An Oklahoma mechanic accused of fleecing one of his clients of $115,000 in bogus car repairs has made an astonishing attempt to blame the ordeal on his wife.
James Voyles, 51, took on the project of restoring a 1967 Ford F100 for Tim Hayes – who brought the classic vehicle into his shop, Iconic Motors & Classic Corner Iconic Cars in Oklahoma City, in February 2023.
Hayes purchased the teal pickup truck for his then 14-year-old son with hopes it would be repaired by the time he turned 16 on February 15th of this year.
Two years later and just weeks until his son’s birthday, the car is still not restored. In early January Hayes decided it was time to pick up the truck even though it’s not drivable.
Despite being in contact with Voyles during the entire process, the mechanic – whose name and number is listed on the shop door – revealed that his wife, Charito Rodriguez-Voyles is actually the owner of the shop.
‘Her last name is Rodriguez-Voyles. She has her maiden name and then she has her married name because of her Colombian passport,’ Voyles told News 4, adding that the outlet should direct all questions to her.
The mechanic went on to emphasize that his wife is a ‘Colombian woman owner,’ adding ‘So, I mean, think about the spin on that.’
On his Facebook page, Voyles is listed as the owner of the shop, while his wife is listed as a worker. It is unclear if she is involved in the conflict.
James Voyles, 51, the owner of Iconic Motors/ Classic Corner Iconic Cars in Oklahoma City is accused of trying blame his wife after collecting more than $115,000 for restorations to a 1967 Ford F100
Tim Hayes brought the classic vehicle to the shop in February 2023 with hopes of it being ready for his son’s 16th birthday on February 15 of this year
Two years later and just weeks until his son’s birthday, the car is still not restored. In early January Hayes (pictured) decided it was time to pick up the truck even though it’s not drivable
Hayes brought the car to the shop two years ago and told Voyles that he just wanted them to ‘clean the motor up, clean the transmission up, make it look nice, nice, remodeled truck.’
He was told that the repairs would be finished by July of that year, but now, years later, the car is still not fixed.
Frustrated with how long it’s taken, Hayes decided to bite the bullet and pick up the truck earlier this month even though repairs were not completed.
‘They ripped it down to nothing on it and everything and just sat on it and then kept saying, “Oh we’re waiting on parts and we’re waiting on this and that”,’ Hayes recalled.
When he went to the shop, Hayes was told he needed to fork over an additional $12,000 and sign a non-disclosure agreement before allowing him to tow it away.
In the two years the shop had custody of the car, Hayes said that he was sent multiple invoices for the work that Voyles claimed was being done to the car.
‘Every two or three months he hits you again [with an invoice],’ Hayes said, adding that Voyles would tell him “Hey, I need it. Here’s another invoice.”
At one point, Voyles told Hayes about Title 42 – a law that allows auto shops to possess a client’s car as its own if the customer has failed to pay for the work within a certain period of time.
Hayes said that he cooperated and paid the auto shop more than $115,000 so the truck he promised his son would not be repossessed.
While Hayes tried to get to the bottom of his car dilemma, Voyles clarified that his wife, Charito Rodriguez-Voyles (pictured), who emigrated from Colombia, is actually the owner of the shop
Hayes told the outlet that he just wanted the shop (pictured) to ‘clean the motor up, clean the transmission up, make it look nice, nice, remodeled truck’
An employee at Iconic Motors/Classic Corner Iconic Cars told DailyMail.com that Hayes decided to pick up the car ‘not allowing us to finish it.’
Hayes said that his son has been left devastated after hearing that he won’t be getting his truck in time for his birthday.
‘He’s disappointed, you know. He knows he ain’t getting the truck,’ the father said.
In response to Hayes accusing the shop of taking too long, Voyles said that Hayes has no right to seek a refund for the money he gave the shop because the payments meant that he agreed to the restoration.
The mechanic also noted that Hayes never had a formal contract with the shop that clarified the cost and time for the repairs.
Hayes said he now regrets his decision. ‘I guess bad on my part. I probably should have got it documented on paper, but we didn’t,’ he said.
Voyles told him that repairs would be finished by July of that year, but when he picked up his car a couple weeks ago it was not in the same condition he left it in
In the two years it took for the shop to make the necessary repairs, Hayes said that he was sent multiple invoices for the work that Voyles claimed was being done to the car
Voyles said the reason for all the setbacks on the classic car were mainly due to staff illnesses and part shortages.
He added that the hefty prices Hayes was charged are standard for a restoration job like this.
When asked how he feels about Hayes calling him and his shop out for the setbacks, Voyles again brought up his wife.
‘So for him to try and blow this and turn this around, I mean, I just think it’s unfair for a majority or a minority Colombian female lady in the industry,’ Voyles said.
Voyles told the outlet that his wife is ‘very anxious to speak with you as a Colombian female business owner.’
He went on to threaten to ‘sue the living heck’ out of News 4, adding that Hayes’ ‘invoices and the business he did was with class corner iconic cars, my wife, who is very anxious to speak with you as a Colombian female business owner as I’ve also given you her number,’ he wrote.
Despite saying that his wife wanted to chat, the outlet struggled to get in contact with Voyle after that.
The mechanic repeatedly emphasized that his wife is a ‘Colombian woman owner.’ (Pictured: Voyles and Charito Rodriguez-Voyles)
On January 28, an office manager sent over a statement in reference to the car fiasco.
‘At Classic Corner Iconic Cars, we are committed to providing exceptional work product and customer service by actively listening to our customer’s needs, resolving issues efficiently, and building lasting relationships,’ the shop said.
The office manager said when Hayes brought the pickup truck in, it had to be rebuilt ‘from the ground up.’
‘This type of restoration does take much more time to complete. With this and any restoration project, there is no guaranteed timeline.
‘Mr. Hayes was fully aware of this before allowing us to work on the vehicle. It would be irresponsible for us to promise a completion date for such a project,’ they added.
The business said that because of ‘unknown factors’ that arose during the restoration process, the car’s completion was delayed.
On his Facebook page, Voyles is listed as the owner of the shop, while his wife is listed as a worker. (Pictured: Voyles and his wife)
‘Parts that are needed for older vehicles are often not readily available. Some have to be custom-made, others come from specialty vendors, and in many cases such as this one, needed parts were on backorder which is out of our control,’ the shop continued, adding that during that time, Hayes ‘decided to make some changes during the restoration process.’
The shop also said that Hayes ‘did not pay his invoices in time which caused further delays.’
‘We have always been in communication with Mr. Hayes to keep him updated on the progress and get his approval (that included costs) before moving to the next phase of work. We pride ourselves on offering restoration labor services well below most other shops,’ they added.
The shop said that because of the ‘many variables that came up during the restoration process,’ they could not ‘guarantee a completion date.’
DailyMail.com contacted both Voyles and his wife for comment.
