Hey everyone, I'm new here and from North Dakota. I've been patiently waiting for my mini-truck to arrive from a dealer here who has sold many in the past. They were waiting to recieve a crate of 7 "refurbished" ones and were supposed to be here about a month ago. Well they setting they were being held up in port at customs and couldn't even get an answer why. Well, they contacted me this morning and bad news! The crate got returned to Japan. The dealer said they talke to CTC this morning(whoever that is) and there's nothing they can do about it. These folks(the dealer) have been absolutely wonderful to talk to and deal with and what's worse is she told me they aren't going to sell them anymore after this. They are trying to offer me a new Tatanka mini-truck, but that's not what I want. Too big, too expensive, and doesn't have the off road capabilities like the Suzuki or Daihatsu I've been wanting. I'm super bummed out because I was really excited and I wasted a whole month of our very precious, way too short arctic summers up here. Anyway, thought you all might find this interesting. Good to be here and hope to talk to you all more.
The "refurbished" units leave a lot to be desired. Specifically, units refurbished in the Philippines. Honestly, it was probably a blessing in disguise for you.
Update: The dealer I've been talking with said CTC told them that the crate was sent back to Japan because the restrictor plates weren't welded on good enough? Seems weird to send it all the way back just for that, let alone that it took a month for them to tell the dealer that while I waited. Anyone else think that sounds fishy?
Not sure who you purchsed the refurbished trucks from but if you still have your money you better celebrate by singing Zip-a-dee-doo-dah on your way work. You are way better off than those of us who actually got our refurbished trucks. I wish customs would have sent my shipments back.
My refurbished truck is awesome. I have had no problems, my truck came in just like I ordered it. Apparently many people on this site aren't fans,but for the person that wants a turn key product i think it is the way to go. From talking to a couple of dealers they said early on there were quality issues, but the company was very responsive in correcting these issues. If you want a good product with a warranty, I would say go for it.
The Re-furbs converted to LHD are not legal in Canada. You cannot cut and weld steering compononts. Such modifications are not allowed for street use. As well, there was not a lot of refurbishment on the ones I saw.... A paint job, upholstery and tires. Well, you can do that on any truck, and I wouldnt call it re-furbed. One there was no thermostat in, others would not even steer or drive straight, most did not have the pre-heater tubes which are important up north here. Cut frames, cut steering compononts, below average welding, amongst uother issues. The idea is right, the execution is not.
Minibrute-you might want to call he is up there somewhere in canada and can't keep the refub's in stock and he is selling them for sreet use. My truck is from B&m. All my buddies wanted to find fault ( this is mule country) but were suprised at the quality. Nothing is perfect ,they are refurbished not new. Mine has heat and air and they both work fine.
Yup. Been there, seen them. Flew out to look, see, drive. I personally would still take a stock non-refurbed over those right now. Also looked at / drove Richard Crisp's special units. Gotta say B+M has got them beat there, but still a long way to go. We have invested a lot of time investigating these re-furbs. We are not interested in jumping into the market with a potentially dangerous vehicle. (Ok, so MORE dangerous than a Mini can be already) Technically not legal in this country as they come from overseas. You can't be cutting and welding steering components. There are major liability issues with such modifications. Its right in the regulations...... Brad at SuperL has had steering knuckles machined from billet to rectify this problem which is a smart move in thre right direction to make these truly a decent product. The refurbs are fine for off-road, but not adequate for on-road. We will be having some refinished by B+M, but our specs are quite different. No lift kit, No LHD conversion, no cut frames, as well as some other safety things. This is where the problems are arising. It is our feeling that a good RHD is way better than a poor LHD. And for the folks who cant figure out how to drive RHD, probably shouldnt be driving anything at all. If anyone wants a massive zip of about a hundred up close pics of some re-furbs, let me know. Dont get me wrong, there is lots of good there, but there is equally as much not good stuff. Again, right idea, wrong execution. There is progress being made in this area, buts still a ways away. At this point in time, I stand behind my opinion that the refurbs leave a lot to be desired. I gotta say, the cab extensions are very well done all things considered, which is a big plus for some larger North Americans.
hey, why am I being brought into this..... when I express my opinion people tell me I don't know jack...... .........until now http://www.toilette-humor.com/toilet_humor/schitt_family.shtml anyway.....people have the freedom to buy from whomever they want just as other people have the freedom to charge whatever they want whatever.......glenn
Thats the great thing about opinions. It dont matter what you know or dont know. Right or wrong, its all just fun and excitement for the whole family.
I agree with Mini on the refurbs. I know the importer who started that process and they are junk, they are done all wrong with poor quality and no odvious welding experience. They call a painted enginge refurbished? You will not find any refurbs on my lot until they are actually refurbished the way we do it here in the good ole US of A. www.tractorstrucksandtrees.com
Sorry to hear that buddy. We got hit with some shift plate fines awhile ago. Makes it very difficult to stay in business. As far as refurb trucks....yeah be thankful they did get sent back b/c you would have missed your arctic summers with them in the shop anyway...just my opinion
Hhmm, kinda funny how all the negative feedback on refurbs are from dealers, one would think if they were that bad that the average joe consumer would be posting this stuff.I did alot of research before purchasing a truck and found the exact opposite of what you guys are saying.I think the backyard dealer auction trucks are far bigger pieces of "junk" and halfway finished when you purchase them for the same price, and nobody offered a warranty. As said many times here,just my opinion.
