Yesterday I spent 8 hours messing around with a Corsair H80, trying to get it installed on my desktop comp. Turns out, they engineered the waterblock wrong....it doesn't clear a set of resistors and caps right next to my cpu. I spent weeks researching this before I bought it, all I found were rave reviews and no mention of fitment problems. . Yeah I'm pissed, I go research it online and the community for my mobo doesn't even know about fitment problems with this board. In their threads, they dismiss any talk about that and just talk about other heatsinks, none of which are guaranteed to fit.
Then today, the clutch MC I ordered for my '88 GT arrived from Rodney Dickman. All I ever hear are rave reviews about his products. I ordered specifically from him so as to get a GOOD part on the first try, since vatozone etc MCs are notorious for being bad right out of the box. It looks like the seals on the piston are bad . I bench bled it and had to pump it at least 60 times. And air bubbles still come out from the bore. A friend of mine says it should only take 1-2 pumps. So, yes, the car has been sitting for a month, and it still doesn't have any clutch. And oh yeah, it seems as though Rodney dropped an early bushing in by mistake, since it didn't fit the banjo. I had to re-use the plastic bushing from the previous MC.
What's it take to get a good, well-engineered, well thought-out product? This has been the story for pretty much everything I've bought in the past year.....it doesn't work out of the box, I end up having to tinker with it to get basic functionality. The SS brake hoses I got for my '88 don't even seem to work up to expectations. I thoroughly bled the brakes, and there's still about 1/2"-1" of soft pedal. In order to get that Corsair H80 to work I had to buy a copper adapter plate....which was almost impossible since no one wants to sell metal in small quantities, and even if they do they usually don't sell copper. I spent 4-5 hours today just finding a place that'd sell me a 6"x6"x0.093" copper plate for $25. Most would only sell an entire bar, for like $75-$100 . I called so many places that ADVERTISED THAT THEY SOLD COPPER IN SMALL QUANTITIES only to hear them say over the phone that they don't.
As for my MC, I hope the one I have will work out. I might just have to bleed the clutch more, I've got a speed bleeder arriving soon. Or I might have to get Rodney to send me a new one
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08:43 PM
PFF
System Bot
L67 Member
Posts: 1792 From: Winston Salem, NC Registered: Jun 2010
Originally posted by Tinton: . In order to get that Corsair H80 to work I had to buy a copper adapter plate....which was almost impossible since no one wants to sell metal in small quantities, and even if they do they usually don't sell copper. I spent 4-5 hours today just finding a place that'd sell me a 6"x6"x0.093" copper plate for $25. Most would only sell an entire bar, for like $75-$100 . I called so many places that ADVERTISED THAT THEY SOLD COPPER IN SMALL QUANTITIES only to hear them say over the phone that they don't.
custoncut any size you like half way down the page $25.92
I don't think I was searching using the right phrase. I mainly searched for "copper block" "buy copper block" etc and didn't come up with much. Search started with me just looking for generic copper blocks usually used for cpu heatsinks. Ended up finding a metal distributor here in Atlanta, that didn't sell copper, and they referred me to a couple sites, one of which worked.
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10:44 PM
MidEngineManiac Member
Posts: 29566 From: Some unacceptable view Registered: Feb 2007
And you actually BELIEVED the corpro-crap marketing that there were such things as "good" products and "bad" products ????????
Its all products and corpocracy....
I'm startin to think a tent in the woods, a bow to kill food, and ceder for tea is the way to live...OH, and one of those F-35b's to remove whoever gets in the way.
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10:46 PM
Jan 14th, 2012
Formula88 Member
Posts: 53788 From: Raleigh NC Registered: Jan 2001
It is a problem with the cooler or with the motherboard? There are industry standards for where mobo components are supposed to be mounted and CPU cooling OEMs design to fit that. If the motherboard - even if it's the uber-gaming end all mobo of the world - used capacitors that are 1mm taller than spec, your cooler won't fit.
Both may be well designed and quality components - but they just won't work together. When I got a new CPU heatsink for my i5 build, I had to check and make sure it would clear the memory I was using since it covers all of the memory slots. Regular memory isn't a problem, but if you have non-standard heat sinks that are taller than standard, it won't clear. I had to verify the heat sinks on my memory were within spec to fit under the CPU heatsink.
