Spax quality issues

[mitch1503]

seen the revised design personally this evening, as Dan has said they now come with a boot and no helper spring which was the cause of the rattle at lower speeds.

OP correct me if i'm wrong but didn't you purchase these on finance? and were originally trying to get a refund which of course would have gone back to the finance company, not been funny but if you've got to FINANCE mods don't bother imo

 

[bartebk]

So you wouldn't take advantage of 0% finance?
If you would you rather pay out 700 quid in one go that's your personal choice, I would much rather spread the cost out over 10 months at no extra cost, instead spending the money I would have pulled out on a turbo and intercooler for a upcoming conversion.
It's a blessing that I did take it out in my opinion of course as the finance company are doing a lot of the leg work chasing up this complaint as Spax don't want to liaise with me.

So no I don't need finance to mod my car, thx for your opinion though, and I agree if you can't afford to mod it don't do it

 

[mitch1503]

soo basically the finance company are just telling you the're chasing it up etc when in reality its probs only when you ring for updates that they'll contact Spax, they won't be that bothered either i shouldn't think as after all you're in an agreement with them to pay the finance.

Tbh if you have the money it's always best to pull it out on the spot than have that debt hanging over your head for just in case a problem does arise, this is why i'v spent far more than that in cash this month.

If you'd have got them through Dan i'm sure he'd of PERSONALLY took them to SPAX and said look this is the problem, sort it like he has done with the set of rears he previously mentioned

 

[sam JFM]

Imo you would be stupid not to take 0% finance

 

[mitch1503]

Just to add why would Spax want to liaise with you when you're not actually their customer? So that point i can fully agree with Spax not wanting to deal with you as to them your just a 3rd party

 

[mitch1503]

Imo you would be stupid not to take 0% finance

Don't get me wrong i did it in the past on my cred card but i wouldn't do it for something like this, something you NEED YES something you want NO but that's just the way i am

 

[Adamm.]

I'm with mitch on this I'd rather buy outright than to have more unesesary monthly bills to pay. I can see why people do it but I'd hardly say it makes you stupid not to get 0% finance on car mods.

 

[bartebk]

soo basically the finance company are just telling you the're chasing it up etc when in reality its probs only when you ring for updates that they'll contact Spax, they won't be that bothered either i shouldn't think as after all you're in an agreement with them to pay the finance.

Tbh if you have the money it's always best to pull it out on the spot than have that debt hanging over your head for just in case a problem does arise, this is why i'v spent far more than that in cash this month.

If you'd have got them through Dan i'm sure he'd of PERSONALLY took them to SPAX and said look this is the problem, sort it like he has done with the set of rears he previously mentioned

The finance company contact me every week with updates regarding this matter as they are appalled with the behaviour of a 'so called' professional business.
I'm just wondering if you have read through the threads/posts as you don't seem to be up to speed with issues raised?
It's PERSONALLY down to PERSONAL choice how people choose to pay for items I would say, I PERSONALLY don't mind a bit of debt 'hanging over head' as I can afford to do it this way.

I PERSONALLY think no matter whom I purchased these units from the outcome would have remained the same as the initial issue was to do with quality issues then poor customer service, not how or where I purchased these from.
But if your saying, had I purchased these from Dan with cash the outcome would have been different?
Strange that don't you think? So Dan has more shout than Spax and more importantly Frank Michaux?
Who it the MD for Spax if you didn't know, but am sure you did.
He would have then, PERSONALLY, taken the kit back demanded a full refund for the poor quality of the kit and then we would have lived happily ever after?

 

[mitch1503]

i read your thread which got locked with the issues you suffered with and no i don't agree with how its been dragged out but didn't they say about exchanging the rear shockers to you which you weren't happy with and wanted a full refund?

All they had to do was offer the exchange unit at 1st which they did which imho i'd of took as i'd of seen the original as been a problem set, and then if the same problem's happened with the exchange item's then yes i too would of been looking for a refund + this would of gave you a stronger leg to stand on than just by the first set.

