So at a
loss as to what to do I decided to act like a regular customer
and call Bushwacker's Help line at (503) 283-4335 and spoke
to one of their Customer Service Reps. I must say that I was
impressed!
I did not
tell them that I was with Rockcrawler.com and simply told them
that I had received the flares as a present. I explained the
problem I was having and I also explained that I felt their
instructions were lacking, especially regarding the use of the
Nylon spacers and the edge trim. They politely asked if they
could put me on hold for a few minutes.
So after sitting there for a little while, they came back on
the phone and told me that they had reviewed the instructions
for the installation and realized that I must have a very old
kit. They agreed to email me the new instructions (IN1-10908
dated 08/02) and send me a new parts kit in the mail. They assured
me that they had already addressed the issues that I had (instructions)
and was having (the bolts pulling thru).
I eagerly
awaited the parts kit and was again surprised by the effort
Bushwacker went thru. They even called me back to make sure
the parts arrived and were to my satisfaction.
This kit
had bolts that were much longer than the original bolts, with
a slightly larger metal washer this time. It no longer used
the black or chrome snap caps, but retained the "industrial
appearance" by replacing all the bolts with Stainless Steel
Torx bolts.
In addition,
the new instructions had much better detail. They described
exactly where to put the Nylon spacers (1/4" thick spacer
go on the front and the 3/8" think spacers are used on
the rear). They also did a much better job of describing the
installation of the edge trim and are simply much clearer and
more concise.
Okay, so
now it's back out to the garage to "re-install" the
Bushwacker Pocket Flares. I simply removed the original hardware
and re-installed the new, one bolt at a time. In about 20 minutes,
I had the flares installed and looking good again.
I must say
that after two quick trips off-highway I was impressed with
how well the new hardware helped the kit out. I have been able
to scrape and rub the flares with no noticeable problems (other
then brush pin-stripping, but I don't really consider that a
problem) at all.
In fact,
I can pretty much bend the flares all the way into the body
and they pop back out without pulling thru the bolts or causing
other problem - so far, none the worse for wear!
Sometimes
the relationship with a vendor is not always measured by the
times when everything goes right but rather how things are handled
when they go wrong.
I was, and
am, extremely happy with the attitude of their customer service
and what seemed to be their commitment to help any customer
with one of their products. That attitude will keep me coming
back as a Bushwacker customer.
In conclusion,
the Bushwacker Pocket Flares provide coverage for my street
tires as well as my off-highway tires. They have pretty much
eliminated the mud thrown up that was covering the inside of
my vehicle, they make me legal in those states that require
tire coverage, and I think they look nice.
With the
additional benefits of their new fastener design, I would say
they have taken a large leap forward in making these flares
functional, but they still have a ways to go for those that
frequently scrape rocks or whose tires rub their flares hard.
I have on numerous occasions pulled the flares completely off
the body. Yes, I have been able to reinstall the flares
but they show obvious signs of the wear and tear they have received.
By comparison, I have seen other flares, including the stock
flares hold up to much greater off-highway abuse.
Having said
that, for mild wheeling, mudding, and trail riding on wider
trails these flares are an alternative to the bland styling
of many products on the market today.
Update: As of Nov 2003 contact with rocks and narrow passages pulled the Bushwacker flares off so many time the mounting holes were no longer useable. I have since switched to an alternate brand and as of yet have had no issue running the same trails. I still appreciate the different look of the Bushwacker flares; however, for hard or extreme trails I would recommend looking into a different brand.
RESOURCE |
Bushwacker,
Inc.
6710 N. Catlin Ave.
Portland, OR 97203
Phone: (503)
283-4335
Website: www.bushwacker.com |
|
Shawn
Pagan is a Staff Writer for ROCKCRAWLER.com, as
well as Our Land Use Editor. Shawn resides north of Houston,
TX.
Contact
Shawn at thepagan@rockcrawler.com |