Hhmm, I prefer GR mike's opinion....he is a supporting member.... ask yourself a question....are you happy with your purchase?...there are lots of people that are happy with their purchases from sources other than yours....some people are unhappy with their purchases from whatever source they have choosen... MY OPINION is that people have the freedom to buy from whomever they want for whatever price they are happy with...just as sellers have the freedom to sell to whomever they want for whatever price they are happy with....if there is a transaction and both parties are happy...all the best...if a buyer gets a lemon....well, there's always Judge Judy.... freedom is great.......thank a soldier for that eh? just my opinion..... glenn
if you can read this, thank a teacher... if you can read this in english, thank a soldier! cheers milton (proud vet!)
Nobody offered a warranty? I know of dealers who offer warranty on their used trucks. Several actually, including ourselves. And for the most part, there are not many average joe consumers out there who have even seen a refurb since there are very few dealers willing to sell them. It will get better though. That is for certain. I do agree that some of the re-furbers are now very aware of quality issues and are working towards a much improved product. They have to be to survive in exporting to North America. We will be on board once quality reaches a satisfactory level, as I am sure many other dealers will be too.
I was fortunate to watch the entire 'refurb' of my ride start to finish and can attest to the problems associated with a straight-forward build here in the Philippines. I had initial problems with alternator brackets, engine mounts, steering components, front & rear suspension, shotty welding and electrical wiring problems but, since I oversaw the entire process, I was able to have them corrected (and over-engineered) as they occurred. Not so if you live in another country. Mine has been a daily driver (and offroader) for about 2 1/2 years now and she's just now starting to show some wear. Probably get her re-re-built next year....lol You have 2 options: Get a reputable dealer in Canada or US do the rebuild for ya that conforms to all western rules/regs/safety standards. OR Move to the Philippines and have one done custom - but realize you'll never be able to export it. You'll have to learn to wear shorts and t-shirts all year round, wear flip-flops, marry women half your age, drink cheap alcoholic beverages and eat a lot of rice BUT....it's not so bad....
Shift plate I spoke with a dealer here and he had the same issue with customs on the restricter plate welds. His shipments were help up in Portland and I think Tacoma as well. He mentioned something about unloading in customs and re-welding the plates. Not much fun there.
First off we do offer a warranty with everything that we sell. So much of this business is word of mouth and a bad rep can kill you so why not stand by your product. Also Tacoma is really bad when it comes to passing these trucks through we have had several get held up through there and the same companies ship through another port and get nothing everytime.
Everyone on this site seems very professional about things,but unfortunately thats not the case everywhere. No disrespect meant.
This doesn't sound fishy at all. The moffia is very particular about these restrictor plates. I've heard of them being refused because the metal wasn't thick enough.
Well, I didn't mention beer at all, although I share your sentiments. While I AM normally a beer drinker, San Miguel pilsner is, IMHO, only around a 40 on my 1 to 100 scale. There are imports here as well... I was just trying to point out/clarify what someone else had posted. Philippine conversions can be suspect but not all neccessarily so. A lot depends on the "Surplus" dealers here. Some of these guys have been in the business 15 or more years and have become quite good at what they do. Granted, they do their conversions by and for Filipino consumers whose standards are lower than their western counterparts, however, if a western dealer would invest the time to come here and inspect/mentor/train the locals to adapt to western standards, I'm sure they'd get a quality product that could easily be sold in the US and Canada FAR below the prevailing prices there. The average worker in a surplus shop here earns about 250-300 pesos a day (about USD$5-6). If a local shop could employ a QA supervisor specifically trained in western standards to oversee all units converted for exportation, the savings in labor would equate to both higher profits for western dealers and lower prices for western consumers. And I'm not talking about chopping steering components, frames or other alterations that would make a vehicle unsafe in the US or Canada. I'm talking about setting up fabrication of new steering and suspension parts that will enable conversions with NO adverse safety concerns. Might take a little initial investment by some in identifying specific parts to be fabricated, resources (machinery and materials for such fabrication) and distribution to a few local conversion shops but it's economically viable for someone willing to take the time. A r/t flight to the Philippines is under USD$1500 from the US and a 3 week stay here would run about another USD$2000 barring any excess entertainment expenses. So for the cost of about 1/2 of a western mini-truck, one could set up a contract here to provide a superior converted mini-truck that would satisfy all western standards and STILL fall well below USD$4500 per truck (high end estimate - fully custom, like mine) before export. A basic model, one tone paint job would be MUCH less, probably around USD$2000-$3000. Just a thought for any of you western importers........
Well, I kinda feel slighted. I'm retired US Navy and, although I agree the US public SHOULD "thank a soldier", I also think they should thank the Navy, Air Force, Marines, National Guard and Coast Guard. Shoulda just said "Thank a Vet", but I'm with ya shipmate...!
i didn't mean to leave anyone with a slighted feeling, i thought sailors were soldiers too, sorry about that. it seemed to me that soldier was an all-encompassing term at the time, but i'll accept your change to "thank a vet" for all future references to freedom
since when is beer not alcoholic?....san miguel only 40?:sly:...your praise is too high........I've had a few different ones....always like to sample the local brands when travelling abroad....a friend gave me a phippino beer once......only two others were worse...one was a cuban beer.....tasted like soap....thank goodness for imports.... side note: would you believe that my wife and I met Fidel? ......us canucks....beer.....hockey.......and timmy's.....what else is there to life eh? btw....thanks for the service.....freedom is great eh? glenn
