Not to keep making points, but yah, Bill, I suppose, maybe you felt you or one of your guys didn;t tighten the bolt right maybe? But, a bolt failure, if it truly was just a faulty bolt, tightened correctly, I don;t see how you can be responsible, but I do understand that grey area. There has to be some sort of comprimise on both sides. I personaly don;t think its fair, that a company can make a defective part, you use it, and the part fails, that its your fault, and you have to eat it.
Here is a situation, within weeks. We did a 509 for a guy, out of a 502 crtate engine. He beat it for 2 years, HARD, sprayed it with 200shot of nos, using at least 1 bottle a weekend, for 2 years. This is a pump gas engine. He recently put a big shot plate on it, and the 350 jets. He still ran 92, and didn;t pull anymore timing out of it, etc, and it detonated. It had the original gm head bolts, as from the crate engine, with cometic gaskets. He detonated it, and it lifted the head, and puffed a gasket. It was leaking compression, and ran funny. So, he pulled it out, and, it was freshened, ARP head studs added, etc. Everything was fine. He puts it back in, and, he set the timing wrong. Had 68 degrees of timing, at least he was honest and admitted that. Most guys would "forget" that part. Well, he sprayed it, on 92, and, doesn;t know exactly where the timing was, because he has a retard box, but if it was set at 68 degrees, well, take 2 degrees for every 50 hp, roughly, and do the math, he still had 54 degrees of timing, spraying a 350 shot, on 92 octane!!. Lets just say, it didn;t like it to well.
It melted 3 pistons, lifted the heads again, and tweaked them, it stretched the center 3 mains out. Considering, the damage wasn;t that bad. But, now, he just spent a bunch of money 2 weeks ago, and now, has to spend even more, and, he is sorta hinting at being "helped" out on the bill, considering it was just re-done 2 weeks ago. So, do you work for half price to help him out, because he made a mistake? Thats not really fair is it? He screwed up, everything was mint when it left, he wrecks it, and now wants a deal. What do you do? You do that 3 or 4 times a year, and man, you loose your a**, for doing a good job, and they mess it up. Some guys will be mad, and go out and bad mouth you for that above situation, becaue quote "He didn't help me out". One of those deals, what do you do? Damed if you do, damned if you don't. And being honest, and always doing a good job, and hope to be reffered to friends etc, you don;t want to make waves, knowing how little it takes, for a whiner to say negative stuff about you, and, that old rule, make a customer happy, and he may or may not tell anyone about you, but, piss a customer off, and, They will tell ANYBODY that will listen, negative things about you.
Frank
Advanced Performance
www.get-ap.com