[picking up mic] I had a huge oil leak that would not permit me to park in many paces without protest. My choice was to drop the pan (moving or lifting engine and possibly botch the oil pan reseal), send it to the shop, fabricate my own adapter, or pony up for an adapter that has been proven to work. I opted for the $300 adapter, and was grateful it existed at all.

[gently placing mic on floor]

 

Rich, the problem is not the product so to speak, it is the way that the owner of the online shop went on a rant to make us feel that we were wrong for stating our thoughts on the overpriced part he is selling. Regardless if the designer of the part sets the price for him or not, he went about it wrong and he will never get one dime of my money. This is a public forum, in which he is free to express his thoughts and opinions, but he has a vested interest in what we talk about, think and purchase.

He may be well revered on other forums, but in my opinion his name is tarnished here. It takes a long time to regain the trust of a consumer if that consumer is like most of us. Yes, we may be a group of DIY'rs, but we also have friends, family and people we talk to about our DIY projects and the parts we purchase.

I am someone that does not easily forgive, and I certainly never forget...

Again, not one dime from me, ever...

Y2KW57, you have once again impressed me with your ability to recall specific details. Amazing post and to you sir...

 

Sous, you pretty much said it all for me. It's not about the product, but about the person or company selling the product. Your post expressed my sentiments exactly.

 

@Y2KW57 I did not see your post until today and I sure wish I would have. You've earned my respect for years to come and you have said it for all of us better than any of us could have. As far as I'm concerned, from this point forward, Strictly Diesel will never get another penny of any money that I spend on my truck. And it's sad, because I used to order from them quite a bit. Dennis, you have ended up in category that few people end up on in my life, but congratulations. You've lost my business forever. I feel so strongly about this that yes, I would deal with a severe oil leak and find another way to fix it before I would give you a dime of my money to fix it myself.

 

If I may clarify something: It was not intent to reignite any rancor or aggregate a piling on. I had not previously seen this thread at all until I followed the link to the quote in someone else's signature, which led me directly to a few posts that appeared, not necessarily directly, but by implication, to denigrate the creative, curious, and at times quite civilly cantankerous culture of our forums... FTE forums in particular. And this surprised me, coming from a vendor whose impetus for beginning a business gestated in the same type of culture, in a forum that was once as vibrant as this forum is, but that is now not even a shadow of it's former self. Many of us moved here. Some of us still remember.

Commerce is a cancer the permeates every aspect of our lives... therefore we are ultimately resigned to accept that the earlier freedoms of bulletin boards and usenet groups have been subsumed into the sponsorship and advertising models found in forums. These forums are not free. We are not free to say whatever we please. There is no entitlement to membership. We, as non sponsoring participants, may feel that the forums are free because it is not an absolute requirement to pay a fee to participate (although many do). We may feel that we may say what we please, because of the very adept moderation that exists on FTE, which finds that unique and admirable balance of permitting user comments to stand, even if not supportive of the vendors who sponsor the forum. That exquisitely executed delicate balance of moderation on FTE (at least in the 99-03 forum) is keen and insightful, because it leaves the forums open to authenticity, rather than closing them with autocracy.

So it is in this environment that sponsoring vendors must steel themselves to withstand, putting on their big boy pants, because participants in the forums seek authenticity from similarly situated peers, and will quickly move on and away from forums that suppress opinions and discussions, even if challenging of a sponsor. That's part of the magic that makes FTE stand apart. Look at the number of new posts per day. Nevermind the views. Bots don't make posts. Online "like" farms in the Philippines and India don't generate user content. That stuff is created here, on FTE, by members like Tugly and Sous.

So let's take a look at what both Tugly and Sous said today on this topic. Two entirely different views. One praising the product, the other critical of the vendor's attitude. Both views are equally considered and valued by virtue of the street cred that Tugly and Sous have earned on this forum as a result of their past participation. And that is the keyword right there. Participation. Clay, of Riffraff, undoubtedly enjoys a great deal of business success from his sponsorship of FTE. But he doesn't just send IB a check. He participates in the forums. He engages. He answers questions. Tony of 1A Auto did/does the same. As does the owner of FICM Repair on the 6.0L forum. Even Rancho Suspension digs in every once in a while to participate in shock related threads.

