09-04-2001, 04:45 PM
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CC Member
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Join Date: Jun 1999
Location: Woodinville,
WA
Cobra Make, Engine: VICTORY, 92 C.I., belt drive, saddle bags.
Posts: 666
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Not Ranked
Awesome Differential Support
Northwest Differentials (NWD)
11914 124th Ave NE Kirkland, WA
(425) 827-2868
Dan (Owner)
This is a story of customer service that simply does not happen to me but perhaps once every 30 or 35 years. I'll summarize briefly, with the goal of sending anyone needing rear differential help to these folks. They deserve it for the care they take, and you deserve it for the good money spent to upgrade or repair your differential.
You can see preamble of this story at:
HELP: Cobra's 1st Tow
NWD agreed to see if they could pull my differential together in 4 working days as needed to meet a scheduled series of events I had planned with the Cobra. I had serious doubts that this could be accomplished since the axles had to be custom built and sent from California. All of the other needed components were only a day or two out. On day 3 I called NWD to seek status on the job. They had everything but the axles in house and the unit preassembled ready and waiting for same. If the axles arrived the next day, they would have the assembly ready for me to pick up and reinstall. I received the call on day 4 that the unit was done. I was ecstatic. Mission accomplished.
With the differential re-installed, the only remaining item was to attach the disk brake calipers using the last 4 bolts left in the parts box. They would not install. 2 hours of measuring suggested that each axle had grown in length by 3/8". This was simply not going to work for many reasons.
I called NWD the next morning (Friday before Labor Day weekend) to advise them of the problem. They could not believe their ears. We discussed things a bit and I resigned myself to the fact that I would not be using the Cobra for my planned weekend events. Dan (the owner) was planning to leave by noon for a commitment with his family, which further removed any recovery in my mind, not to mention that the axle manufacturer was in California.
Now for the real service. At 9:30am that morning 2 of Dan's employees arrived to have a look. They removed the axles and returned to their shop to investigate the problem. I left to pick up guests at the airport, still thinking this was not going to come together. At 2:00pm they returned to re-install the axles that they had machined to correct an error that was made in the initial measurements and specifications given to the manufacture. Uh oh, it wasn't enough. I still had 3/16" too much length. The technician (all of which are total professionals) finally realized that the axle flange was about 1/16" larger in diameter than my old axle thus not allowing the disk to fully seat. Out come the axles again, and off he went to the machine shop he went, returning at 4:30pm. Another install and things worked perfect. It was 5:15pm.
All the while, Dan was on the cell phone with his technicians from the family outing he had joined that afternoon. When I called today to thank him for the unreal effort they put forth to save my weekend whilst ruining his outing on Friday, he said he would not have slept knowing they might have ruined my weekend plan. Is this America?
I simply cannot say enough about these folks, and the fact that they care as much about my needs as I do. I should also mention that I find a good recovery from a small stumble to be better than no stumble at all. With that, I urge anyone needing differential work to consider Northwest Differential.
Thanks and best regards.
Zderf 
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