Rockkrawler 7" Lift

LimitedLurker · **Joined:** Fri Jul 08, 2005 7:18 pm **Posts:** 114

Quote:

She also said that she has taken the shops kj to moab and that it performed well.

Yes, performed well on the road getting it there and on the road home. Doesn't say it was actually on any trails.

They know where we live, they can always stop by and put in their two cents.

At this point I wouldn't trust anything RK. I don't think they've handled this situation properly. The customer service seems really poor.

But, it does seem like RK is being blamed for some things that aren't their fault.

Steering system giving in doesn't really seem to be a problem with the lift. Do lifts for other Jeeps include a new steering setup? I have no experience with other Jeeps and the lifts they use so maybe I'm off base on this.

Not giving away parts that were damaged due to factors beyond their control doesn't sound like bad business to me although it sure would be honorable of them to at least sell the parts at cost and expedite them out to the customer for free and then go update the installation instructions so they are easier to follow and noone else makes the same mistake.

I cut up my K&N heat shield to try and relocate my washer reservoir. After I came up with a better way I wanted to replace the shield and K&N refused to even sell me the part. Told me I'd have to buy an entire new kit. So, RK isn't alone.

I've known people in retail and believe me the customer is not always right and "the customer is always right" policies can cost the stores dearly. Or should I say that it costs the other customers dearly because the cost is past along to them.

Some cases I know of: A mother comes in fall to buy new boots for the kids. Brings them back in spring, complains 'cause they are all worn out. No receipt or anything and she wants her money back claiming she paid full retail. People bring stuff back to a store when that stroe never sold the product. Teen makes her cell phone appear to be hosed up 'cause there is a newer cooler one and she wants a free upgrade (couldn't get the upgrade and refused a same model replacement - dead give away.)

Merchants can't tell who is legit and who is just trying to screw them so sometimes they have to take a hard line. False claims can be really tough on small business, they don't have the margins or volume to make up for the losses of a lot of scams.

LimitedLurker · **Joined:** Fri Jul 08, 2005 7:18 pm **Posts:** 114

OMG. Even if RK was the best lift ever built and the best run company ever with customer service 10 times better than any other company in existance today they would not sell 34 of these lifts to the people on this board. They'd be lucky to sell 5.

We can't even get enough people to spend $200 on a disco. (Sorry, don't mean to open any wounds).

CarNutCertifies · **Posted:** Thu Jul 14, 2005 3:31 pm

Now that was the Law of Averaves that was taught to me during a time in my life that i was in commission sales. (it turned out to be the lowest of all sales jobs) The law states that for every 10 people you show a product to 1 of them will buy it. Reguardless of product. This was proven by taking us out and talking to 100 people and see if we came up with at least 10 sells. We did. every time. now you might go through 50 people then get 5 sells in a row. All I am saying is by them not going the extra mile here has the potential of 34 lost sells because one lift went bad. And to get the L.O.S.T. groups indorsement of a product can lead to even more through word of mouth. Look at what the L.O.S.T. group is doing for All J or Randy's. These are two companies that I had never heard of until I bought my KJ.

fireblad1 · **Joined:** Mon Jul 11, 2005 10:04 am **Posts:** 74

LimitedLurker I really invite you to purchase the lift and would love to hear yuore results im testing it this weekend lets see what happens, RK has always answered my questions but with a new suspension I think they could of done much better and I still insist why ont i hear of no one trying this lift for offroading except me. I insist this time the whole suspension is installed perfectly and well lets see but from my offroad experience lets say Im not going alone or far away to test it.

Nomad · **Posted:** Thu Jul 14, 2005 4:31 pm

Fireblad thank you for your feedback. I have been saving up for quite some time and have 3k set aside for a new lift. I was about to purchase the RK 7" but now .. There is no way. I have been pleased with my 2"spacer lift. Since I live in Utah I have had quite a few opportunities to test her out in Moab, nothing broken yet. Looks like I will just wait. When the superlift comes out I will test that one and post results.

