[ZX3TUNING]

what is your opinion on them.

As some of you guys know, i'm the Canadian Distributor for FC parts.
i was wondering what the public opinion of FC parts and service was?

Being that i'm the Canadian Dist for them, i would really like to help correct any of the misinformation about FC, their parts and service. i want to get everyone to realize that putting your money into FC parts is not a bad investment reguardless of who you get them from, from Steeda.ca or any other FC dealer for that matter.

Also, i would like to let you guys know i will also be handling all FC warrenty claims/issues in Canada. problems should be sent to me, not FC. if you call FC they will send you to me! :D

lets hear it.

[Raine]

Any group buy options for FC parts? I know we're a Steeda board, but is it something we might be offered given sufficient interest?

[S2]

Steeda.ca is carrying Focus Central stuff now also....

[ZX3TUNING]

yes, Steeda.ca is a FC dealer.
i am the Canada Distributor.

there are always GB options on parts.


but i want this thread to be about customer concerns

[ZX3TUNR]

I got the FC pulleys from Steeda and there awsome. I dont know FC's side of customer service due to the fact Steeda customer service I find so perfect. If i ran into any probs I just asked Paul or Pat.

Quality wise I think is awsome from what i can tell so far. I havent purchased many FC parts due to the fact I love Steeda so much...

[SL8RZZX3]

Do you honor the Club Focus-Central discount?

i'd definately be interested in buying more FC stuff!!

only reason i don't is 'cause i always get screwed by brokerage fees :angry:

[Paparoach]

Concerns:

1. Welds
2. Throttle Bodies (how many designs have they had)
3. Customer service (how many times have we seen people on the Jet begging for help on the throttle bodies) then the hood issure etc etc

I think that would be the main three....someone jump in if they have anything else.

[Focus Is Art]

I have no problem w/ FC product or customer services at all. The only compliant from the past exp is the packing, they just throw everything into the box and ship it, not very professional.

[ZX3TUNING]

yes i will honour the CFC discount

1. welds, JBA, FS and alot of other companies have had problems with thier welds. which is actaully less an issue with the welds but the lack of bracing needed to support the weight of the headers. all most all of the FC headers with weld cracks have been recalled and replaced by FC. there are lots of SS Autochrome headers out there that are copies of the first gen FC headers which have the cracking issues.

2. like i said before there has only ever been one TB design.... just one
the TB spring was an issue in JRSC'ed cars were the springs were over heated beyond the intended use because of the heat generated by the JR unit itself.
there was a problem with a small batch of Throttle linkage which was handled.


3. customer service from FC is great.
the only people who bitch about FC is people from FJ. no other site does this... maybe it's not FC but the bitches on FJ?

the hood issue was not FCs fault.
the hood was signed for by that guys mom. if it was f**ked up she shouldn't have signed for it, plain and simple. once you sign for something it's yours and neither the company selling the product nor the shipping company are on the hook.


Focus is Art,
what did they just thow into the box?

[Paparoach]

Shmee,Jun 17 2004, 11:09 AM Wrote:1. welds, JBA, FS and alot of other companies have had problems with thier welds.

I don't want to start a fight but if other companies had problems then it is okay that FC had problems?

[SL8RZZX3]

Focus Is Art,Jun 17 2004, 08:26 AM Wrote:I have no problem w/ FC product or customer services at all.  The only compliant from the past exp is the packing, they just throw everything into the box and ship it, not very professional.

Yeah i felt my latest package was packaged very sloppily, i ordered my TB, cam gears, and UDP and there was absolutely no packing material in the box what so ever!? Very disappointing! It was a a good thing i ordered my CFC membership with that order, because the tee shirt and catalogue were the only things stopping everything from smashing around!

[P-51]

My issue with FC is... they don't seem to do any actual engineering. They just figure out how to *build* a part, and don't actually engineer it.

The welding is just one perfect example of that.

Can they tell us why the headers are cracking? Why not? What filler material are they using for the welding? Is it automated, or manual? If it's automated, who set up the robot? What are their qualifications? If manually welded? Where, and what are their certifications? If the headers require bracing, why didn't they brace them? The stock header is braced.

It's not just the headers either. The control arms are scary. The control arms seem to be fracturing in the heat affected zone of the base tubing. It's not even the weld that is breaking, it's the HAZ. What alloy tubing are they using for the arms? What filler metal? What welding process, with the same questions as above. How did they determine if the arms needed a post weld heat treat to relieve the HAZ?

Are they aware that they are using rod-ends in a manner that is commonly accepted in the race engineering community as being very bad? It's been known for about 20 years at least, that rod-ends should not be loaded in bending.

