Bad shop review (1 Viewer)

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SFROMAN

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(If r Trdhis is not allowed feel free to delete this moderators. But my intentions are only meant as a warning. Not really to bad mouth an off-road business establishment)

I hate to have to do this but I feel obligated to warn ONSC members or anyone that would potentially do business at this place.

the shop is 4 wheel parts Raleigh location.

I wanted to get an alignment on my f250 and no shop would do it due to the size. 4 wheel parts said they would do it but had to pay half up front ($86) to make an appointment for today 7 DEC.
I dropped off the truck this morning before the store opened and parked the truck in a very specific location on the side of the building. Put my keys in an envelope and put the envelope in the drop box this was around 0835 this morning.

I showed up at 1630 to pick up the truck. As I pulled into the driveway I was pissed because it looked like the truck had not moved at all.
I went inside and said I was there to pick up my truck if it was ready.

I never received a phone call at all or an email saying the truck was done. I just showed up before the store closes at 1800.

They made me wait for 15 min. Nothing.
15 min later the first guy I talk to passes me over to another guy.
The second guy proceeds to write a work order of all these issues that are done with my truck and says that they couldn’t do the alignment.

says he can write me up a quote to do the repairs which he can’t really explain what they are other than the truck is sounsafe that they don’t know how it’s on the road. In my head I am thinking ok. This guy is trying to sell me services. Next he says my balljoknts are so shot that the truck is usafe and he can replace the four balljoints for$2500. He can also quote me to replace my pitman arm because apparently it is shot and has never seen an aftermarket one like that before ( it is stock)
Also apparently the tie rod ends are shot also so he will quite me to have those replaced also.
he says a few guys looked at the truck and they have never even seen a lift like mine. I have a stage 4 icon suspension lift.

then this is the best part.
He takes the keys out of the envelope and hands them to me. Guess what? I put the keys in that same envelope and it was still sealed. How do I know it wa the same wnevelope u sealed? Because I messed up when I sealed it and it creased a certain way. This envelope wa the exact envelope.

in conclusion
I think they never checked the key box or had already checked it and never even knew my truck was there. And instead of admitting to that they quickly tapped dance around why the alignment was not done.
they quickly scribbled some notes ( in front of me) with issues that may or may not be present with the truck.
then tried to sell me on using them work on my truck to replace balljoints, pitman arm, and tie rod ends.

work that starts at $2500 according to him.

anyway. That’s my story. I will never go back there again and I will certainly never recommend them for anything.

i know I am only out $86. But I think they tried pulling some bull**** and makes me wander how many times they have pulled that s*** on other folks.
 
PM sent. High probability I can help.
 
That’s total bulls***. I hate feeling of being taken advantage of...mainly because I’d never do it to someone else.

For me it’s more about integrity.
every day I wake up knowing I will try to be the best person I can be. If I am being honest it’s more likely becasue I hate people questioning my integrity. I like being honest with people and treat them with respect. So when people are or try being deceptive towards me it’s real hard for me to let it go.
I hate when my bull**** meter pegs out especially coming from a business that I have chosen to support with my hard earned money.
To be clear I don’t know that they were lying. But it sure felt that way.
 
I had a similar experience at 4WP in Charlotte several years ago and I’ve never been back. The only thing that keeps them afloat is the constant inflow of spankin’ new Jeeps getting lift kits, angry bird grilles and s***tybuilt winches. It’s definitely not repeat customers who are keeping them in business.
 
I bought my current set of front shocks from 4wp raleigh. Not a great experience. Paid, many calls and too much time later, refunded. 20 min after the refund call from them saying the shocks actually came in, etc.

Wish they were more reliable, because they're vendors for many of the aftermarket parts we consume.
 
Johny brings up a great point. Most of my business with 4wheel parts for almost 20 years has been purchasing parts, tires, rims, and lifts from bad ass companies that support our hobby. And call me old fashioned but I like going to an actual store to buy my parts when possible. This is why I believe this situation is unfortunate. Yes. They will continue to be a successful business without my money but I look at it deferent.

