TruBendz Cat back Pipes

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occasional demons
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TruBendz Cat back Pipes

Post by occasional demons » Sun Jun 14, 2009 12:32 pm

Overall they seem to be decent quality, but I have an issue or two.
1) The mid pipe is too short. Must be made for an LTH.

2) The mid pipe is cracked in the last bend.

3) Their return policy sucks ballz. I do not have 2 to 3 days to ship it back at my expense, another 2 days for them to process it, and another 2 to 3 days to have a replacement shipped to me at my expense.

I have sent them an email with pics attached, so we shall see if they man up and replace this. Shipping at their expense. Othewise I cannot in a honesty, recommend their products. This is too much BS to have to go through for their crappy QC.

This is what I emailed them, now we shall see what their response is. To me, customer service is just as important than the parts you receive.
Hello, I recently ordered a stainless exhaust for my Dodge Neon. The mid pipe has a crack in the last bend. Please see attached pictures.

Please let me know how this is going to be corrected.

My car is currently out of service until I can get a replacement pipe. I don't want to install it, unless that is OK with you. If so I will use it until a replacement mid pipe arrives.
Also it is too short to reach the flex joint at the converter end. Can you give me a price for a foot of 2.25" stainless pipe?
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Pics of the overall system compared to oem:

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There are also a couple of 90º bends for I assume, a camaro muffler set up included. I didn't take any pics of those. It also comes with weld on hangers, two flanges and clamps, all mild steel. .
Bill
Olha Koba, a psychologist in Kyiv, said that “anger and hate in this situation is a normal reaction and important to validate.” But it is important to channel it into something useful, she said, such as making incendiary bombs out of empty bottles.
2000 Neon MTX swap with '02 R/T PCM
1999 neon coupe 2.4 swap
2021 Forester

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2k1MotorSport
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Post by 2k1MotorSport » Sun Jun 14, 2009 12:39 pm

I had one of their cat back systems on my R/T and was not really impressed. Nothing was broken for me. But i did get the 2 1/4 cat back w/ resonator. The resonator was just huge.

I just recently got rid of the mid section and kept the rear section. I went back to a factory pipe because i just got coilovers installed and didn't want the resonator (which hung down really low) to get smashed under my car.

For the most part i would give them a 4/10 as company and product.
-Scott
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excon
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Post by excon » Sun Jun 14, 2009 6:51 pm

Same problems here.

Mine was not cracked like yours, but my midpipe was too short. I took pictures and called them, and they were very helpful. They sent me a longer pipe for free (I told them it was a few feet short so I could cut it if I needed to).

My midpipe fit (some trimming was necessary) but it hangs down WAY too low. Sometimes I scrape the road coming out of parking lots with people in my car.
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BlackRoseRacing
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Post by BlackRoseRacing » Mon Jun 15, 2009 5:08 am

good to know info, I was considering on getting a similar setup for my R/T....

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Diablo0
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Post by Diablo0 » Mon Jun 15, 2009 10:00 am

BlackRoseRacing wrote:good to know info, I was considering on getting a similar setup for my R/T....
:withstupid: Making me think twice about doing it now...
-Jason
Black '02 Neon R/T | White '02 Neon R/T - SRT-4 Engine Swap
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occasional demons
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Post by occasional demons » Mon Jun 15, 2009 12:22 pm

Update.


I got a quick response from them. Seems fair enough to me.
At least they are making a decent good faith effort to correct the problem. Better than some other places I've dealt with.

From TruBenz:
My apologies for the inconvenience. This obviously slipped past our shipping/packing team when it shipped out.

We can swap the part out for a new section, which I can have shipped out by tomorrow AM. We normally would wait until the old section is received back before the new section ships out (even though its defective the material still holds a value to us).

To expedite the process, you can send us a FULLY REFUNDABLE $50.00 deposit until the old section is received back. Yes, you can use the old section in the meantime if you need to. Yes, we will pay for return shipping also.

You can send the deposit using www.paypal.com to: order@trubendz.com.
We can also include a section of 2.25 inch tubing in the new shipment. The price would be $10.00, which we can deduct from the deposit.

