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Message to all stud kit customers, past, present, and future.

27K views 189 replies 43 participants last post by  RippyPartsDept 
#1 ·
In business there are never legitimate excuses for anything that can go wrong.

-illness
-supplier shortage
-error in machining
-ups lost packages
-pulled over by the cops on the way to ups and could not make the deadline
-employee called in sick
-power outage

Reason I say this is because I receive emails like this:
Hello, I ordered one of theses tud kits and was very pleased until I tried to use it. The shoulder bolts will not fit the jig and worse they are not concentric. I measured the shoulder and found they are .746 to .752 diameter then I rolled them in a V block and found the thread is off center by about .030 These two things make the jig useless. Can you please tell me why you would send me something that you obviously did not try to assemble and secondly what I am supposed to do now.
I need to put this motor together so I need an answer soon.
Also what is the point in having a text me post that you do not answer?
I do not have time to box this shit up and send it back to you so that you can send me something that I clearly will not need by the time I get it.
You owe me the value of this "fixture kit".
Oh and I will be sure to let everyone know how good a product you sell. Thanks for nothing.
Clearly you knew you sent me a nonfunctional piece of shit.
Some alignment / fixture plates have been sent out that are not within spec. I don't know what shifted, I manufactured a plate yesterday and everything lines up except the tapping hole. Now that is has been brought to my attention I can correct the error.

A new jig is being constructed as of this minute to correct this problem. It will be DEAD on center, all four holes. No tolerance, no play, no B.S. Nobody needs to pay $549 for something that is not manufactured within spec, but at the same time I don't need people accusing me of purposely selling non functional shit. That is not my intention.

Some orders have been delayed because this HAS to be corrected before any more orders ship. People cannot understand delays- I get yelled at when I lift the phone. So I stopped answering my phones about two days ago. My stress level is so high right now I'm about to snap.

I was in Ontario until two days ago and I have no way of remachining anything without the equipment to do so. Now I'm here at the main shop where I have what I need to take care of this.

MY COMMITMENT TO MY CUSTOMERS

It is my job as the developer, builder, and distributor of this product to provide a working product that works flawlessly, and ship on time. I am well aware of my responsibilities and will do whatever necessary to fulfill these responsibilities.

Right now, if you're waiting on an order, it WILL ship either today or Monday. It will be a quality product and the jig will be 100% accurate.

If you have been shipped a kit where the holes do not perfectly line up, send me an email with your name and address, and date of receipt of the kit and I will send you return instructions. A new plate and bolt set will be sent to you at no charge. It is my responsibility to correct this.

QUALITY CONTROL

It is impossible to account for certain errors sometimes. We have suppliers that sometimes screw up and the screw ups are so minor that they are not visible but will greatly affect the performance or use of the kit. We will check everything to ensure to the best of our ability that everything is within spec and you will not have problems. From now on, after every 10 plates the jig they are constructed on will be checked for tolerance, wear, etc.

Each kit will contain a production # and manufacture date. I have yet to figure out how to engrave this, but a certificate will be sent with each kit with this information. If there ever is an issue we can track it back to the last time tooling was changed, etc...

THE BIGGEST STEP TO AVOID SUPPLIER ISSUES

Is to become our own supplier and keep a stock of no less than 25 kits on the shelf at once. Certain things we cannot produce but the studs, the alignment plates, any machined part will be produced in my shop.

I know what it's like to have an engine apart and wait for studs. THREE weeks last year I was completely out - nice suppliers huh? They did not care.

PAYPAL

Will no longer be offered as a payment method. The $4k they're sitting on right now that I cannot access would very easily purchase a new set of thread rolls that I need right now- and then some. I can't afford to have money tied up like this. From now on, payment by cert. cheque or VISA/MC over the phone.

ORDER TRACKING

I will rehire a receptionist because I desperately need one. I just got another employee started in the shop. Until then, please send all requests to my email for order tracking.


In all honesty I need to slow down a bit and live differently. I had four hours of sleep for a number of nights in a row and two days ago I slept for about an hour, woke up, and my heart was not beating normally and I was short of breath. I may give up the work on the cars once I get the vehicles finished that I have here at the shop.

Face it, 1.7M+ of these engines have been produced and my shop can only handle currently about 100/year for repair. With a bulletproof method of repair under patent pending status, I need to do WHATEVER it takes to make sure this repair is available to all Cadillac owners and repair shops. It would be a real shame for anyone to have to resort to an inferior threaded insert because I cannot deliver on time.

Everyone please remember I started this with nothing more than $300 and a personal collection of tools (and a 1950's Atlas lathe). I am not a multi-million dollar company that can give away free stuff, eat express shipping costs all the time, etc. Maybe that day will come I don't know-

I will do whatever I can to help my customers and get the ordered kits out the door ASAP, with accurate parts. There are many people that want to see my business fail, many that want it to succeed. I have been called everything under the sun as I'm sure a few of you remember from a voicemail message I posted a link to. It's up to everyone whether they want to believe it or not but I am doing my very best for my customers.