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12:00 AM
starlightcoupe Member
Posts: 1767 From: Third World Country, OR Registered: Oct 2009
Originally posted by Tinton: Yesterday I spent 8 hours messing around with a Corsair H80, trying to get it installed on my desktop comp. Turns out, they engineered the waterblock wrong....it doesn't clear a set of resistors and caps right next to my cpu. I spent weeks researching this before I bought it, all I found were rave reviews and no mention of fitment problems. . Yeah I'm pissed, I go research it online and the community for my mobo doesn't even know about fitment problems with this board. In their threads, they dismiss any talk about that and just talk about other heatsinks, none of which are guaranteed to fit.
Then today, the clutch MC I ordered for my '88 GT arrived from Rodney Dickman. All I ever hear are rave reviews about his products. I ordered specifically from him so as to get a GOOD part on the first try, since vatozone etc MCs are notorious for being bad right out of the box. It looks like the seals on the piston are bad . I bench bled it and had to pump it at least 60 times. And air bubbles still come out from the bore. A friend of mine says it should only take 1-2 pumps. So, yes, the car has been sitting for a month, and it still doesn't have any clutch. And oh yeah, it seems as though Rodney dropped an early bushing in by mistake, since it didn't fit the banjo. I had to re-use the plastic bushing from the previous MC.
quote
NED Will! God damnit, somebody's shooting at us. MUNNY Yeah NED (noticing blood on MUNNY's face) Oh **** , did he hit you. MUNNY (noticing the blood) No, I bumped my head falling off my horse. NED He ain't shooting at us no more. He's shooting way over yonder. What the hell's he shooting at over there? MUNNY Beats the hell out of me NED You don't reckon we in somebody's field, do you? MUNNY I didn't see nothing planted NED He's shooting at us again. He's shooting up the whole horizon
Not sure exactly who, or what, you're complaining about. To the extent it's Rodney, understand that he produces after-market products. As far as I know, GM never gave him their design specs. He tells you (maybe not in the most eloquent fashion imaginable, but he does tell you) that you may have to a little bit of seat-of-the-pants engineering yourself, to fit and finish the part.
Isn't that the joy of all of this? This isn't the world of: "Here's my $40,000, give me a car I can drive reliably for two years."
I've got some of Rod's parts in my car. Yeah, maybe I did a little work to get them there, but they will outlive the car.
'Nuff said.
[This message has been edited by Shyster (edited 01-14-2012).]
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03:54 AM
Rodney Member
Posts: 4715 From: Caledonia, WI USA Registered: Feb 2000
Then today, the clutch MC I ordered for my '88 GT arrived from Rodney Dickman. All I ever hear are rave reviews about his products. I ordered specifically from him so as to get a GOOD part on the first try, since vatozone etc MCs are notorious for being bad right out of the box. It looks like the seals on the piston are bad . I bench bled it and had to pump it at least 60 times. And air bubbles still come out from the bore. A friend of mine says it should only take 1-2 pumps.
I certainly stand behind all the products I sell. If this one is bad right out of the box it would be the first one and I have sold many. Return it and I will gladly give you a refund. I will not exchange it though. If you want to bash me like this on our forum I will not send a replacement. I will only give a refund. When you called last night I suggested you install it to see how it worked. I'm guessing you did not do that. You can buy a cast iron aftermarket unit.
------------------ Rodney Dickman
Fiero Parts And Acc's Web Page: All new web page!:www.rodneydickman.com Rodney Dickman's Fiero accessories 7604 Treeview Drive Caledonia, WI 53108 Phone/Fax (262) 835-9575
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04:26 AM
Rodney Member
Posts: 4715 From: Caledonia, WI USA Registered: Feb 2000
And oh yeah, it seems as though Rodney dropped an early bushing in by mistake, since it didn't fit the banjo. I had to re-use the plastic bushing from the previous MC.
The loose bushing is for the late style clutch pedal. I would need to see a picture of your pedal to see what you have. I sent you the late style master:
What you are saying makes no sense at all??? Show us what you have and how it does not fit. The only way my banjo bushing would not fit into my banjo is if the ID of the hole was not reamed. I have these ends laser cut and I ream the hole to size before I weld the threaded tubes on. If this is true the ID of that hole will be rough and my banjo bushing will not fit into it. Once reamed it will be smooth. Why don't you post some pictures so we can see.
