Trusted,
I hear that you talk about your kits. How many have you sold and who is running them. I see this so much in the 6l world, vendors often talk about their kits or their this or that but in all reality they only have one out there or they are still in prototype world. I know when I bought my compound kit from the World Famous A%%hole BWD he listed his kit online and Lube was running it, but all reality it was never a kit but made protype to order that Lube owner was running. I was only the second person to buy one.
Please tell us about your kit. How many customers are running it. Is it the same kit and same parts in every kit. The kit you offer, how many miles are on the kit. How many revisions has the kit been through since you started trying to sell it online. Does your customers get kit updates when you see problems to them and offer an update.
Sorry but I keep seeing you talk about your kit and thought Id ask since I went through the problems I listed above and dont want others to go through it.
Those are all good questions and ones that I would have as a consumer as well.
Before I even get into any of those, let me first start by saying that our compounds are still classified as prototypes. All of our prototype products regardless of what it is, have the same policy. We offer them at a discounted price (in regards to the compounds, they are $5,900 + 100 for shipping), if once the product is on the vehicle and it isn’t working properly, we make all necessary changes/modifications until it is. If for some reason we cannot get it right, we will either change out the product for one that we know works, or we will refund the person’s money less shipping charges.
The initial compound kit that we built, had quite a few issues and we changed a lot of stuff. By no means we do think that everything we produce is perfect. I have two experimental single turbochargers out right now that may or may not work. One seems great and the other is having a backpressure problem. So, we will either switch out the turbine housing on that unit or the entire charger. These are things that we disclose to the potential buyer before they even purchase and we, also, try to discuss the potential problems and are somewhat vague when discussing the pros. We aren’t salesmen here. We are true enthusiasts and believe in quality products that offer real benefit. Our motto is, “Quality and Performance You Can Trust,” for a reason. Generally when we talk to our customers about a prototype product we go over; what it is, what we are worried about and offer a conservative estimate as to what it will do. If someone wants something they can put on and not worry about, then a prototype kit isn’t for them. If they want to try something may be an answer to a current problem people are having, but risk the chance their truck will be down for a week or more at a time, then a prototype products may be a good option.
We are a young company with some fantastic products being developed. If we don’t offer quality products now or stand behind what we sell, then we will never be able to get off the ground and really grow this company how we want. This will be extremely apparent around November when we do a massive pre-sale of one of our upcoming products. If we have a bad reputation or don’t have consumer trust, then the pre-sale will be a bust. So, when looking at prototype products they are very risky. Don’t offer them and slow down some development or offer them and risk sending product out there that may have some issues. Not standing behind a prototype product is reckless. I’m always amazed when I talk to someone over the phone and they are surprised when we say it has a full warranty and if it fails years from now from a design flaw, we will fix it.
As far as the compounds go, we are currently working on two kits; a Towing Compound kit and a Performance Compound kit. We have been working on the towing compounds for quite a while and have built 4 actual sets. These are all bolt in kits that require no body modifications, cab on installation, EGR compatible, factory or aftermarket intake compatible, factory or aftermarket exhaust compatible. We have learned a lot from each kit and are still working on refining it. Right now, I’m looking for someone with 190cc injectors that will more than likely be our final prototype kit. We just about have it dialed in but I want to do some additional testing before we call it done. If everything works properly, then we will finalize the jigs and offer the kits through our dealer network. If we need to tweak that kit a little more, than we will do another prototype kit before officially releasing it.
The Performance Compounds are still pretty rough. We have a lot of testing to do and have only built one full kit. We have had a lot of interest in this particular kit, and I have three customers who appear very serious. Until they decide to do it, we are holding on the development. We would rather finish one kit and get it into production than to simultaneously work on two prototype kits out of the same funding.
oke:
