CCV advice

[VtSoundman]

Originally Posted by 1der

My two cents: Just do it. We are not walking into a Ford dealer and buying a production car. These are semi custom, pretty unique modifications that we are making or having made to our vans. Have CCV do the top. You do the solar and build out or find someone else to do it. But if you are trying to find a better pop top than CCV, you will not find it.

Nearly all the upfitters have some issue, especially around communications. UJOR has had issues, Agile had issues for a while, Van Specialties, SMB, too. CCV is putting out 5 + rigs per week.

...snip...

There is no expectation of a Big 3/Amazon Response /Cust Serv Experience in an this or any other bespoke world - I didn't read that in @B350 or @keytothestone or in some of the comments in other interwebs. If there was, we'd all be cruising around in some of those disposable cardboard RVs There have been issues reported on this and other interwebs regarding CCV customer service and communications.

Not sure if you missed this in my post...we've been attempting to do business with CCV since the Summer -> or about 6 months.

Their poptop was first on our list of mods after you and I spoke over the phone (it was your praises that convinced me CCV was the way to go).

If CCV is doing 5+ rigs per week - that's awesome and happy for them. That sort of volume should lower the risk profile (from a one-off full custom) - but not sure if that is supposed to make a potential customer feel better or worse in the light of non-existent communications.

Do you have some other communications channel into CCV other than their company phone number or generic email address?

[VtSoundman]

Originally Posted by 1der

My two cents: Just do it.

Originally Posted by VtSoundman

Not sure if you missed this in my post...we've been attempting to do business with CCV since the Summer -> or about 6 months.

@1der
AKA - Have Cash. Will Spend...but can't if company doesn't respond!

[keytothestone]

I do love my CCV top. I did the solar and rack my self. So far the screen has been the only issue. Communication was never a problem for me when Matt was there. I saw first hand what they were doing interior wise, and liked what I saw. Someone I know has a full interior by them and enjoys it. They are the closest thing to me. I tried using Vanworks for interior they have been around a long time, but they are just doing Sprinter variety now. Trying to get into SMB forget it, and there communication hasn't been much better. I wanted the higher top and no one else provides that. I would love to do the interior myself, but I don't have the place, time, skills or tools to do it. The van is my summer home. Not going to ship here to PR just so I can work on it. I had plans for a friend to do the interior over the winter but that fell through. I have had more problems with the 4x4 conversion than anything else. One problem after another. I have been trying to get new rear springs for over a month now. Emailed last Friday to get an update " ill get right back to you ASAP." Haven't heard anything back. Emailed Thurday no response. Rear is sagging pretty bad. They said it was because I added the top well they knew I was going to add it! So why not compensate for it!. Picture is with it empty but alum. box full. Anyone know where to source good springs? Seriously! I knew going into this I was going to run into hicups. Wasn't expecting right out the gate. If you want things done right gotta do them yourself. I'm just trying to get the van to as close as dialed in to what I have been dreaming about for years. After that if problems keep popping up in 2018 I'll cut my losses , sell and move on. So as 1adler stated every outfit has there issues unfortunately just have to deal with them best you can.

[86Scotty]

@keytothestone Call Atlas Spring in SoCal! They are in the business of springs and know just what you need. I got a set of rears from Ujoint for my MGMetalworks 4x4 conversion and they came from Atlas, so you could call Chris (@Ujoint) too.

Not to take away from Derek at CCV but I think he's got his hands full (and then some) with tops.

[keytothestone]

@86scotty. Chris is who I have been trying to get them from. Got the coil as well. Love how it rides, things keep coming up unfortunately.

[B350]

Originally Posted by 1der

My two cents: Just do it. We are not walking into a Ford dealer and buying a production car. These are semi custom, pretty unique modifications that we are making or having made to our vans. Have CCV do the top. You do the solar and build out or find someone else to do it. But if you are trying to find a better pop top than CCV, you will not find it.

Nearly all the upfitters have some issue, especially around communications. UJOR has had issues, Agile had issues for a while, Van Specialties, SMB, too. CCV is putting out 5 + rigs per week.

Concerned about risk? Get on a plane like I did and go check them out for yourself, see their work first hand, then decide. Get on a plane and come out to San Francisco and I will show you our mid size top and discuss the pros and cons of the top and getting it done. Find a SMB pop top and climb up into that and then compare size, space , function, canvas, bed, etc.

Is our top 100% perfect? No, but there is nothing big and the little things have been fixed or are accepted as part of dealing with semi custom. We love our top and have spent easily over 150 nights sleeping in it. I would do it again without a second thought. And that is even in light of our getting the first top off the mid size mold, unkowns and all. Just back from 20 nights and 1,500 miles in Baja - all good.

Question to B350. - would you make the decision again to get a CCV top, and/or how would you handle it differently? How did the expectations get set? What is the REAL RISK vs reward? What would you get instead?

Monkeys On The Road - Yosemite to Patagonia - - John, Mary and their daughter took off in October for the tip of South America in their mid size top CCV E Series. They are living it, and loving it.

This van stuff takes a bit of faith, patience, management, persistence and understanding of what is being done. Do your due diligence by comparing first hand, then decide.

Checking out the quality and craftsmanship of a custom product is indeed well worth one’s time before making a decision to spend a good sum of money for it. And to me custom also implies quality and craftsmanship which are not easy to find today. To me quality and craftsmanship in a custom product means refinement and attention to detail and in my opinion CCV falls short of that. Afterall, after doing a high volume of tops you’d expect refinement if someone was taking notice to how things are done and finished. It’s the difference between a high quality paint job and a Maaco job- both of which could be considered custom. Again, this is my opinion based on what I would expect for the sum of money I paid for the top. And I base that expectation on my skill level as the non-expert craftsman in the realm of pop tops.

My girlfriend and I are 5 months into living in our van and the pop top functions as it should. So, while I do not have an extreme case of buyers remorse, the quality and overall finish from CCV just doesn’t receive a 5 star review from me. I would either order the top as a diy kit and tend to the installation and details myself or check out other options like Opt Overland. Maybe worth checking out as they look to be located in CO as well.
http://www.sportsmobileforum.com/for...ies-19657.html

[saline]

Spring Works in Grand Junction, Colorado is awesome. They can usually get you in and out in one day.