On the early style master the bushing is pressed into the banjo. Maybe you should do some research before you come here and bash others. So now I am loosing faith in good customers.
------------------ Rodney Dickman
Fiero Parts And Acc's Web Page: All new web page!:www.rodneydickman.com Rodney Dickman's Fiero accessories 7604 Treeview Drive Caledonia, WI 53108 Phone/Fax (262) 835-9575
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04:37 AM
PFF
System Bot
Rodney Member
Posts: 4715 From: Caledonia, WI USA Registered: Feb 2000
I sent you a message via my web page concerning this order. Please send it back and I will give you a full refund.
------------------ Rodney Dickman
Fiero Parts And Acc's Web Page: All new web page!:www.rodneydickman.com Rodney Dickman's Fiero accessories 7604 Treeview Drive Caledonia, WI 53108 Phone/Fax (262) 835-9575
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04:40 AM
Rodney Member
Posts: 4715 From: Caledonia, WI USA Registered: Feb 2000
Then today, the clutch MC I ordered for my '88 GT arrived from Rodney Dickman. All I ever hear are rave reviews about his products. I ordered specifically from him so as to get a GOOD part on the first try, since vatozone etc MCs are notorious for being bad right out of the box. It looks like the seals on the piston are bad . I bench bled it and had to pump it at least 60 times. And air bubbles still come out from the bore. A friend of mine says it should only take 1-2 pumps.
You are probably right about this. When you called late last night I was thinking slave cylinder and if the bleeder is not firmly in the port it can pull in air. So I am wrong. No need to return it. On Monday I give you a full refund. In the future try working with the vendor instead of bashing them on a public forum.
I still would like to see pictures of the banjo and how the bushing did not fit.
------------------ Rodney Dickman
Fiero Parts And Acc's Web Page: All new web page!:www.rodneydickman.com Rodney Dickman's Fiero accessories 7604 Treeview Drive Caledonia, WI 53108 Phone/Fax (262) 835-9575
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04:58 AM
84fiero123 Member
Posts: 29950 From: farmington, maine usa Registered: Oct 2004
Originally posted by Tinton: I don't think I was searching using the right phrase. I mainly searched for "copper block" "buy copper block" etc and didn't come up with much. Search started with me just looking for generic copper blocks usually used for cpu heatsinks. Ended up finding a metal distributor here in Atlanta, that didn't sell copper, and they referred me to a couple sites, one of which worked.
I wanted to buy some copper blocks a while back when I was working as a welder/fabricator. They are great for welding up holes in steel. I used them all the time to back and use it to fill a hole when welding up a plug. The weld won't stick to it so you get a nice flush weld plug.
Search for copper/steel/brass/ whatever you need in sheets/blocks/bars/rods. Just use those search ideas, one or all depends on what you are looking for.
You are probably right about this. When you called late last night I was thinking slave cylinder and if the bleeder is not firmly in the port it can pull in air. So I am wrong. No need to return it. On Monday I give you a full refund. In the future try working with the vendor instead of bashing them on a public forum.
I still would like to see pictures of the banjo and how the bushing did not fit.
I did not mean to bash you directly. If you'll notice, this thread isn't a personal attack. Just me ranting about things I've bought recently, and how they don't work up to expectations. If you want to make this right you should supply me with a good, working part, then my rant against your part won't mean anything, and I'll apologize. You don't help me out, then you'll just be proving that what I said is true (even though I didn't attack you or your business, just this 1 part).
As for pictures, I can see what I can do. The MC is on the car, and I might have to remove it to get a picture of the banjo. I'm not lying though, the bushing you supplied me doesn't fit into the banjo. Its just a hair too big, or the ID of the banjo is just a hair too small. Its so tight it'd have to be pressed in. And it shouldn't require that, I put one of your adjustable banjos on another Fiero years ago, same style, and it slid on real easy. I'm not attacking you or anything, just saying you kinda goofed up? No need to be angry I just want it right.
[This message has been edited by Tinton (edited 01-14-2012).]
