Warning to all E30 owners

[mr.]

Lemforder or Meyle. Nothing else under any circumstances. Stick with quality.

Especially when it comes to suspension. Glad to hear both passenger and driver are ok. Looks like a gnarly wreck

[luke.williams04]

Bit of an update

Hi all,
Thanks everyone for the kind words. Luke and his mate are absolutely fine.

I need some help from you guys.

I contacted ebay urging them to stop this guy selling and I got a lame response saying they have contacted the seller and due to privacy can't tell me the outcome. They told me I can lodge a paypal claim and get a refund. Great!
This guy is still selling this crap.

We were just contacted by someone via facebook here in Australia and he had the same thing happen (No crash tho) He contacted the seller and he did nothing.

I propose everyone here send this guy a message via ebay. This thread has had over 1300 views. I imagine if only half of the people sent him a message it would clog his ebay account and make thing very difficult to trade for a while.
If he continues we could hit him again.
What do you think?

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Control-Arm-Repair-Set-Front-Axle-Complete-For-All-E30-Bmws/311437146151?_trksid=p2045573.c100033.m2042&_trkparms=aid%3D111001%26algo%3DREC.SEED%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20131017132637%26meid%3D2ea501b95fe342108869824ea32b4526%26pid%3D100033%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D4%26sd%3D311437146151

[95BMWIC]

I would start with a phone call here:

http://en.vzbv.de/

The site lists Safety as something they advocate for

http://en.vzbv.de/1578.htm

I would ask them how to proceed - I'm not sure they will work with an individual complaint with a business - but I bet they can give you some advice.

I would also inform Mr. Lange, that the German Consumer Advocacy group will be contacted.

I would also email Ebay customer service and ask how to proceed - inform them you need to file a complaint about a dangerous product being sold as legit. You can mention that you heard that all parties within the chain of manufacture are liable for any injury or damage caused by that product and for the record you are informing them of the issue. (This needs to be documented - not just a phone call)

Next I would contact your consumer advocacy group in Australia and ask them how to proceed. There may have been laws broken selling defective auto parts. You have 3 countries represented (eBay - USA, German Seller, Australian consumer).

[fiveightandten]

Hi all,
Thanks everyone for the kind words. Luke and his mate are absolutely fine.

I need some help from you guys.

I contacted ebay urging them to stop this guy selling and I got a lame response saying they have contacted the seller and due to privacy can't tell me the outcome. They told me I can lodge a paypal claim and get a refund. Great!
This guy is still selling this crap.

We were just contacted by someone via facebook here in Australia and he had the same thing happen (No crash tho) He contacted the seller and he did nothing.

I propose everyone here send this guy a message via ebay. This thread has had over 1300 views. I imagine if only half of the people sent him a message it would clog his ebay account and make thing very difficult to trade for a while.
If he continues we could hit him again.
What do you think?
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Control-A...3D311437146151

Is the seller aware that you and the other 'victim' of a field failure know about one another, and that it's been documented on a public forum? I suspect that might change things a bit. If one of these comes apart and injures or kills someone, he will have a big problem on his hands. It's now documented that he knew about the fault and continued to sell them anyways.

Thanks again for the information you posted here. Glad to hear noone was hurt when your son's car rolled. But that's still quite a crash. Yikes.

[luke.williams04]

I would start with a phone call here:

http://en.vzbv.de/

The site lists Safety as something they advocate for

http://en.vzbv.de/1578.htm

I would ask them how to proceed - I'm not sure they will work with an individual complaint with a business - but I bet they can give you some advice.

I would also inform Mr. Lange, that the German Consumer Advocacy group will be contacted.

I would also email Ebay customer service and ask how to proceed - inform them you need to file a complaint about a dangerous product being sold as legit. You can mention that you heard that all parties within the chain of manufacture are liable for any injury or damage caused by that product and for the record you are informing them of the issue. (This needs to be documented - not just a phone call)

Next I would contact your consumer advocacy group in Australia and ask them how to proceed. There may have been laws broken selling defective auto parts. You have 3 countries represented (eBay - USA, German Seller, Australian consumer).

Here's what the seller knows so far.

A day or so after the crash I emailed him asking him to review these parts to and think about withdrawing them from sale. I attached a picture of the car to add weight to my request. No reply!

I have contacted ebay with a link to this thread asking them to approach him. I got a standard reply. Ebay said they contacted him. Basically told me to go away and get a refund from PayPal.

I lodged a PayPal claim with a link to this thread! (He will directly see that massage) Still for sale.

I sent him another message through PayPal informing him there is another person here in Australia that had the same problem. Still for sale.

I have been apprehensive about contacting local authorities until I have a little more evidence. I now feel confident enough to a least get them to look into it.

Thanks for those contacts, I will try them today.

