[TPR] Fwd: RE: Product Quality (Re: Fluidyne Radiator repair)
cengles at cox.net
cengles at cox.net
Fri Jul 13 11:14:36 PDT 2012
Dear Asa,
Hmmm. Things might be falling together..........I
hope. We shall see.
Warmest regards, Chuck Engles
On Fri, Jul 13, 2012 at 12:59 PM, asajay at asajay.com wrote:
> Guys,
>
> Late last year I contacted Fluidyne to ask if my existing radiator
> could be repaired. A guy named Gary Johnson emailed me back and said
> it depends on when it was made and with what assembly process.
>
> Since I had this guys address, I emailed him yesterday expressing my
> displeasure with Fluidyne's packing of the radiator.
>
> ... little did I know who he was?
>
> So maybe the quality will improve.
> Asa Jay
>
> ----- Forwarded message from Gary Johnson at Fluidyne -----
> Date: Fri, 13 Jul 2012 11:07:47 -0400
> From: Gary Johnson <>
> Reply-To: Gary Johnson <>
> Subject: RE: Product Quality (Re: Fluidyne Radiator repair)
> To: 'Asa Jay Laughton' <>
>
>
> Hello Asa,
> Thanks for taking the time to contact me directly to discuss your
> recent
> purchase of our Pantera Radiator. In light of the many
> communications we
> have had over the last several months on this replacement radiator, I
> am
> especially disappointed to learn of this final outcome.
>
> I am the owner of FLUIDYNE and have been the principle since its
> inception
> nearly 20 years ago. The issues you have brought forth concerning our
> overall product quality and our shipping/packaging processes in
> particular
> are extremely disappointing on many levels and will receive my full
> and
> immediate attention. Your unfortunate experience will be the 'Poster
> Child'
> of a new campaign here which will serve to expose all of our staff to
> these
> issues and make sure we quickly institute process changes as needed.
> When
> the process improvements have been finalized, I will provide you with
> an
> update via return email as a further gesture of my sincere
> appreciation
> taking the time to help us correct our deficiencies.
>
> Also, thanks for passing along the details of the customer service you
> received by our #1 Distributor, Summit. We are proud to be part of
> their
> product offering and will make sure they are made aware of our new
> process
> changes with regards to the construction and packaging of our Pantera
> Radiator.
>
> Sincerely,
> Gary Johnson
>
>
> ============================================================================
>
> ============================================================================
> ====
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Asa Jay Laughton [mailto]
> Sent: Thursday, July 12, 2012 11:37 PM
> To: Gary Johnson
> Subject: Product Quality (Re: Fluidyne Radiator repair)
>
> Gary,
>
> I'm not happy with Fluidyne right now.
>
> I decided to forgo pulling and inspecting my existing radiator in the
> Pantera. Being 10 years old, I was betting on it being the older
> technology
> and unrepairable. Therefore I purchased a -new- Fluidyne for the
> Pantera
> from Summit Racing instead.
>
> It came damaged:
>
> http://www.teampanteraracing.com/index.php?option=com_g2bridge&view=gall
> ery&Itemid=57&g2_itemId=5324
>
> So I called Summit and they graciously sent a new one and picked up
> the old
> one for free.
>
> It too came damaged:
>
> http://www.teampanteraracing.com/index.php?option=com_g2bridge&view=gallery&
> Itemid=57&g2_itemId=5351
>
> Now at this point, I'm not so much upset at Summit nor UPS, because
> the
> damage was done by the shipper. It was done by the product inside the
> box.
> I don't think UPS or Summit have anything to do with how the radiator
> is
> packed in a Fluidyne box. I can tell you, for certain, that a Pantera
> radiator does not ship well, in the new style packaging being used by
> Fluidyne. It sucks. It's terrible and it lends itself to damaging
> the
> radiator during shipment. I would almost be willing to bet every
> Fluidyne
> Pantera radiator sitting in the Summit warehouse is already partially
> damaged.