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04:09 PM
Formula88 Member
Posts: 53788 From: Raleigh NC Registered: Jan 2001
You know, Tinton, the common denominator in all of your bad dealings with vendors - is you.
lol. Nice try, that's not a bad attempt at trolling. I suppose the Blu-Ray burner I bought not working is somehow my fault? The fact that I had to play around with it and try a half dozen different firmwares to make it work like it SHOULD HAVE out of the box? Or my Corsair H80? It not having enough clearance with the resistors and cap on my board is MY fault, even though I researched ahead of time to avoid such a thing? . When I buy a product, I'm just a random consumer. The quality and function of the product has nothing to do with me, my personality, etc. It should work right as advertised, right out of the box. That's so much to ask? When I buy a hamburger from Wendys, am I supposed to have to take it apart and re-assemble it just so I can eat it? That's basically what I'm talking about here. The last thing I bought that worked RIGHT right from the beginning was a 2 TB hard drive I bought 8 months ago.
I end up buying "upgrades" that leave my stuff in worse shape than how they started. That's not how its supposed to work. As for my CPU in my desktop computer, the tabs that hold the heatsink on are getting worn out. I broke one off when putting it back on. I didn't expect that the H80 wouldn't work, and that I'd be slapping that back on there.....now my heatsink is only held on with 3 tabs. It runs hot now, almost too hot to use my computer, and I gotta wait at least a week for that copper plate. As for my Fiero, this all started because I wanted to get SS brake hoses on it. The car sat for a while cause I had to go to work and couldn't get it back together quickly. Because it sat, the clutch hydraulics lost pressure, and the clutch wouldn't disengage. Now I can't drive the car. Its worse off than before, and all because I wanted to upgrade . So much for buying new stuff! Why buy anything, if its just going to **** up? Hear that vendors? Now if we can get this working on a grande scale, maybe we can make the economy tank....oh wait it already has. Probably because of people like me who realize they should hold onto their money, and whatever's being advertised is a ripoff and not worth it.
And Formula, seriously, **** you. I hadn't made a single personal attack in this thread, and here you come with that kind of crap. I even had you rated positively (don't know why, with that attitude of yours). You better not plan on showing your face down here in GA anytime soon.
[This message has been edited by Tinton (edited 01-14-2012).]
Want another rant? AT&T U-verse. I had it all worked out where I'd get a 20 Mb line here, installed, for $75. The biggest cost was getting a new modem. I ended up getting their most advanced model off ebay for $30, like $120 off. They won't let me use it though, and demand that they charge me $100 extra to force me to use an inferior modem. Because of that, I'm stuck on a 1.5 Mb line like its 2001. Bait and switch tactics on their part, and I'm not paying them $100 extra for a pos I won't use.
Clear broadband? A joke! Even with full 5 bars of signal, it was dialup speeds most of the time. For $55/mo! Then they suckered me into paying $25/mo while not even using the thing. Now they won't give me an address to ship the device back, and claim my account doesn't exist. So I have to worry about them coming back to me for their $200 modem (I was renting it).
I just got a smartphone recently. LG Optimus Slider. It has nice features, a lot more than the "dumb" phone I was using before......but its shitty as a cellphone. It'll play games, music, surf the web, etc. The 3g internet has 56k speeds. Sometimes you gotta reset the phone because the ram/cache gets full and it won't load new webpages. Sometimes it'll lag so bad you can't receive or end calls. That last part gives me problems at work. What's the point of having a phone like this, if it sucks as a phone!?
I recently bought a new car, a 2012 Chevy Sonic. The car is awesome, except for one thing.....the damned Getrag transmission's 2nd gear is already notchy. Its like the synchro is already weak, and the car only has 1200 miles on it. And it sure as hell isn't my fault, I know how to drive properly and its been like this since I got it.
The list can go on and on, products that look awesome on paper but fail to live up to expectations. And what's wrong with the economy? Business are having trouble selling goods and services? I think I see part of the problem .
Rodney, I'm sorry about including your product in this rant. It doesn't belong here. People make mistakes, if you ship 100 good master cylinders and one is bad, those are pretty good numbers. I've bought from you in the past, and your products and service have always been top notch. If anything, from what I've seen from you, you're part of the solution, not part of the problem (in terms of shady vendors and shoddy parts) since you at least try to do right by your customers. I'm willing to buy from you again if you're willing to have me as a customer.
[This message has been edited by Tinton (edited 01-14-2012).]
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06:37 PM
86FieroSEv6 Member
Posts: 438 From: Navarre, Florida, USA Registered: Nov 2010
Can I politely ask why on God's green earth you decided to buy a Chevy hedgehog (Sonic)?
