[sperry]

So, I purchased those Tein Super Racing coilovers a few weeks back. I was originally planning on waiting for my hub conversion to be completed before going to new suspension, but since I my rear Koni's were blown and the car was unsafe to drive on the track, I decided to grab the '04 version of the struts now, and purchase the '05 front uprights when the time came to do the conversion.

I figured, since Tein is such a big name, I'd have no problem ordering new bits for the suspension. I figured wrong. Check this out:

Originally Posted by sperry to TEIN USA

Hello,

I have a 2002 Subaru WRX that I race in SCCA Solo and Time Trials. The car has been converted to a 2004 STI spec drivetrain, including the front and rear hubs. I recently purchased and installed a set of your Tein Super Racing coilovers (p/n DSS28-8USS1). They are *incredible*, much better than both the JIC FLT-A2's and Koni/Ground Control setups I've used in the past.

I am currently converting the hubs on my WRX to 2005 specs (5x100mm to 5x114.3mm) in order to go to larger width wheels as well as gain some reliability with the larger '05+ bearings ('04 STI wheel bearings only last about 5 hours on track w/ race tires before needing to be rebuild/replaced). To complete the conversion, I need to replace the uprights on my '04 front coilovers w/ the '05 spec uprights.

Can you sell the necessary parts to me directly? If not, can you provide me with a part number for the '05 uprights so I can order them through my local reseller?

Thanks in advance for your help,

--Scott Perry
#04 Gruppe-S/StopTech TSM/TT-2 Subaru WRX

Originally Posted by TEIN's response

Dear Scott,

Thank you for your interest in TEIN High Performance suspension products.
Unfortunately, we do not sell directly to the public nor can we sell
individual suspension components to our dealers. We apologize for the
inconvenience we may have caused you.

If you have any further questions, please let us know.

Best regards,
Sales

Staff @ TEIN USA INC.
9798 Firestone Blvd.
Downey, CA 90241
Phone: (562)861-9161
Fax: (562)861-9171
www.tein.com

Originally Posted by sperry's pissed off and replies

To whom it may concern,

What I'm gathering from your email is that I just spent $3800 on suspension that I won't be able to use on my car two weeks from now after I convert my hubs because you can't sell me a particular part of the suspension kit.

What if I were to break something on a strut during competition, does that mean I will be required to replace all four corners at full MSRP because something such as a bolt broke?

I find this to be extremely unacceptable support for those of us that are using your products in a competitive environment. If this is truly the case, and if Tein USA is not interested in providing race-level support for their race-level products, I will have no option but to return my coilovers and purchase from your competitors such as Moton, DMS or Ohlin, who I am sure would have no problem supporting my racing effort.

Please help me to find a solution to my problem that doesn't involve switching brands. I am very satisfied with the quality and performance of your products, but in a competition environment, I *must* have the support of the manufacturer behind the product I'm using. I'm not expecting free parts or service, just the simple option to purchase the bits that I need to keep my car competitive.

If your sales department isn't able to further assist me, please let me know who I can contact to discuss this issue.

Thanks,


--Scott Perry
#04 Gruppe-S/StopTech TSM/TT-2 Subaru WRX

So yeah... anyone racing w/ TEIN bits better not break anything, because it looks like your only option is to completely replace everything as Tein won't sell you any parts.

Hopefully this situation is just some sales guy being lazy and deciding to blow me off. If I could find some more emails for Tein, I'd have just gone over the sales staff head and straight to some customer service rep of some sort, but they don't give squat for contact emails. We'll see what sort of reply I get. I may have to start making phone calls until I find someone that actually cares about getting their product used competatively.