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Kirkham Motorsports

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  #1 (permalink)  
Old 09-22-2008, 04:30 PM
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Default Factory Five Warning!

FACTORYFIVERACING
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Join Date: Feb 2002
Location: Massachusetts
Posts: 368 That does it.

To:****** All FFR customers:* If you are driving an FFR chassis kit that uses Bilstein shock absorber part numbers:
*
F4BE3 A273-T0
F4BE3 A273-T1
F4BE3 A273 T0 SR

Stop driving your car immediately.

There is a possibility that the shock absorbers on your car may break/fail and could result in your injury or the injury of others.

These numbers are stamped on the shock body and these shocks were used on the front suspension and the rear independent suspension kits from about 2003 to August 1, 2008. *If you do not know how to determine if your car is affected, please call us at 508-291-3443 and ask for technical support.

There are no further answers for you guys tonight. I will be directing the staff at FFR to communicate this initial message to all affected customers via our website, our mailing list and records, and verbally to our customers, suppliers and clients.

I am truly sorry for this inconvenience and look forward to being able to communicate an action plan to all of you shortly.


Dave Smith
President


This was just posted to the FFR Forum, thought everyone should be aware.
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Old 09-22-2008, 04:31 PM
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that is one way to handle the problem
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Old 09-22-2008, 04:38 PM
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WOW, now THATS what I call customer support....All mfr's should be as upfront...
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Old 09-22-2008, 04:43 PM
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how long has this "action plan" been in the works now? 1 or 2 years. or is this a new action plan that supercedes the last action plans
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Old 09-22-2008, 04:46 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Blas View Post
WOW, now THATS what I call customer support....All mfr's should be as upfront...
man ur right. i bet if all companies did that, there would be better QA and less failures
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Old 09-22-2008, 05:02 PM
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This isue just keeps draging on and on. I hate to see this turn out bad, but I had the feeling It would.I know FFR will loose , but I have the feeling that the builders are going to get bitten on this as well.This is a no win for everybody.I think FFR stuck their head in the sand for to long.Now it's grown to big for them to handle.Roger
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Old 09-22-2008, 05:05 PM
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government bailout?
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Old 09-22-2008, 05:11 PM
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Quote:
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WOW, now THATS what I call customer support....All mfr's should be as upfront...
Except for the fact that this has been a well known problem for along time and FFR ignored it.
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Old 09-22-2008, 05:51 PM
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surely Blas was being sarcastic
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Old 09-22-2008, 06:15 PM
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Quote:
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surely Blas was being sarcastic

Opps. Sorry, I missed the sarcasm.
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Old 09-22-2008, 06:20 PM
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I have been telling Dave Smith that this is a problem and is not being dealt with correctly for 2 years and 3 months now.

I have a feeling it will still end in a love fest even though 2 months ago he said he believes they are safe.

Another co-pay solution coming up??
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Old 09-22-2008, 06:33 PM
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you gotta like the spirit of the guy praising dave for getting the word out about the safety problem to all the owners as if this was a new finding.
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Old 09-22-2008, 07:12 PM
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Nope, posting it for everyone to see was excellent and the correct thing to do...
Now everyone with Bilsteins can inspect their units.
I'm not sure what to look for just yet...I don't know all the details, but knowing that you should inspect the units is the first step...
No sarcasm was intended...and hopefully, no one will start bashing FFR now. (yeah, right)
From my experience, all of these cars need to be gone thru by their owners on a regular basis. Some are driven hard, and it's our necks on the line. I know a few who do very little maintenance...and maybe some like me who maybe do too much...BTW: I know of someone with an FFR who had a shock failure. Luckily, no one was hurt and damage was minimal...
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Last edited by Blas; 09-22-2008 at 08:07 PM..
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Old 09-22-2008, 07:20 PM
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agree it was the correct thing to do, but having people at risk of catastropic failure for so long before doing so would not seem to qualify for an atta boy
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Old 09-23-2008, 04:06 AM
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Help me with this. If we did the replacement they recommended last year when they sent out new bilsteins, are we still in danger??? I have replaced mine as per FFR instructions and do regular inspections. To me all loooks fine through my shade tree eyes, I'm not a shock expert. What am I looking for?
I do not run the FFR stock setup I have 550#8" front springs and moved the 450# springs to the rear.
Any help appreciated.

Chris
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Old 09-23-2008, 05:07 AM
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Hey! I'm an outsider...I don't have a FFR, but it appears to me that Dave Smith is doing the right thing. Inspect your car and call him.
Remember these things are just car parts and sometimes they don't work as expected.

OLD Bill
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Old 09-23-2008, 05:45 AM
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Chris,

quote from op:
-----------------------
To:****** All FFR customers:* If you are driving an FFR chassis kit that uses Bilstein shock absorber part numbers:
*
F4BE3 A273-T0
F4BE3 A273-T1
F4BE3 A273 T0 SR

Stop driving your car immediately.
-----------------------

Check your serial numbers.
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Old 09-23-2008, 05:52 AM
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This may or may not qualify for an "atta boy", but it is the right thing to do.
Beyond a doubt - better late than never.
I have had numerous experiences with manufacturers where the evidence points to a wide spread problem, yet they have denied knowledge or responsibility to the bitter end. If I owned an FFR I would be pleased with this turn of events.
Safe driving to all! Have fun.
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Old 09-23-2008, 05:58 AM
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Does anyone have a photo of the shocks in question here in their gallery?
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Old 09-23-2008, 06:19 AM
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