Regards the customer service issues i don't think/know you wouldn't have suffered with these issues due to the fact Dan would have done the leg work and actually been wanting to get the issues sorted for you.

Had you bought them from Dan then contacted SPAX yourself as apposed to going to Dan as he was your vendor then i don't think SPAX would have really been that helpful with you as YOU WOULD NOT have been the customer in this instance either and it would in fact be Dan who was SPAX'S customer so it's him they'd want to deal with.

It's the same thing with plenty of other thing's that if your not the direct customer then that company won't deal with you as technically your not their customer or problem but the company you bought them from would be the direct customer

 

[mitch1503]

also as the product was designed as a Trackday kit it would suggest to me that they wouldn't be the best choice for the road as Track/Road is completely different for conditions of use

As Dan Mallett has shown his are still fine which will have done quite a few road miles now without any issues at all

 

[bartebk]

i read your thread which got locked with the issues you suffered with and no i don't agree with how its been dragged out but didn't they say about exchanging the rear shockers to you which you weren't happy with and wanted a full refund?

All they had to do was offer the exchange unit at 1st which they did which imho i'd of took as i'd of seen the original as been a problem set, and then if the same problem's happened with the exchange item's then yes i too would of been looking for a refund + this would of gave you a stronger leg to stand on than just by the first set.

Regards the customer service issues i don't think/know you wouldn't have suffered with these issues due to the fact Dan would have done the leg work and actually been wanting to get the issues sorted for you.

Had you bought them from Dan then contacted SPAX yourself as apposed to going to Dan as he was your vendor then i don't think SPAX would have really been that helpful with you as YOU WOULD NOT have been the customer in this instance either and it would in fact be Dan who was SPAX'S customer so it's him they'd want to deal with.

It's the same thing with plenty of other thing's that if your not the direct customer then that company won't deal with you as technically your not their customer or problem but the company you bought them from would be the direct customer

With regard to 'seeing if the second kit was the same quality' I'm not going to go through that again as it has been covered previously.

You seem to be 'bigging' up Dan quite a bit tonight, I am going to make the presumption that you know him, I apologise if this not the case but does seem that way to me.

You seem to be saying that Dan has more shout with SPAX than any other trader out there?
Is this the reason there seems to be, according to other members on here, a 'premium' on SPAX kits if purchased from Dan@519 automotive?
Kind of like an insurance premium if/when your SPAX kit fails?

Correct me if I'm wrong, your saying the finance company is the actual customer,which have been contacted and who are liaising with SPAX

 

[bartebk]

So any piece of kit that has been designed for 'track use' should not/never be used on the road?

That, I would say, is probably 90% of parts fitted to modify cars/bikes, so when they fall to
bits or fail that's 'ok' because they are designed for the track?? Laughable

I would have thought they would be made from superior materials due to the higher stresses and strains down to track use?

 

[mitch1503]

I have dealt with Dan numerous times as he's the closest specialist to me and with only been 15 mins down the road why go anywhere else.

I'm not saying Dan has more say in the matter than SPAX i'm just saying he'd of been very helpful in the matter of sorting the problem for you.

Re: CHIPS rambling's of CONSTANT BORING BULLSH*T he does not inflate the price, the more quantity you buy the better the deal the vendor gets i.e why a internet company can do them silly cheap as they'll buy a VERY LARGE QUANTITY of SPAX coilovers for different manufacturer's of cars which isn't viable for Dan to do i.e meaning he can't do them as cheap as the online middle man.

YES i am saying the finance company is the actual customer as they're the ones who PAID SPAX for the product even if the delivery note was in your name.

This will just continue to go around in circles so lets just leave that at that.


The revised item however does seem alot better suited in my eyes due to it now having the boot covering the shaft, if i was ever interested in fitting coilover's i wouldn't have a problem buying SPAX but as i'm not fussed on coils is the reason i haven't and sold the B14's what were fitted to a car i bought and broke

Hopefully your problem gets sorted as it's a pain in the arse having to wait for it to be sorted

 

[stevescort172]

^Same, if i were to buy some SPAX i'd just buy from Dan even though SPAX are up the road from me.