I feel like off-road shops and off-road enthusiasts are a team working together to make our hobbie better and of course to bring more enthusiasts into the hobby. Especially with a bad ass show room.
Which is why I hate bad mouthing off-road shops. Because we are suppose to be a team trying to keep respectful land use open for off-road enthusiasts not working against each other.

but this thread was not meant to be a bash 4wheel parts and let’s all pile on. I simply wanted to be informative and relay my bad experience at this particular store on this particular incident.
My last visit to the same store was last year when I bought 35 BFG KM3s for the mini and had a great experience and great customer service.
 
I purchased my last set of tires there (CLT) a few months ago. They called to say they’d arrived. I asked for an install date...3 weeks out. “Too busy lifting jeeps to have an open bay until then”.

Like Del, I prefer to walk into a physical business whenever possible, especially if I can find an independent. It’s getting harder to justify doing that.
 
This year has been an unusual one - one I cannot explain - for the aftermarket. We were down (reduced hours and staff - never fully shut down) for between 6 and 8 weeks when the COVID mess hit. Since then it has been insane. If it were not for those 6-8 weeks, we would be having a record year. Orders are flooding in and we are unable to keep up ... our current backlog is better than two months of production time. And this story repeats across the aftermarket. Shops are busy, manufacturers are busy, and the demand keeps coming.

just a data point to match with the - can’tsee you for another x weeks commentary
 
This year has been an unusual one - one I cannot explain - for the aftermarket. We were down (reduced hours and staff - never fully shut down) for between 6 and 8 weeks when the COVID mess hit. Since then it has been insane. If it were not for those 6-8 weeks, we would be having a record year. Orders are flooding in and we are unable to keep up ... our current backlog is better than two months of production time. And this story repeats across the aftermarket. Shops are busy, manufacturers are busy, and the demand keeps coming.

just a data point to match with the - can’tsee you for another x weeks commentary

Well good to hear! We all like a bright spot in an otherwise dark year.
 
i dont shop there.

try fuquay tire
Same here. I don't shop there but a lot of my Jeep friends love the place.

I'll second Fuquay Tire. I took the Cruiser to them to schedule an appointment for my custom caster correction. While I was there, the manager tells me the bay is empty and we can put the Cruiser on the lift to check the alignment now. I told him my toe was out but I needed the caster fixed. He understood but offered this free of charge. They pulled the Cruiser around, put it on the lift, setup the lasers, and fixed the toe. The mechanic that did the work offered to center the steering wheel as well for no charge.

They are busy and the only time slot for my real appt was scheduled a few weeks out. When I brought the Cruiser back, I explained everything that I wanted to do and they gladly listened. Caster is set to 3* with new OEM bushings in radius arms. Even with all the special work, it only cost about $90.
 
Take it over to Southern Wake Automotive on Penny right at Ten-Ten - close by you.

Just because 4WP is an "off-road shop" doesn't automatically make them worth our patronage. The employees should show integrity in every interaction; that they don't says a lot about the company itself. Aside from Fuquay Tire, Southern Wake, there's probably 50 other locally-owned places within 10 mi of you that would do you right, and keep the money in the local economy.
 
The down side to a company becoming so large..
 
I’m going to take the f250 to the fuquay tire shop. I want to do my 80s alignment with the caster plates also like Jonathan did and going to take it to the same place.
 
Same here. I don't shop there but a lot of my Jeep friends love the place.

I'll second Fuquay Tire. I took the Cruiser to them to schedule an appointment for my custom caster correction. While I was there, the manager tells me the bay is empty and we can put the Cruiser on the lift to check the alignment now. I told him my toe was out but I needed the caster fixed. He understood but offered this free of charge. They pulled the Cruiser around, put it on the lift, setup the lasers, and fixed the toe. The mechanic that did the work offered to center the steering wheel as well for no charge.

They are busy and the only time slot for my real appt was scheduled a few weeks out. When I brought the Cruiser back, I explained everything that I wanted to do and they gladly listened. Caster is set to 3* with new OEM bushings in radius arms. Even with all the special work, it only cost about $90.
Good to know! I'll go there next. Close for me too. Blacks Tire and Auto in Apex has been good to me for years with my '90 80 series, then my '00 100 series and now my '13 200 series.
 

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