Poor Support from aFe.......

[dcasselberry]

My new aFe Megacannon arrived today and I couldn't wait to install it. I had heard it was a simple install, though admittedly I'm not the best mechanic on the block. Read the directions first, not wanting to screw anything up. The first problem was getting the filter minder out of the stock airbox. The directions talked about using a screwdriver but said little more than that. Since I had the old airbox dismantled, and couldn't seem to get the grommet holding the Filterminder in plact to come out, I decided I'll call aFe for tech support. They had some kid answering the phone, who had never installed a Megacannon, and didn't have a clue. He suggested I just leave the filter minder off and put some duct tape over the hole. Really helpful. I asked to speak to someone else, and he told me everyone was at some big event in Las Vegas. I told him I needed someone to call me, as my truck was torn apart and I needed to get this thing installed. He said he would call someone out in Vegas, and they would call me. No call back. I called him again, and he said he would keep trying and would call me back in any event. Never called back.



It is sad when companies don't offer even the most basic support for their products. I ended up calling the dealer who drop-shipped the Megacannon to me, and he made some suggestions that got me through this. I'm very happy with the product, but will think twice before I deal with aFe in the future.

 

[KLockliear]

The "big show" was SEMA - probably the biggest event of its kind all year in the performance industry (other than PRI).



Just takes a little elbow grease to get that thing out. Sounds sick, but a little spit can help lube it to go into the AFE and help with the bottom holders too.

 

[Kernel]

The first people I called was aFe when I had questions on the performance of the mega cannon, and they automatically told me to call a specific vendor who sold the filter cheaper than they did. So I called them.



I had the same problem with the filter minder on mine. That was what took the most time. I just lubed the grommets with some K&N oil I had and with some persuasion it popped off. Then I couldn't get the mounts to match up with the studs on the fender well. More persuasion got it to match up. The intake hose was a beast, but the vendor I bought the filter from was helpful enough to give me tech tips before they even shipped it. They were very willing to give their experiences with running the filter.





Scott

 

[redram]

It is sad when companies don't offer even the most basic support for their products. I ended up calling the dealer who drop-shipped the Megacannon to me, and he made some suggestions that got me through this. I'm very happy with the product, but will think twice before I deal with aFe in the future. [/B][/QUOTE]



I wouldn't be so hard on the AFE people as SEMA is the BIGGEST trade show of the year for a company selling after market automotive parts. (Specialty Equipment Manufacturer's Association). Without SEMA, AFE would be hard pressed to find dealers to sell there parts and we would never get aftermarket parts for our trucks meaning..... having to deal with the STEALERS!.



Vegas cell phone system does suck... I've been there and the calls do not complete to your cell phone and then you get a voice message but 'Nextel's' system won't let you retrieve the message.



The young kid - hey, he did try and his suggestion for using duct tape until the filter minder could be removed 'safely' was a great improvise by a "young kid". Give him some credit for suggesting this as it would have worked and bought you additional time so as to not damage the filter minder.



His lack of not having installed one... . well, everyone can't be everything to everyone. At least he did not attempt to "snow" you with misleading suggestions.



But, it all worked out... . glad that your new filter is installed and your truck is back up and running.



JMHO

 

[CAT 385]

I think that if you have trouble with a little rubber grommet on a filter minder. That you should not be bashing anybody else on there ideas. That is a simple mechanical procedure and maybe you should think twice about doing anything short of checking your oil in the future.

 

[dcasselberry]

Originally posted by wweverett

I think that if you have trouble with a little rubber grommet on a filter minder. That you should not be bashing anybody else on there ideas. That is a simple mechanical procedure and maybe you should think twice about doing anything short of checking your oil in the future.

Mr. Everett:



I'm not interested in a flame war, but somehow I don't see why you should feel the need to bash me because I ran into difficulty installing an aftermarket product, and the pure and simple fact was that the manufacturer had no one available who was knowledgeable in answering my questions. First, the person who answered the phone at aFe told me he didn't know how to install their product, as he had never installed one. Secondly, he told me that he would have someone call me back with assistance, or he himself would call me back with answers to my questions. I got no call back. Failing to return calls when you promise a customer that you'll call them back is poor customer service and bad business practice, period.