I'd rather pay a little bit more and have the satisfaction if something did go wrong Dan would sort it.

Hope you get it sorted mate.

 

[p@blo]

also as the product was designed as a Trackday kit it would suggest to me that they wouldn't be the best choice for the road as Track/Road is completely different for conditions of use

Roflcopter... Because race kit?

May just have to print & frame that pearl to go in the workshop.

:lolup:

 

[Cup_Phil]

Holy f**king s**t there's some retarded comments being spouted in here!!

Consumer law says any warranty should go through the retailer, not the manufacturer. The contract is between retailer and customer. If I was in Spax's shoes the first bit of communication I would of said to go through the retailer.

He is - they were sold direct from spax under a trading name, he paid money to spax, spax ARE the retailer and the manufacturer in this case.
The finance company isn't the customer - that's retarded, finance company just pays your invoice with a loan. Are you saying if I buy suspension on my 0% credit card that technically HSBC own my suspension? LMFAO

As to everyone saying "I'd have paid more and bought them through Dan" - did you smack your head hard while fitting your cheap coilovers?

Are you honestly saying given an option of £700 split over a years payments with no interest at all OR paying MORE to Dan all in one go - you'd go with that option?
The only possible reason you'd do that is if you know that Spax are a bunch of arses to deal with, and the kit is likely to need warranty work, and want the safety net of a middle guy! lol

If spax weren't completely refusing to replace/refund kit that was sold completely unfit for purpose which is breaking UK law then you wouldn't need a middle guy to take the hassle away. Spax are entirely at fault here there is no way anyone can argue that kit was fit even for track use. I don't understand how they can even suggest it was fit for purpose when they have redesigned the kit to address the issues with it.

I am soooooo glad after seeing the build quality of the Spax kit 1st hand that I went with a better brand!

Also and I really need to get this off my chest to Dan,Mitch and all the other "It's a track setup"
WHAT THE f**k TRACKS DO YOU DRIVE? Do you only drive tracks in the south of france and only in the dry?
Do race drivers dry their coilovers with wooly towels and then grease them up before putting the car back in the garage???

I drove a few tracks last year in the rain, then put the car straight back in the garage until next time, this means the shock absorbers then sit for 4-6 weeks wet and not being used, ideal scenario for rust, in fact considering what's happened to these it's literally a worse scenario for coilovers than driving them every day!!

So much rage reading these spax threads.

 

[mark123]

I'm with Phil on this.
​

 

[Dan@SJM]

Holy f**king s**t there's some retarded comments being spouted in here!!



He is - they were sold direct from spax under a trading name, he paid money to spax, spax ARE the retailer and the manufacturer in this case.
The finance company isn't the customer - that's retarded, finance company just pays your invoice with a loan. Are you saying if I buy suspension on my 0% credit card that technically HSBC own my suspension? LMFAO

As to everyone saying "I'd have paid more and bought them through Dan" - did you smack your head hard while fitting your cheap coilovers?

Are you honestly saying given an option of £700 split over a years payments with no interest at all OR paying MORE to Dan all in one go - you'd go with that option?
The only possible reason you'd do that is if you know that Spax are a bunch of arses to deal with, and the kit is likely to need warranty work, and want the safety net of a middle guy! lol

If spax weren't completely refusing to replace/refund kit that was sold completely unfit for purpose which is breaking UK law then you wouldn't need a middle guy to take the hassle away. Spax are entirely at fault here there is no way anyone can argue that kit was fit even for track use. I don't understand how they can even suggest it was fit for purpose when they have redesigned the kit to address the issues with it.

I am soooooo glad after seeing the build quality of the Spax kit 1st hand that I went with a better brand!

Also and I really need to get this off my chest to Dan,Mitch and all the other "It's a track setup"
WHAT THE f**k TRACKS DO YOU DRIVE? Do you only drive tracks in the south of france and only in the dry?
Do race drivers dry their coilovers with wooly towels and then grease them up before putting the car back in the garage???

