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little frustration with t5 kit purchase

2K views 20 replies 11 participants last post by  22GT 
#1 ·
hello all just a beware story. I purchased a complete t5 kit from a very Modern company. The company will remain nameless. my mechanic installed the complete kit and the clutch would not release. He noticed the throw out bearing not in the correct location. Got on the phone with the original sale person who completed my order. He said yes the invoice states you were going to use z bar but we sent you a throw out bearing for a cable clutch. I said ok how are we going to fix the issue. Salesman said we will send you the correct bearing at a 25 percent discount and pay ground shipping but i would have to pay difference for overnight. He said oh go ahead and keep the original bearing no need to send back. he told me my mechanic should have noticed the wrong part and should not have installed it. I said if i did the install myself i would have relied on the correct parts being sent. His response was yeah your right. Anyway not trying trash any company just sharing my experience. ended up costing me an additional labor for the tare down and reinstall of correct bearing
 
#2 ·
While I had a good experience with that company it was not perfect. They did not include a washer that would have been between the clutch fork pivot and the fox body type bell housing but left probably the correct amount of space where the washer would have gone. Thinking it was loose I tightened it which left my clutch at the end of adjustment from day one so I know i'll have to pull the trans and bell housing very soon to install the washer-spacer.

Not sure what the attitude given on the phone call to them was as this can cause problems. If you ordered a kit for a z bar and they sent you a throwout bearing for a cable clutch they should apologize and own up to it even if a monkey was installing the trans. That is as long as we are getting the entire story.
 
#4 ·
I’ve read some mixed reports on whether that lock washer is necessary under the pivot stud. I got my factory style fox bell housing and clutch pivot stud from them as well and, although I’m not positive, I don’t think they included a washer for my pivot stud either. I will see if I can take a peek with a bore scope and see if I have the washer.

Do you have the z-bar or cable? I have the MS cable clutch set up and drove my car in the driveway for the first time last weekend and, although the distance traveled was only in feet, the clutch seemed fine and I’ve still got a lot of room for adjustment on the cable.
 
#12 · (Edited)
The bearing mounts differently to the fork arm and the design of the bearing are totally different, just like the arm. I'm kind of surprised a experienced mechanic, even if he had not worked on a mustang before, would assembly it without getting suspicious. A new type (cable) bearing will slide in between the forks of an old arm, but you can't hook the bearing to the arm.
 
#6 ·
Why would they charge you for the correct replacement part they should have sent in the first place? I can understand they didn’t want to pay for the labor or overnight shipping. But the replacement should be sent without a question. I would elevate it above the salesman to the customer service head.
 
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#7 ·
Why wouldn't they compensate the labor or overnight shipping as they cater to the average gearhead. At least the part and overnight shipping. The more I think about it the more pissed off I get. They screwed up so tough luck? That's stupid!

I guess I should be more careful with my vendor recommendations.
 
#8 · (Edited)
In 2010 I did a conversion from a C4 to a T5z using all new parts supplied by the company, I think, you are eluding to. Yes, it was a "Z" bar installation. I like to think, the service has not suffered a downward spiral.
So, perhaps, you should contact "Bruce" (if still there) and pose your dissatisfaction with how this was handled.
I own a company that ships products to customers both national and inter-national and have been business since 1993.
If I ship an incorrect part, (and we have) I contact the customer, apologize for our mistake and ship the correct part "NC" shipping. I email or include a call tag for the incorrect product. We endeavor to make it as painless as possible for the customer. It's our mistake, we own it!
So, do push it up the ladder. We do want to know what's going on down stairs.
 
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#9 ·
I had a similiar experience with that company over the incorrect bolts being sent and then the incorrect speedo gear. They got their feathers ruffled when I asked for them to send the correct speedo gear at no charge. They said they would send the part at n/c but I pay the shipping. I was like WTF, after I had to remove and reinstall my trans because you sent incorrect bolts and now you want to make me pay to ship what I should have had in the first place?

They covered it and all is good but I had argue about it and I should not have.
 
#10 ·
My experience

This is my experience with a certain company. I bought almost everything from them transmission, clutch, flywheel, shifter, pedal, cross member and Cable kit. The only thing I didn’t buy was the bell housing and Drive Shaft yoke.

After a year using the cable I put shorty headers on and I melted the cable and so I purchased the hydraulic kit from them. It never had full release and I felt that it required too much preload to work properly. The clutch always had this annoying slight shudder. It just wasn’t smooth like a new clutch and a new flywheel should be.

So after four years and probably 2000 miles I replace the clutch with the new Centerforce (there was no wear on the old clutch). Well after the new clutch the same old problem of not wanting to release fully and having to add more preload that I thought was necessary, but it was smooth.

I called the company and they told me that they found that the master cylinder that I got in my kit didn’t work well with some 69/70 cars. So they they changed from a 0.70 master to a 0.75 bore. The rep on the phone made me a deal saying the new master was like $85 and that it would cost me $50 and they would ship it for free. After a little investigation that the Willwood master sells for around $50. Well I replaced the master and it did work better.

But after a while I felt like I was taken advantage of. So I wrote the owner an email and explaining my feelings. I would’ve felt better if you told me that it was three or four years old there’s nothing you could do, instead of “making me a deal”.

To the owners credit he phoned me like the next day. We discussed what went on and then I also took the opportunity to talk about the clutch that I wasn’t really happy with and replaced. I found out that the company he used to purchase the clutches from that he purchased the company. He was interested in me sending back the old clutch for him to inspect and said that he would send a UPS tag to pick it up. Before I got the UPS tag I received a check for the price I paid for the master and the price I paid for the clutch. So in the end the owner did make it right and I will give them credit for that
 
#11 ·
yes I did give the complete story. I did not speek to bruce but he is still there. I guess I was not forceful enough and just threw in the towel. the salesman did say If I buy a kit from them again in the future he would give me a deal for the trouble I have been thru. The difference in the bearings as it was explained to me is it has a spacer attached to it special made. anyway if anyone needs a new throw out bearing for a t5 cable clutch shoot me a message I will send it to you. you will have to cover the shipping haha. the purpose of this was to make sure when you order a kit/parts double check the compatibility and parts received even though you ordered from an expert
 
#14 ·
westmus

yes my mechanic probably should have noticed. however if I had tried to tackle the install myself i still have the wrong parts.The mechanic worked out a reasonable compromise on the reinstall. I appreciate all the input in this saga. Just one of those life lessons.
 
#20 ·
Yea, the washer is a couple of bucks. It’s installing it that’s going to be a pain!
 
#21 ·
Your supplier should be sending you a correct replacement bearing at no charge. They screwed up, they are obligated to make it right.

Your mechanic should be installing the correct bearing at no charge, because, frankly, he's an idiot for forcing the wrong part into the assembly. The good news for him is it should only take an hour or two.
 
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