I purchased a EFR8374 IWG kit for my FD back a while back after hearing all the good feedback on here.



The majority of the kit has been good except for the downpipe fitment. Turblown claim the following on their website:

"FD3S downpipes bolt right up to stock location midpipe/cat in most cases, but 100% fitment is not guaranteed"



Below are photos of the Turblown downpipe sitting approx 2-3” lower than the stock location.










I sent Turblown a message over Facebook with photos, only to be told it was a "clocking issue" on my turbo/manifold, or that my aftermarket engine mounts were the problem (even though they're stock height). Turblown pretty much wanted nothing to do with it and palmed the issue back onto me.



Turblown says their downpipe is good, so what am I supposed to do? A friend of mine and I had someone modify the Turblown downpipe at my own expense just so I could get the car out of my friend’s garage. It doesn’t quite line up and leaks a bit but it had to do.



Fast forward to today and I have managed to borrow a downpipe from somebody else who had recently purchased the same Turblown kit. I did a test fit of the downpipe on my car and to my surprise - perfect fitment. This confirmed that the downpipe supplied to me by Turblown was wrong. Really disappointing that Turblown didn’t own up for sending me the wrong part at the time.



Now I’m feeling a bit ripped off considering I paid for a kit that was supposed to fit, yet it didn’t. I have recently messaged Turblown advising of this issue, only to be told the following:

"We can adjust it for you, but I am going to warn you its going to take a few months( we are already booked out for the next 7 months at the moment). "



Am I really expected to ship my downpipe internationally (presumably at my own expense too) and leave it for 7+ months whilst my car sits in my garage? No replacement exhaust? No apology. No compensation. Nothing.



I have sent three further emails chasing this up - no response. I have sent three Facebook messages - also no response.



I know there are plenty of happy Turblown customers however it seems I drew the short straw and cannot help but feel a bit ripped off. I’m not one to go public with things like this but this is really disappointing service from what is meant to be such a reputable company who otherwise makes good quality products.

 

Wow. Sorry to hear that. I am currently saving up for a 8374 setup. My first option for this turbo kit is turblown. I am questioning if I should go that route. based on this thread. I have heard a lot of good things about them in the past. They just need to take the blinders off and do the right thing. I hope they make you a new down pipe and send it to you. That is what you paid for.

 

the usual BS from Elliot!!

"We can adjust it for you, but I am going to warn you its going to take a few months( we are already booked out for the next 7 months at the moment). "

like always he wont admit that he fucked up and make things right!

 

I’m so happy I’ve trusted IR Performance with my car. No crap like this from them ever! They sent me a brake light switch stopper for free after I told them mine failed when I was driving my car home from picking it up. When I was having a boost control issue they sent me a new EFR solenoid, CRV diaphragm, and CRV spring for free as well.

OP- good luck with your issue, for being the one guy out of many it says a lot that you’re being ignored.

 

Something is definitely strange. I don't think that downpipe should be so low to the ground. Any other pictures of your setup, in the engine bay? Is your transmission all bolted up? Engine mounts setup?

@Turblown care to comment?

 

There’s nothing wrong with my setup, I was just sent the wrong downpipe. I suspect it was meant for one of their EWG kits, or a different manifold/turbo altogether.

Just a summarised version of my original post in case anyone misunderstood:
1. I purchased Turblown kit.
2. Downpipe didn’t fit (as per photos in my original post).
3. I sent photos to Turblown who suggested it was a “clocking issue” or my engine mounts.
4. I had to cut/weld Turblown downpipe to make it fit (at my own cost).
5. Last month I borrowed a Turblown downpipe from somebody else who has recently purchased the same Turblown kit. Downpipe fit perfectly.

Below is a photo of the “borrowed” downpipe which fits.

 

Your posts regarding your bad experience with Turblown is what made me decide to post mine. We can both share our frustrations together from opposite sides of the world.

 

Rob,

Sorry for your frustration, as I mentioned in the email on the 1st( 17 days ago) that we are extremely busy. It is rare that down-pipes do not fit, as they are all hand built on a chassis here to help ensure best possible fitment. We have built near 4000+, and I can count on one hand the number of fitment issues that have been reported( obviously that doesn't mean there aren't more than we aren't aware of). As the website says fitment is not guaranteed, this doesn't mean we won't help as all reported down-pipe complaints have been rectified. I do not know why your downpipe is not fitting, I haven't seen it first hand. I did tell you we updated the 3.5" jigs; I guess you wanted me to say we might have made a mistake on yours, again if we are booked out 7+ months, there isn't a lot of time for emails or being extremely clear on little details. I just checked and you have been messaging a FB page we rarely use( its had 3 posts in the past 5 months, and the last post was well before your messages it appears).


