Poor customer service by Exitoffroad and Dobinsons (1 Viewer)

[Cocajun]

Sorry this has to be my first post. I recently purchased the new 3 way adjustable monotube shocks by Dobinsons. The routing for the hoses to the reservoir is very difficult. No instructions on mounting the reservoirs were included with the shocks, but they are on the exitoffroad website. There are two sets of instructions one for the front coilovers on KDSS equipped and one for non KDSS, of course we followed the KDSS instructions for routing the hoses. On the KDSS instructions it clearly shows the banjo bolts coming out of the coilover mounted out toward the tire. No matter what we tried the hoses rubbed the inside the wheel and tire at near full right and left lock due to the severe bow in the hose. I contacted Mike at exitoffroad and informed him of the issue. His first response was to say installation error and then went on to say if we followed the instructions the hoses rubbing the tire and wheel was impossible. I told him we followed the instructions on the website , more this later. He then requested that I take photos and send it to him which I did. After he received the photos he replied back that he sent the photos to Dobinsons and he would get back to me. When he got back to me I was informed that Dobinsons' solution was to redo the front and turn the banjo bolts to the inside away from the tire, that is completely opposite to the assembly instructions on the website. By Dobinsons own admission the instructions were old and for the non adjustable shocks. They are in the process of updating the instructions. It would have been nice to know that. Even Mike in his email to me said "the instructions are confusing". Sorry they are not confusing they are flat out wrong. He also went on to say this is Dobinsons problem and I need to contact them for any future resolution. The number he gave me just rings and no one answers. He didn't even offer to help me with communication with Dobinsons. Basically he said I'm on my own. Even though they both admit their instructions were incorrect their solution is for me to redo the front end at my expense. I wouldn't have a problem with this if they would have informed me that I would be a beta tester for the U.S. market (sarcasm). I'm writing this to both inform you guys and to ask if you think either exitoffroad or Dobinsons have any responsibility in this or suck it up and take it as another life lesson. I promised Mike I would be both fair and factual in my post which I think I was. I am not going to lie I am upset that I have to pay to have this redone and I know this is a little childish. But since I have to redo the front anyway I am considering taking this off completely and replacing the suspension. I may have the suspension up for sale soon. It is a very nice riding suspension, I just don't want to deal with exitoffroad or Dobinsons at this point and won't be doing business with them in the future. I just heard back from Mike and he said the installer should have checked for rubbing and the vehicle not driven and he is right. Not to totally defend the installer the rubbing only happens at near full lock and he correcetly followed the instructions, the instructions were wrong. I talked to installer, I'm not happy with him either because he didn't catch the rub I did. He said he followed the instructions he had and that was that. My problem is the instruction were completely incorrect.

 

[Cocajun]

Sorry this has to be my first post. I recently purchased the new 3 way adjustable monotube shocks by Dobinsons. The routing for the hoses to the reservoir is very difficult. No instructions on mounting the reservoirs were included with the shocks, but they are on the exitoffroad website. There are two sets of instructions one for the front coilovers on KDSS equipped and one for non KDSS, of course we followed the KDSS instructions for routing the hoses. On the KDSS instructions it clearly shows the banjo bolts coming out of the coilover mounted out toward the tire. No matter what we tried the hoses rubbed the inside the wheel and tire at near full right and left lock due to the severe bow in the hose. I contacted Mike at exitoffroad and informed him of the issue. His first response was to say installation error and then went on to say if we followed the instructions the hoses rubbing the tire and wheel was impossible. I told him we followed the instructions on the website , more this later. He then requested that I take photos and send it to him which I did. After he received the photos he replied back that he sent the photos to Dobinsons and he would get back to me. When he got back to me I was informed that Dobinsons' solution was to redo the front and turn the banjo bolts to the inside away from the tire, that is completely opposite to the assembly instructions on the website. By Dobinsons own admission the instructions were old and for the non adjustable shocks. They are in the process of updating the instructions. It would have been nice to know that. Even Mike in his email to me said "the instructions are confusing". Sorry they are not confusing they are flat out wrong. He also went on to say this is Dobinsons problem and I need to contact them for any future resolution. The number he gave me just rings and no one answers. He didn't even offer to help me with communication with Dobinsons. Basically he said I'm on my own. Even though they both admit their instructions were incorrect their solution is for me to redo the front end at my expense. I wouldn't have a problem with this if they would have informed me that I would be a beta tester for the U.S. market (sarcasm). I'm writing this to both inform you guys and to ask if you think either exitoffroad or Dobinsons have any responsibility in this or suck it up and take it as another life lesson. I promised Mike I would be both fair and factual in my post which I think I was. I am not going to lie I am upset that I have to pay to have this redone and I know this is a little childish. But since I have to redo the front anyway I am considering taking this off completely and replacing the suspension. I may have the suspension up for sale soon. It is a very nice riding suspension, I just don't want to deal with exitoffroad or Dobinsons at this point and won't be doing business with them in the future.

