BEWARE!! dealing with CalOffroad

[BlakMoth Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close BlakMoth]

We're gonna need more popcorn I reckon clarkie


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[crliin Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close crliin]

CalOffroad

thanks for your reply, we understand how frustrating some things can be and we are passionate about our vehicles as well. Of course we try and keep customers happy and resolve any issues. Originally when we sent you a return pickup at our cost for your front coils that you wanted to replace we would have been happy to pickup all items and refund so you wouldnt incur any fitment or freight charges etc. Please remember you never fit or tested these coils. With our struts and shocks they are long travel but are also set at a very safe range as the majority of our customers need reliability in their front end as they are setup for touring and the Australian outback. ARB struts are 543mm open and the Bilstein ones we sent you where approximately 555mm this equates to about an inch more down travel at the wheel. we can also make other mods if needed to be 565 575,585 and others. As you have requested 575 we are in the process of rebuilding your front struts to the required length and these should ship tuesday. Please note that a full shock length change normally costs as it takes us good labour hours to do it (but we are sending to you at good faith no charge)
We are glad you are exited about the CalOffroad kit and are happy to work with you on any mods you need to tune your car to be how you would like it. let us know if you have any other requests or questions.
also send us your shirt size and we will include a merchandise pack, T shirt Cap drink cooler DVD stickers.


regards


Cal Goodman

[crliin Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close crliin]

I am really interested in hearing more about this process. How do you test in Germany for AU conditions?

strength, valving and failure tests are done in Germany and final valving tests are approved after testing in Australia

[crliin Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close crliin]

555 is what we use as a safe length and have seen many customers pull the inner shaft out of the diff centre running longer. 555 is a strut shaft measurement not a wheel travel measurement. if you are running 575 and do hard offroad you will run the risk of pulling the axle out of the centre, or damaging CV or binding steering ball joints and affecting ackerman angles. please remember if you dont agree we can make it how you want at your request. We are not sure on what superior does as we canned our international programme with profender in 2007 as it didnt meet our testing requirements.

[Anth120playdo Banned Find all posts View Profile Close Anth120playdo]

555 is what we use as a safe length and have seen many customers pull the inner shaft out of the diff centre running longer. 555 is a strut shaft measurement not a wheel travel measurement. if you are running 575 and do hard offroad you will run the risk of pulling the axle out of the centre, or damaging CV or binding steering ball joints and affecting ackerman angles. please remember if you dont agree we can make it how you want at your request. We are not sure on what superior does as we canned our international programme with profender in 2007 as it didnt meet our testing requirements.

This is 101% exactly correct! Great info Cal.
Agreed 555mm is the limit of safe travel! Like I have said you can get lucky or not use it offroad lol........
I have seen where people set up hiluxes & Prados with too much travel, the inner tripod pulls out on too much angle & gets smashed.
Reliability is number 1#!

BUT, as we have mentioned earlier he wants the illegal 3" lift you sell & paid all the extra for diff drop & uca's etc to have 3", may even pay even more to get it engineered, so naturally you should know he will need the extra travel to suit.

Did you firm make a mistake sending those struts/coil overs? Or do you tell us they will be ok?

[zerosecta Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close zerosecta]

- So since there will be no further charges could you please go ahead and process the refund for the air bag spacers I had sent back over 1.5 weeks ago and stop holding it ransom?

- And just so that we are all clear - the Original Springs you sent were "Super Heavy Duty" so they did not need to be fitted to know that they would be to hard for a car with no winch or bullbar...

- I asked for them to be exchanged with Medium Springs to which your team did indeep agree after some pushing to arrange to collect and also not before trying thier hardest to convince me that I needed these and shouldn't be sending them back....
Infact something else I just remember from the phone call - He actually told me that the part number of the Spring I had, (the one with SHD in it) was your standard part number for your springs and that it was a medium spring as ordered so not to worry (funny how the third set that has come has p# HLHD150 nd no SHD...) Of course I smelt a rat and pushed for exchange, just a real pitty that the second set sent werent good iether.

- Since while all of this was going on and just on two weeks since I'd parted with my money I still had'nt recieve the struts in the first place - I figured that I may aswell purchase your aftermarket tophats and get the right springs installed onto the struts and thereby save a bit of effort and time. (charged $40 labour, cool with that). Should get refund for this though since the springs installed again had to be sent back (no offer this time to collect) and I had to pay for them to get removed and will have to pay for them to get reinstalled next week.

Still waiting to hear how you guys thought those progessive springs were suitable after they installed them onto the struts and would have been able to clearly see they they were binding at the top three coils and bulging off one side of the strut - hence losing any benefit of being progressive.


Struts finally arrived - however once installed the car sat way to high and the as said previously and can be seen from the pics, the springs were clearly not even close to being suitable for that strut length.

The Spring I now have - Third Set that has come is "Heavy Duty" and pending fitment I reckon should be good (although still not the Medium I asked for).

Looking forward to getting the struts back next week and glad to hear they arrived there safe, thanks for letting me know.

