Information on my $4600.00 strange rearend
01-10-2005, 11:46 AM
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Information on my $4600.00 strange rearend I thought I should make some of you aware of a serious problem I am having with my strange 12 bolt rearend.
As many of you know I got a New Strange 12bolt a few months ago, and sold my (first mistake :bashhead: ) in good shape 10 bolt.
I got the 12 before my 10 died to be proactive and head off any down time on my daily driver.
I got it from Tbyrne on a GP and had it for a couple weeks before I put it in, on the "night" of install it made noises.
I was only 1 mile from the shop when I rolled the window up and heard the rotating knocking and clucking sounds...
I turned around and went back to the shop, we put it on the lift and put it in gear, the sound was from the chunk.
With no other choice I babied it home at 45mph and then to work the next morning the same, I called Tom he was out but I did get Carroll.
I explained to her my situation she got me in touch with an engineer at strange by the name of JC.
I also ask him the correct break in procedure as I got “nothing” to tell me what they require, he asked me was there not a sticker with that on the axle tube, and I inform him that MINE did not leave with it.
We talked and he said they did not even want to hear about noises until the break in was done, that was normal.
SO... I went on and broke it in and drove the car, never 100% trusting it and really dropping the hammer even after the 250 miles and 2 fluid changes.
Now the noise did go away, then it was replaced by a different one and then after 200 or so miles that one also went away, and all I had was a very faint decel whine, which after all the noises at the start decided was no biggie....
Now fast forward 4 weeks, I park it on a Sunday night all is fine, I leave to go to Jury duty the next morning and OMG! it is so loud by the top of second ( on a very easy start due to the motor being cold) I could not hear myself think...... Really!!
Well I could NOT blow off JD, so again I baby it to town, get picked and right into a week long all day court case.
Well by the next day the noise is "bearable" but very loud, it is a scrubbing noise on the drivers side.
I call JC, and for the next 3 weeks we play phone tag and he will give me a name of a shop somewhat close to me to do warranty work for strange.
I go through 4 shops who say they want no part of it, or say they will do it only to call me back and say sorry no dice.
So by this time I have 1800 miles on the rear and only about 700 of them with no issues. I am really worried about how safe it is to drive because the sound is a Metal to metal and that never lasts long.
This brings us to Dec 13th when I find a shop that can do the work and JC from strange has talked to and "approved"!!!!
They can't work me in till the 22nd.
So..... On the 22nd of Dec I drive the car 101miles to Drive line of ATL, I am there at 7am and the day begins, they hear the noise,
they drain the fluid and it is FULL of metal, they take the plug out and it has a silver dollar size of shavings on it (this is after 3 changes already which each one of them having a dime to a nickel)
they continue to work on it and I am brought back each time they fine something I need to see, and the last time was that the gears are not lining up and they say are not setup correctly,
they then find the source of the noise, the drivers side carrier bearing is TOAST!, SHOT, gone!.
They tell me I need all new parts except the housing and the axles, every other bearing is full of metal, the posi unit is pitted and damaged, as well as ring and pinion being shot and not able to go back in with out MAJOR noise.
So, I call JC he is on vacation that day..... all I can do is tell the shop to proceed, they think they can get everything and get me back on the road, well just to cover my bases I decide to call Tom, again he is out but I talk to Carroll, she calls and talks to Tracy at strange and has her call and talk to the shop.
I am standing there and hear the conversation, she tells them she does not have a carrier and will not till Jan 12th-14th....
The shop says they will try to find one.
Well the end of a long day comes with them telling me sorry they could not find one and I will need to fine a way home.
I call and get Celine to drive the 100 miles in a storm to get me,
the shop closed 24th and 25th for Christmas and strange was closed 27th-Jan 3rd for? ( holidays and inventory I guess)
So right off the bat I am without my car for 2 weeks no matter what.
WELL... I call back on the 27th and the shop says they did talk to JC on the 24th of Dec and he is in the loop, then I hear nothing
I call on the 3rd shop says they have a carrier coming in but not from strange because they could not get one till the fore mentioned dates,
They tell me due to shipping and install I should be able to get it Friday the 7th.
I call on the 7th and they are not yet done could be later that day or first thing Saturday.
I ask about what the bill was going to be and was told $2000.00 on a rear I had paid 2600.00 for 1800 mile ago! :rant:
So I figure I need to call tom, I again get Carroll but she tells me she would pass the info on to JC, but it was normal for me to have to pay the money up front and then strange get the parts and look them over, and reimburse the customer.
THEN JC calls me Friday to say WTF, and how did the shop come up with a 2K bill, and that strange can't just payout 2k. they "like" to send parts to the shop and then only be out 300-500 in labor..
I ask him how was that supposed to work as they(strange) did not have any parts, and Tracy had talked to them so someone knew this.
Now JC is not telling me how I am going to get my money and then my call drops ( my cell phone) well Seeing jc called me I wait for him to call back, when he has not by 2pm I try him and get no reply and I leave him a msg explaining the dropped call but also asking he where we go from here because our conversation was not getting me any answers...
I have NOT heard back from JC and my car IS STILL at the shop not fixed and I AM A TAD PISSED...
AND still do not have my car back.
I thought long and hard before dropping 2600.00 on a part for my car when the factory one was working just fine, but I wanted to get the most out of my car and not have to baby it with all of my new ponies.
I pass this all to you as a warning on MY dealings with Strange Engineering rearends.
As many of you know I got a New Strange 12bolt a few months ago, and sold my (first mistake :bashhead: ) in good shape 10 bolt.
I got the 12 before my 10 died to be proactive and head off any down time on my daily driver.