Because its fun to drive, and I don't really care about impressing anybody. I drove a Fiat 500, and it was fun, but not as fun as the Sonic. Also drove a Hyundai Veloster and it drove like an appliance. Velosters also look like an automotive abortion, I swear on those cars no two body lines go together. The Sonic is the best driving new car I've ever driven. I've driven new Miatas and RX-8's, GTOs, Corvettes, etc too. It handles very sharp and precise, reminds me of my Fiero. Just understeers (and torquesteers) if you give it too much gas around corners. Best clutch and shifter of any car I've ever driven too, easy to use but with plenty of tactile feel (that was the 5-speed base model I test drove, with the 6-speed I've got 2nd is already notchy ). Right now I'm getting 34 mpg with it in mixed driving, that's almost double what my '88 GT gets. With gas at $3.41/gal that helps, with only 1 more gallon in the tank than my Fiero it gets twice as many miles per tank . Also, my cousin's got an '06 Cobalt, by comparison my Sonic looks like a European car on the inside.
Go look at reviews and articles about the car. Its nothing like the Aveo its descended from. Best handling car in its class, it consistently gets 2-3 mph higher in the slalom. Besides that, none of the other cars in its class offer a turbo and 6-speed manual transmission. Its only a 1.4L though which is why it gets good gas mileage.....and it drives like a european car. Like a turbo diesel or something, its got more low end torque than a Fiero and tops out at 5000-5500 RPM (6500 redline, the turbo's just built for torque). 138 hp, 148 lb/ft and it weighs 2700 lbs. 0-60 in 8 seconds.....sound familiar? Its like a FWD, practical Fiero . And for less than $20k. You calculate inflation with that, that's $7k in 1984 dollars. Cheaper than what a base Fiero cost . The only other cars you can get for that price are POSes.
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[This message has been edited by Tinton (edited 01-14-2012).]
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11:06 PM
Jan 15th, 2012
rogergarrison Member
Posts: 49601 From: A Western Caribbean Island/ Columbus, Ohio Registered: Apr 99
Ive never seen a single problem with anything from Rodney and those that did got an immediate resolution. Anyone can have a defective part...thats why everything new comes with a warranty. Theres not a car thats been made in 50 years that didnt have some kind of factory defect when delivered.
As for anything to do with AT&T, im in complete agreement with you. Theyre crooks and substandard in every way. The last time they were any good was when they totally controlled US phone service, but then there was no competition...they were a monopoly. Complaints did you no good because you didnt have any other choice.
I'm sorry. I haven't been around PFF in a while. I forgot how touchy everyone is, especially vendors. Didn't realize that just criticizing someone got you on their blacklist. I made no personal attacks on Rodney Dickman, only criticized his part.
If I can't get this car back on the road, I'm parting it out. Heck, I might do it anyways, since without Rodney's parts it'll be almost impossible to keep it on the road. I'm thinking my whole interest in cars might just be a phase and I'm slowly growing out of it.... I don't think I want another project car. Damn, I'm actually glad I bought a car brand new. There's nothing like having peace of mind knowing you have sound transportation to get around and get back and forth to work. And there's nothing like the anxiety you get relying on an old car for that .
[This message has been edited by Tinton (edited 01-15-2012).]
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06:44 PM
Patrick Member
Posts: 38388 From: Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada Registered: Apr 99
Thanks Rodney! You do that, I'll make sure to bash you in every single new product thread, etc, that you post. I'm very ****ing glad I bought my Sonic, since if I had to rely on you all for parts and advice I wouldn't be able to get to work right now...
What do you hope to accomplish with this pissy attitude? You're addressing Rodney like he's some scammer operating out of his parent's basement.
Rodney is a respected vendor in this forum. He's worked hard for years to develop Fiero related products and to gain our confidence. I've heard nothing but praise regarding his products and service.
What do you hope to accomplish with this pissy attitude? You're addressing Rodney like he's some scammer operating out of his parent's basement.
Rodney is a respected vendor in this forum. He's worked hard for years to develop Fiero related products and to gain our confidence. I've heard nothing but praise regarding his products and service.
You need to back off and reassess your criticism.
