Avoid Tsudo Products!
 

Hi everyone. Before I start this post, let me preface it that I've attempted to resolve this issue with the vendor and the manufacturer with nearly 2 weeks of back and forth emails and a few phone calls. Do yourself a favor and do not buy ANY Tsudo products.

TL;DR version: Tsudo exhaust shipped with bad rattle. Tsudo and vendor refuse to refund costs for weld repair.

I decided to take a chance based off positive reviews and purchased the Tsudo catted front-pipe and catback at a really appealing price. The equipment has good welds, looks great, and I was immediately impressed. Upon installation, I found a nasty rattle in the left exhaust tip. See video below:


[ame]http://youtu.be/Ofm7GotGCgc[/ame]


As clearly noted in this video, the rattle is coming from inside the left exhaust tip on the upper and left segments. This was causing a nasty noise while accellerating. I went to a local shop, who agreed that this is the issue. We did some more troubleshooting, placing a piece of rubber against the inside of the top left tip - and sure enough the rattle went away.

Final solution: Weld 3 places of the inside of the left exhaust tip. End result: Rattle went away.


[ame]http://youtu.be/oysrLoS6-FE[/ame]


So, now the "fun" part. I contact my vendor @JonMotoring ) and ask that I be credited/refunded the cost of the welding and diagnosis ($50). Jon talked with Tsudo, who basically said in short: We dont believe you. And that the videos were not evidence enough. They want me to ship the exhaust back to them AT MY COST to diagnose. The shipping would cost $150 round trip.

The issue had already been diagnosed, and fixed. At the end of the day, the weld "repair" is drastically less expensive than shipping the exhaust and having Tsudo replace it. Yet they still refuse to stand behind their product.

In short: I cannot recommend this product. I do not want to see any other GT86 / BRZ / FRS owners getting shafted by lack of customer support. Please do not make the same mistake I did. I do not know how affiliated @JonMotoring is with Tsudo, so make your own judgement call there.

I heard horrible things from Jonmotorman

There are a lot of guys who own the Tsudo cb and a few running around with their fp. Lets see who has this issue.

I used to have a tsudo header for another car.... It didn't fit. I had to force it to fit, and it was touching the cross member which caused a very bad vibration throughout the car. I notified the vendor and was able to get a refund (or send it back and wait about 3 weeks for a new one). I chose to keep it. I had to use shims to lower the cross member a few milimeters.... I made it work, but I shouldn't have had to modify my car to make it fit. You get what you pay for... Obviously. But it was the best free 14whp I ever got haha

To be fair, @JonMotoring has been responsive and helpful. My issue falls on Tsudo. Any manufacturer (popular name brand or otherwise) should stand up for their products and help their customers appropriately.

My goal here is not to tarnish JonMotoring, but to bring awareness to the abysmal "support" from Tsudo.

Tsudo has always been known for their very poorly and cheaply made exhaust products. You get what you paid for, unfortunately.

I mean why didn't you just return it instead of welding and modifying the exhaust? What's to keep them from saying you messed it up by welding it? You decided to fix it yourself and then you expect them to give you a refund on the cost of repairs? That's not how warranties work bud once you modify a product even if it is to fix a faulty product, you can kiss that warranty and any manufacturer liability good bye.

Isnt Tsudo the equivalent of shit you'd find on ebay? lol.

I recall seeing a thread linking to an ebay post and it being a tsudo exhaust.

I agree that if I were the company I wouldn't offer to refund money a customer took it upon themselves to spend on a 'repair' without ever having seen the defect. That's just not how warranties work. You should've sent it in for a replacement as they suggested.

And yes, you get what you pay for. You can expect a $450 exhaust to rattle a bit more or fit less perfectly than the $900 equivalent. Has anyone else that this issue? There are at least a few guys on here with tsudo catbacks...

Their return policy is you pay shipping back to them. So I'd be out $-75 bucks to get my money back. The exhaust is fine with the exception of the rattle that is now fixed.

What's to keep them from saying I damaged it are the 12 days of emails back and forth and the numerous videos I took of it before and after repair.