As for it being a simple mechanical procedure, can you say that you've never had a simple mechanical procedure go awry, leaving you in a fix? A case in point is "a simple mechanical procedure" like changing your oil on a CTD. How many people have managed to have their oil drain plug break off following the torque specifications in the service manual? Changing oil is simple, right?

As has been discussed here many times, the quality of that drain plug is horrible, not to mention the inaccuracy of the torque specs. That's why folks buy the aftermarket drain plugs or valves.



You don't have to agree with me, but there's no need to behave like the north end of a south-bound mule.

 

[Bob Horrell]

I think your experience with aFe was an unusual one due strictly to the SEMA show attendance. I called aFe with a technical question some time ago and got excellent response from Nick the president of the company. As a result, I have been testing filters for them. I have a bombed engine and drive on dusty roads every day hauling my tractor to job sites. My air filters really get used and with 42lbs of boost I can pull dirt through almost any filter. I will tell you guys about my testing for them as soon as they release me to do so. That should be sometime soon.

I think they make an excellent filter and really care about the customer and their products. They seem to work real hard at making the best filter possible and doing real world testing as well as lab tests.

 

[Bob4x4]

I am also very happy with AFE. . I now have their systems on my CTD and two different model Jeeps. Very high quality and easy to install,no directions necessary in most cases. Oil analysis came back after 4500 miles with only a 4 for silicon which included some off roading.

Bob

 

[krs]

dcasselberry,



Be sure to report your experiences during the installation of the gauges that you expect for Christmas, won't you?

 

[gitchesum]

Guys,

Why all the hostility?



He had a problem, he called the manufacturer,which some people won't even do before posting negative remarks about a company. He spoke with someone who didn't know what to do, he was promised a call back. He didn't get a call back. I can understand why he is unhappy. You pay top dollar for a product, you expect top dollar tech support.



He was unaware of the SEMA show in Vegas. They probably had most of thier tech people there showing off the products to potential dealers and customers. He might have just caught them on a bad day.



That's no reason to question his mechanical ability.

 

[Whitmore]

Fellas Fellas

Hey we are all here for the same reason The love of the all mighty Cummins and we all have different levels of experience and knowledge , Lets do something here and try to help one another, a task that maybe you could do in your sleep may be a challenge to another . I like to help when ever I have time and knowledge and if we all did the same we will be much better off. I think with the knowledge of these folks on this board WE could step anyone thru the process of installing gauges!!!



Please help your fellow Rammer and if you cant than dont critisize



Cheers, Kevin

 

[dcasselberry]

Thanks

Curtis:



Thanks for raising the issue of hostility. I apologize for snapping back at Mr. Everett for his ridicule of my mechanical abilities, though I thought I had stated in my original post that my skills are admittedly limited. And I'll make no response at all to KShine's sarcasm.



Last time I looked, I paid my $35. 00 to participate here just like everyone else, and felt the issue of technical support for an aftermarket product was a legitimate concern to share. Unfortunately, a few folks who I'm sure have much talent in working on their trucks choose to be hostile toward those, who like me, are less talented.



That said, the vast majority of participants at the TDR are wonderful, helpful, folks who really like to help folks find answers to their questions. It is unfortunate, when less mechanically skilled participants get jumped on by more experienced folks who could share their expertise rather than being hostile.



While the TDR magazine is great, this online forum is even more valuable. As a result of my participation here, I've joined a TDR chapter in my area, and made a number of new friends and acquaintances, as well as learning things about my truck that I never knew before. And I'm enjoying my 96 CTD now in ways I never did before joining the TDR.



The eruption of hostility is not likely to drive me away from participating here, but I can imagine some might decide it's not worth the effort if that participation results in being flamed.



I can only speak for myself, but in the future, I'll work hard to be civil, regardless of how folks may respond to any questions or issues I raise.

