Shout out/Thanks to Grimmjpr for saving my sorry az...

[DAA]

I don't know when or if I'll get time to do a full trip report, but I just want to give a very public huge THANK YOU to Grimmjpr - AKA Steve, for rescuing me yesterday.

Got home last night from a five day/four night trip, over 300 miles of dirt, over 1,000 miles total (550 without a window, but that's another story...). On Saturday I was down in the bottom of Dark Canyon when this happened:

I used ratchet straps to stabilize the axle.

And limped back up out of the canyon to where I could get a cell signal. First call I made was to Steve. He did not hesitate. He dropped what he was doing on a Saturday night, went to my house, got my factory track bar, drilled out the bushing, then left his house about 6am on Sunday morning to drive over 300 miles one way to help me install it. Then tailed me all the way home another 300+ miles just to make sure I was "okay".

That is above and beyond. Thanks Buddy!

- DAA

 

[clfrnacwby]

That's awesome -- what a great friend. Mind sharing his number?

 

[Greg]

Damn Dave, good thing you have great friends!

 

[RockChucker]

Looks like it is time to upgrade to a double sheer mount. My uncle had that very thing happen in the rock garden on rattlesnake. That was stinky. I can't imagine being waaaay out in the boonies. Gotta love good friends.

 

[DAA]

Double shear would be nice! And was the first thing I thought too. Then I remembered how broke I am . And I'm not sure whether a double shear mount would cause any clearance issues with my short lift and lots of uptravel setup or not. I ended up with the BDS track bar in the first place because it was the only adjustable one I could find at the time that would clear my front diff cover at full stuff. In that top picture I posted, you can see where I had clearanced one of the fins on that diff cover to clear the factory track bar. Currie has a track bar now too that works with shorter lifts that don't have a ton of bump stop. It uses I think a 9/16 grade 8 at the frame end instead of the tapered TRE at least.

No money in the cookie jar right now though... BDS will replace the broken one for free I'm sure. Will probably just have to run with that due to lack of funds. Or, maybe I could try and sell the brand new BDS and spend the difference for the Currie. Maybe!

- DAA

 

[Rot Box]

Great story--what a nice guy!

 

[Grimmjpr]

No problem Man......just glad I brought the air hammer and was able to just pop that broken stud out, and get you home without any death wobble or major issues......Did you get in touch with BDS yet?

 

[Bart]

Excellent.

 

[Kevin B.]

I'm ready for the story about the window now!

 

[DAA]

Did you get in touch with BDS yet?

Yeah, more or less. The week I got back I was super-duper slammed. The only time I had to try and get ahold of them was early in the mornings before they were open. So I followed the instructions on their website for getting it taken care of via e-mail. But, they NEVER responded to any of my emails. It's been TWO WEEKS now since I sent the first one and nadda-nothing-zippo NO RESPONSE at all. I HATE it when companies give specific instructions on how to deal with them via email then don't EVER respond at all. They should just say on their website "DO NOT BOTHER TRYING TO GET HELP FROM US VIA EMAIL".

So, anyway... After three days of sending emails with no response and no time to deal with it during their normal working hours, I just ordered a Currie online when I had time to do it early in the morning. Then, finally, at the end of the week on Friday I had time during my lunch to call BDS and got more run around. Even after I explained that I only had a couple of hours to get an RMA number and ship the broken one back before I was going to be gone for another week, they kept sending me to some guys voice mail whose message said he didn't even work on Fridays... Finally, on the fourth call, I was so pissed and made such a stink they got me to somebody who could/would help me. He gave me an RMA, said they'd have to get the old one back, then decide what they are going to do. So, I shipped it and they should have gotten it last Thurs. But I've been gone all week backpacking in the Uintas so I don't know what they are going to do about it. From talking to the guy though, I got a baaaaad feeling that all they are going to do is send me my old one back with a rebuild kit for that joint.

So, long story made short. SCREW BDS! They have an awesome sounding warranty "you break it we replace it". But dealing with them is a TOTAL PITA! I'll never deal with them again.

The good news is, when I got home from backpacking last night my new Currie track bar was sitting here waiting for me and it looks WAAAY nicer and beefier than the BDS one. Hoping to find time to install it today, but it might not be until later in the week. It's amazing how much stuff piles up when you are off the grid for a week...

I'm ready for the story about the window now!

It isn't much of a story, really. But I'm still hoping to get a trip report done to post and it will be in there. Really wasn't that big of a deal though, just kind of sucked at the time is all.

- DAA

 

[DAA]

P.S...

I'll have a BDS track bar for sale cheap here pretty soon .

- DAA

 

[Grimmjpr]

Sorry to hear about all the BS from BDS......Go Currie!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I don't think you'll have to worry about breaking the Currie......hopefully.....

 

[DAA]

So... Finally just heard back from BDS. Guess I'm not going to have a track bar for sale after all. After all this time dragging it out forever and making me ship the whole track bar back to them, all they are willing to do is give me a rebuild kit for the joint. Which, I would have been fine with. If they had been prompt about it, and just sent me the rebuild kit instead of making me pay to ship them the whole stinking track bar back to them. But after they have made it drag on for weeks, now they won't even send me my stuff back unless I pay the return shipping on the track bar. I'd be out more in shipping costs than the stupid joint kit is worth. So I told them just to keep the track bar and put me down as a pissed off ex-customer. All the guy said was "Okay!" all happy and cheeful like he enjoys pissing people off and driving customers away...

So I don't even have the good parts of my broken one anymore. BDS sucks...

Oh well, the new Currie bar is already installed and way nicer anyway, so all's well that ends well I guess!

- DAA

 

[muleskinner]

That sucks. I'd post a similar thread on PBB and send both links to BDS. NOTHING pisses me off worse than people/company's like that