Terrible fitting penthouse top - Page 3

86Scotty · 01-30-2018, 05:26 PM

IT being old! I feel older now having had two rusty vans.

Kunz · 01-30-2018, 09:24 PM

Is it all locations doing bad work?

Sunnyday · 01-30-2018, 10:53 PM

A update...not trying to put anyone on blast, or be negative, but to share my honest experience.
They receive the tops straight out of the mold from the manufacturer. They've addressed this issue to them before and they say there's no easy fix (my thought at this statement is "so you know there's a issue, but don't address and keep throwing them on your customers vans?!!")
What they're looking at doing now on their end is removing material from the passenger side rear and side to match that of the drivers, then replacing the trim edge piece with a wider one to accommodate whatever gap. Thankful they acknowledged an issue, however, what this means for me is another 16 hour drive, time away from work, gas and hotel, with my fingers crossed it comes out better the second time. Not a dick, entitled, complainer type. Don't expect things to be perfect. Just a bummer to finally get the chance to build the dream van and a funky top gets put on. Anyways, thanks for the opinions. I'll update after fix is done

GAR · 01-31-2018, 06:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sunnyday

A update...not trying to put anyone on blast, or be negative, but to share my honest experience.
They receive the tops straight out of the mold from the manufacturer. They've addressed this issue to them before and they say there's no easy fix (my thought at this statement is "so you know there's a issue, but don't address and keep throwing them on your customers vans?!!")
What they're looking at doing now on their end is removing material from the passenger side rear and side to match that of the drivers, then replacing the trim edge piece with a wider one to accommodate whatever gap. Thankful they acknowledged an issue, however, what this means for me is another 16 hour drive, time away from work, gas and hotel, with my fingers crossed it comes out better the second time. Not a dick, entitled, complainer type. Don't expect things to be perfect. Just a bummer to finally get the chance to build the dream van and a funky top gets put on. Anyways, thanks for the opinions. I'll update after fix is done

Sunnyday,

Fair enough brother. I sincerely hope you receive the quality you paid for.

To you and everyone else:
Never settle for “there is no easy fix.” What a salesman is saying when he tells a customer this is, “this will cut into the company profit margins,” which it does, but happy customers beget future customers and on it goes.

If SMB has identified a problem with the fiberglass tops, then they should suspend future production until said problem is eliminated.

Quality work will sell itself. People who buy these vans/ tops expect quality and are willing to pay for it “the first time.” SMB should be willing to compensate you in some way for your gas and time on this one. Shame on them if they don’t.

And personally, I would not settle for a quick fix, but in this case I’d insist on a new top that fits. My guess is they rushed the trim job on this top after it left the mold and now they want you to eat it. Let them put this top on one of their personal vans and supply you with one that fits without extra trimming and a larger gasket.

Please keep us updated on how they resolve this and if they make good on your time and expense.

Kind regards,
Gar

JoeH · 01-31-2018, 07:00 AM

SMB charges a premium. As a consumer I expect it to be a premium product. For the most part it is but it's certainly not the first complaint I've heard regarding SMB west. This forum is the place for feedback and the discourse is civil. Where else would you go for an educated and informed opinion from well-reasoned enthusiasts?

Welcome to the forum Sunnyday and good luck with your issues. I recall a similar thread wrt Colorado Camper Van and it eventually go settled. We're not throwing around chump change here and the buyer has rights too.