 

[Madtiger]

Please edit and put paragraphs or something....i cannot read that. Just looking at it pains my eyeballs.

 

[afgman786]

couldn't the shop that installed it figured out there was something wrong and tried the other way...?

 

[Karbon]

After dealing with aftermarket parts from all different manufacturers and vendors for multiple cars, the two consistent themes are that the instructions typically suck and you never get new hardware. Should the instructions be correct? Yes. Do they regularly have missing details or misinformation? Also yes.

At the end of the day, the manufacturer doesn't need to provide any sort of instructions. It reflects badly on them and I have stopped using certain manufacturers for similar reasons. I would put more owness on the installer. From my view, they are being paid to install the part to function correctly and do a thorough operational inspection. If the instructions don't say to put the wheels back on, are they supposed to give your car back sans wheels?

 

[dcs111]

Sorry this has to be my first post. I recently purchased the new 3 way adjustable monotube shocks by Dobinsons. The routing for the hoses to the reservoir is very difficult. No instructions on mounting the reservoirs were included with the shocks, but they are on the exitoffroad website. There are two sets of instructions one for the front coilovers on KDSS equipped and one for non KDSS, of course we followed the KDSS instructions for routing the hoses. On the KDSS instructions it clearly shows the banjo bolts coming out of the coilover mounted out toward the tire. No matter what we tried the hoses rubbed the inside the wheel and tire at near full right and left lock due to the severe bow in the hose. I contacted Mike at exitoffroad and informed him of the issue. His first response was to say installation error and then went on to say if we followed the instructions the hoses rubbing the tire and wheel was impossible. I told him we followed the instructions on the website , more this later. He then requested that I take photos and send it to him which I did. After he received the photos he replied back that he sent the photos to Dobinsons and he would get back to me. When he got back to me I was informed that Dobinsons' solution was to redo the front and turn the banjo bolts to the inside away from the tire, that is completely opposite to the assembly instructions on the website. By Dobinsons own admission the instructions were old and for the non adjustable shocks. They are in the process of updating the instructions. It would have been nice to know that. Even Mike in his email to me said "the instructions are confusing". Sorry they are not confusing they are flat out wrong. He also went on to say this is Dobinsons problem and I need to contact them for any future resolution. The number he gave me just rings and no one answers. He didn't even offer to help me with communication with Dobinsons. Basically he said I'm on my own. Even though they both admit their instructions were incorrect their solution is for me to redo the front end at my expense. I wouldn't have a problem with this if they would have informed me that I would be a beta tester for the U.S. market (sarcasm). I'm writing this to both inform you guys and to ask if you think either exitoffroad or Dobinsons have any responsibility in this or suck it up and take it as another life lesson. I promised Mike I would be both fair and factual in my post which I think I was. I am not going to lie I am upset that I have to pay to have this redone and I know this is a little childish. But since I have to redo the front anyway I am considering taking this off completely and replacing the suspension. I may have the suspension up for sale soon. It is a very nice riding suspension, I just don't want to deal with exitoffroad or Dobinsons at this point and won't be doing business with them in the future. I just heard back from Mike and he said the installer should have checked for rubbing and the vehicle not driven and he is right. Not to totally defend the installer the rubbing only happens at near full lock and he correcetly followed the instructions, the instructions were wrong. I talked to installer, I'm not happy with him either because he didn't catch the rub I did. He said he followed the instructions he had and that was that. My problem is the instruction were completely incorrect.

Thanks for posting. I was just considering the MMR setup... going to keep looking

 

[CharlieS]

For whatever it is worth, I just had a great purchase experience from Exit Offroad.

