Difference between shifters?

[streetracer8605]

I searched, but only found things such as "how-to's" and a problem someone was having. I was wondering what the difference is between a B&M and one such as the Custom Cougars. Is there honestly enough enough difference to have it be worth spending nearly $170 on a B&M as opposed to about $50 on the customcougars one, or $100 on a fidanza one. Are Fidanza products worth the money? I'm new to transmission stuff so I'm sorry if some of you view this as a dumb question, but I need some advice from some of the fellow knowledgable guys on here.

Thanks,

Jeff

[PREDATOR]

Well I have the stock one and the cc.com one, I'll also be picking up the B&M one shortly so I can give everone a comparison but I believe the cc.com is to the same specs as the b&m it's just a knock off.

Like the MSDS headers compared to the Weapon R headers...

[slockin]

The difference between the units is basically quality. The cheaper units are made to be "cost effective", while the quality units are made to last. How's this - I had a cheap one and broke the 2nd day I had it. Luckily that happened a half a mile from my home and not on a road trip.

I now have the Steeda Unit in mine for a good 2 years. The $100 is well worth the piece of mind.

Hope this helps...

-Nick

[LuckyGuns]

One thing I have noticed in looking these over, is that the B&M is made of stainless steel. All the other budget shifters are made of aluminum, and I have read many posts about them breaking.

slockin - is the steeda unit still on the market? and is it aluminum or SS?

I personaly am leaning twords the B&M just because of peace of mind and the fact that is is made of SS





John

[slockin]

The Steeda unit is steel as well. It is sold for the Focus and you can get it from Steeda (http://www.steeda.com) or SP Motor Sports (http://www.spmotorsports.com).

It's also not the material it's made of - it's the quality of the weld on the lower ball joint. That is the point of failure on these units.

-Nick

[streetracer8605]

well, I went w/the custom cougars and I must say I'm happy so far. if it goes, then I know I shoulda listened.

[MaverickFlyer]

Originally posted by: streetracer8605
well, I went w/the custom cougars and I must say I'm happy so far. if it goes, then I know I shoulda listened.

You should of listened, I bought the CC one and it broke about 2 months after I installed it. Piece of crap if you ask me. If I was you I would by the B&M one or keep your stock one with some tools in your car. That way you won't have to get an expensive tow when it breaks. Not if, But when and where it breaks! :mad:

[CreativeCompactsCom]

Over the past 2 years since the product has been offered, we have only had a handful (2-5) customers contact us or mention any problems.

We have a new design now instock with a retainer pin and spring for the reverse lockout. Item ships via USPS Priority Mail for quick delivery.

[LostRacer]

I bought a $30 one of ebay 2 years a go..no problems yet. How the hell are you breaking these things?

[MaverickFlyer]

Originally posted by: LostRacer
I bought a $30 one of ebay 2 years a go..no problems yet. How the hell are you breaking these things?

Just everyday driving, never raced it, no hard shifting, nothing. Then one day the weld on the ball that attaches to the linkage broke. Left me stranded on the side of the road. Very poor quality, thats way CC doesn't give a warranty, they know they break.

[LostRacer]

I took mine to the track plus everyday driving..I beat tha hell out of it. LOL! I didn't get it from CC, but the old saying goes "You get what you pay for" And because of that I've just been waiting for it to break..kinda sad I guess..lol.

[MaverickFlyer]

Originally posted by: LostRacer
I took mine to the track plus everyday driving..I beat tha hell out of it. LOL! I didn't get it from CC, but the old saying goes "You get what you pay for" And because of that I've just been waiting for it to break..kinda sad I guess..lol.

I guess so, Hopefully yours doesn't break down on some dark rainy night with no cel phone and no way to get home!

My biggest problem is that CC doesn't stand buy there products they sell, when it breaks they basically say screw you! If it was true that only 2-5 have broken, you think they would say "I'm sorry about that, here's a replacement or a refund" But no. either they all break or CC doesn't care about repeat business.