>
> The Fluidyne radiator I got just over 10 years ago came in a thicker
> cardboard box and was wrapped in thick Foam which prevented the
> radiator
> from moving and even coming close to contacting the box. I STILL HAVE
> THAT
> BOX and foam; I store my old worn out brass radiator in it, so I KNOW
> how
> they used to be packed. The new packaging paradigm, wrapping the
> radiator
> in plastic around cardboard, doesn't work for this radiator.
>
> Please review the photos and judge for yourself.
>
> I also have a bone to pick regarding the quality of radiator assembly.
> - The holes in the tank where the hose connections are welded, are
> quite a
> bit -smaller- than the hose connections.
> - The threads for the temp sensors are "rough cut" like the tap was
> run too
> fast and to hot, creating galling.
> - One of the hose connections is bent in, not apparently from any
> shipping
> damage, so this had to have been done prior to packaging.
> - One of the mounting pins is bent, it's hard to tell if it was welded
> that
> way or damaged during shipping, but I can't find any damage on the box
> in
> that area so I'm assuming another quality problem here.
>
> I -really- liked the Fluidyne I had in my Pantera for the past 10
> years.
> But this is the second one in a row I have had shipped to me that has
> been
> in poor condition.
>
> I'm going to be asking Summit for my money back, -not- for a
> replacement.
> This really grieves me and I thought you (or someone at
> Fluidyne) should know. If there is anything you can do to restore my
> faith
> in this radiator company, I would look forward to that.
>
> Thank you,
> Asa Jay
>
> Asa Jay Laughton, MSgt, USAFR, Retired
> & Shelley Marie
> Spokane, WA
> ******************************
> http://www.racingagainstautism.com
> http://www.teampanteraracing.com
> http://facebook.com/racingagainstautism
>
>
> On 11/10/2011 10:39 AM, Gary Johnson wrote:
>> Hello Asa>>> Sorry for the delay in my response.
>>
>> It is unlikely that your radiator is repairable [after furnace
>> brazing, the radiator is now a single piece of aluminum... i.e. no
>> individual parts to remove and replace] but if you can send us a
>> couple of pics highlighting the area where the leak is, we can
>> confirm the reparability of the unit without asking you to go thru
>> the expense of shipping it to FLUIDYNE for inspection and test.
>>
>> Gary Johnson
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Asa Jay Laughton [mailto:]
>> Sent: Thursday, November 10, 2011 12:39 PM
>> To: Gary Johnson
>> Subject: Re: Fluidyne Radiator repair
>>
>> Gary,
>>
>> Back from SEMA yet?
>> I still need best recommendation for repair of the Fluidyne radiator
>> in my Pantera.
>>
>> Thanks,
>> Asa Jay
>>
>>
>>> Quoting Gary Johnson<>:
>>>
>>>> Hello,
>>>> Sorry to learn about your troubles with the FLUIDYNE rad. We are
>>>> at SEMA this week and will respond to your question tomorrow.
>>>>
>>>> Sent from my iPhone
>>>>
>>>> On Nov 1, 2011, at 5:03 PM, Asa Jay Laughton<> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> Greetings,
>>>>>
>>>>> After a great 2011 race season, the Fluidyne radiator in the
>>>>> Racing Against Autism Pantera has sprung a leak. What are my
>>>>> options for repair? Can a local shop repair it or should I send
>>>>> it to Fluidyne?
>>>>>
>>>>> This is a Pantera specific model. The radiator is past warranty
>>>>> and has performed well for me for several years.
>>>>>
>>>>> I look forward to hearing back from you.
>>>>> Thank you,
>>>>> Asa Jay
>>>>>
>>>>> --
>>>>> Asa Jay Laughton - sent from somewhere other than home
>>>>> ******************************************************
>>>>> http://www.racingagainstautism.com
>>>>> http://www.teampanteraracing.com
>
>
>
>
> ----- End forwarded message -----
>
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