It doesn't mean nobody ever does it, but just about everybody knows you shouldn't. It's another indicator of poor engineering.

Who designed the cam on the throttle body? Why does it open so fast at initial throttle input? Those things had WAY more issues than what you are suggesting, but I didn't follow them as closely.

Basically, I'd never buy anything from them because they are typical of most aftermarket companies. They have no idea how to design something other than "making it fit", and sending the job out to some shop, getting the parts, and throwing them into a box (with or without packaging...)

They were run out of the Mustang market for all these same reasons.

[Paparoach]

SL8RZZX3,Jun 17 2004, 01:00 PM Wrote:Yeah i felt my latest package was packaged very sloppily, i ordered my TB, cam gears, and UDP and there was absolutely no packing material in the box what so ever!? Very disappointing! It was a a good thing i ordered my CFC membership with that order, because the tee shirt and catalogue were the only things stopping everything from smashing around!

Same thing when I ordered my flex and ORP.

Package was a mess...and no stuffing inside.

[tdot-zx3]

Shmee your wrong .. there was more then 1 throttle body design.

[Paparoach]

tdot-zx3,Jun 17 2004, 02:05 PM Wrote:Shmee your wrong .. there was more then 1 throttle body design.

Does that mean I am right?

[Stap Boy]

I don't know how many TB designs there were...

but, 2001 is different from 2003, ATX from MTX... so right there, 4 TB's...

AND.. the only problem I've had with FC is the gasket that came with my High-Flow cat blew itself to pieces after only a few months...

TB has been excellent (a lil sensitive but tha's alright) the install was easiest thing in the world other than Shortie Intake

I didn't buy directly from FC so I can't comment on packing...

[Paparoach]

P-51,Jun 17 2004, 01:31 PM Wrote:My issue with FC is... they don't seem to do any actual engineering. They just figure out how to *build* a part, and don't actually engineer it.

The welding is just one perfect example of that.

Can they tell us why the headers are cracking? Why not? What filler material are they using for the welding? Is it automated, or manual? If it's automated, who set up the robot? What are their qualifications? If manually welded? Where, and what are their certifications? If the headers require bracing, why didn't they brace them? The stock header is braced.

It's not just the headers either. The control arms are scary. The control arms seem to be fracturing in the heat affected zone of the base tubing. It's not even the weld that is breaking, it's the HAZ. What alloy tubing are they using for the arms? What filler metal? What welding process, with the same questions as above. How did they determine if the arms needed a post weld heat treat to relieve the HAZ?

Are they aware that they are using rod-ends in a manner that is commonly accepted in the race engineering community as being very bad? It's been known for about 20 years at least, that rod-ends should not be loaded in bending.

It doesn't mean nobody ever does it, but just about everybody knows you shouldn't. It's another indicator of poor engineering.

Who designed the cam on the throttle body? Why does it open so fast at initial throttle input? Those things had WAY more issues than what you are suggesting, but I didn't follow them as closely.

Basically, I'd never buy anything from them because they are typical of most aftermarket companies. They have no idea how to design something other than "making it fit", and sending the job out to some shop, getting the parts, and throwing them into a box (with or without packaging...)

They were run out of the Mustang market for all these same reasons.

Shmee you are in trouble....

Sick em Rob...sick em :lol:

[ZX3TUNING]

Paparoach,Jun 17 2004, 03:52 PM Wrote:

Shmee,Jun 17 2004, 11:09 AM Wrote:1. welds, JBA, FS and alot of other companies have had problems with thier welds.

I don't want to start a fight but if other companies had problems then it is okay that FC had problems?

no.
but why is it you only seem to bash FC about it when others have had the same problem...?

and i'm getting to rob

[Blackzx3]

You compare focus central to ss autochrome. ss autochrome is an ebay company that is putting out the cheapest quality parts on the market. The welds look like children did them, the pipes are not cut to equal length at the collector, there is visible weld stick still in the welds inside the collector and outside on the flanges. I showed the pictures of the headers to a lot of people dan probably still remembers the "quality". If you are trying to compare the quality of FC to ss autochrome, then I am glad I still don't have any fc products on my car.
There are two ways for a company to do business pump out the product as fast as possible to make as much money as possible, or to take the time and invest into the product and make sure it is right the first time, and by doing that they will obtain a high level of customer satisfaction and loyalty.

[ZX3TUNING]

and rob knows i'll hit every point.

