So i was on my way home the other night and noticed my turbo wasn't really spooling and i couldn't hear my BOV. When i got home i popped the hood and noticed that the pipe for the external was cracked. I came out the next morning when i could actually get my hands in there to find that the weld was really only holding on by a 1/2" or so.

Now i've heard all the stories about these don't last long and what not. This has only been on my car maybe 4 months and 5-6 thousand miles so far. This is also the last place i would have expected a break in the weld. If you look you'll notice that there is a bracket going to the piece of the pipe still connected to the manifold. This support was welded about 1/4" before the weld. I feel that this was the problem other than the welds didn't penetrate through to the inside of the piping. Had this bracket gone to the flange for the external i don't think this would have happened nearly as soon.

Also we found that the bracket going from the head to the collector was cracking where the red circle is. This is more like where i expected it to crack. Anyways i brought it to Jim at JM Fab and had him add so extra brackets so i don't think i'll have this problem again.

I wrote to SBR just to show them what happened and let them know that if the bracket were moved i feel that it would be a much longer lasting piece. The response i got was that 1 batch had made it out without the support on the external pipe and it had since been taken care of. Well this isn't the case here the bracket is there it's just not in the best spot.

If this has happened to anybody else here please send a pic or description to SBR. I'm sure if there are enough of us that have had this problem then we might be able to get them to change the design alittle so others own't have to deal with this problem in the future.

Ooops forgot to upload them pick.

some assembly required?

We've sold those and never had an issue. Contact SBR i'm sure they will be able to help you out.

I did contact Slowboy. I wasn't looking to have them fix it as i had already dropped it off at JM Fab because i needed it done quickly. They told me a batch got out without the bracket but has since been fixed. Well that isn't the case here. The bracket is there just not in the best place IMO.

so have SBR reimburse you in some way..?

Probly not

SBR quality ........ OH YEA!!! ...... j/king

Well like i said i did contact them and show them what happened. I even specifically stated that i was not looking to get them to fix it. I just wanted them to see so they could fix it so it wouldn't happen to others down the road.

They guy i spoke with offered some SBR gear to compensate me for paying to get it fixed myself and then i never heard from him again. I'm debating forwarding the letter to Mike Huml the president over there. Not even looking for free stuff. But if your going to OFFER someone something don't just say it a dissapear. I wouldn't have a problem if he never said we will compensate you.

call Matt, I usually like dealing with him. If not, just get Matt on the phone and email mike and him while you got him. also include a link to this thread. I'm sure SBR's reputation means much to them.

I was honestly just going to forward the emails to Mike Huml. Why waste time going through the ranks when you can go right to the top. Maybe i should include a link to this thread. I'll have to ponder that one for a minute.

You could have just gotten that rewelded by a shop and saved yourself a lot of money, then contacted SBR about getting either a new manifold or reimbursement, or if you wish nothing and just a complaint about a faulty product.

If you dont want the manifold, I will be happy to take it off your hands and reweld it

Just to let you guys know i forwarded all the emails to Mike Huml. I'll let everyone know what happens when i hear back from him.

Ok so as I said I forwarded all the emails to Mike Huml and stated my complaint with the matter. Here's the response i got.

Don,



Did you consider we close the shop down from December 23rd until January 3rd?



I find it interesting most people like you jump to conclusions when things are not as they seem. You think he is ignoring you for a week and a half, when in reality he is at home over the holidays with his family.



In my honest opinion, I do not feel you deserve any “consideration” in this matter, since “consideration” was not given on your end.



Now, if you want to chat with me about the manifold, I am all ears.



Mike Huml


Ok so they were closed for 1 of the past 2 weeks that i haven't gotten any reply to the 3 emails i have sent in that time period. I suppose that isn't as bad a ignoring them for 2 weeks as i originally thought. But the fact of the matter is it shouldn't take that long to respond to one of your customers. But i suppose there isn't any point in crying over spilled milk. I just won't be spending any more of my money with them if this is the kind of service i get for my troubles.

Boy!!!! What a way to put the customer first. I've always had good luck with SBR, but if they continue to treat customers like this they may lose alot of them. I can see his point but he could have found a nicer way to explain it, and still made good on this guys word.

Before this i've never had a real problem with them either. They once sent me the wrong UICP but they took care of it right away for me.

I also can see his point about the shop was closed so i'm jumping to conclusions. But i'm just supposed to know they closed for a week? And ok fine so you were closed for the first week. What the hell happened on the second?

I definately don't feel it's the right approach to dump it all back in the customers lap in a case like this. I understand that some customers can just be a pain and extremely unreasonable. But i wasn't asking for anything. I was giving some feedback on a product. And i made this very clear to both the people i spoke with. Oh well. It's make me glad i have descent upstanding DSM shops like DSMotorsports and JNZ tuning within driving distance.

Sorry for some reason I didn't see that and had the idea you got a new manifold at the shop you got it done at.

Dont be mad because Huml did not reply during the holidays, I do wonder why he didn't reply when he got back to work afterwards though. Emails would be waiting in his inbox.

napkinthief said:

Sorry for some reason I didn't see that and had the idea you got a new manifold at the shop you got it done at.

Dont be mad because Huml did not reply during the holidays, I do wonder why he didn't reply when he got back to work afterwards though. Emails would be waiting in his inbox.

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It wasn't Huml that i originally emailed. I wrote to the tech support email address first. It was only after i got no responses for 2 weeks (1 of which i understand now) that i forwarded everything to Mike Huml.

Only gripe I ever had with slowboy was when I was ordering my small 16g. It took about 3 weeks to get it shipped out because the lost a pallet of turbos? Only thing is i had no clue on what happened until i called. Same thing with my friend that ordered a SS clutch line it was on backorder, but he had no clue till he called a week later. Otherwise i have no problem with SBR there customer support is friendly on the phone and returned my calls just wish they gave more heads up.

Was this a DNP manifold or an SBR tubular manifold?

SBR manifold

I know what its like coming back to work after the holidays, but wow! The customer is not always right, but the customer is still the customer! I think Mike should have done a little more to bite his tongue in that letter and rememeber which end of the customer/vendor relationship side he is on.

siceclipse said:

I know what its like coming back to work after the holidays, buy wow! The customer is not always right, but the customer is still the customer! I think Mike should have done a little more to bite his tongue in that letter and rememeber which end of the customer/vendor relationship side he is on.

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I agree with this. But coming back from the holidays and not getting to 3 emails in the first day or 2 is one thing. Not getting back to them within a week is totally another. And yes i feel he could've been much more politicaly correct, for lack of a better term, with the situation.

SBR generally does have a lot of issues with customers (probably becaus eof the volume they get) but they do try to correct the majority of problems posted on the forums.

Well i never led them to this thread so i doubt that they will find it.