Well after a month of research and looking for a shop to install my gauges and $600 later yesterday i go pickup my truck. 1st sign of a problem is when i get the bill its for $100 more than they quoted me. So they call the tech up to the counter and ask what the extra charges was and he says its 4 hrs of labor and some more wire. I'm thinking cool dude took a few extra minutes and done a very clean job. Right after i pay the bill the tech asks if i've seen it yet. I tell him no. He says he was'nt happy with it. My heart fell. We walk out to the truck and he explains that for some reason the gauges wont seat in the pods.


I'm not likeing it but i've got an open mind. He tells me to drive it and if i cant live w/ it then brang it back. I really had no choice cause my wife took me up there on my lunch break and i had to get back and she had to go get the kids from school. Going back to work i notice the lights on the pods are on. I try the switch to if he had it on. Nope and they wont dim. So i call him up and he tells me you can wire them into the dimmer or into the lights for when you turn them on. I'm really getting upset fast. I look under the hood and then see that the power moduals are just zip tied to the power steering hose.

Oh no i thought my head was going to expode. I call the tech up and tell him "noway this is 4 hrs of work" not for $60 an hr. He tells me to brang it back and he'll put it back on the clock meaning costing me more.
Last night on my way home light is shining everywhere from where the gauges are sticking out of the pods. The little push pins he used to secure the pillar up are not flush meaning one side is cocked up. This in it self drove me crazy cause what i was suppose to be getting was a replacement pillar all i got was a cover.
This is the only good part of the whole thing.

Thanks guys i really had to vent.

 

I have not seen a replacement piller, just a cover. Are you sure you were getting a full piller? The guages do fit so it is a matter of working them in. They don't need the rear braket to hod them in place as the preasure of the pod opening does the job. Oh yeah. If they didn't use the red or green gells that came with the guages make sure you ask for them as you might want to use them later. There should be one color of each for each guage.

Good luck . . .

 

Sorry to hear and see your trouble. Not to salt your wounds but the guy who did your work is a butcher not a tech. I wouldnt take it back to him to fix anything. Cut your losses and run. I would pay someone else to do it over before I ever let him touch the truck again. I just put a single pod in my buddies truck, installed a 6 gun with a pyro and I am just a backyard guy and his looks professionally done. I even had to fabricate the pod a little because he wanted to keep the grab bar on the pillar. From the pic's it looks like it can be easily fixed up but I wouldnt let that butcher do it. Good luck.

 

So i take it yall dont think i'm being unreasonable.

 

Absolutely not

 

Not unreasonable at all. I just intsalled my gauges about a month ago myself and it looks better than that. I attached the power modules to the inside of my firewall and zip tied all wires to previous harnesses. It looks like it was meant to be there. As for the seating of the gauges i think everyone has had that problem. Do a search you will find some good information about how to get around it.

 

I too installed mine on my 03 and it looked great. I would ask for a refund and go to another place to have them fix the butcher job. or you can clean it up yourself. There was a link on this site some where that has detailed instructions for this job. That's what I used and it was fairly easy....

 

I agree. Did this on my 7.3 and I'm not aware of a pillar replacement either, just a cover. The installation wasn't up to the $$ spent, and I like you would have the same feeling. My personal advice, is bring it back and vent on them, ask for money back and then run to another place or look to fix it yourself. BUT take picture of the install first as you did and bring them with you too, but don't give them to the shop!

Good luck.

Bondo©

 

I too agree the person that did this to your truck is a HACK not a tech. I have installed many eletronics over the years and would be embarrassed if anything i did looked even remotely similar. I hope you used a charge card so you can dispute the charge if the store owner or manager won't make it right.

 

I've been there, friend. Not with gauges, but I've been there!

Personally, I would contact whomever in your state governs this type of service provider, and then file a claim against the business--naming the tech specifically in the claim. This action may or may not get you restitution, but it'll keep this hack from easily taking advantage of future customers. There are some things in life that must be turned over to a higher authority. Crooked auto-hacks are chapter one in my book. God willing, I'll be turning most of my own wrenches for a long time.