BTW - after the offer to collect the first set of coils. that I do appreciate I got no offer to collect the second set or the airbag spacer's or the strut's.
The Struts cost $38 and srings cost $28 to send back

[Anth120playdo Banned Find all posts View Profile Close Anth120playdo]

- So since there will be no further charges could you please go ahead and process the refund for the air bag spacers I had sent back over 1.5 weeks ago and stop holding it ransom?

- And just so that we are all clear - the Original Springs you sent were "Super Heavy Duty" so they did not need to be fitted to know that they would be to hard for a car with no winch or bullbar...

- I asked for them to be exchanged with Medium Springs to which your team did indeep agree after some pushing to arrange to collect and also not before trying thier hardest to convince me that I needed these and shouldn't be sending them back....
Infact something else I just remember from the phone call - He actually told me that the part number of the Spring I had, (the one with SHD in it) was your standard part number for your springs and that it was a medium spring as ordered so not to worry (funny how the third set that has come has p# HLHD150 nd no SHD...) Of course I smelt a rat and pushed for exchange, just a real pitty that the second set sent werent good iether.

- Since while all of this was going on and just on two weeks since I'd parted with my money I still had'nt recieve the struts in the first place - I figured that I may aswell purchase your aftermarket tophats and get the right springs installed onto the struts and thereby save a bit of effort and time. (charged $40 labour, cool with that). Should get refund for this though since the springs installed again had to be sent back (no offer this time to collect) and I had to pay for them to get removed and will have to pay for them to get reinstalled next week.

Still waiting to hear how you guys thought those progessive springs were suitable after they installed them onto the struts and would have been able to clearly see they they were binding at the top three coils and bulging off one side of the strut - hence losing any benefit of being progressive.


Struts finally arrived - however once installed the car sat way to high and the as said previously and can be seen from the pics, the springs were clearly not even close to being suitable for that strut length.

The Spring I now have - Third Set that has come is "Heavy Duty" and pending fitment I reckon should be good (although still not the Medium I asked for).

Looking forward to getting the struts back next week and glad to hear they arrived there safe, thanks for letting me know.

BTW - after the offer to collect the first set of coils. that I do appreciate I got no offer to collect the second set or the airbag spacer's or the strut's.
The Struts cost $38 and srings cost $28 to send back

If it helps out I can install the coils on the struts for you, once for free. I use the branick 7400.
Please p.m me if you wish to take up the offer.

[zerosecta Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close zerosecta]

Thanks for the offer #### - if you are near Point Cook that would be great. Otherwise the Pedders just up the road from me me said he'll do it for $20 when I get the Struts back so no major biggy.

UPDATE: Had a call from the man himself this morning. Seems like a nice guy and very keen to get this sorted and have my car up and running. So a big step in the right direction on this story.
Struts are confirmed to be in line to get machined and expect to be shipped back to me on Tuesday - Probably reach me by Thursday.

[MidLifeCrisis Out of control poster! Find all posts View Profile Close MidLifeCrisis]

Wait, wait, just grabbed a seat


Oops, just tuned in to this one.

[Fred63 Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close Fred63]

Oops, just tuned in to this one.

It appears you made it just in time for a happy ending.

[MidLifeCrisis Out of control poster! Find all posts View Profile Close MidLifeCrisis]

Bugger.

Its always a good thing when all are happy so good on Call and zerosecta.

I was just taking the p!55 but seems I'm either too late or too early, depending upon whether its a good argument or "mummy and daddy time"

[AJ120 Out of control poster! Find all posts View Profile Close AJ120]

ARB struts are 543mm open

There is so much bad info coming out of this thread it's almost painful to read, and to be honest I can't be bothered arguing with people, but I will say that often quoted measurement for the ARB strut is incorrect, the same measurement is quoted for the 120 and the actual measurement is 570mm. With some other mods I run an effective open length of 576mm without issue.

Cheers Andrew

[Mattfunk 120 Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close Mattfunk 120]

There is so much bad info coming out of this thread it's almost painful to read, and to be honest I can't be bothered arguing with people, but I will say that often quoted measurement for the ARB strut is incorrect, the same measurement is quoted for the 120 and the actual measurement is 570mm. With some other mods I run an effective open length of 576mm without issue.

Cheers Andrew

I'd be interested to know why? Trying to understand as much as I can about suspension. Please learn the ignorant.
Matt

[AJ120 Out of control poster! Find all posts View Profile Close AJ120]

It's easy to measure an ARB strut to confirm that it does in fact have an open length of 543mm as so often quoted, have a look below for proof positive!







Obviously 543mm open length, cant be disputed as you have the photographic evidence right!

Cheers Andrew

[AJ120 Out of control poster! Find all posts View Profile Close AJ120]

Well it can be disputed if you get the whole story, and measure the strut as installed.







And it's like magic, all of a sudden the measurement is actually 570mm.

In my case I run a strut top spacer making the "effective" open length 576mm.

Those struts in the picture and my vehicle is a 120 and this is a 150 thread, but I have had this discussion previously and the 150 is the same deal.

Cheers Andrew