 

[crikeymike]

Yes, the OP's issue was completely installation related, and the day he reached out for help was after it had been installed and the hose dragging against the wheel for a while. Any installer should have seen that as an issue and reached out right away, but they didn't.

 

[Gazziza]

Mike is probably one of the most active and helpful vendors on here. He's on at least 3 forums I know and always seems to answer questions as best as he can. How he keeps up with as many forums as he does I don't know. I bought a few things from him when he was with Dobinsons Direct and bought a snorkel for my 5th gen from Exit Off Road without issue. So I can at least vouch for Mike being helpful with every interaction I've had with him.

That being said I feel Dobinsons parts are not always a direct fit. It seems like they try to adapt parts from Aussie spec vehicles to their US spec counterparts and it doesn't always work seamlessly. I've read a few fitment issues with their GX bumpers, problems with drawers and wing kits, 5th gen snorkel templates being off (have yet to install mine). Why Dobinsons decided to place the reservoir hose on the bottom of the shock and make it ridiculously long I'll never know and I'm sure there's a reason for it but it seems unnecessary and unconventional to say the least. There's always going to be a little trial & error and some customization along the way. I feel this is the difference between Dobs and ARB. ARB parts are direct fit components and install the way they should and how you'd expect without any need of customization.

 

[crikeymike]

If you saw these photos and couldn't figure it out, surely you'd call someone on that day right, not 2 weeks later after it was installed and had been rubbing all that time?

I've never had problems with Dobinsons parts not fitting properly, but I've had heaps of problems of installers not asking for assistance and/or not installing parts properly.

 

[300blk]

NGL, checking for proper routing and fitment of hoses is a pretty straightforward thing with these kinds of setups. I think the installer not being able to realize that something was terribly wrong is more on them than on the vendor or manufacturer.

 

[WCDAVE]

While the OP is deriding the manufacturer and reseller by name, why not the installer? Was it a reputable outfit with experience in suspension work, or a general mechanic who squeezed this in in between oil changes and brake pad replacements? I sometimes use a small local garage for this type of project - they don't claim any expertise outside of the Mona Lisa Vito school of Auto Repair, and an awesome set of tools but they do always check/work with me on installs to make sure they are doing it the way I want it or to point out any issues. They have even been known to fabricate new parts to replace those they deem inferior.... I am lucky in this regard.

As I see it, the OP bought a popular brand from an authorized dealer and had it installed by a third party (who followed the directions, but not necessarily sound mechanics). I agree with Exit that the error should have been self evident to the mechanic, but the instructions apparently were wrong - admittedly so. That deserves some kind of consideration I would think. It is frustrating since the OP didn't do anything wrong and is now caught in between a mechanic who followed the instructions and a vendor who admits the instructions were wrong, and the reseller who says the mechanic should have known better(?)......

I don't know what the OP paid for the install, but if it were me I would go back to the mechanic (if you like him/them) or a different one and get the parts flipped and corrected and move on. Much less frustration and expense than starting over. Especially if you otherwise like the ride.

 

[crikeymike]

don't claim any expertise outside of the Mona Lisa Vito school of Auto Repair,

Nice reference!! hahaha, hadn't thought about that movie in a long time.

 

[Lester did that]

NGL, checking for proper routing and fitment of hoses is a pretty straightforward thing with these kinds of setups. I think the installer not being able to realize that something was terribly wrong is more on them than on the vendor or manufacturer.

Correct. You should be able to drop a box of parts on a mechanics bench, with out instructions, and walk away. If something does not work because another part or parts is needed, you got the wrong parts, or something else. That is the mechanics duty to let you know. If they need to do a little research to figure it out again that is their job. Custom work often requires custom solutions. Mechanic, plumber, carpenter, electrician ect. All trades. If that guy that installed those parts worked for me he would be fired on the spot. He let it out the door installed incorrectly. If he didn't know it was incorrect even more reason to let him go. Rather be honest and call the client and tell them we are having problems this is going to take another day.

 

[ga12r1]

This is why I do my own work.

 

[Markuson]

For what it’s worth... My BP-51 setup didn’t come with detailed instructions either.

Pretty normal.
I mean... You order a part from Toyota, and they won’t come with instructions. Like... ever.