I drove a few tracks last year in the rain, then put the car straight back in the garage until next time, this means the shock absorbers then sit for 4-6 weeks wet and not being used, ideal scenario for rust, in fact considering what's happened to these it's literally a worse scenario for coilovers than driving them every day!!

So much rage reading these spax threads.

And breathe. Lol.

 

[Heez]

Holy f**king s**t there's some retarded comments being spouted in here!!



He is - they were sold direct from spax under a trading name, he paid money to spax, spax ARE the retailer and the manufacturer in this case.
The finance company isn't the customer - that's retarded, finance company just pays your invoice with a loan. Are you saying if I buy suspension on my 0% credit card that technically HSBC own my suspension? LMFAO

I forgot about that part regarding that. However both companies have different phone numbers, etc.

Who said anything about the finance company being the customer?


Also I agree with everything else you said apart from them breaking the law about not refunding/replacing. IIRC he got the car with them on, hence being second hand.

 

[Cup_Phil]

LOL Whut?
Srsly?

He's stated a dozen times he bought them new from a company owned by the director of Spax.
He's stated a dozen times he bought them on 0% finance.
He's stated a dozen times that the payment went direct to Spax with an invoice from Spax.

So you think he bought the car with the coilovers already on and then took finance out to pay for the coilovers that came on a 2nd hand car?
How would that...? Why would you...? What?

And breathe. Lol.

LOL sorry - I just can't get my head around how illogical and stupid this forum is some days. I miss chip

Also if this was a thread about how K-Tec mapped his car and it was down on power and he wanted his money back - there would be 800 people all jumping on the band wagon slagging the company off and demanding he got his money back. Why some people on this forum bum some s**t companies but then relentlessly slate others is utterly beyond me.

 

[Dan@SJM]

LOL Whut?
Srsly?

He's stated a dozen times he bought them new from a company owned by the director of Spax.
He's stated a dozen times he bought them on 0% finance.
He's stated a dozen times that the payment went direct to Spax with an invoice from Spax.

So you think he bought the car with the coilovers already on and then took finance out to pay for the coilovers that came on a 2nd hand car?
How would that...? Why would you...? What?



LOL sorry - I just can't get my head around how illogical and stupid this forum is some days. I miss chip

Also if this was a thread about how K-Tec mapped his car and it was down on power and he wanted his money back - there would be 800 people all jumping on the band wagon slagging the company off and demanding he got his money back. Why some people on this forum bum some s**t companies but then relentlessly slate others is utterly beyond me.

I know mate. He won't be gone long.

 

[Cup_Phil]

Thank god - bit of actual honesty and PROPER knowledge back on the forum. It's just not the same place at the moment

 

[Dan@SJM]

He's on clubopd.com if you really really miss him

 

[Heez]

LOL I'm tired, leave me alone head is not on straight at all this week. I was thinking of another boy who's having problems.

 

[Cup_Phil]

 

[Heez]

What if I'm not at a keyboard?

Did the OP get a date for when the MD is of is holidays?

 

[Chris205]

I wouldn't have spax given for free tbh.

The quality of the item after very little use was appalling, I did give Dan a hard time about my coilovers and getting them sorted, so much so I ended up speaking with spax directly as they seemed to be dragging their feet/blaming Dan for not sending them etc. I was then told there's nothing wrong with the coilovers at all, even though I felt the rear was undriveable on the road.

I'm pleased that they've re-designed the rear as hopefully it is more complient on the road now and doesnt make loads of noises.

I would say I'd never use spax again, however I would use Dan for other parts as it's not his fault what happened with the Spax stuff. It must be a pita having to stand up for spax all the time to defend there build quality, if it was me I would not sell them and choose some better suspension to sell exclusively to CS

 

[Cup_Phil]

Interesting.

So Dan's arguments of you get poor service if you use cheaper suppliers than him aren't exactly true then as you had same problems through him

 

[...]