Josh
TruBendz Tech.
I guess if you want a direct oem fit, you should prolly call, instead of ordering online. Like I said in the first post, my guess is the midpipe is set up for a LTH. They should prolly specify that tho.

So as long as this second transaction goes smoothly, I guess I can't bitch too much. :D
Bill
Olha Koba, a psychologist in Kyiv, said that “anger and hate in this situation is a normal reaction and important to validate.” But it is important to channel it into something useful, she said, such as making incendiary bombs out of empty bottles.
2000 Neon MTX swap with '02 R/T PCM
1999 neon coupe 2.4 swap
2021 Forester

Passt
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Post by Passt » Mon Jun 15, 2009 1:20 pm

Sucks, but at least they're quick to respond, and gave you the response you hoped for :)
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occasional demons
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Post by occasional demons » Mon Jun 15, 2009 2:14 pm

Yeah, what can you do? It may not be Borla quality, but then it sure as heck isn't Borla price either.

Overall, for what their stainless pipes cost, it really isn't too much more than the general price for aluminized crap. Hopefully this outlast the car. But then neons never die, right? :roll:
Edit:
excon wrote: My midpipe fit (some trimming was necessary) but it hangs down WAY too low. Sometimes I scrape the road coming out of parking lots with people in my car.

A lot of that has to do with the flex coupler. Anything heavier than oem pipe will sag. I had to rig another hanger when I had installed the glasspack, dicking around with an SRT rear section. I may just eliminate that flex joint. The replacement one I bought sags worse than the oem. :(
Bill
Olha Koba, a psychologist in Kyiv, said that “anger and hate in this situation is a normal reaction and important to validate.” But it is important to channel it into something useful, she said, such as making incendiary bombs out of empty bottles.
2000 Neon MTX swap with '02 R/T PCM
1999 neon coupe 2.4 swap
2021 Forester

red2k2rt
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Post by red2k2rt » Tue Jan 12, 2010 10:02 pm

I've been using a trubendz setup for about 5 years now. the only part i've had to replace is a rusted out section infront of my drivers side rear wheel. the muffler is still fully intact. i had mine custom welded by a friend to make it sit higher up in the car and i have absolutely nothing hitting the ground, and my car is lowered with tein ss coilovers. i give them an 8 - 9/10 as a company.

occasional demons
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Post by occasional demons » Tue Jan 12, 2010 10:12 pm

Well they made good on their promise. I did eliminate the flex coupling, and it does not sag, or have any other issues. Other than the split pipe it is all good.
I think it was mentioned that if you buy the complete kit, there are less issues with fitment. I only bought the tubing, so they really don't know what you are mating it up with.
Bill
Olha Koba, a psychologist in Kyiv, said that “anger and hate in this situation is a normal reaction and important to validate.” But it is important to channel it into something useful, she said, such as making incendiary bombs out of empty bottles.
2000 Neon MTX swap with '02 R/T PCM
1999 neon coupe 2.4 swap
2021 Forester

occasional demons
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Post by occasional demons » Sat Jan 03, 2015 6:38 pm

The pipes are still looking as good as the day they were installed. No other issues that a rough start.

IMHO, the extra for the stainless is well worth it. These are going to outlast the car.
Bill
Olha Koba, a psychologist in Kyiv, said that “anger and hate in this situation is a normal reaction and important to validate.” But it is important to channel it into something useful, she said, such as making incendiary bombs out of empty bottles.
2000 Neon MTX swap with '02 R/T PCM
1999 neon coupe 2.4 swap
2021 Forester

Midnight_Rider
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Post by Midnight_Rider » Sat Jan 03, 2015 7:42 pm

First I had seen this thread so interesting to read your follow-up.
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Post by sidepipe87 » Sun Jan 04, 2015 11:02 am

I wish ai had seen this thread before I ordered mine back in 2011. It was total garbage, fit like garbage, and ended up getting tossed in the garbage in favor of a Mopar/Borla exhaust
PM me for your 00+ PCM SKIM/VIN flashing needs. Neon PCMs Plus

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