My issue with FC is... they don't seem to do any actual engineering. They just figure out how to *build* a part, and don't actually engineer it.

no you are right, but the same can be said for alot of companies infact most aftermarket companies. they take the part, and they build it, then test it and adjust and tweak it till it works and puts down good numbers. being an engineer you should know this but spending thousands of hours in R&D time only make the parts cost more. i don't know about you but paying $500+ for a TB for a $15,000 car is a bit much for 99% of the people out there. sure if you are rolling in a $50k car then it's a bit more reasonable.
FS doesn't engineer their parts any more than FC does.
hell What does FS actually make other than a Intake, Header, flex and exhaust?
and exactly what company making focus parts, bar Esslinger, "engineers" their parts?


The welding is just one perfect example of that.

Can they tell us why the headers are cracking? Why not? What filler material are they using for the welding? Is it automated, or manual? If it's automated, who set up the robot? What are their qualifications? If manually welded? Where, and what are their certifications? If the headers require bracing, why didn't they brace them? The stock header is braced.

like anything, problems arise with all parts regaurdless of how much testing is done on them. look at the focus, how many recalls were there in the first few years? why is it ford couldn't figure that out with millions of dollars at thier disposal before they released the car? this is ford we are talking about, a billion dollar company world wide, FC is a small private company.
i'm not 100% but i believe the problem was with the filler not being a thick enough beed and not setup propperly. but like ford, FC has taken care of anyone with a cracked header. hell they have even warrentied a few SS AutoChrome knock offs to make people happy.
FC, like FS and many other companies contract out work so sometimes a batch they get made for them can have issues. being that this happens FC has always stood behind their products if the customer has given them the chance to fix it.

It's not just the headers either. The control arms are scary. The control arms seem to be fracturing in the heat affected zone of the base tubing. It's not even the weld that is breaking, it's the HAZ. What alloy tubing are they using for the arms? What filler metal? What welding process, with the same questions as above. How did they determine if the arms needed a post weld heat treat to relieve the HAZ?

Are they aware that they are using rod-ends in a manner that is commonly accepted in the race engineering community as being very bad? It's been known for about 20 years at least, that rod-ends should not be loaded in bending.

it's a well known fact that the control arms are not the best design for serious use. something that is not well known is that FC only had 20 sets made and when i was at FC on may 15th dave told me that they have only sold 8 sets.
i'm not the guy at FC that designs or makes the parts so i cannot answer your structural question

It doesn't mean nobody ever does it, but just about everybody knows you shouldn't. It's another indicator of poor engineering.
once again, the idea behind pretty much everything for the focus is to be "COST SENSITIVE"
out of all the Automotive communities(import/domestic) the Focus community has the reputation for being the cheapest and hardest sell. so if someone is going to build a propperly engineered control arm designed to handle everything you could possibly throw at it, it's going to cost upwards of $1-2000. that company would be lucky to sell 2 of those.
seriously what do you want?
GaryK had 20-30 track days and driving schools on his FC arms before it finally broke on an OFF.
that's a pretty good deal for under $300usd
if you are racing YOU HAVE TO EXPECT TO BREAK PARTS!!!!!
if you cannot deal with that or wont accept it, then don't race.
if you want a propperly engineered part then don't bitch about it costing 5x more than a lower end part.

Who designed the cam on the throttle body? Why does it open so fast at initial throttle input? Those things had WAY more issues than what you are suggesting, but I didn't follow them as closely.
FC uses a machine shop that Dennis has been using for years. the FC TB was actually based directly off the stock TB and uses much of the geometry of the stock unit. not "ideal" i know but name another option out there?

Basically, I'd never buy anything from them because they are typical of most aftermarket companies. They have no idea how to design something other than "making it fit", and sending the job out to some shop, getting the parts, and throwing them into a box (with or without packaging...)
well, rob, you cannot please everyone all of the time.
you are one of those rare cases that will apparently pay $500+ for a propperly engineered TB or $2000 for a set of control arms. and that's great!
Stick to your guns!
but sadly most of the people out there modifying the focus do not have that luxury. and because of that, the companies out there have to build parts to suit the price-point the car falls into.
we are talking about an economy car here. this is not a $150k Benz where the owner can deal with $2000 for a set of rear tires let alone $15k for a Supercharger kit or $5000 for a suspension package.

if what FC is doing is soooo horrible, as you are trying to make it out to be, then why has no other company stepped up to the plate to set the new industry standard? Where is FS? where is anyone?
the bigger question, why does FC still sell more parts day in and day out than any other focus company?
the parts work.
they show gains
they have great customer service, just nobody has the brains to call them up and talk to them before going onto FJ and bitching about it.

They were run out of the Mustang market for all these same reasons.
funny, they still seem to get alot of mustang business?