All new products are going to have problems. But a company that does not stand behind the product it sells won't get my business. I hope superlift will support new products.

Keep us updated on how round three goes. If things change for you and RK I will take a second look at them.

LimitedLurker · **Joined:** Fri Jul 08, 2005 7:18 pm **Posts:** 114

Anyone that was considering this lift but is no longer should send fireblad1 $20 for the problems they're not going to have. The $680 should help him out a bit.

fireblad1,

I didn't mean to offend. I would love for you to have success with this lift and have it all work out. I'd love to see a bunch of KJs out running this thing. I personally would never buy it, in so many ways it is way more than I want.

I also didn't intend to imply that you're not one of the customers with a legit complaint. Just that I can understand why niche companies like RK need to be hard a$$ed about things sometimes. But I don't think they're doing right by you in this case.

Having said that, I believe you admit that it was installed wrong and this could have caused/did cause some of the damage. Now if the instructions were wrong, incomplete, or misleading then you have a legit gripe with RK. If the instructions are good then you have a legit gripe but it is with the shop that did the install and not RK. In any case the minimum I would like to have seen RK do for you is sell the replacements at cost, expedite them to you free of charge and get on the phone with your shop to make sure they go in correctly this time. Especially since it really does seem that you are the guinea pig for this system.

If RK instructions tell you to drill a part and then that part breaks not only should RK fix the design and ship you a corrected component free of charge they should replace the stock part that broke. If the part was drilled incorrectly then I don't think you can really blame RK unless the instructions are incorrect in some way. It sounds like RK is blowing you off on this issue and saying install issue. Its an easy excuse for them.

Springs falling out was somewhat of an issue with the 2.5" lifts too. That's why All-J tooled the bump stops. It would be nice if RK included some extended bump stops, limit straps or something to hold the springs in place. Is this something that is included with the lifts that are put on other Jeeps? If so then RK missed on this one and you'd have a legit gripe. If this isn't how the industry works then chalk one up to the school of hard knocks.

Steering going bad? Again, I don't know if lift kits for other Jeeps include this kind of equipment. There certainly are beefed up components for the other Jeeps but are they part of the lift or a seperate kit? I know some of the early conversations about this lift rasied concerns about some KJ components, including steering. If I recall, it was the presented opinion that rack and pinion systems aren't strong enough for big tires in off-road conditions (maybe it was just the KJs steering wasn't up to the task). We all should know by now that the KJ wasn't designed to be as hard core as the Wrangler line but it is tons more capable than its competition in the small SUV market.

Many have said they would expect the front differential to fail with 33/35" tires. Does this mean RK has the responsability to build a new front end for us as part of the lift? My personal opinion is no they don't. However, I do expect them to work out the mechanics so the angles and shaft length are not factors in any failure. I should be able to run stock with no problems, anything beyond that is at my own risk.

Man, I really do feel your pain. When I put in my lift and bought new tires I didn't expect to end up needing wheel spacers and an ARB to make it work. When I put the ARB on I didn't expect to loose 3/4" from my lift. I felt like I did my home work but at the time who knew about lowered. I put a lot of $ into the KJ that I didn't expect but this was all nothing compared to what your dealing with.

I would be a sick nervous wreck if I were in your shoes. Having a new KJ that is maybe Fd for good, that just isn't right. If RK tested this thing at all they should know the problems and they should publish them so anyone buying this kit knows the score. RK should be in the trenches with you on this one, even if some of these things aren't their fault.

