DeathCougar

*this was first posted on wildyoats by me, so I am posting it here also for you all to see*

Im going to write this review based on the following Criteria:

1. Service
2. Availability/Ease of finding parts
3. Weld quality
4. Door fitment to hinges
5. Door fitment at latch/Latch design
6. Door design
7. Price/Value

All will be judged on a scale of 1-10, 1 being the worst, 10 being the best.

*THIS REVIEW IS PURLY OPINION, BASED ON MY EXPERIENCE*

1. Service: I contacted Shaffers offroad via Wildyoats in regards to the tube doors. I was informed that they were on special for $250. I asked a few more questions, including latch style and hinge attachments, and recieved prompt answers. After sending them my CC info, the doors were shipped out and I recieved them on time and as promised.
Score: 10
2. Availability/Ease of finding parts: There website was very informative, even allowing me to look at pictures of the doors installed on various trucks before my purchase. After a bit of searching on various message boards, i finally found a link to wildyoats and athe message regarding the tube doors.
Score: 10
3. Weld Quality: After recieving the doors, I made sure to thouroughly inspect them for burn though, holes in the welds, etc etc. Im no expert on welding, but I know enough to spot a bad weld when I see it. Not the case here. All the welds looked good, and clean. The only thing I had to do was knock off some slag spatter before I got her powdercoated.
Score: 9
4. Door fitment to hinges: When i msg'd shaffers about these doors, I specifically asked if i could reuse the hardware from my old door. They replied that yes, i could. However, I assumed that meant there were nuts welded to the doors. Not the case. I had to find 8 nuts (hinge nuts from a Lexus work great as they are black and have large washers attached to them) to attach the doors. In their defense, I really wasn't specific. All the hinge holes were drilled in the proper places. The only real problem I had was a tube section was welded too far down, and the large-washered nut wouldn't fit on the door side. That had to be switched to the hinge side. Again, no big deal.
Score: 8
5. Door fitment at latch/Latch Design: This is where I had the most problem. The drivers door fit great, in terms of spacing. However, the drivers latch rattles like crazy. The passenger door, on the otherhand, did not fit at all. I had to take a hammer and beat the welded tab (where the latch is riveted on) back, to even line up correctly with the striker. Even once I did that, the latch still did not fit right. The spacing between the latch pin, and the welded tab that it strikes against was too shallow, which did not allow the latch pin to move down all the way. Another problem I had was the latch being riveted to the door. This makes it so I cannot adjust the latch at all. I now have to grind away some material so that the passeneger door will fit correctly, and figure out a way to make them rattle free. The other problem I saw, but wasn't able to test, was the design of the tab itself. While it works great for average use, if I were to knock these doors against a tree, they would come sliding up and in, completely bypassing the striker. The doors wouldn't be able to hold any weight while brushing up against a tree or rocks.
Score: 5.5
6. Door design/Final Build quality: The doors look great. And Like I said before, the welds were very professional and done right. Only design flaw I see, was once again in the passenger door. Its as if it was built an inch or two off, is it sits above the upper body line and sticks out. To the average 4x4 guy, this wouldn't make any difference. But for this review, im going strictly on looks. You can see it in the pictures.
Score: 8
7. Price/Value: I paid $264 shipped to my work. That to me, is an ok price. However, if I would have paid the full $350 plus shipping, I prolly would have sent the passenger door back for one the fit better. Premium price demands premium quality.
Score: 8

Overall score: 8 Im happy with the doors, and as you can tell in the pics, they look great. They just need a few minor tweaks and design changes to make them a bit better.

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