Not Happy with Advanced 4X4

[JoeH]

Originally Posted by arctictraveller

Ya think??

Well, ya I do think but hey I also sued the guy who's dog bit me.

Not much upside here except that reports like this saves others from the same mis-fortune. It's hard to hide poor customer service or shoddy work on the internet. There's a similar thread on Portal regarding Colorado Camper Van. http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/t ... amper-Vans

[ctb]

Originally Posted by Viva

I'm not maxacceleration, and I also can't speak to any of the 4WD tech, but I did have some work done at Quadvan this year. I have a 2WD E-350, and John and his assistant at Quadvan put on a 2014 front end for me (I wanted the improved brakes, but got an entire 2014 take-off so got other stuff that came along). I can't speak highly enough of John and his shop. He is pleasant, knowledgeable, and happy to discuss things. The work was impeccable.

To top it off, there was a slight problem after I left (which had entirely to do with the new rear anti-sway bar I had selected -- not his installation work at all). You know how sometimes with a shop you get the ol' "Well you're the first customer to complain" line (that indicates you should go away and not bother them again)? Not Quadvan. He said "Bring 'er on in and we'll make sure you're happy," and then proceeded to make various switches/combinations of front/rear new/old bars until things were good. No exasperation; no feeling that I was being too picky. I wish I could have all my work done there!

As I said, I can't speak to the specifics of the 4WD aspect of it, since I have a 2WD and am not in the market (currently ) for 4WD. On the other hand, I had a great experience at Quadvan with the quality of their work and attitude.

JON is the BEST!!!! He did our 4x4 conversion/lift and had nothing but great vibes, advice, and service from him! I echo your sentiments….wonder if that was MY old front end unit?!? HEY JON…REBATE?

[CSG]

Interesting to read some current responses about Advanced. I'd checked them out a few years ago and decided not to do anything but was thinking about it again the last couple weeks. While many people report positive experiences with Advanced (and he was quite pleasant and helpful on the phone with me today, there's enough out there to get my spidy senses up. I think I'll just live with my 2x4 Traverse and call it good. I do own two other 4x4 rigs so I'll just stick with them.

[StraightOuttaBallard]

Originally Posted by BMWBILO

Here's the deal. If you get a Sportsmobile conversion you get a Dyna Trac front axle.
If you have a early Salem Kroger you get a Ford front axle with leaf springs. If you have
a later Salem Kroger or a Quad van you get a Ford front axle and the whole front coil
spring assembly from Ford. If you have a Quigley you get a Ford front axle with Quigleys
own mounts and a coil spring suspension. If you go to Ujoint he uses Ford front axles and
a leaf spring setup. If you have an Advanced, you have no idea what axle you have or
where it came from. Could be a Dana 60 but more likely a Dana 44. If you break down
somewhere and certain parts break, the only place to get them is from Advanced. While
a Dyna trac axle is pretty bullet proof. I like the idea of having the most Ford factory
parts as possible. Just my 2 cents worth. PS. I know about the breaking down part from
experience, as I sat and waited a week for parts to show up from the Moroni fatherland.

This info is gold... thank you for spelling this out.

[lonepeak]

One thing to keep in mind with Advanced is that they do 250-300 builds a year. You'll likely not get personal service after the build is complete. I've dealt with Sportsmobile and Ujoint and found that nobody's perfect. I live 10 minutes from his shop so its easier for me to just drop by for advice. I've had my build since early 2014, 70k miles on it including the Yukon/Alaska and with the exception of some suspension tweaking everything works great. Randy does maintain a build file on everything he does so I'm not sure where the comment comes from about not knowing what you get in the way of axels. Mine is a Ford leaf setup. Just my opinion. Barry

[boywonder]

As another data point, I talked to Randy at Advanced before I bought my van (used).....although he wasn't very forthcoming, he did provide accurate information from his build file on the axle (Dana 60) etc.

...and my van has had zero 4WD conversion related issues (I did find a hammered wheel bearing and spindle potentially from water intrusion-not really related to Advanced) during the 15K miles I've put on the van so far. My van does have saggy butt leaf springs in the rear that I want to address but that's not a show stopper.

One thing Advanced does to many Fords is install Chevy calipers and rotors on the front..I've since upgraded to F450 rotors and stock 2008+ E series calipers.

[Jsweezy]

Originally Posted by lonepeak

One thing to keep in mind with Advanced is that they do 250-300 builds a year. You'll likely not get personal service after the build is complete. I've dealt with Sportsmobile and Ujoint and found that nobody's perfect. I live 10 minutes from his shop so its easier for me to just drop by for advice. I've had my build since early 2014, 70k miles on it including the Yukon/Alaska and with the exception of some suspension tweaking everything works great. Randy does maintain a build file on everything he does so I'm not sure where the comment comes from about not knowing what you get in the way of axels. Mine is a Ford leaf setup. Just my opinion. Barry

When I called about what my new to me van had in it he said I had a Dana 60 and I definitely had a 44. Even on his website the tan van that I think is mine, is obviously a 2008 because of the newer front end and it clearly has a Dana 44 under it when he told me that all 2008 and newer had 60s. That's where the comment comes from.

[bad luck]

Wow, I just read through this entire thread, my van is still 2wd, and I had considered going to advanced just because they're closer than going to ujoint in North Carolina.
But after reading this I think I will go with ujoint after all. From what I've read so far Chris at ujoint is accessible, and competent. But I may get his kit and try to install here locally. Anyway this is good information to know, and I do appreciate the input from everyone.

[Sheriffdoug]

Originally Posted by bad luck

Wow, I just read through this entire thread, my van is still 2wd, and I had considered going to advanced just because they're closer than going to ujoint in North Carolina.
But after reading this I think I will go with ujoint after all. From what I've read so far Chris at ujoint is accessible, and competent. But I may get his kit and try to install here locally. Anyway this is good information to know, and I do appreciate the input from everyone.

G'day,

Do yourself a favour, go see Jonny Feld at Sportsmobile West, and get new Dynatrak Axels & Diffs with Deaver heavy duty Leaf Spring and Atlas 2 transfer case. Detachable super heavy duty Sway Bar. Nothing beats it for solidness and reliability. You get what you pay for! Doug

[bad luck]

Hey Doug,
I am sure your right, and if I could afford it, I would probably get a Sportsmobile conversion but I'm no spring chicken, and I don't want to have to save for 5 years to do a 4x4 conversion. I'm hoping to have this all done by next winter, and the ujoint kit seems to be the most affordable and a very good way to do it.
Thanks for the advice though I do appreciate it. And I hope I can visit your country some day, it looks amazing, from watching youtube videos on exploring the outback. Do you have any trip reports on this forum? If so I want to read all about them.