Please bear with me, accurate alignment plates are being constructed right now and orders are beginning to ship again. They are shipping from Winnipeg- I-29 is flooded. This may also pose a delay but that is something I cannot help. I have pictures where my truck is treading water- big time. From Fargo to Grand Forks I-29 has been closed for a few days already. My shop is only 5 miles from the Red River, I'm lucky I haven't been flooded out yet.

I will post more later after the workday and show everyone what I'm up to and what I'm going to be doing to increase production speed and accuracy. UPS and lost shipments- I'm not sure yet how to handle that. 5 lost since December.
 
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#72 ·
Ranger, this was very close to Champaign, Illinois in a small town. Super low taxes and an apartment attatched (low overhead).

dvo816 and epetrillo:

dvo816 ordered first and the minute I have clearance I'm delivering it personally to Devin. This will be quicker than freight.

Epetrillo- yours is in the build process. I expect to be shipping it by the 16th of June. Heads are done, they're travelling wth me through Missouri to Ontario Canada where the bottom end is waiting. Remember the cracked blocks I've encountered? I'm fresh out of blocks and have three good ones sitting at the Ontario shop. I am barely sleeping anymore, the most time I've taken off was this past hour or so on the Caddy Forums. I have to stay on top of things here sometimes too.

I thank you both for your patience, I know it is unacceptable, I am doing what I can to speed everything up. I hope to build a few engines soon to have them sitting on the shelf, ready for shipping when an order comes in. For right now it's build-to-order.
 
#74 ·
Oh yeah definitely out of my price range but that is a very nice commerical property. My home and shop here in Southern Manitoba was only about half that, on 7 acres. But prime locations also mean prime $$$$. I can't swing a mortgage that high right now, but maybe in a few years.

Please keep the suggestions coming, I have to rent a shop to apply for the work VISA- so that's step #1. I can't rent anything until I have a location selected. Illinois was a pretty decent decision I thought but at the same time, I don't want to be in competition with Midwest Cadillac Repair either.

I have two states in mind that seem to really have potential, TX and FL. MI and NY are the next two so far on my thoughts list. But NC wouldn't be a bad choice at all....
 
#80 ·
What about properites here in SE Washington. Properties are low here, and there's alot of eldo and other caddy owners here just in the tri cities.

-------------------------------------------------------
Sent from my Northstar powered phone
 
#78 ·
http://wilmington.craigslist.org/off/2428541425.html
my roomates place was in one of these units - totally open though... no interior walls... same size unit though (i think)

so it's 2000sqft for $1000 i guess

http://www.loopnet.com/xNet/MainSit...242&SRID=1753667503&StepID=101&LinkCode=20280
there's another in the same office park... 3000sqft for $1500 ...

just around the corner from that spot is this property
http://www.loopnet.com/xNet/MainSit...843&SRID=1753675351&StepID=101&LinkCode=20280
four different spaces... you'll probably only want the smaller 'space 4' with 5,000 sqft for around $2000/mo
 
#79 ·
All up and down I-95, in small towns nearby but bypassed by the highway, there are dozens of large and small car dealership properties for sale or lease, as well as 4 to 8 thousand square foot small business buildings, both single and in strip malls.

The Carolinas and Georgia - maybe Southern Virginia - would be more business and tax friendly than Maryland. Maryland is a tax&spend cesspool. Keep out !!

Go online and Google stuff like business tax, property tax, business atmosphere.....and consider that lower VA, NC, SC, and GA are not only well serviced by highways and express shippers, they are also the hotbeds of NASCAR. Laugh if you want, but the "good ol' boys" atmosphere still carries a LOT of weight in the automotive fields.
 
#85 ·
Jake remember to file for either a E-2 or L-1A visa with US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). You probably just can't show up to the border with a truckload of tools and say, "Hey I'm coming here to open up a business and work here" since you are a foreign national -- its illegal to work in the US without status. Granted, the fact that you want to invest money in the USA and probably employ US citizens should help your case with USCIS. As far as the border patrol, you should have your ducks lined up in a row BEFORE crossing in (i.e. have authorization from USCIS to move your crap in here and also a commercial entry for your tools). If you get an immigration lawyer, expect to pay several thousand; probably in excess of $10k to $20k. Try to see if you can file the forms yourself. Many things are "self service" with USCIS. Still consider their fees, for instance, to file an I-829 it is $3750 USD plus $85 per person LOL! Money talks with USCIS; if you are a major investor in US commerce, then they seem to put you ahead of others waiting in line for that sweet smelling green card.
 
#87 ·
I would tend to agree, except for the "sweet smelling" part, but I'm sure it is a lot sweeter than 95% of the world.

USCIS is giving green cards away to Canadians with the "right" stuff. If you have can provide any essential service the prcess is greatly expedited.

If you want to be a US Navy SEAL, you have to renounce your Canadian citizenship and become 100% American, no dual citizenships allowed. There is no way I would renounce my Canadian status.

peace
Hog
 
#86 ·
I just received my rebuilt motor! I had to wait a lil bit longer than expected but it was well worth it. Thank you so much Jake, it was a pleasure meeting you and your father. Too bad you had to leave so soon cuz I definitely would have bought some beers! I'll let you know how she runs when the shop gets it done. Take care buddy
 
#88 ·
I'm still trying to figure all of this out. All I know is that I used to be doing so much better financially just doing the vehicle repairs.