 

[CAT 385]

Listen, my comments were in defense of the kid @ afe that was getting flamed. Sometimes people think that they are to mighty to look at stuff from the other persons point of view. Maybe if dcasselberry would have tried to realize that we do not live in a perfect wworld and gave the kid a break he would have realized he was doing the best he could with the information he had available to him.



I did not start teh flaming I just stood up for somebody that was getting flamed and maybe did not have a membership to see what was being said behind his back.





So I appreciate the fact that recieved a personal message to tell me I was out of line. I hope that dcasselberry recieved the same one.

 

[dcasselberry]

It's Monday morning and I'm very happy with the aFe kit after using it over the weekend. A bit after noontime, the phone rings and it's Nick, the President of aFe, offering his apologies for the technical support snafu. Obviously a very nice guy who wants to make his customers happy. He's sending me an aFe t-shirt as a gesture of kindness, and also wanted me to speak with his lead engineer on this product, which I did. Had a very friendly and informative conversation with the engineer, who told me they would be happy to incorporate any helpful suggestions I might make to improve their product installation sheet.



Here's my suggestion which I hope will make life easier for any future installers of the Megacannon:



The fix for the problem I had in getting the filter minder and mounting grommets out of the stock box was using a few drops of dishwashing liquid as a lubricant (rubber safe).



The installation sheet says to use a rubber safe lubricant along with a small flat blade screwdriver. I suggested adding "like diswashing liquid" in parentheses after the words 'rubber safe lubricant" since that is something we readily have around our households. aFe thought this was a good suggestion.



Any reservations I had about further business with aFe have been rectified. I think their product is fantastic, and if they create any further aftermarket products for my truck, I'll be more than happy to buy.



Thank you, aFe, for caring enough to reach out to a formerly unhappy customer. I'm smiling big time now.



aFe rocks!



and a postscript to those who thought I was too hard on the "kid" who suggested taping the filterminder hole: aFe's lead engineer didn't think this was a good idea... ..... unless it was for just a few miles until you could get a new part if you needed one.



and to wweverett:



No, I didn't receive a message from forum moderators "telling me I was out of line, because, as you can see by their posts here in this thread, they didn't consider my complaint unreasonable. I'm sorry that my concerns "got under your skin". If what I post (or any other inexperienced poster posts) bothers you, at the control panel for this forum, you can select an option to automatically ignore what we post. My apologies for irritating you.

 

[Lil' Dog]

Don't even acknowledge them....

dcasselberry





Your best bet is not to even acknowledge persons on this site that are personally attacking.



Leave it to the moderators to weed out the trouble makers and post on. Some of us want to learn as well as teach.



Those that personally attack, did not read the rules for posting here and are not interested in bettering the site. Sorry to say but it will eventually come out in the wash. .





J-eh

 

[BFC]

dcasselberry,



don't sweat it dude, you have to take everything on here with a grain of salt. It's hard sometimes to get a comment across the way we intented, on a computer screen. I've been helped WAY more often than flamed, I just ignore the personnal attack, which by the way are pretty rare. I just chalk it up to the individual, not the site/club. Plus we all have bad days or little things that will irritate us in a heartbeat, it's human nature. We have a great, generous and helpfull bunch out here. Where just a bunch testosterone driven ego maniacs





It's all good,



Glenn



and yes AFE rocks... ... ... .....

 

[TURBOs4LIFE]

Price?

dcasselberry,

May I ask where you bought yours and what did it cost? I am looking for a better air filter and thought I would check these out!

 

[dcasselberry]

Turbos4Life:



I just sent you a private message with the information you want.

 

[Power Wagon]

Guys... Let the personal stuff die, alright?



I don't wish to have to say or do more than that...



Ok?

 

[mark64]

I just ordered a aFe filter over the weekend. I am glad to see some helpfull installation tips,can't wait for it to arrive and to get it installed.



I have never had a web site so helpfull as this one. Let's help each other out,just as we would if we see someone pulled over with truck trouble on the road.



If anyone wants a great guy to buy a filter from IM me and I will give you his phone #.

We talked for half a hour on Sunday and he is very knowledgable and has great prices.



Mark