The welds were less than the cost of shipping. It was the financial common sense move, and the most logical. It was a loose piece of metal, were not talking rocket science here. These 3 little dots of welding do not affect any aspect of the warranty. So good try there. That's like saying Scion will void your car warranty for adding an exhaust hanger. Not logical "bud."

They saw the defect in multiple pictures and videos. We're in an advanced technology age. You don't have to touch something to know or hear something is wrong. I just got a door ding repair quote via text message and pictures. These guys can accept the defect knowledge via the videos.

As a business person, what is more logical in this situation. Shipping a 40 some pound huge package for ~ $75 bucks each direction for the vendor to say "yup, it rattles," and have then ship another product (at my cost) ... Or ... Put 3 tiny welds on the piece of rattling metal and resolve the issue in 20 minutes.

Common sense says you perform the latter. Everybody wins. It's less costly for all parties involved. I'm not trying to gouge these guys - I'm looking for acceptance of their products issue and credit for the repair. It just makes sense.

I rode in a car equipped with Tsudo catback before I purchased. I honestly think it sounds great (now that the rattle is gone).

But yeah - I admit I took a chance with a knockoff product. I did "test" one first - so I figured this was a decent risk/reward. My mistake. Sometimes you do get what you pay for in this case.

I guess I had my expectations set too high that someone would actually back their product and do what is right for their customer. You know, the same thing every other vendor I've done business with has done.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAH Trust me BUD welds will void a warranty. You "fixed" your exhaust for cheaper than what it costs to return it, quit whining about it and learn a lesson not to buy shit product next time.

people just don't warranty repairs they never see. period. sorry, but i think you made the wrong move paying out of pocket and expecting a refund. just my .02.

Wow dude, chill out. No need for your negativity. We agree to disagree.

Dat Internet rage.

My experience has been the opposite with many vendors, many if them sponsors of this forum.

that's because some vendors go above and beyond. it doesn't mean all of them will.

imagine that your screen on your phone dies... you order a kit to fix it from ebay and then see if you can get apple/samsung/whoever to refund the cost. i doubt you would.

chances are the warranty text reads that they'll fix or replace the item, not that they'll pay you to do the same.

Reads they will replace after the purchaser pays for shipping both ways. Of course it didn't read that way at first.

Your example doesn't really apply to this situation l, but I understand your point if view.

I've leaned which vendors I will continue to invest in though, due to this situation.

You fixed the problem with your cheap exhaust for $50. Be happy and move on with your life. I do agree with your thread title that people should avoid Tsudo products, but it is because they make crap parts, not because they wouldn't refund your $50 for modifying the exhaust and voiding the warranty.

@JonMotoring been cheat lots buyer on the subi forum already.

I have the Tsudo header. I've had 0 issues with it. However, since it was like $400, if it shit itself, I would move on and accept I got what I paid for. Shouldn't need to bash the manufacturer on forums because it's exactly that, you got what you paid for.

If it was more of a "major" issue that would cost a lot more for repair, then I could understand the frustration, but $50 to weld something? Really? Move on and don't buy cheap products again if you expect them to be problem free.

I agree with what King Tut said. Instead of taking the time to send it back so they can fix it for you, you fixed it yourself and saved money.
Choosing not to utilize their warranty and fixing it yourself and then demanding they pay you for it is ridiculous. They have a warranty in place for that reason.

I know you think you're being logical but thats not how warranties work.

Its like if you buy a car and the brakes fail under warranty. You go to the dealership, they charge a $150 diagnostic fee under the stipulation that the manufacturer reimburses it once they see it falls under the warranty criteria. You balk and leave, and then you pay a Pepboys $80 to fix it. AND THEN, you return and get irate that they wont reimburse your $80 spent at PepBoys.


Not how it works. Not speaking of product quality, etc, just speaking from a business stand point. They may have lost you as a customer but to be honest they're better off without you, no offense.




Edit: Just noticed that this thread was necro'd so OP may not give two craps lol