As Chip isnt here this week I will say it for him , spax are crap cheap shock , this has been the case for 20 years , they are no better than cheap chinease crap ..... in fact I am stunned that people pay good money for them in fact similar to decent brands .
Alot of people buy it and have no idea what they want or need IF YOU WANT A STIFFER CAR WITH LESS BODYROLL YOU NEED STIFFER SPRINGS AND ANTI ROLL BARS NOT THE DAMPING WOUND RIGHT UP !!

.... Spax and their customer service in 20 years have at least been consistant

 

[Cup_Phil]

*pats harv on the back*

Yup - cheaply made and sold/marketed as pro gear.

 

[Dan519]

Interesting.

So Dan's arguments of you get poor service if you use cheaper suppliers than him aren't exactly true then as you had same problems through him

nope, he got the same level of service, he just acted like an arse-hat from the start. Wouldn't ever deal with him again, rather stab myself in the eye

 

[...]

nope, he got the same level of service, he just acted like an arse-hat from the start. Wouldn't ever deal with him again, rather stab myself in the eye

​impressive ..... i usually say people turn into arse hats if not handled in the right way to deal with the issue ...... and if he had spax on the car i would not doubt nothing happened fast

peoples customer handling really shows through when the s**t hits .

He may have well been an arsehat from the start (for want of balancing the view)

 

[Greeny.]

As Chip isnt here this week I will say it for him , spax are crap cheap shock , this has been the case for 20 years , they are no better than cheap chinease crap ..... in fact I am stunned that people pay good money for them in fact similar to decent brands .
Alot of people buy it and have no idea what they want or need IF YOU WANT A STIFFER CAR WITH LESS BODYROLL YOU NEED STIFFER SPRINGS AND ANTI ROLL BARS NOT THE DAMPING WOUND RIGHT UP !!

.... Spax and their customer service in 20 years have at least been consistant

Im sure you're talking from experience of owning various RSX products in the past but apart from the rear shock 'issues' my front shocks are perfect tbh and my car handles like its on rails, what more could I ask for tbh? I've not experienced any bad customer service, but the lady I spoke to at Spax wasn't aware of the rear shocks issue, I will however be ringing up again about it at somepoint in the future.

 

[...]

Im sure you're talking from experience of owning various RSX products in the past but apart from the rear shock 'issues' my front shocks are perfect tbh and my car handles like its on rails, what more could I ask for tbh? I've not experienced any bad customer service, but the lady I spoke to at Spax wasn't aware of the rear shocks issue, I will however be ringing up again about it at somepoint in the future.

also what other setup have you had ? for similar money you may have been able to attain much better damping control (setup and spring rates are more car/driver dependant in reality on track )

did you need adjustable damping? would a set of b14's with the correct valving and spring rates not have been better ?


quality is so variable ..... and i have owned 2 sets over 20 years ...never again (second set came on the car ) and seen so many issues its unreal .

they just don't use quality materials or have much production control .


however another point ...... track only kit isn't up to whats thrown at a road car in daily use , Phil's comment of leaving them wet isn't really a fair comparison with the amount of s**t , potholes speed bumps that track kit can suffer from on the road ..... i have seen 4k's worth of ohlins fail fairly quickly in road use (but then what would no doubt be big mileage for a racecar)

stuff for road use needs to be a whole lot more durable at the reduction in performance .... ...... track biased shocks are all about getting the right results with utter consistancy ,coupled to light weight , but are designed to be rebuilt with much shorter lifecycles.

 

[Dan519]

​impressive ..... i usually say people turn into arse hats if not handled in the right way to deal with the issue ...... and if he had spax on the car i would not doubt nothing happened fast

peoples customer handling really shows through when the s**t hits .

He may have well been an arsehat from the start (for want of balancing the view)

not going into the specifics too much, but he DEMANDED a refund before sending anything back for inspection, (err... no) then took 4-5 weeks before bothering to take them off the car. There was zero fault with the parts when they did come back anyway.

 

[bartebk]

I have dealt with Dan numerous times as he's the closest specialist to me and with only been 15 mins down the road why go anywhere else.