He wants to leave me high and dry. Called him just now, even though I said I wouldn't, cause I wanted to catch him before he gave me my refund tomorrow. I managed to get him to ship me a new MC, but he hung up on me and doesn't want me to send the old one back. That doesn't feel right, and it seems like he won't sell to me again. If he wants to have that kind of attitude.... I can be the same way. If another MC doesn't fix it, it might be the slave (one of his that I got put on 2-3 years ago) and how am I supposed to fix that, without another slave of his? 2-3 years ago I went through slave cylinders left and right and his was the only one that worked. That's how it is with the master cylinders too. Basically, if you have a manual Fiero, and you want it to work, you have to go through Rodney. Him not wanting to sell to me, because of some minor criticism.... that speaks for his character. I won't say good or bad.
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07:16 PM
Patrick Member
Posts: 38388 From: Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada Registered: Apr 99
Tinton, with all due respect, you come across as a hot head. Not just with this particular episode, but with past situations in this forum.
Sometimes you need to think of the possible ramifications before you speak/post.
Let he who is without sin cast the first stone. You're one to talk, I can see a lot of red in that bar of yours too . Good to know I'm responsible for a little bit of that
Edit: I already apologized 4 posts up. I "quit" this forum back in the day for a reason, you all like drama and you like escalating things. These days, I'm not someone who'll back down from that. I find it better to keep my peace of mind and let you all deal with your high blood pressure.
I'm done here. This isn't getting anywhere and just wastes my time. Hopefully squabbling with you, Patrick, won't make Rodney change his mind, so I can get my Fiero back on the road. If not, I guess I'll be screwed and won't be able to drive my car. Hope you all like seeing a nice '88 GT with 86k miles on it get parted out, and the pristine frame sent to the crusher! I'm liking and siding with my Sonic more and more every day, at the expense of the Fiero which is more and more of a headache. Especially with regard to its community! No help, nothing but insane touchy people wanting to fight all the time. Need some industrial strength douche for all the sandy orifices in here.
[This message has been edited by Tinton (edited 01-15-2012).]
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07:34 PM
Patrick Member
Posts: 38388 From: Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada Registered: Apr 99
You're one to talk, I can see a lot of red in that bar of yours too . Good to know I'm responsible for a little bit of that
After that comment of yours, I decided to see if I had ever rated you. (I honestly couldn't remember.) Well, what do you know... I had. There was even a link to the thread that inspired me to do so.
Anyone who's interested can have a look Here to see an example of the pleasantries you've posted in the past.
quote
Originally posted by Tinton:
I'm done here. This isn't getting anywhere and just wastes my time. Hopefully squabbling with you, Patrick, won't make Rodney change his mind, so I can get my Fiero back on the road. If not, I guess I'll be screwed and won't be able to drive my car. Hope you all like seeing a nice '88 GT with 86k miles on it get parted out, and the pristine frame sent to the crusher! I'm liking and siding with my Sonic more and more every day, at the expense of the Fiero which is more and more of a headache. Especially with regard to its community! No help, nothing but insane touchy people wanting to fight all the time. Need some industrial strength douche for all the sandy orifices in here.
Let he who is without sin cast the first stone. You're one to talk, I can see a lot of red in that bar of yours too . Good to know I'm responsible for a little bit of that
Edit: I already apologized 4 posts up. I "quit" this forum back in the day for a reason, you all like drama and you like escalating things. These days, I'm not someone who'll back down from that. I find it better to keep my peace of mind and let you all deal with your high blood pressure.
I'm done here. This isn't getting anywhere and just wastes my time. Hopefully squabbling with you, Patrick, won't make Rodney change his mind, so I can get my Fiero back on the road. If not, I guess I'll be screwed and won't be able to drive my car. Hope you all like seeing a nice '88 GT with 86k miles on it get parted out, and the pristine frame sent to the crusher! I'm liking and siding with my Sonic more and more every day, at the expense of the Fiero which is more and more of a headache. Especially with regard to its community! No help, nothing but insane touchy people wanting to fight all the time. Need some industrial strength douche for all the sandy orifices in here.
We all like drama? With all due respect, you're the one ranting in O/T about something that should be between you and Rodney. If you didn't want criticism you should have kept this private. I've never personally bought anything from him because I don't own a Fiero, but I have never heard anything negative about Rodney or his products. Ranting about how Rodney supposedly screwed you over on a forum that trusts and supports Rodney is not going to land you very much sympathy.