I got it from Tbyrne on a GP and had it for a couple weeks before I put it in, on the "night" of install it made noises.
I was only 1 mile from the shop when I rolled the window up and heard the rotating knocking and clucking sounds...
I turned around and went back to the shop, we put it on the lift and put it in gear, the sound was from the chunk.
With no other choice I babied it home at 45mph and then to work the next morning the same, I called Tom he was out but I did get Carroll.
I explained to her my situation she got me in touch with an engineer at strange by the name of JC.
I also ask him the correct break in procedure as I got “nothing” to tell me what they require, he asked me was there not a sticker with that on the axle tube, and I inform him that MINE did not leave with it.
We talked and he said they did not even want to hear about noises until the break in was done, that was normal.
SO... I went on and broke it in and drove the car, never 100% trusting it and really dropping the hammer even after the 250 miles and 2 fluid changes.
Now the noise did go away, then it was replaced by a different one and then after 200 or so miles that one also went away, and all I had was a very faint decel whine, which after all the noises at the start decided was no biggie....
Now fast forward 4 weeks, I park it on a Sunday night all is fine, I leave to go to Jury duty the next morning and OMG! it is so loud by the top of second ( on a very easy start due to the motor being cold) I could not hear myself think...... Really!!
Well I could NOT blow off JD, so again I baby it to town, get picked and right into a week long all day court case.
Well by the next day the noise is "bearable" but very loud, it is a scrubbing noise on the drivers side.
I call JC, and for the next 3 weeks we play phone tag and he will give me a name of a shop somewhat close to me to do warranty work for strange.
I go through 4 shops who say they want no part of it, or say they will do it only to call me back and say sorry no dice.
So by this time I have 1800 miles on the rear and only about 700 of them with no issues. I am really worried about how safe it is to drive because the sound is a Metal to metal and that never lasts long.
This brings us to Dec 13th when I find a shop that can do the work and JC from strange has talked to and "approved"!!!!
They can't work me in till the 22nd.
So..... On the 22nd of Dec I drive the car 101miles to Drive line of ATL, I am there at 7am and the day begins, they hear the noise,
they drain the fluid and it is FULL of metal, they take the plug out and it has a silver dollar size of shavings on it (this is after 3 changes already which each one of them having a dime to a nickel)
they continue to work on it and I am brought back each time they fine something I need to see, and the last time was that the gears are not lining up and they say are not setup correctly,
they then find the source of the noise, the drivers side carrier bearing is TOAST!, SHOT, gone!.
They tell me I need all new parts except the housing and the axles, every other bearing is full of metal, the posi unit is pitted and damaged, as well as ring and pinion being shot and not able to go back in with out MAJOR noise.
So, I call JC he is on vacation that day..... all I can do is tell the shop to proceed, they think they can get everything and get me back on the road, well just to cover my bases I decide to call Tom, again he is out but I talk to Carroll, she calls and talks to Tracy at strange and has her call and talk to the shop.
I am standing there and hear the conversation, she tells them she does not have a carrier and will not till Jan 12th-14th....
The shop says they will try to find one.
Well the end of a long day comes with them telling me sorry they could not find one and I will need to fine a way home.
I call and get Celine to drive the 100 miles in a storm to get me,
the shop closed 24th and 25th for Christmas and strange was closed 27th-Jan 3rd for? ( holidays and inventory I guess)
So right off the bat I am without my car for 2 weeks no matter what.
WELL... I call back on the 27th and the shop says they did talk to JC on the 24th of Dec and he is in the loop, then I hear nothing
I call on the 3rd shop says they have a carrier coming in but not from strange because they could not get one till the fore mentioned dates,
They tell me due to shipping and install I should be able to get it Friday the 7th.
I call on the 7th and they are not yet done could be later that day or first thing Saturday.
I ask about what the bill was going to be and was told $2000.00 on a rear I had paid 2600.00 for 1800 mile ago! :rant:
So I figure I need to call tom, I again get Carroll but she tells me she would pass the info on to JC, but it was normal for me to have to pay the money up front and then strange get the parts and look them over, and reimburse the customer.
THEN JC calls me Friday to say WTF, and how did the shop come up with a 2K bill, and that strange can't just payout 2k. they "like" to send parts to the shop and then only be out 300-500 in labor..
I ask him how was that supposed to work as they(strange) did not have any parts, and Tracy had talked to them so someone knew this.
Now JC is not telling me how I am going to get my money and then my call drops ( my cell phone) well Seeing jc called me I wait for him to call back, when he has not by 2pm I try him and get no reply and I leave him a msg explaining the dropped call but also asking he where we go from here because our conversation was not getting me any answers...
I have NOT heard back from JC and my car IS STILL at the shop not fixed and I AM A TAD PISSED...
AND still do not have my car back.
I thought long and hard before dropping 2600.00 on a part for my car when the factory one was working just fine, but I wanted to get the most out of my car and not have to baby it with all of my new ponies.
I pass this all to you as a warning on MY dealings with Strange Engineering rearends.
01-10-2005, 12:51 PM
#3
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You got yours form the GP right after mine then Pete.
I have not babied mine also because I have been fearful of it since the early noises.
BTW,
My name is Pete also.
Must be a Pete thing.
I have not babied mine also because I have been fearful of it since the early noises.
BTW,
My name is Pete also.
Must be a Pete thing.
01-10-2005, 01:26 PM
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I've had mine for two months now. Strange told me to baby it for 250 mikes and take it easy for another 750 miles. Change the oil at 1,000 miles. I've done that and all is well. Good luck and I hope you get satisfaction soon.