I'm not saying Dan has more say in the matter than SPAX i'm just saying he'd of been very helpful in the matter of sorting the problem for you.

Re: CHIPS rambling's of CONSTANT BORING BULLSH*T he does not inflate the price, the more quantity you buy the better the deal the vendor gets i.e why a internet company can do them silly cheap as they'll buy a VERY LARGE QUANTITY of SPAX coilovers for different manufacturer's of cars which isn't viable for Dan to do i.e meaning he can't do them as cheap as the online middle man.

YES i am saying the finance company is the actual customer as they're the ones who PAID SPAX for the product even if the delivery note was in your name.

This will just continue to go around in circles so lets just leave that at that.


The revised item however does seem alot better suited in my eyes due to it now having the boot covering the shaft, if i was ever interested in fitting coilover's i wouldn't have a problem buying SPAX but as i'm not fussed on coils is the reason i haven't and sold the B14's what were fitted to a car i bought and broke

Hopefully your problem gets sorted as it's a pain in the arse having to wait for it to be sorted

That figures....................part of the 'Dan@519 automotive gang',all a bit 'school yard' all of this then?

I'm not interested in the 'revised' items as I will never purchase from SPAX and will steer anyone I come into contact with away from this 'joke'of a company
This all seems to me or in my opinion or even PERSONALLY looks like a marketing exercise to claw back any kind of customer base

I'll simplify it for you:

SPAX have now revised these units, not that there was a problem before, well only mine which they deny, and have listened to customer feedback (I'm guessing via Dan), because its all about the customer with SPAX.
Does this sound like a sensible assumption?
Or does it sound as ridiculous as some of your statements?

I am however more interested in what your mate Dan was meaning when he stated in one of my previous threads that I 'wasn't telling the full story' insinuating that I wasn't whiter than white?
Dan, please feel free to interject at any time and help your mate out with this query

 

[Cup_Phil]

nope, he got the same level of service, he just acted like an arse-hat from the start. Wouldn't ever deal with him again, rather stab myself in the eye

It's funny how customers given crap goods can get quite arsey very quickly. I've had to deal with that a lot to get where I am in life. It's just what customers are like and I've also been in the situation of being one of those customers so I can fully understand.

I wouldn't ever publicly call them an arse refuse to deal with them again and then publicly defend the company producing crap goods though.

 

[...]

not going into the specifics too much, but he DEMANDED a refund before sending anything back for inspection, (err... no) then took 4-5 weeks before bothering to take them off the car. There was zero fault with the parts when they did come back anyway.

in which case he was a tw4t , the car needed to go to you for inspection or they needed returning ...... within 7 days for refund if bought online or over the phone , after that only if defective upon inspection .

 

[...]

It's funny how customers given crap goods can get quite arsey very quickly. I've had to deal with that a lot to get where I am in life. It's just what customers are like and I've also been in the situation of being one of those customers so I can fully understand.

I wouldn't ever publicly call them an arse refuse to deal with them again and then publicly defend the company producing crap goods though.

this .... first rule of trading ...... stay away from commenting on internet forums .


never see mark fish around in the internet

 

[Cup_Phil]

however another point ...... track only kit isn't up to whats thrown at a road car in daily use , Phil's comment of leaving them wet isn't really a fair comparison with the amount of s**t , potholes speed bumps that track kit can suffer from on the road ..... i have seen 4k's worth of ohlins fail fairly quickly in road use (but then what would no doubt be big mileage for a racecar)

My statement about the "not for road use" excuse was only directed at these kits in particular.
They don't seem to be failing damping or anything like that they just rust - and they rust very quickly. Probably because of very cheap materials used in the production. It's an issue that also affects the cheap FK's etc...

Same problem I had with my last set of Spax - all the adjustors rusted and snapped off, the shock units themselves rusted and seized up.

I was simply pointing out that even if they had been used entirely for track use - that wouldn't stop the water/air/corrosion that these units are suffering from - the only solution to that would be to build them with materials that aren't cheap.