As for your Sonic, I completely agree with you. I have heard good things about them. If you're looking for reliability that's the way to go. But you aren't going to get that out of a Fiero. After 25 years they just aren't that reliable. When owning one prepare to be doing a lot of repairs, and prepare to deal with sub-standard and hard to find parts. The only reason we've been able to keep going this long is because it shared so many parts with other GMs. If it had a bunch of special parts we wouldn't see nearly as many still around. Now that they are getting older we're coming to the point where finding good parts is difficult. The Fiero isn't exactly a desirable car to many and as such there are not many companies that want to produce parts for them. We get by with what we can. If you aren't willing to deal with this, it is certainly in your best interest to sell or part out or crush your Fiero.
Also, "threatening" us by possibly sending your Fiero to the crusher makes you sound insane.
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10:00 PM
Jan 16th, 2012
rogergarrison Member
Posts: 49601 From: A Western Caribbean Island/ Columbus, Ohio Registered: Apr 99
Seems that this is the year of pissy fights. I even get in them myself. Ive bought lots of car stuff from all over the place, and many of them dont want to bother getting defective ones back. No one wants broken stuff.
I do lots of driving, and I can clue you in that I see just as many broken down newer cars on the side of the road as old ones. A friend of mine took a new Cadillac STS in for its first oil change from when he bought it new. He took it to his selling dealership. The engine locked up going out the service area door. They put a new crate one in. Another friend moves rental cars around for Enterprise, including picking up brand new cars for different branches around the state. Hes always having breakdowns. Worse I remember him talking about was new Camaros. He said a lot died or wouldnt start right on the dealer lot with 2 miles on odom.
Also, "threatening" us by possibly sending your Fiero to the crusher makes you sound insane.
I was a bit pissed off when I wrote that. But yes, when community lets you down, this is what happens. You're all supposed to be here to be helpful. Instead, there's nothing but fighting and burning bridges. Leave me with a $5000 paperweight, and you all end up getting a youtube video of a nice Fiero frame getting crushed . Past a certain point, the car becomes more of a liability, and I end up wanting $5k in my pocket more than I want a '88 GT. Since the paint's all faded now and the car won't move because of the clutch hydraulics, parting out would be my only option. Over the past year I've come to realize what the phrase "its just a car" really means. I've also become selfish to the point where I'd rather get an extra $2k from parts than provide someone the opportunity to own this nice '88 GT .
And I don't understand the response this thread generated. Its exactly the same as if I posted a thread titled "Rodney's a Crook!" and attacked his character personally. All I did was rant about one product, in a paragraph where I also ranted about other products. None of it was personal.
[This message has been edited by Tinton (edited 01-16-2012).]
Well, let's see. That copper plate I ordered, it works beautifully. I managed to get it, 6"x6"x3mm plate of alloy 101 for $30 shipped. Before, my CPU would idle at 45-50*C, and under load it'd hit 80-85*C. With the copper plate, and watercooling with the Corsair H80, its idling at 22-25*C and 45-50*C under load . Note, its only 20*C in here so its basically idling @ ambient*C.
Rodney showed some class and sent a replacement MC. It works wonders, especially with the speed bleeder I used. Before, even using his slave cyl it would disengage right at the floor. Now, it disengages 2-3" up . Also went through and greased the shift linkage, now it shifts like a brand new car! Took it for a drive and was pleased, it reminded me of why I like Fieros .
One problem left, though. Rodney demanded proof that he went wrong and sent me the wrong bushing/banjo. I got a video proving that, I'm uploading it now and will post in less than an hour. Anyways, Rodney is awesome and he got my replacement MC here quick .
Oh yeah, you guys better realize something. I was so pissed off about Rodney's MC being bad for good reason. I chose his product, and paid a PREMIUM for it (MC's on RockAuto sell for $20-$30, I bought his for $70) under the assumption that it would be right the first time, and that I wouldn't have to send it back for another. That's why I included his product in this rant thread. If I wanted to f*** around guessing if they were bad or good I would've bought from RockAuto from the start. But, kudos to Rodney for sending one out so quickly. Anyplace else would've waited to get their 1st one back, inspected it, then shipped out a new one and it would've been weeks.