[CreativeCompactsCom]

Maverick... Its very simple... The manufacturer who supplies us does not warranty the product. Therefore we to will not warranty the problem. Warranty is provided with BM Shifters only. They begin at $180 Shipping. CC Shifter is $50 shipped. If the item was offered at $180, it would have a warranty... But with 2-5 breaking in 2 years, no need for the price to be raised to offer a warranty. This is very common with alot of aftermarket products.

Thanks
James

[MaverickFlyer]

Well even if the manufacture doesn't offer a warranty, the company who sells it should. If only 2-5 have broken in 2 years its not going bankrupt a company to replace a few bad parts. The loss in future revenue will far out weigh the cost of 1 or 2 bad shifters. I have only just begun to modify my car. Up until this happen I was very happy with your service. But after seeing this I have started to look else where. I have always promoted CC on this and other sites. Keeping your customers happy means they will tell others about there experience and generate more business for you. These are the things that really show if a company cares about there customers, or is it all about the bottom line???

[CreativeCompactsCom]

Question... You knew buying the item it had no warranty. If you were ok with no warranty when you bought an item, you should be fine now. I will admit the 2-5 are rare cases including 1 were the owner openingly admitted to shifting very hard. However, when an item states, no warranty... it means no warranty. Same thing with Drift Kits... EVERYONE Knows they don't fit good and they are sold with no warranties... Yet I still have 8-10 leaving out on a weekly basis... Think I am gonna warranty a product that the manufacturer is not going to help me over? Nope... Just as I suggest to customers, I would suggest you buy an Aerogear Kit versus a Drift Kit. The shifters... I tell all my customers... its $50, has no warranty. BM is $180 and has a warranty. If you break the CC Shifter, you can buy 2 more and still be under $30. To date, no one else has had any issues with it. I am sorry to hear you will no longer use our services to build your car, however we try our best to make all customers happy, but cannot bend the policies that have been set in place since 2000. Been in business for almost 5 years under these policies and grown, no need to change to take 3 steps backwards.

[MaverickFlyer]

So I guess your okay selling cheap faulty parts then! I'll be sure to let everyone know! :thumbsup:

Well thanks for answering my question, you don't give a $hit about you customers. Only the money they put in your pocket!

[CreativeCompactsCom]

We are in a no win situation at this time it appears... You failed to answer any questions. The same situation occured during your e-mails as well. The fact is we do care about our customers. We are still the leading supplier for cougar parts. However, policies will not be changed. Just because a product doesn't offer a warranty, doesn't mean its cheap and faulty. We have sold well over 300 shifters in the past 2 years... Using the maximum of 5, thats still just about 1%. Last time i checked, more of our customers were having their sunroofs break and paying 800-1200 to have those fixed with no one floating any of the bill. In this case we are simply advising you an item has no warranty, and as you have simply failed to answer reveals the answer, You knew buying the item it had no warranty. If you were ok with no warranty when you bought an item, you should be fine now (considering we cannot implement a warranty), however you have taken it to the extreme with assumptions and ignored the facts.

I wish you the best of luck in modifing your cougar. Threads like this will both hurt and help our business, however I am very happy to see this information brought to the surface. In business you can try your best to make everyone happy, but as any business owner can tell you in retail, it never works that way. Its not what we want by anymeans either which is the bad side. Just remember, I started and continue to run this business for the love of automobiles, particularly the car that turned me on to the tuning process, the Mercury Cougar.

[MaverickFlyer]

What question did I fail to answer? Did I know there was no warranty. No I didn't. I just checked your site and nowhere does it state that the shifter comes with no warranty. Listen, doesn't it bother you in the least that a product you sold is useless after only 2 months of use? I'm not in the business of retail but I do deal with clients everyday. I am always in situations where I go out of my way to make my customers happy, whatever that may be. I'm not saying or even expected for you to send me a new shifter, but I expected more than "Ha, Sucks to be you, you should have bought the $180 one!" mentality.

[JScullin]

James has a section on his site that explains how products & warranties are handled should a problem arise. Whether you agree with the way his company explains it up front should help you decide to shop there or not.

It's up to you the consumer to educate yourself with any rules or exceptions a store may have on it's return policy. Especially online stores where spending as little as possible is part of the game to reap the benefits & offer lower prices.

OK?