95.5-2004 Tacomas & 96-2002 4Runners 4th gen pickups and 3rd gen 4Runners

Off-Road Solutions, enlighten me people

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Old Jan 26, 2004 | 03:28 PM
  #1  
Flygtenstein's Avatar
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From: Fort Collins, CO
Off-Road Solutions, enlighten me people

Jayson mentioned in another thread that some people have not been satisfied with the work at ORS. Thinking back, I remember here or on ODW, that someone posted less than positive remarks.

Could someone post up here with their experiences, or PM me if you feel like being less public.

Please leave conjecture and hearsay at the door.

Please also do not turn this into a bashing or defending thread, rather as an empirical data table.
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Old Jan 26, 2004 | 03:35 PM
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I remember reading somewhere else, too. But, for facts, hopefully SteveO will chime in. He showed me on his rear diff where they omitted some gaskets , nad were just sloppy, among other things. Also, he had a really hard time (several calls, lots of waiting) getting the parts to fix his front shaft after the CO4RJ. So, two instances with one customer, for the tally.
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Old Jan 26, 2004 | 03:37 PM
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From: Montreal, QC Canada
Check out the problems in this thread:
https://www.yotatech.com/forums/show...threadid=25217
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Old Jan 26, 2004 | 05:13 PM
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All I can tell you is I won their sliders at CO4RJ and had them in my hand for less than 10 minutes before I sold them
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Old Jan 26, 2004 | 05:19 PM
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From: Fort Collins, CO
I have read John's thread and remember Steve posting about assembly things not being up to snuff. I thought that Steve said the pattern was right on.

Steve or John, if you are reading this and could PM me your anger or frustration if that is the case, I would be interested.

Alan, did Reapur cash you right there at the potluck? I remember things were moving quickly at that point, but only 10 minutes?
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Old Jan 26, 2004 | 05:34 PM
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Yeah it was pretty quick. He gave me cash the next day if I remember correctly.
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Old Jan 26, 2004 | 07:02 PM
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From: Thornton, CO.
Originally posted by HaveBlue
All I can tell you is I won their sliders at CO4RJ and had them in my hand for less than 10 minutes before I sold them
Well, you also already had sliders ON your truck!

John
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Old Jan 26, 2004 | 07:31 PM
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From: Colorado
Originally posted by Mojo_Risin
Well, you also already had sliders ON your truck!

John
Well, yeah, I couldn't sell those
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Old Jan 28, 2004 | 07:31 PM
  #9  
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From: Fort Collins, CO
This one.

I sent a PM Steve, but it said you were full.
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Old Jan 28, 2004 | 08:07 PM
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From: NM
Unhappy parts

Well, I must say I am not pleased with the work done, nor the service. Mike has done some pretty impressive work on his own rig, but I think that is where it has stopped. Before I drove to Colorado, I kept asking Mike how long it would take, and asked if he had the parts. Needles to say, it didn’t work out like I had hoped. I can imagine my projects taking twice as long, as I don’t always have the correct tools and have to make do with what I have. However, if a professional shop is supposed to have the correct tools, I would expect that they could at least keep somewhat of a commitment to a time factor.

During my rear spring swap, I found some parts missing from the 3rd member. When I removed the 3rd member, I found there was no paper gasket, as the manual calls for. Now, I know lots of people use the gasket maker goo, but if the manual calls for a gasket, that is what I would expect from a professional shop. The second issue identified was the locking plates for the ring gear bolts. There were none. At this point I questioned whether there was any to begin with, so I pulled out he factory service manual. Again, the factory service manual calls for NEW locking plates. I thought, I better double check, so off to the dealership to see what they had on their computers. Sure enough, I should have had some on there. So, a week later the special order parts come in. Next, I find that one of the side bearing preload adjusters appears to be a bit off. There is a locking nut tab that screws into the bearing cap, and curls down into the holes in the bearing preload adjuster. This locking nut tab was bent sideways, and it appeared to be forced into that position. When looking at these issues, I decided to take it down to the dealership and have them take a look at it. Basically, I lost confidence in the setup, and wanted a master tech that I know at the dealership to look at it. Its going to cost me a couple hundred bucks, but I’ll feel better knowing that the setup is done right.

I guess the thing that gets me, is the service, or lack there of. I called Mike about the locking tabs, and he stated that he didn’t do the setup, and that they use Locktite, and he felt confident that the Locktite would hold. The thing that bothered me is his statement of “I didn’t do that setup”. If I’m going to run a shop, I am the one with the most responsibility, therefore I would check all work before it heads out the door. And if a customer has an issue, I WOULD make it right at my cost. I sent pictures to Mike and, sadly, didn’t receive a response. I think Mike does good work, as evident by his own buggy, but that work ethic doesn’t always find its way to the customer’s rig.

Now, my 3rd member is still at the dealership, and I can’t say whether or not the setup had a good pattern or not, but I will post the info when it become available. When I pulled the 3rd member, upon 1st inspection, it appeared to have a good pattern, but I have not had the privilege of setting up gears. I have read about setting them up, I just don’t have the proper equipment to do it.

OH yeah, I forgot to add something. When they wired up the ARB switches, the lights for the ARB switches are backwards. If I dim the lights on my dash all the way, the lights will get brighter on the ARB switches. When I brighten the dash lights, the ARB switches go dark, great wiring job. I think at that point, it became a 'hurry up and get this rig out of the shop' job.

Last edited by SteveO; Jan 28, 2004 at 08:16 PM.
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Old Jan 29, 2004 | 11:54 AM
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From: NM
I called the dealership today and found that that a pinion seal was torn, as well as the contact patch was not correct.

Figures....
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Old Jan 29, 2004 | 09:41 PM
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I was fortunate enough to be able to watch the work being done, when my ARB and gears were installed. I even assisted is some of the procedures. The gasket on the rear third member isn't needed, so I don't have one on mine currently..... no leaks...

The work was done at a local shop, 4 Wheel Specialist. Total time for the install was about 6 hours.
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