If there are fitment issues, and you are overseas its best to have it adjusted locally( at a shop, with your car). This is the only way to have perfect fitment of any kind, ever. It sounds like you tried this, and they were completely incompetent. Again sorry for that hassle.

Again I did email saying we can adjust it for you, not sure how that qualifies as bad customer service.

 

As a multi-business owner I get Facebook messages among e-mails, and phone calls mixed in the day to day operations. I know Facebook is the last thing I typically check since it is just the last mode of communication since my e-mail is always up (no excuses, just my preference).

Not making any excuses for anyone, but I know if I have an issue with a part that was apart of a multi-thousand dollar kit, I would e-mail them with photos immediately. Shops will make it right as their reputation in an internet world does depend on it. With custom parts issues do arise, but make sure to give them a good chance to reach out and make it right.

Seems like Elliot is doing his part to rectify the situation and that is all that can be asked for.

 

Elliot,

I understand you are busy. I had not received a response for 2+ weeks. Do you really think thats acceptable?

Can you please elaborate on the "fitment not guaranteed" part? How much tolerance do you allow for? The exhaust itself was lined up dead straight with the flange however it was sitting around 2" lower than what it should have been. I really think that there was a mixup with the jigs or the wrong exhaust was grabbed off the shelf. If I had ordered the EWG kit then I'm sure this exhaust would have fit with no problem.

No, I did not take this car to an exhaust shop. I purchased a new section of pipe and had it cut & marked up, took it to a fabrication shop who then welded it. Its not a perfect job and the flange has warped which is causing it to leak, but at least it can be driven. It still needs to be rectified.

If you're happy for a local shop to rectify, can you confirm that you will pay for costs related to this?

I sent photos over Facebook immediately and Elliot did reply promptly. If there was no response then I would have sent them over email. I have no issue with Elliot's initial response time.

The second time around is when I was able to confirm that the original downpipe I had received was the wrong one (by comparing it to a new downpipe I had borrowed). This is when I sent messages over Facebook AND email. Below is the only email I have received about rectifying the situation (dated May 1st 2020) which is a bit of a half-baked attempt at any rectification. I had sent three more emails chasing this up and I have not received any further correspondence to this day. As I have mentioned in my original post, I'm not one to go public with these things but if my emails aren't being responded to for 2+ weeks then what am I to do?



Not really. I know its hard to understand the situation by a couple of forum posts but I dont think you should be making assumptions like this.

No details were given on how to have the downpipe sent to Turblown (because I'm surely not paying for this). And 7 months? Really?? As a multi-business owner, do you think its acceptable for a customer to have a car sitting in a garage for 7+ months to have a simple mistake rectified? I dont have the facilities to leave a car in one location for such a long period of time. What if the car had to be moved from its location? Will Turblown pay for towing?

Elliot is now suggesting a local exhaust shop rectify this. There was no mention of this up until the post above.

 

I am also a business owner and with the information available here, my opinion is that the client is not being unreasonable and Turblown should be stepping up to do more. I don't think it would be controversial to say that Turblown offers a premium product, sold at a premium price and as such it should be backed up by premium service. Given the elements at play here, an offer of "we can help if you're cool with waiting 7-months." seems much less like an offer to help as it does is an attempt to discourage the client from continuing their pursuit of seeking customer support from them while being able to hide behind the guise of having offered support. Just my .02

 

I mean, the downpipe seems way off (not a little bit off). And, now that we're here confronting the situation. It seems like the two parties should meet in the middle.

The current situation with shipping and the inherent distance do seem to make a local correction the better logistical choice.

Would recommend some sort of refund based on the cost of the repair. Satisfying a disgruntled customer is a lot easier than repairing a damaged reputation.

