Praise for Aluminess

[Nathandeuel]

After thinking about it for a year earlier this fall I finally put a deposit down on a ladder, pole, and two sets of surf hooks from Aluminess. It took a while for the materials to arrive but this week they gave me an install slot. I woke up before dawn yesterday, drove down to Swami's for a surf, then got to Aluminess at 11:30am. As promised, when I returned from lunch at 1:30pm the van was ready to go. They patiently adjusted some stuff for me and couldn't have been nicer. I was back in LA by early afternoon and am happy with the experience. FYI. More updates as I actually use the hooks and ladder....

[clicker44]

You are lucky! Do you have a Sprinter or econoline van? I ask because it seems that us with e-series vans have had a rough go with Aluminess and Agile as they basically have become Sprinter shops.

I have an e-series van and my experience with a ladder, surf pole, and 4 surf hooks was 1 year wait time and (2) calls saying "they will be ready next week". The first time they called and said that I made the drive from Tahoe to San Diego only to find out that the items were not ready (fool me once, shame on me). After another 2 months I got another call saying they would be ready in a week and then 2 months later I got a call saying they were ready and that it would be $100 to ship them to me. Overall sour taste left in my mouth compared to my previous experiences with them a few years ago before they were a Sprinter shop.

Just my $0.02....I know they have a lot going on with supply chain issues and vandemic etc.

[Nathandeuel]

Wow, that sucks! I have a Chevy Express. For what it's worth, all my interaction with them once I put the deposit down was by email. I checked in pretty regularly and when they offered slots I had the instinct to take the very first one offered. Guess I was lucky. I'd be furious if I drove from Tahoe to SD for no reason. Unless the surf was up, I guess...

[Steve Hunt]

Clicker44’s experience certainly sounds less than ideal thats for sure and I certainly feel the E350 being unsupported in many regards in the aftermarket. I spoke to a upfitter claiming to be a custom interior builder, yet face to face at Overland Expo East he says they won’t do Econolines, only Sprinters. I asked if you’re a “custom” builder what difference does it make…just got some non answer.
FYI, I spoke with the owner of Aluminess at the Expo for 10-15 minutes. Seemed very engaged in the product and being there. We talked mainly about the rear bumper on my E350. I even mentioned I choose the U-Joint front bumper and why. He was interested in my thoughts and product development. They displayed a Sprinter and a red Econoline Sportsmobile.

[Charliesmom]

I had an Aluminess front bumper installed in our 2019 Transit along with some front and rear suspension upgrades at Agile Off Road across the street from Aluminess in May of this year. I coordinated with Agile and Aluminess and waited 4 months for an install date. When everything was installed, the bumper didn't come with a front hitch which I specified in my order. Aluminess didn't have one in stock. I waited for over a month to have one shipped to me and I installed it myself. Manufacturing and supply issues were happening then! Dealing with Aluminess (and Agile Off Road) was a total pleasant experience despite NO front hitch.

[rltilley]

Originally Posted by clicker44

You are lucky! Do you have a Sprinter or econoline van? I ask because it seems that us with e-series vans have had a rough go with Aluminess and Agile as they basically have become Sprinter shops. .

I have an E350 SMB and recently had Aluminess build me a bike rack swingarm to replace my existing swingarm. No issues and they had it installed about 2 months after ordering it.

Agile has been stringing me along for well over a year on a RIP kit for my E350. I had an install date but once there they said the springs they had would not work and they would need to order custom springs from their vendor. Front shocks were on back order from Fox as well due to Fox’s move to GA.

My front shocks have been ready for many months but I’m still getting nothing on their progress on my springs. This reminds me that I need to call them. Again…