Man Takes His Car To The Mechanic. Then He Claims They Took $20,000 From Him—And Refused To Give It Back: ‘I Had To Call The Cops’

A man says a Southern California repair shop kept his vehicle for 200 days and refused to give it back. The alleged incident is raising questions about the rights of mechanics and car owners alike.

has posted a 53-second phone recording of his confrontation with the shop. The videe shows him repeatedly demanding the car and the employee firmly telling him to step outside.

The clip was posted by Phatt_Stax (@phatt_stax), a car-modification account whose channel logs his amateur builds and vehicle projects. The video shows him repeatedly demanding the car and an employee firmly telling him to step outside.

The caption claims the shop took $20,000 from him without finishing the work. In the video itself he says the number was $16,000. If his claims are true, either figure would put the dispute in the range where the creator's clearest remedy is the California Bureau of Automotive Repair.

The caption also asked viewers to "blow this up" and identified the length of the ordeal at 200 days. It has racked up more than 48,000 views to date.

Man Confronts Mechanic Shop

The video begins as Phatt_Stax walks into the shop.

"Give me my car back," he tells an unidentified employee. "We're going to call the sheriff's department right now."

The employee relentlessly offers the same reply: "At this point, step outside." The employee repeats this at least six times over the next 40 seconds while Phatt_Stax repeats his demand.

The employee adds that a tow truck is six minutes out. Phatt_Stax refuses to leave until, near the end of the clip, he does step outside and tells the employee, "You're right. And my property is here. I gave you $16,000. Give me my car back."

The audio ends with the employee going inside to make a phone call and Phatt_Stax narrating that his car is leaving.

In a reply to a comment asking which company he was dealing with, Phatt_Stax named the shop as "Night motorsports NMs autocare." Public records show two related listings in the Rialto and Bloomington area of San Bernardino County. In follow-up comments, Phatt_Stax claims the two locations are a single operation.

Nightmotorsport LLC's Better Business Bureau profile was under review at the time of writing and its existing complaint history was not publicly viewable.

The shop did not respond to an inquiry from Motor1.

The Legal Backstop

California treats disputes of this nature as a Bureau of Automotive Repair (BAR) matter, not a police matter. BAR is the state agency that licenses California auto shops and mediates disputes between customers and shops. Its complaint page walks consumers through the process of filing a case.

In most cases, per its guidance, "BAR's role is to help consumers and shops communicate and work toward a resolution," which can produce a refund, a bill adjustment, or the shop completing the repair at no cost. Complaints filed with supporting documentation such as estimates, invoices and photos get an initial response within seven to 10 business days.

California law puts hard caps on what a shop can hold a car for. A shop that did not follow the state's estimate-and-authorization rules cannot legally enforce a lien to hold a customer's vehicle. A shop also cannot charge more than 10% over its written estimate without separate written authorization. If the shop performed unauthorized work and is now demanding the customer pay for it before releasing the car, the lien is not enforceable, and the customer's route is BAR plus a civil claim.

Phatt_Stax's next step, per the video, was to have his car towed from the property so he could take it elsewhere. Beyond that, the California playbook is a written BAR complaint attaching every estimate, invoice, and text-message exchange he has, followed by a small claims filing if the money is under California's $10,000 individual limit or a civil suit if it is not.

Motor1 contacted both Phat_Staxx and NMS Automotive. We'll be sure to update this if either responds.