[TPR] Fwd: RE: Product Quality (Re: Fluidyne Radiator repair)

Fri Jul 13 14:11:26 PDT 2012

Asa, and all,

It will be interesting to see if this communication from Mr. Johnson comes 
true.  Or if it is only damage control.  (I wonder if he is on the Pantera 
list, or the TPR list?)  We (the Pantera community) can always use more 
honest vendors.

Waiting for the final story . . .

David
----- Original Message ----- 
From: <asajay at asajay.com>
To: <tpr at teampanteraracing.com>
Sent: Friday, July 13, 2012 11:59 AM
Subject: [TPR] Fwd: RE: Product Quality (Re: Fluidyne Radiator repair)

> 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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