My secretary (Charity) stumbled across HEAL-A-SEAL's site. She sent them a few emails pretending to be a potential customer. Here's the conversation:


> From: charityanng@live.ca
> To: info@heal-a-seal.com
> Subject:
> Date: Mon, 24 Aug 2009 15:35:27 -0400
>
> Hi I aready e-mailed you once, and I understand it was sent on the
> friday just past, so pretty much, over the weekend. I am sorry about
> that, and I don't want to be impatient, but please get back to me ASAP.
> My car needs help, and I have to do somthing about this right away. I am
> eighther going to use you guys, or take my car to GM, or some people in
> Ontario here, called Northstar Performance. Anyway, thanks in advance.
> -Charity


And no reply so again:

> From: charityanng@live.ca
> To: charityanng@live.ca
> Subject: RE:
> Date: Wed, 4 Nov 2009 11:18:08 -0500
>
> Hi so way back in Aug I sent ya'll two e-mails about my Oldsmobile
> Aurora. I still have not received an answer! I was starting to think
> that maybe you just went out of buisness, but then why are you still
> paying for advertiment? You are still listed as a paying, sponsered
> link. That in it's self is odd to me. I was also thinking if you never,
> even after 3 months, respond to your e-mails, out of buisness must be
> the reason.
> But my head gaskets are shot, and northstar engines I hear are horrible
> to work on, so I figured I'de try once again. I need something fast,
> like 3 months ago fast. I love my car, and scrapping it is not an
> option. I have done a tone of research on these engines, with there head
> bolts that loosen over time, and I have talked to GM tec. Their pricing
> is rediculous! I did however find a shop in ontario, close to me that
> will pull the engine on my car, drill and tap it, and install some sort
> of stud. They say they will also do all of the oil seals, and water pump
> gaskets all for $2200.00.
> This is my next option. All I am asking of you is to give me information
> on your product, and is there some sort of garentee?
> Anyway, please answer ASAP
> Thanks

And finally a response:

> Date: Wed, 4 Nov 2009 13:05:14 -0800
> From: Sales@Heal-A-Seal.com
> To: charityanng@live.ca
> CC: info@heal-a-seal.com
> Subject: RE: FW: please answer, my car is dying!
>
>
> ALL THE WRITINGS (AND ACTIVITIES!) THAT YOU HAVE DONE OVER SUCH A LONG
> PERIOD OF TIME CONFIRMS THE INITIAL IMPRESSION THAT YOU HAVE BEEN
> 'AGONIZING' IT SO MUCH THAT YOU COULD NOT SEE THE PROVERBIAL 'FOREST FOR
> THE TREES'!... (WHICH IS THE SAME REASON WHY 'REPLYING' EARLIER WOULD
> HAVE ACCOMPLISHED 0 - FOR EITHER ONE!)...
>
> EVEN IF YOU DID NOT RAISE ALL THE ISSUES THAT YOU DID (ALL OF THEM WELL
> COVERED ON OUR MOST INFORMATIVE WEBSITE - JUST RE-READ EVERY PAGE OF
> IT!), IN THE AFTERMATH OF ALL THAT THE ONLY WAY WE WOULD DEAL WITH YOU
> IS IF IN A >PHONE CONVERSATION< WE MUTUALLY AGREE THAT WE HAVE THE
> PRODUCT WHICH WILL SAVE YOUR ENGINE (NO QUESTION ABOUT THAT!) AND THAT
> YOU WILL LET US 'HANDLE' THE LOCAL *MOBILE MECHANIC* WHO WILL COME TO
> YOUR PREMISES TO DO THE TREATMENT! YOU PROVE THIS WRONG!
>
> SO, ANSWERED! YOUR TURN NOW!
>
> 1-877-BLOW-FIX - EXT. 17
>
>
>
> P.S. WE DO SHIP TO CANADA - SEVERAL UNITS EVERY SINGLE DAY!
>

Gee, they have amazing customer service, don't they.... :mad:

Oh and of course Charity's Aurora now has a studded 4.6 Northstar done by us.... the old 4.0 was still OK but the HG's were on their way out. Caught it in time.

She was very interested in how a miracle liquid could take the place of head bolts that need to hold down a cylinder head under combustion pressure...

They sound a little defensive, but then what would you expect from a snake oil salesman.

Very true. I just feel sorry for the people who fall for this hype and lose their money. I'd love to post that email on my website for people who are indecisive about the actual repair or the repair in a bottle. I don't want to start a war but people who are clueless with cars don't deserve to be ripped off. Take one of my customers for an example. He's lost with cars but a miracle chef. He could bake or cook anything and put some of the restaurants I know to shame. But when it comes to cars, well....

I really feel like posting a page on my site "Why miracle liquids don't work" and post that reply from them. Tempting. So tempting. They don't deserve people's business if that's how they treat them.

Some liquids might actually work if the bolts aren't pulled but how can you ever really trust the engine with a temp fix.

