is in the UK now selling his crap
 
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JSWTDI09

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Jan 31, 2009
Location
Las Vegas, Nevada
TDI
2009 JSW TDI (gone but not forgotten)
But look at his 99.2% positive customer rating!
That's because most eBay buyers post feedback immediately after receiving the goods. The ratings are mostly about fast shipping, etc. Most of Prothe's parts do not fail until after they are installed (sometimes weeks after) which means after the seller feedback has been posted. There is no easy way to go back and change your feedback after it has been posted on eBay. The parts often look OK when they arrive, its only later that you learn that they were C.R.A.P.

Have Fun!

Don
 

Rob_MacCara

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 16, 2004
Location
Halifax, NS
TDI
Audi Q3 gasser
Sorry, my post was facetious (hence the exclamation point at the end)!
I went through and actually read the negative posts over the past year, and then wondered why folks would order from him after reading his replies to complaints... I always check a seller's feedback prior to ordering something from eBay.
 

edvinm

Active member
Joined
Oct 4, 2010
Location
Florida
TDI
2006 VW Jetta TDI
I'd agree for the vast majority of mentions of him here onsite - but having it linked one time in this one place as an aggregation increases the chance that Google will direct traffic here for any search done on him.
Thats how I found this thread and I am glad I did as I was just about to order fuel filters from him. Thanks for the warning.
 

williamgd2

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 5, 2011
Location
West Hartford Ct
TDI
2010 Jetta
On Feb 4 2012 I purchased a Dynaudio amp wiring harness from NAVISERVICE.COM.PL I paid using Paypal doing a transfer from my checking to Paypal to NAVISERVICE. I Never recieved anything from them.I tryed to file a complaint through Paypal and Paypal refused because it didn't meet there guidelines. I have tryed to email NAVISERVICE with all the transaction information in the email and they never respond. Tryed calling and I get a person who does not speak english and can not direct me to someone who speaks English. I thought I was dealing with a reputable company when I ordered but NO I was ripped off by NAVISERVICE.COM.PL DO NOT DEAL WITH THEM!
 

ymz

Top Post Dawg
Joined
May 12, 2003
Location
Between Toronto & Montreal
TDI
2003 Jetta TDI Wagon, 2003 Jetta TDI Wagon
Paypal refused because it didn't meet there guidelines.
Did you use PayPal with a credit card or directly from a bank account? If the former, your credit card company may be able to help. (If the latter, it's harder, but it's possible that your bank's fraud department may be able to assist...)

Good luck,

Yuri
 

williamgd2

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 5, 2011
Location
West Hartford Ct
TDI
2010 Jetta
I paid with a transfere from my checking to Paypal.My bank says its on Paypal.Paypal says its past 45 days I'm out of luck.I only waited so long because its a custom made harness. I'm not liking Paypal too much any more. I'm out $180.00
 

Stealth TDI

Pre-Forum Veteran Member
Joined
Feb 13, 1998
Location
Newport News, VA
TDI
2017 GTI APR Stage 3 (395 hp/376 lb-ft)
Yup. PayPal won't help after 45 days. That's their policy as presented up front. That's why I don't use them to buy stuff from overseas, especially stuff that's being made for me and may have a long turnaround. :( But PayPal's been great for local purchases. :)
 

crider1985

Member
Joined
Mar 25, 2012
Location
greenup, ky
TDI
1.9 tdi
Thanks for the link to the thread. Im new to the site, and the world of TDI i came across his site just googling. Im suppose to be getting a VNT15 from there today. Wish id had the link before i ordered, but still kinda new to the site and finding info.
 

JSWTDI09

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Jan 31, 2009
Location
Las Vegas, Nevada
TDI
2009 JSW TDI (gone but not forgotten)
Please do not include live (clickable) links to Prothe's sites. The more often Google sees links to a site, the higher they appear on their search results. Inserting clickable links to his sites only helps his businesses (and we do not want to do that).

Have Fun!

Don
 
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bhtooefr

TDIClub Enthusiast, ToofTek Inventor
Joined
Oct 16, 2005
Location
Newark, OH
TDI
None
Best to not put them in the quotes, either. ;)

My preferred method is to put the actual URL, as is found in the OP, but wrap it in [noparse] tags, like this:

[noparse]www.chinesegarbageparts.com[noparse]
 

turbocharged798

Veteran Member
Joined
May 21, 2009
Location
Ellenville, NY
TDI
99.5 black ALH Jetta;09 Gasser Jetta
Have you guys seen prothe's latest negative feedback on ebay? it made me LOL when I read it.

http://feedback.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewFeedback2&userid=prothe&iid=370598296311&de=off&items=25&which=negative&interval=365&_trkparms=negative_365

Not sure if the link works, but:

it was peace of **** Buyer: ola83antti ( 5 ) Mar-17-12 02:53
Reply by prothe (Mar-19-12 06:44):
This is inappropiate feedback. You could at least contact us &explain your issue
K04 Turbocharger Turbo VW Jetta Golf Audi A3 TT 1.8T (#390384409552
 
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Toby_B

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 14, 2007
Location
wilmington il
TDI
2000 audi tt alh swap, 2014 chevy cruze diesel that replaced 2012 jetta tdi, 2008 dodge cummins
i recently had bad luck with 2 venders, metalmanparts.com and evwparts.com. ordered a new alh injection pump from metalman and they called and cacelled the order due to not being able to get one, then i call evwparts to see if they had one before i pay for it, the guy from there says he is sure they have one and its good to order it. so i ordered it online and pay for 2 day express shipping for $46, and a suprise $49.95 for shipping insurance that wasnt noted anywhere on there website. the next day the guy calls me to say he cant get a new pump but has a remanufactured one but the price is the same and i have to return a core now, i really need the pump so i tell him to ship it, wait 3 days and call to see where my in stock 2 day shipping pump is, and get told it is coming from a supplier and he has no other info. i ask if it is direct ship to me and he says no, it comes to them and then to me. so i ask when i will get it and he has no clue. now i have either to wait for a pump that will come who knows when or get a refund and go to midwest fuel injection for a cheaper rebuilt pump instead of a not new probably rebuilt pump from who knows where.
 

Jens590

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 30, 2009
Location
Comox BC Canada
TDI
01 TDI Jetta
I was wondering about this guy the prices for ALH IP just seemed too good to be true thank F**k i found this thread before ordering a supposed "100% bosch parts rebuilt 11mm IP" thanks guys you probably just saved my engine and me a **** ton of money. speaking of which anyone know where i can find a place in canada to get a re-built 11mm IP?
 

AARodriguez Corp.

TDIClub Enthusiast, Vendor , w/Business number
Joined
Nov 30, 2008
Location
South East USA
TDI
2009 JSW and Golf 2004 TDI
I was wondering about this guy the prices for ALH IP just seemed too good to be true thank F**k i found this thread before ordering a supposed "100% bosch parts rebuilt 11mm IP" thanks guys you probably just saved my engine and me a **** ton of money. speaking of which anyone know where i can find a place in canada to get a re-built 11mm IP?

I'm not sure which vendor you were referring to, but Metalman is a great vendor, we all make mistakes.
 
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