ADVICE on Reactor Flexplate

Sent are Flexplate back to Reactor to put a new ring gear on because had 3 broken teeth. After 3 weeks and no Flexplate we called and he asked was yours a 6 or 8 bolt I said 8 bolt CRANK and 6 Bolt CONVERTOR. He called back the next day an said that Flexplate is no good I'm sending you a new for $200. I called him back and I asked for reasons why he couldn't put a new ring gear on and returned like he told me over the phone before I sent the Flexplate to him he said and I Quote" it's my decision not to put a new ring gear and give u $50 for trade in vs fixing the thing". I said well its the customers descion also and he said no its not its mine! Well I told him to send me the new Flexplate which my Credit Card was already charged for and it's my choice not to do business with Reactor Products again! Am I wrong for being upset?

 

While I'm not saying you shouldn't be upset... Flexplates are SFI Certified products. Therefore it is his decision to not send you your part back as is. If there is a flaw that could cause failure, it's their certification on the line. We go through it with cracks on flywheels and covers too. It's never pleasant to find them, nor is it pleasant telling someone parts of the clutch they were just running sometimes even days ago need to be replaced. We may send the defective part back, but it will be cut into pieces so it can't be used.

Bottom line is that if there is a failure, SFI can pull/suspend your certification after an investigation.. If your business is selling SFI Certified products, that kind of puts a damper on your business.

Not saying some companies don't take advantage of this for upselling service/parts, BUT they do have the final say once it's in their hands when it comes to their name and SFI tag being on the part. If we find cracks, I'll highlight them, snap pics and e-mail them to the person. Not everyone goes that far.

 

Flexplate

I agree to them terms. But given the fact he didn't even know which one was mine and took him another day to call me back after having the flywheel for 3 weeks. My thoughts is he lost are resold the thing. Then when I asked for the Flexplate back he gets upset and said he kept it for a $50 credit with out my approval are knowledge.

 

I'd do a search on Reactor. Don't disagree with the SFI comments. The Bozo at Reactor has a habit of not getting repeat customers because of his business practices.

 

He was like that to deal with in the late 90's too. I'd take a deep breath and move on. Like Justin stated it's the same way with Clutch cans too.They don't give them back or give a credit either-----------

 

Renting a Reactor?

I understand as to why an SFI manufacturer would not want to recert one of their products if it does not meet their standards. BUT if the item is not going to be recerted, then the manufacturer should remove their stampings and mark it "de-certified, do not use" and send the item back to the customer. A customer should to at least get the item back. The customer can then use the item for his own purposes if not just wall art. I think if a customer pays money to use an item and then has to give the item back, wouldn't that be called RENTING instead of of BUYING? I just saying.

 

if we are "just saying" then ya gotta believe that a SFI certed business somewhere in the past sent the un certed parts back to someone-------- and no doubt they used it , got hurt and sued over it --------- hence the situation .

 

Mark; you are right on !
How many times have we seen absolute junk and refused to fix it ? It then gets sold to the unexpecting novice, then we read about it here "cause the guy can't get his money back".
I loaded up one of my customers after looking at his alum. flywheel, and drove him down to Crower. They took one look, asked if he needed it back, he said "yes", turned around and ran it through the bandsaw, then handed it back! It was cracked in many places, but you could almost shove a fingernail mark into it, as it was that soft.
Seems a concrete wall can have a crack in it and still stand for 50 yrs., maybe because it goes zero RPM ?

Bob Meyer
Meyer Race Cars / San Diego
2010 Our 45th Anniversary

 

I bought a car with a Reactor flexplate on it, and the cert was expired. I called and asked about sending it back. I told him the date on the flexplate, and he said, well that plate is 10 years old, so I think that you got your moneys worth, so dont send it back as I wont recert it. Without knowing what type of car, or how many passes, or anything else, he would not look at it. I appreciate him saving me the shipping cost, and I did buy a replacement from him, but I am sure to tell everyone looking for a flexplate my experience, and if they want to buy from him it is their choice.
Brian

 

Sounds like you all like his products but it is his bedside manner that could use some improvment.

 

recertification policy infos needed

sorry to hijack your thread,but i have a question regarding recertification policy in general:
does the "if you send your stuff back to the manufacturer you might not get it back" apply to engine parts only or does it apply also to fire suits,blower bags,engine diapers,etc?
the reason why i m asking is i purchased a used firesuit with my race car,that is alcohol funnycar specs,in perfect shape,but some 12 years old so out of certification:what should i do,considering i won t be racing top alcohol funny car,but super pro ET in an altered/funny car?
should i use this fire suit that is spec'd for an upper class but out of cert or invest in a certified fire suit that is just spec'd for my class?
thanks for any opinion
cyril

 

The "It might not come back" applies to most anything subject to SFI certification. Typically when the manufacturer has reason to believe they don't want their SFI tag on a part they made, regardless of # of runs or age, it needs to be replaced with a fresh part.