I would not start a war with them. Never know what legal issues might arise and you don't need that. Sounds to me like you have enough business to keep you busy anyway. Even if you put them out of business, there is always another crook waiting to separate a fool from his money. You could just give a generic explanation why repairs in a bottle won't work.

actually funny this would come up!.
my father before he arrived at you place asked direction from a towtruck driver parked on the street, well as any guy, he asked what he was looking for... he said to drop a caddy off to get repaired, Well the first words out of the truck dirvers mouth were " oh are you heads gone? i can fix that for you with out even lowing the engine. Any way my father then just got the directions to the road and left.

and beleive it or not that was just he said about 4 mins away from you.!
ask him about it tonight! i dont know the whole story as i was in your shop!
my dad just told me that on the way back.

I guess it's possible in some cases to get an acceptable and/or temporary positive result with these products, in cases where the gasket is compromised, but the bolts are still holding, which is not usually the case with our Northstars,

BUT,

I think what bothers me most is the very high prices they charge, where it seems like they are taking advantage of desperate people, like hawking cancer treatments in Mexico for terminal patients. The standard kit for a Northstar or other 8 cylinder engine is ~$120 plus shipping. It's a bottle of sealer and some flush and fill fittings - oh and some temperature labels. What's that worth, if bought in a store - maybe $20? So, what's up with the $119.95 plus shipping? Or you can add a drain pan and gloves and funnel for an additional $40.00.

I think you can by that crap in a drug store for $20 or so. I forget the name of it. Same stuff the government had dealers pour in the crankcase to seize the engines on the so called "clunkers".

Taylor I want to know what that tow truck driver was saying. Almost every tow truck driver around here has been to my place. Ask a tow truck driver in Toronto about getting the HG's done on a Cadillac. They know where I am.

If someone's trying to undercut me that's their decision and that's OK - but that depends on the method they use and where they get the parts. Without removing the engine it'll either be inserts (not the worst idea) or some type of additive.

Before I swapped the engine in my eldo for the one in my STS I did try a "miracle in a bottle." It was made by Bars Leak and had some ridiculously long procedure to use it. First you drain all the coolant out, flush the system out with a garden hose. Then you replace the coolant with a mixture of the snake oil and water. Then you heat up the engine to operating temperature and turn the engine off and take out all of the spark plugs. Then you have to let it sit and cool down. Then repeat that a few times. I went through the process and to my dismay it actually made it worse. I was just trying to buy a couple more months so I could finish the semester of college before swapping the engine. My theory on why it made it worse is that it just stuck to the headgasket and clogged the coolant passages through the gasket. I ended up leaving 2 hours early to get to college and I had 8 gallons of water in my trunk, just to make it there and back. It sucked.

Taylor I want to know what that tow truck driver was saying. Almost every tow truck driver around here has been to my place. Ask a tow truck driver in Toronto about getting the HG's done on a Cadillac. They know where I am.

If someone's trying to undercut me that's their decision and that's OK - but that depends on the method they use and where they get the parts. Without removing the engine it'll either be inserts (not the worst idea) or some type of additive.
Jake, I think he was talking about fixing it with a repair in a bottle.

AHHH crap. i totaly forgot about bringing that up! damn.
well my dad just said that he met the guy at and around fertalizer road area.

No sweat Taylor.

Ranger you're probably right. Hey, come to think of it, I wouldn't mind an extra 100 horses under the hood. I wonder if they sell that in a bottle too?

Oh wait- they do: NOS.... :D

Krashed- I really don't blame anyone for trying to temporarily help the issue with the pour-in quick fix- (sometimes in rare cases it will help for a little while) it's just when the companies try to sell $100 solutions that will "permanently" repair the issue- it ticks me off. It's their money, let them spend it, yes. But these companies are relying on people that are ill-knowledged with automotive engines and preying on them to try to get rich while doing nothing more than selling false hope. That's a business practice that I don't agree on. And on top of that they send emails like these to potential customers? And have a sponsored ad on Yahoo? Wow.

If the liquid they sell is what Ranger was mentioning (the stuff that c-4-c was using to seize engines) it would be terrible if that stuff made it past the head gasket into the cylinders.

Oh and apparently it fixes cracked blocks. I've got some engine blocks with cracked cylinders; hmmm....:hmm: maybe I should order some of this stuff....

The stuff is called Sodium Silicate aka liquid glass.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sodium_silicate

But these companies are relying on people that are ill-knowledged with automotive engines and preying on them to try to get rich while doing nothing more than selling false hope. That's a business practice that I don't agree on.

It seems to be even worse with the automotive a/c snake oil... R134a conversion and recharge "kits" that promise to make everything work better than it did when it was new... of course, that's only because the goop hardens inside the system and you end up replacing everything to get it repaired correctly...

I was horrified to see one of the AutoZone type places with a DIY video running in the store, show customers how easy it was to retrofit a system with 2 cans of their miracle additives and a low side gauge. Even more horrified to hear the counter person heartily recommending the R134 with sealer to a customer :bigroll:

[QUOTE=97EldoCoupe;2053685]Very true. I just feel sorry for the people who fall for this hype and lose their money. I'd love to post that email on my website for people who are indecisive about the actual repair or the repair in a bottle. I don't want to start a war but people who are clueless with cars don't deserve to be ripped off. QUOTE]

how are they ripped off? If it dont work for the person buying it the company offers them there money back..what I dont understand is why is your some one in your company sending an untruth email to a company claiming false things..To be honest with you this has kinda of disturbed me. Ted