I would love to have RK pipe in here and give their side of the story and what they are doing and why. Its always good to get both sides of the story before reaching any conclusions. I challenge them to post some action shots/vodeo to backup the claim of testing. They don't though and I don't believe they did test. Man, if lifts were salsa this kit would be built in New York City. (not intended to be a slam on NYC manufacturers, labor or designers. Simply a play, off a commericial, that is intended to imply that the lift is for posers only) Hey, would this thing work on a Pepsi truck?

fireblad1 · **Joined:** Mon Jul 11, 2005 10:04 am **Posts:** 74

Ok here it goes test it today almost in a back yard way all the pics posted first ths bad install didnt cause the problems, it caused it to be completely inestable.
Today I called 2 4x4 experts who have done this all their life to check out the results the previous knuckles were damaged because of the suspension design on the original kj the steerong holds on the bottom of the knuckle wich all you people can see in your libs with RK design it goes on the thin part on the top of the knuckle plus you also drill a hole through the middle, RK told me it is imposible to bend a knuckle yes I have bent ona and broke 2 over 800usd just for those.
The secons detail the steerring when flexing gets as you can see in the pictures forced to the outside wich in harsh conditions can break and finally the cft also in harsh conditions will break.
Yes its height gives it very good capabilities to pass large obstacles but the front knuckle, steering and cft are very probable to get damaged if you get nasty. I can assure you that my original lib with the 2.5" was much more resistant on those parts. Again i can pass through parts i didnt pass before because of the height but one of those three parts can get damaged anytime. Im sending a mial to RK explaining all this and telling them they offered me a suspension that would work on harsh environments.
Yes this suspension looks great on my kj but its definetly not for heavy off roading if you want heavy off roading leave it with the 2.5", if you want a wonderful looking kj for very light offroading RK works great.
It wasnt what I was promised and I know they will continue to blame it on me but believe me i will put them to the test with my kj anytime with the original lift they sold to me, pictures dont lie and I really hope with this I can help all of you make a right decision.
I made a wrong one or maybe I wasnt told the real truth I hope RK does something to help me I really doubt it but I will tell you the results and again now im sure and i will put anyone to thes test this suspension is for looks.
Thanks everyone for your patience.
The pics are at in tha album FINAL
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/raltamirano1999/my_photos

chefdab · **Posted:** Fri Jul 15, 2005 1:41 am

Looking at the close up pics of this lift, I think I see one of the reasons the steering is so out of wack. He no longer has a front swaybar. Check the pics of the lower a-arms and you'll see he no longer has his end links attached. With the increased travel of each side independently, when they flex up, it pushes the wheel out. I think if he had a sway bar, it would keep this from happening.

fireblad1 · **Joined:** Mon Jul 11, 2005 10:04 am **Posts:** 74

RK said I had to take it out I also thought the same thing but if i put it in RK will say it is not working because i didnt follow instruccions

fireblad1 · **Joined:** Mon Jul 11, 2005 10:04 am **Posts:** 74

It looks that my winch and ARB fender are also toheavy for this suspension.

2003KJ · **Posted:** Fri Jul 15, 2005 10:23 am

JJsKJ wrote:

We need a beating a dead horse smiley.....
:wink:

per JJ's request

As far as the lift not working properly, dude i feel for ya. I know a new product (as mentioned before) is going to have its quirks and bugs to it, but how RK is handleing this is really giving them quite the name.

fireblad1 · **Joined:** Mon Jul 11, 2005 10:04 am **Posts:** 74

NOW THIS IS DEFINETLY A LUGHING MATTER I BETTER TAKE IT THAT WAY NOW RK ANSWER FOR MY SUSPENSION NOT WORKING IS BECAUSE OF MY ARB BUMBER AND WINCH AND ALSO BECUASE MY WHEELSSTICK OUT 2" FURTHER OUT THAN THE ONES THEY HAVE ON THEIR VEHICLE.
THEIR RECOMENDATION "YOU REALLY NEED A HEAVIER FRONT COIL THE DOWNSIDE IS IT PUTS MORE STRESS ON YOURE KNUCKLES"
HOW ON EARTH DO YOU DESIGN A OFFROAD LIFT THAT CANOT SUPPORT A WINCH A BUMBER OR OFF ROAD RIMS.
WERE DOES IT SAY IN THEIR PAGE THIS OR IN THE INSTRUCTIONS OR ANYWERE IT DOESNT. AND THEY DONT WANT TO GIVE ME A CENT BACK.