When I was looking at Menace's past posts, I was struck by the fact that unless Menace had a question he needed answered, or a product he wanted to sell, I couldn't remember or find any other posts made purely for the sake of helping others. By contrast, when Tugly and Sous were newbies, as soon as they understood or learned or figured something out on their own, they paid it forward and immediately pitched in to help newer members with the same questions. They didn't just ask questions, they answered them, with no agenda or expectation of material gain. That's where their street cred comes from...not just their chronologies of their own mods... but their willingness to dig in and help others. Colorado350, another respondent in this thread, jumps to mind also, and he has only been a member here for what, a year?

It is often said that one gets out of something what they put into it. For any vendor who feels that they are not getting enough out of sponsoring FTE, the question becomes, are they putting enough into it? Banks was a longtime sponsor of FTE who pulled out, but looking back, I can clearly see that Banks did not put enough into the forums to derive the benefit that his business could have had from the participation. Banks is one of the few vendors who have CARB compliant products with valid Executive Orders, that would be useful to members who live in jurisdictions requiring them. But Banks is not engaged in the forums, so his products become marginalized as too pricey, and their real value becomes lost on this community. On the other hand, there is a long line of members waiting for a tuner like Cody to get back in the business of tuning, because Cody pitches in to help members, even where there is no financial gain for him to do so.

Time is limited. It is not possible to engage in every forum with equal attention. That isn't what I'm suggesting. But if on the rare times when we do hear a vendors voice it comes across as an assault on the sinew of the forum itself, it of course has a way of alienating potential customers. I wouldn't want that. I'd rather have your product sell like gangbusters, with repeated word of mouth recommendations... in the same way that Clay at Riffraff enjoys the business of many completely sight unseen, based on the positive word of mouth generated in these forums... the FTE forum... the forum whose value you appear to question.

If the FTE forum didn't have value, then IB wouldn't be able to charge money to sponsor and present products within it. And the value of FTE forums is generated by members like Tugly and Sous, each with a differing perspective, each with enough street cred to garner the listening ear of members, each with a lack of agenda, each whose daily participation makes FTE one of the best forums on the internet for a business that has a goal of reaching the 7.3L marketplace.

It was not my intent to rekindle any brow beating of a vendor. It is my intent to defend the concept of the forums, and the value of this forum in particular. I think Strictly Diesel belongs here, and should do well here, despite many well regarded members not caring for the attitude. In a well managed forum, there is something for everyone. And FTE is a well managed forum.

 

If a person reads your post (post #89) all the way through to the end, in my opinion the point you make (which I quoted above) is stark and vibrant in its clarity.

I completely agree.

Stewart

 

I know it wasn't your intention to rekindle anything, but clarity is worth its weight. I felt the way I did because you are correct. This forum is a great place. Tone coupled with content gives way to intention. It's exposure, so to speak, and Dennis more than exposed himself. So, in turn, he can go be with himself....and that's my nice way of saying it. No, I was not offended, but rather, I was enlightened to the **** poor attitude and saw all I needed to see and heard all I needed to hear to make my informed decision.

 

I had a long reply written out and then decided to delete it because it does not matter what my opinion is on the matter of how Strictly Diesel handled the questions and concerns from the FTE community. This FTE community is independent and mature enough to make their own decisions on what to do with their money and time.

It is not my words that will stop people from sending money to Strictly Diesel, it is their own words.

Again, I have not been a customer of Strictly Diesel in the past and have zero intentions of being one in the future.

 

Thank you Y2K for the intriguing history lesson I had not otherwise known. The FTE botherhood pride is invigorated once again with that grand defense. The entire diesel community is strong in where it directs its support and this is another fine example coming just shortly after the whole Sinister Diesel fiasco.

I continue to play Russian Roulette with my RTV band-aid for the time-being, but once my hand is forced, my decision will be that much easier to make with one less option.

 

Wes,
did the new filter increase the oil capacity (I.e. 16 or 17 qts as opposed to normal 15 qts)?

 

Yeah it took an extra 1.5-2 quarts more than the Motorcraft FL1995 I guess. Hard to tell when I pour new oil in from a 5gal bucket

 

*WAY OFF-TOPIC TANGENT*
The people that sell lubricants in 5-gal quantities seem quite adamant to refer to that as a pail in my experience. The conversation was like:
"Hello. I'd like to buy a 5-gal bucket of <brand of oil redacted to protect the cantankerous> please."
"What? We don't have any 5-gal buckets. We have 5-gal PAILS."
""

 

Mine is starting to leak like a sieve so I'm ordering the Gold Nuggetᵀᴹ today.

Strictly Diesel has a sale on it through Dec 11 I think, with $15 off, which isn't much but at least covers shipping.

 

SD outta anodize them in gold just for the lols

 

Anyone try this yet? It seems a might more tolerable price wise.