PS: I feel this way because I have wasted energy--a couple of times--trying to get a HACK to own-up and do the right thing. Both times, I got nothing but additional frustration. I choose to keep my energy for better things.

 

YOU got a crappy job for sure. Make him stick to the quoted price. It's not YOUR fault he didn't know what he was getting in to and YOU have to pay for HIS negligence and poor craftsmanship. There are ways to make the lights operate correctly with the lights in the truck. He just didn't know what he was doing.

 

I know, there have got to be some good techs out there, but sometimes, you gotta do things yourself to get a good job.

Personally, I'd find the owner of this shop and politely convince him to make sure the job is done correctly.

You've been had. Don't let them get away with it.

Re-assure them, that the best form of advertisement is word of mouth. Good or bad.

If the guages don't fit, then some times there's a little 'fitting' to be performed.

Did you specify how you wanted the lighting to function? Did they agree with that functionality? Did you look at some of their previous finished projects? The control boxes should be mounted in the cab, away from engine heat and the elements. Zip tying to a wire bundle isn't all that bad. I did the same, but under the dash. They don't dangle, but they are free from adverse vibrations. The wiring should be routed clean and safely. The pod should be mounted secure. If it fell while you were driving, that would be a huge distraction and could cause an accident. The guages should be mounted so that no light escapes. The color of light is a personal preference. But it too should be controlable by the dimmer switch just like the rest of your dash board lights. Duh!

Lazy tech. Didn't know the job, else he would have estimated the fee correctly, and would have performed the install thoroughly. -Making sure the customer would be pleased when the vehicle was recovered.

Poor customer service. The tech's supervisor should not have let that 'finished' job out the door.

-Steve

 

Unreasonable, no not at all. If it were me I would have come unglued. Caveat Emptor, buyer beware.

A lesson in all of this which comes at your expense (been there myself before and it sucks) is get the job written up in an estimate not to exceed $$$. If it does then they must call you to authorize. Custom stuff is always a little harder to qoute than straight forward billable book time for a known repair, but $60 an hour for that poor of workmanship is bs.

The other lesson is if you want something done right.........do it yourself.

I type all of this as I sit here and watch the plumming contractor dig up mine and my neighboors front yard fixing our sewer lines that were y'd together on the same sewer tap. So I feel your pain.

 

From the office of The Attorney General, State of Alabama
http://www.ago.state.al.us/consumer_complaint.cfm
Step ONE:
First, Tips on How to Resolve a Complaint...

Specifically state your complaint to the business or entity as soon as possible. Take along your receipt, any guarantee or warranty, and, if possible, the product. Be assertive! If you are told by a salesperson that he or she cannot help you, ask for a higher authority such as the manager or owner. When complaining by mail, give the brand, model, size, color, and any other details needed to identify the product. Include a statement of the circumstances regarding your complaint. Keep a copy of your complaint letter and all correspondence you receive. If you return a product by mail, be sure to have it insured.

Step TWO:
Filing a Complaint

When you file an online complaint form, be certain you read and understand the disclosure information provided at the end of the complaint form. It may be particularly important to your situation and could affect this Office's ability to assist you in resolving your complaint!

In order for a complaint file to be opened in the Attorney General's Office, the consumer must first complete an official Complaint Form, an online Complaint Form (below), or a send a description of the complaint by letter, and include copies of all correspondence, receipts, etc. to:

Consumer Affairs Section
Office of the Attorney General
11 South Union Street
Montgomery, Alabama 36130-0152
334-242-7334 or in Alabama 1-800-392-5658
Fax 334-242-2433

You have to LEAN INTO THIS STUFF! The problem will only get bigger in your state and mine if we don't respond when someone tries to rip us off.

 

My thoughs exactly. I installed some in my Mustang before and all they need is a little fitting & TLC. It's because of endless stories like this why I do all my own work. I don't take my vehicles into a shop unless it is an absolute must. Not everyone has this option though.

I also agree that you should just cut your loss and take it somewhere else and get it fixed if you don't have the option to fix it yourself. I think all you'll get by taking it back is more grief. Good luck with your truck, I hope it all works out in the end.