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12:02 AM
Rivethead Member
Posts: 83 From: Charlotte, NC, U.S.A. Registered: Jan 2009
I drove a turbo 6-speed Sonic and was very impressed. If you are having synchro problems, you have a 5 year 100,000 mile 0 deductible powertrain warranty to fall back on. I want to drive a Sonic turbo automatic because I am starting to get lazy in my old age. I also own an 88 GT and had the clutch slave fail, so I purchased Rodney's rebuild kit, and just overhauled my original part. So far it had functioned properly. Everyone gets a bum part from time to time. The important thing is that the vendor stand behind the product, and make it right for the customer. Don't get upset with your 88. These cars are 24 years old and still on the road. Lots of other cars from that era have long since gone by the wayside. I cuss at mine from time to time, but I still drive it to work most every day.
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08:23 PM
turboguy327 Member
Posts: 1692 From: Webster, NY USA Registered: Feb 2007
I drove a turbo 6-speed Sonic and was very impressed. If you are having synchro problems, you have a 5 year 100,000 mile 0 deductible powertrain warranty to fall back on. I want to drive a Sonic turbo automatic because I am starting to get lazy in my old age. I also own an 88 GT and had the clutch slave fail, so I purchased Rodney's rebuild kit, and just overhauled my original part. So far it had functioned properly. Everyone gets a bum part from time to time. The important thing is that the vendor stand behind the product, and make it right for the customer. Don't get upset with your 88. These cars are 24 years old and still on the road. Lots of other cars from that era have long since gone by the wayside. I cuss at mine from time to time, but I still drive it to work most every day.
The issue with that is GM could care less about honoring that said warranty. Just ask any V6 M6 camaro owner about their 2nd gear syncro.
I drove a turbo 6-speed Sonic and was very impressed. If you are having synchro problems, you have a 5 year 100,000 mile 0 deductible powertrain warranty to fall back on. I want to drive a Sonic turbo automatic because I am starting to get lazy in my old age. I also own an 88 GT and had the clutch slave fail, so I purchased Rodney's rebuild kit, and just overhauled my original part. So far it had functioned properly. Everyone gets a bum part from time to time. The important thing is that the vendor stand behind the product, and make it right for the customer. Don't get upset with your 88. These cars are 24 years old and still on the road. Lots of other cars from that era have long since gone by the wayside. I cuss at mine from time to time, but I still drive it to work most every day.
The longer I didn't drive my 88, the more upset I got with it. What makes me love the car so much is how it drives/handles.....if you can't drive it, its hard to like it . Anyways, getting to drive it again reminded me of how solid it is, and how it sticks to the road. Just driving the Sonic for 5 weeks I started to think the Fiero was a pain in the ass to drive, and that it clunked over bumps, etc. It actually holds its own against the Sonic, its harsh over bumps but that's kind of my fault with what I've put on it. I thought the 5-speed was clunky and irritating to drive, always struggling to get into 1st gear, etc. Using both Rodney's master and slave cylinders, and lubricating the shift linkage, changed that. I've never driven a standard Fiero with clutch engagement so high off the floor. It makes shifting into 1st gear from a stop EASY . Easy as any new car. Hell, except for 3rd gear which has a bad synchro, I think it kinda shifts better than my Sonic now .
As for that warranty, I'm not sure how easily I can use it. What if they blame it on my driving? Its been like this since I got it. There's a bit of resistance getting into 2nd, and it kinda "klunks" into gear, unlike the other gears. Its never grinded at all, but yeah the synchro feels weak. Reminds me of the MR2 I had, it had a weak synchro on 2nd. It hardly ever grinded, it'd just take forever to get into gear. On both manual Fieros I've owned 2nd has been real easy to get into.
. Yeah I'm pissed, I go research it online and the community for my mobo doesn't even know about fitment problems with this board. In their threads, they dismiss any talk about that and just talk about other heatsinks, none of which are guaranteed to fit.
. I called so many places that ADVERTISED THAT THEY SOLD COPPER IN SMALL QUANTITIES only to hear them say over the phone that they don't.
. When I buy a product, I'm just a random consumer. The quality and function of the product has nothing to do with me, my personality, etc. It should work right as advertised, right out of the box. That's so much to ask? When I buy a hamburger from Wendys, am I supposed to have to take it apart and re-assemble it just so I can eat it? That's basically what I'm talking about here. The last thing I bought that worked RIGHT right from the beginning was a 2 TB hard drive I bought 8 months ago.
. Also, my cousin's got an '06 Cobalt, by comparison my Sonic looks like a European car on the inside.
. Good to know I'm responsible for a little bit of that 