fireblad1 · **Joined:** Mon Jul 11, 2005 10:04 am **Posts:** 74

Im really unconfortable I just sent an email to RK to see if this was their final saying, its unfair I have spent over 10,000 for everything.
Am I wrong but who builds and offroad suspension that cannot handle the weight of a offroad bumber winch and offroad rims. Why wasnt that mentioned before selling it.
I guess what i am left with is a car just for shows if someone wants to rent it its available, cant do anything else with it.
Anyway I hope this helps others and will let you know how this ends I guess its already ended I no longer have a capable offroad vehicle.
Thanks

CarNutCertifies · **Posted:** Fri Jul 15, 2005 11:54 am

FB----Man I am really sorry that this didnt work out for you. Have you thought about talking to a lawyer? I mean you have already spent 10,000 on a lift you cant do any serious offroading with. What's another few dollars for the lawyer. I mean if you look at the website the pic of their KJ is on what looks like a pretty serious course....something in advertising there.....

fireblad1 · **Joined:** Mon Jul 11, 2005 10:04 am **Posts:** 74

HERE IS THEIR ANSWER I MUST INSIST I PROVED THE FIRST BAD INSTALL DIDNT CAUSE ANY DAMAGE.
THEIR ANSWER
Adam,

I have been in this industry for 3 years and I have never seen a person who is as blameful as you are.

First off - You had the kit installed completely wrong and yet you want to blame us for that. How come of all the kits sold, you are the only one with that problem. How about you start taking some of the blame here.

Secondly - Any person with half a brain, knows that the more heavy equipment you place on your Jeep, that heavier spring rates are going to be needed. Not our fault and very easily adjusted for. You make adjustments for every item you add to your Jeep. 99% of our customers understand that and make the changes accordingly.

After hearing you bash us on KJ Lost, I told Jeremy to be done with you. Let you figure it out on your own since you and your hot head want to go laying blame all over the internet telling only part of the story. How about you go back on the KJ Lost site and explain that your installers missed 8 steps of the instructions and that we have been trying to help ever since. Trust me we wish you never purchased this system or that you would have had a shop install it correctly the first time.

Jeremy has been more then fair with you, as has everybody here at RockKrawler. That is more then we can say for you.

Good luck to you...I will not correspond with you agian.
Heather
Rockkrawler

fireblad1 · **Joined:** Mon Jul 11, 2005 10:04 am **Posts:** 74

Yes hevier sring load will even break more easily the knuckles.

2003KJ · **Posted:** Fri Jul 15, 2005 1:00 pm

darn Adam that is wack!

i'm speechless after reading that e-mail. What kind of company with the customer in mind sends a response like that to an obviously not satisfied customer? And for them to bring up bashing their company on the internet. I have not seen one post since this thing got started from anybody over at RK defending themselves and telling their side of the story. Maybe that should do that first before bashing you for bashing them.

I totally agree with the lawyer statement.

Good luck dude, keep us informed.

InCommando · **Posted:** Fri Jul 15, 2005 1:29 pm

So, I looked at other KJ sites. This is the ONLY 7-up kit mentioned. Where are these satisfied customers they claim? I wish they could produce them, but it does not seem likely.

A friend was considereing an RK suspension for his TJ. I sent him this thread. Bottom line: no RK for him!

krazz1e · **Posted:** Fri Jul 15, 2005 2:10 pm

Unreal! Exactly what Commando said, where the hell are all these kits that have been sucessfully installed??

I agree with you on this 100%. RK has show very poor customer services.. they should of register here and posted and helped you out.

BS.

I will never buy from RK, ever.

02LIBRT · **Posted:** Fri Jul 15, 2005 2:19 pm

I was thinking about this last night and felt a little bad about being so hard on RK, afterall how many companies have made an attempt to bring us something above and beyond the 2.5" kits available.

After reading the message from Heather at RK, I no longer feel bad and am more convinced than ever!

Later,
J

Rockkrawler 7" Lift

Who is online