I am getting a lot of threats of infringement on the patent pending repair products/process I developed and I will do whatever it takes to protect this. I look forward to updating everyone on this site within the next 30 days regarding a new U.S. shipping location. This location will be staffed with a receptionist who will take orders and assist me. Eventually a shop will open in the USA as well.

I will help Northstar owners as long as they support me. I'm going through a rough time right now with a few things- but I will deliver as promised and stick around to help Cadillac owners.

The new location will be revealed soon and ship times for stud kits will be cut down substancially. All shops doing installs for stud kits will be required to write down vehicle serial #s and owners of these vehicles must fill out a form with us to either get extended warranty or a mail-in-rebate. This step will be taken because of the high level of infringement threats and the fact that I believe at least two-three shops have begun to produce their own studs. I cannot stand behind something my shop did not produce. Stud kits will soon have sequencial serial numbers engraved.

I will update everyone soon. Thank you.
 
#92 ·
Nice.

FL is a very tempting state. WA is another one with no state income tax. Gotta move to a place worthwhile. I'll have it figured out very soon. I think I may be renting a shop in Pembina, ND that will suffice for a little while until I have a state selected.

Here is why it's the USA or nothing.

$207 to express ship a kit from Canada. Reason for express shipment? I had this message when I logged into my UPS account:

Richmond, VA, United States 06/02/2011 1:23 Merchandise is missing UPS will notify the sender with additional details / All merchandise missing, empty carton was discarded UPS will notify the sender with details of the damage
Now. I value everything below the actual cost to produce, just to get these kits across the border hassle free. So to file a claim with UPS on a stud kit worth $500, I have to claim the amount declared on the paperwork. So if UPS loses a package, I get less than $200 back after a butt-load of paperwork and headaches. If I claim the original sale amount for insurance purposes, everything gets checked at customs as a high value shipment and duties, taxes, brokerage fees, all get charged on top. My customers cannot stand incurring these charges. I can opt to pay them, but costs go up.

If I set up a shipping location in the USA, shipping will be cheaper, faster, half of the U.S. made goods won't even have to cross a border, I can declare original value to UPS, and I may have to charge customers in the USA tax from that point on like I do in Canada, but at a much lower sales tax rate, + it will benefit the USA's economy.

I've shipped out too many kits at a loss lately, the above shipment was one of them.
 
#101 · (Edited)
Try contacting Fedex and request to speak to an account rep ... I know for a fact that they used to provide a discounted
shipping structure, based on volume (or even projected volume). Might be worth a try ...


PS: I too will be needing a stud kit soon (or getting a divorce, wife hates dirving my truck). I had sent an e-mail concerning
local shops or southeastern shops which would do the stud repair for my 2001 ... suggestions?
 
#97 ·
That's straightforward and simple. So if I base my company in a state where most of my business is going to be sent out of state, that will cut down on costs to customers and paperwork. I've only sold about 2-3 kits to ND to date. ND is actually the least populous state in the USA (maybe for a reason).
 
#98 · (Edited)
So if I base my company in a state where most of my business is going to be sent out of state, that will cut down on costs to customers and paperwork.
Correct... you can read more on sales tax rules below. Technically the purchaser is supposed to pay sales or use tax for out of state online purchases... this is normally done on the yearly state tax return... since there is no way for the states to easily track these purchases... It's up to the consumer to self report. I would be surprised if the self-reported collection rate was higher than 2%.

http://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/sales-tax-internet-29919.html
 
#99 ·
Jake why don't you look into hiring some sort of broker or even parts distributor to stock your items in the USA. Then you can fill a U-Haul with them, make formal entry with US Customs, and have them legally sitting in a secure insured warehouse location here in the USA. I deal with international shipping everyday and I don't understand why you have so much trouble with Canada-to-USA shipments; especially UPS-Express!! They should be wiping your butt!

Hell, I've received items from Hong Kong OVERNITE un-adulterated several times. A buddy of mine used to keep a large inventory of expensive devices at a FedEx warehouse at Atlanta Hartsfield Airport. Even though his company and warehouses are here in Michigan, if I customer wanted something overnight or even same day, FedEx would open his cage up at their ATL based warehouse, slap a label on it, and it would be on an airplane within an hour. Never had a problem. That example is quite extreme and pricey but is still waaaaay cheaper than what you're paying now. It is perfectly legal for you to own a company here in the US. Do you have an family here legally in the US that you can pay a few bucks to slap shipping labels on pre-packaged inventory kits? Just keep a supply at their house. Just remember to make proper formal entry when you're bringing that stuff into the USA. If US Customs detects shenannigans, they seize everything and make you pay outrageous fines. Same goes for shipping stuff back to Canada.
 
#100 ·
In a similar vein, I have been dealing with Bryston Canada (high end stereo) through Vermont for 17 years, and never a hitch - large boxes go and come unopened - just a customs sticker on the outside.

..............and Jake and I conducted some car/engine parts exchange business a year ago, and there were no problems either way then, either.
 
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