In the case of the flexplate, just be glad it was a $200 flexplate and not a $1500 Titanium Flywheel. SFI can be seen as a money making scheme, but at the same time, it exists to keep racers safe from themselves as well. Like a cracked flywheel.. "Well I ran it all year with no problems. What's the big deal?" I'll tell you. I don't feel like testing the ballistic capabilities of your bellhousing. I don't want you having anything I feel could potentially come apart, even if it never happened. Door cars, funny cars, FED's and altered's especially! If your clutch, flywheel, flexplate comes apart in one of these cars, your engine essentially turns into a 350 mph pitching machine.. And instead of throwing balls, it's throwing chunks and shards of steel, aluminum and/or titanium. Then besides the safety, think about engine and transmission damage from the main piece connecting both letting go. Almost like tempting fate with old connecting rods.

As for your firesuit, the SFI specs for TAFC have changed over the last 12 years. I think the -20 is the new minimum spec. I think even Pro Stockers are required to wear -15 now. And the 12 year old suit may not have the right materials to conform to the most recent specs for either one of those. I would contact the original manufacturer or even Dennis Taylor, they would have some sort of record of materials used then and could tell you if it would even pass current standards. Otherwise you might be taking risks you may not want to be taking.

 

thanks for your answer!
now i know what i want for christmas!

 

If I own a part that I bought and paid for then sent it in for recert, it didn't pass, I still want it back. It belongs to me, I paid for it! The correct paper work from the company should prevent any legal recourse.

 

Renting VS Buying

That's what I said earlier. You paid for it to buy it and own it not to RENT or LEASE the item and then give it back and have nothing to show for it. I understand the SFI manufactures stand point about not wanting the item to go back into service. I also understand that if I paid for the item I want it back. Run it through a bandsaw, grind it up or melt it into puddle, OR simply remove the cert and restamp it "de-certified" and send it baack to the customer, but still give it back. If a customer is having to "lease" the item and lose it, then the seller should call it a lease, not a sale.

 

And what are you planning to do with said part when you get it back in one piece? Here's why I will never send back a decertified part in one piece.

So here's the thing.. You do own the part.. So lets say you never send it back in for recert and take your chances with Tech. 10 years goes by, you never had problem one and you've managed to sneak by tech. All of a sudden, you're mid-run, notice a vibration, the next thing you know the car stops pulling, motor shoots to the moon and you see sparks everywhere and hear ungodly noises. Your clutch just exploded and you just caused $20-30K worth of motor damage on top of destroying your can and clutch. And this is assuming you or someone else was not injured.

So here's what happens.. NHRA Tech asks you what happened, you say "Clutch exploded".. The first thing they do is go back to your tech card, tell SFI, so now your manufacturer has both SFI and NHRA breathing down their neck to prove they were not at fault. Then it comes back that the manufacturer hasn't seen your clutch for 10 years, and they have no idea or record of how your clutch was certified. Now you're suspended from racing for faking tech, and good luck getting customer service from the company you tried to throw under the bus (i.e. getting a used clutch recertified, parts, what have you).

Or let's say you don't run it in your car, but sell it to some guy with less power than you that doesn't require certification.. Clutch still comes apart in a 1/16" thick stamped steel or cast can and injures somebody.. "Hey Jim Bob, I dun heard that clutch was an Ace, let's go get a lawyer and get you some money for that thing taking out your good leg." Paperwork from a company hasn't meant much to a jury in a long time. There have been warnings on cigarette packs since mid 1960's, yet people still win lawsuits for being smokers.

You own the part, but as the manufacturer, most juries and attorneys will tell you we owe a duty of care to you and the general public to make sure that part doesn't cause injury. And if we know the potential is there, we are going to make sure that part cannot be used again for it's intended purpose by either keeping it or destroying it before we send it back to you. When manufacturers don't do this, you wind up with things happening like that nasty TAD wreck in Englishtown last year. While the manufacturer can say "I warned you.", the wreck still happened.. And I'd like to think that most people who make parts for race cars get sick to their stomach at the thought of their part hurting or killing someone.

 

that SFI thing is putting a hell lot of responsibilities on the shoulders of parts/race cars manufacturers.