[luke.williams04]

I have now contacted "Consumer Voice Germany" hopefully they can stop him.

Also contacted the Automotive parts recall section of the Department of infrastructure and Transport here in Australia. They are located here in ACT so I hoping they can take a look at these parts and confirm my claims.

I will leave the "Australian competition and consumer commison" (ACCC) until I get more proof that these parts are are as bad as I claim.

Can anyone else suggest who I can contact?
Thanks, Chris

[Sps]

I have now contacted "Consumer Voice Germany" hopefully they can stop him.

Also contacted the Automotive parts recall section of the Department of infrastructure and Transport here in Australia. They are located here in ACT so I hoping they can take a look at these parts and confirm my claims.

I will leave the "Australian competition and consumer commison" (ACCC) until I get more proof that these parts are are as bad as I claim.

Can anyone else suggest who I can contact?
Thanks, Chris

This is just another reason to get a dash cam. It would also prove your theory of no steering control. Glad no one was hurt this time.

[ba114]

I bought a similarly priced kit last year from a different seller: bestpreis-kfzteile24

The original listing is gone, but this is the same kit from the same seller:
E30 steering ebay link

Have fitted the tie rods, but havent driven the car yet as the build is still in progress.

Ps. I'm in the ACT as well

[luke.williams04]

I bought a similarly priced kit last year from a different seller: bestpreis-kfzteile24

The original listing is gone, but this is the same kit from the same seller:
E30 steering ebay link

Have fitted the tie rods, but havent driven the car yet as the build is still in progress.

Ps. I'm in the ACT as well

Hey BA114,
Don't drive it. The control arms and ball joints actually don't look bad and they held up well considering. Its just that silly connection on the tie rod. BMW managed to get it right but a chinese copy factory just didn't have the experience and or engineering know how to create the connection properly.
Here's a picture of the cross member showing the amount of force the inner ball joint took before letting go.

I have bought another set from this guy and when I get them I want to get them inspected by someone. Maybe I can take yours as well if you like.

Dept. of transport can't help. They are not interested in aftermarket parts. I have now lodged a complaint with ACCC.

[luke.williams04]

The seller declined the PayPal return. This is the message he sent.



Please send us the chassis number, the copy of the installation invoice and the measurement protocol via mail. This set was sold to more than 100, including car dealerships, without problems.
greetings


Not that I was expecting for a refund. Its just another way to make him think about what he is doing.


The consumer voice Germany replied saying they can't do anything but have given me some advice and leads.

[estoguy]

The important thing is that your son and his friend weren't hurt... but these kinds of things really show the importance of Caveat Emptor and not cheaping out on the important stuff.

I'm a budget too, but having seen similar threads for other cars (and not just BMW), it really drives home that Ben Franklin quote: "The bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten."

I did my front suspension last fall... replacing EXACTLY the same parts as you did. I did get a few deals, which kept my costs down, but they were quality parts, still in the original box like 2 KYB shock inserts for $50 from a guy I know and a spare set of control arms with new Lemforder LCABs (to which I installed new ball joints) for $30. But rest of the the stuff I sourced was all OEM quality stuff, Lemforder, Febi, etc. Where I save my money is the labour by doing it myself, which would be much higher than the cost of parts. It still stings the pocket book buying good stuff, but I can drive confidently.

This is why I deal personally with a shop in Toronto... even with reputable online sellers, I have a huge problem handing over money to people I can't see and talk to, especially FleaBay. I know my guys stand behind everything they sell, and I've never been screwed over since I got my E30. And just a plug, if there are any members in the GTA/Southern Ontario... germanparts.ca. Great guys!

[2002tiiguy]

you know, i think next time i need tie rod ends ill just go to bmw. id rather not have to think about things like this

[bangn]

[I]Please send us the chassis number, the copy of the installation invoice and the measurement protocol via mail.

This is where hes going to fuck you.. "show me the receipt to prove a licensed mechanic fitted these parts"

if its anything but and you say you fitted it then hes going to wipe his hands with it.

[fiveightandten]

This is where hes going to fuck you.. "show me the receipt to prove a licensed mechanic fitted these parts"

if its anything but and you say you fitted it then hes going to wipe his hands with it.

He may take that stance, but unless he provided literature stating that the parts must be installed by a licensed mechanic, making claims like that after the fact doesn't really hold any weight, IMO.

[luke.williams04]

This is where hes going to fuck you.. "show me the receipt to prove a licensed mechanic fitted these parts"

if its anything but and you say you fitted it then hes going to wipe his hands with it.

Also they were inspected and adjusted by Steering specialist afterwards. This would be why he wanted to see the specs. No idea why he wants the vin. Maybe he was hoping it wasn't an E30. He appears to be looking for any excuse.

He has now made the claim that he has since contacted the manufacturer and has had them tested. I have requested proof. I won't hold my breath waiting.