 

It seems as though turblown makes a great effort to always make sure they mention how well they're doing or how much business they have. With a pretty clear situation of a mistake on their end, I cant understand why they're dodging responsibility. I agree that they offer a premium product at a premium price and therefore premium customer service should follow.

as a business myself, any mistake made on my end through no fault of the customer is ENTIRELY mine to rectify whatever the cost or length. It's a mistake made by a "professional" and requires a professional solution. In this case, given the circumstances, turblown should cover the cost entirely to have the downpipe fixed. If not that, send him the correct one. Regardless of the 7 month wait, task someone to handle it today right now. Its 1 customer dealing the fallout of a mistake made by the supplier.

considering the "7+ month wait" and 4000+ kits sold, the expense of rectifying this situation for turblown is clearly not an issue. Do the right thing and cover the cost of getting the downpipe fixed or send another one.

 

Anything less than "I will pay what it cost you to fix it at a local shop" or "I will ship a new downpipe" is imo not an acceptable answer.
OP has purchased a kit promising fitmet to stock exhaust.
OP has tested with a different downpipe from Turblown, to verify that the correct downpipe does fit.
OP has confirmed that the fitment issue is with this spesific part, and not with his setup.

The issue is thus 100% Turblowns fault, and should be fixed asap.

7+ months wait is bullshit. If this is the case, pull a downpipe from the front of the line and ship. The only acceptable reason for such a wait would be if the stock of cast manifolds was out and you had to wait for an entire batch. Not getting a single downpipe made for a customer who did not get what he ordered.

Also, in the email it is implied that this will be done at the expense of the customer, because shipping a downpipe to the US and back to Aus would probably be about as expensive as making a brand new one. And since Turblown does not offer this, its probably because they are not the ones who are gona be taking the hit.

 

I think it has been proven beyond doubt that the incorrect dump pipe has been supplied, given that the dump pipe from another, identical kit fitted perfectly.

Entirely the fault of the supplier, the solution, I would have thought, would be obvious - send the right one.

The customer is happy, the problem resolved, the suppliers credibility is restored, everyone wins.

To have an ongoing situation like this is ultimately going to influence future potential customers of this supplier, this is very sad situation.

 

OP, IMO your best bet is to find an expert welder/fabricator in your area, and have that place fix your downpipe. It will cost you, but will save you lots of headaches and time. Given the ocean between you two, and the vendor busy schedule, you are probably better off chalking this one to a loss.

From there, depending how the vendor makes it up to you, you can provide feedback to others.

With that said, there are other threads with similar issues from same vendor, did you researched the vendor before buying?

 

Save up your money and contact Glease Manufacturing.... It will not be cheap but his products are freaking amazing!! nothing like the crap you got from Turblown...

 

Turblown has a pretty solid rep, especially as it concerns these kits. The only other thread in this section was resolved to satisfaction, and I hope for the same outcome here.

 

No point in buying a whole new kit just because the current downpipe doesn't fit. Overall the Turblown kit isn't too bad but in hindsight I probably should have gone with Glease.

That's exactly right. I did my research and found they had a pretty good reputation as you have mentioned.

 

I have not done any business with Elliot/Turboblown/Turbosource. I am merely posting what I've seen here and there on this forum:

https://www.rx7club.com/bad-fugly-bu...great-1027676/

https://www.rx7club.com/questions-ab...inions-891358/ (R-R-RX7 initial post on his manifold, I believe there is another threat with more info)

https://www.rx7club.com/bad-fugly-bu...arning-924819/

 

@robdog86 What has been your cost to rectify the downpipe?

@Turblown Recommending, on behalf of the moderators who have discussed this, that you issue a proportionate refund.

 

This is such an easy fix for Turblown, I have no idea why they aren't doing it.

SEND A NEW DOWNPIPE.

/thread

 

I think it speaks volumes about him and his shop that he hasn't!!! With this thread and all the others, I just dont think he will be in business that much longer. You simply can NOT treat people this way. Funny how some folks are too stupid to realize this.

 

I’ll have a dig around and see how much it has cost me so far. There is still be some slight modification to make it right once I take it to an exhaust shop. I’ll post up once I get that done.

Turblown has made 12 Instagram updates in the last 3 days, yet they’re too busy to confirm whether they want to pay for the adjustment or send a new downpipe.

 

It's a poor situation, but I recall something similar with SMB over a decade ago sending a few exhausts to an expat vendor in Japan - and he had problems with clearance and ended up wearing the cost.

If I was you, Performance Exhaust Centre Northmead, will make a pipe as good as any and he's a rotary guy. Cost of rectification or remake to be reimbursed, as it's going to cost more to ship there and back than it's worth, and the whole airfreight thing at present is a debacle.