rubbish imported from china.

[optic]

I made a big mistake when i went the cheap road on fitting out the GU. Im retired.
I got a roof top tent that leaks and is un sewn on the corners. I had to hand sew it. Water stains inside it.
I got a roof rack that had the powder coat falling off it in the first week and is the wrong form to suit the roof. The rails on the rack are all bowed down which has created a major problem putting stress on the gutter rails and has torn the roof at the end of the gutters both sides.
I also got a wrap around annex, which broke off at the hinge points, when i took it back to show them 2 more broke off in front of him, this was swapped for a straight pull out awning which also had a mozzie net, problem is the net does not reach the ground and the hinges also broke on it. So i made new ones out of ally, a solid block of 50 x 25mm machined to suit.
My design, so the owner gets 700 made in china to cover what he has already sold.
All the so called bolts have rusted im about to replace them with 304 S/S bolts.
Im a retired Engineer i do know my stuff, i am from the old school.
I am a retired Engineer, i do know my stuff.
And to top it off the owner that sends things off shore to be copied says dont worry ill see it right. Quote.
Do not deal with these people, ill name them in a PM only. I have seen their name on here many times.
It is going to cost me big time to have the tears in the roof repaired.
I will take pics of all of these problems i have mentioned when the weather permits.
And im more than happy to post them up as a warning to others.
So if your after a cheap roof rack, roof top tent and awning let me know.
Buy local Australian made, have what we all need, confidence in what we buy.
Because this China stuff does not make the grade.
Having come out of industry i should have known, not one part from china was ever right.
It looked the part but failed in quality and specs.
And im talking tons of the stuff.
Now im looking for some one to remove the rust and weld the tears in the roof.
Serious stuff, so beware you have been told.
Spend the money and be confident in what you have.
The only way ill come out on an even par with my problem is a court case against them.
Which i would win due to being sold a product that does not do what was stated.
EG. A GU roof rack that does not suit the roof form of a Nissan.
A water proof tent that leaks.
An awning and mozzie net that does not reach the ground.
My Nissan is a standard it is not a raised unit.
Thats my sook, i am not a happy chap.

[healy]

I wouldn't be impressed if I had all those dramas

[Punderhead]

can you PM me the company mate? A mate of mine is looking at roofracks/awnings at the moment.

Cheers!

[the ferret]

It's all about the fast buck mate, always is.
The blame also lies with the store that imports this crap, again, fast buck.
People balk at the price of Ozzy made stuff fair enough but time tells.
The person driving the sewing machine or the welder making these things doesn't give a rats how long it will last.
Fast buck.
Cheers, the ferret.

[MudRunnerTD]

11 wild cats I reckon. Sorry you had a bad run mate. Shame the industry magazine has a Financial interest in the Cattery and you won't read a bad thing.

[Winnie]

That's the worst part MR. They will advertise the crap out of it, people read the magazine and take it for gospel. Will see a huge amount of people with more and more of this gear now. Mate of mine was gonna buy one of their winches but I managed to talk him out of it.

[threedogs]

X 1000 with you Ferret and you know what I do. Got to vent the spleen somewhere, might as well be here.
Too many fly by nighters, just making crap copies, with crap steel, charging you/us the customer a premium price too.
Don't need to PM know who your ticked off with. I'll have more to say on this but just make sure the product you buy is from the person who
1 designed it
2 did all the R&D on it
3 fitted and tested it
4 If you buy copies of my products ,just re read top post again
5 Just getting started

[the ferret]

11 wild cats I reckon. Sorry you had a bad run mate. Shame the industry magazine has a Financial interest in the Cattery and you won't read a bad thing.

I remember years ago there was an ad, "put a tiger in ya tank" lol la lol!!
Cheers, the ferret.

[krbrooking]

Really sorry to here that mate, if it makes you feel better I have the same prob with my egt and boost gauge with the lights no longer working and being smoked lenses I can't see the needle unless I take the lens off which I have. I sent the seller a msg regarding the problem and the sent one msg back which didn't really help me at all. I then sent them another and never got another reply even after sending at least 5 or 6 other msg's. I then put a complaint into eBay and they turned around and said my best bet would be to discuss the matter with the seller and try and come to an agreement.

Go figure!!!

[threedogs]

Maybe a thread should be started where people have had good service, great products. this will get them away from the copies and inferior stuff

[krbrooking]

Maybe a thread should be started where people have had good service, great products. this will get them away from the copies and inferior stuff

That's a good idea man. Only prob is what's the clause on name dropping on both ends good and bad.

[snewin]

x2 on what threedogs said about knowing who made it. After a POS bullbar buy that I wish I could go back in time and not do, I've decided to pretty much to follow this advice.

[Jock]

Sorry to hear another unhappy story about this mob. I've learned to buy quality and not price over time. Never mind having to buy twice for poor quality but the possibility of failure in the woop woop and being stuck somewhere would exasperate me. That feeling of "If only I bought the Aussie made gear".

[optic]

Here are the pics i took today after i had gone to see my Nissan mechanic.
He stood back and said i dont believe what im looking at.
I also did a visit to a car resto place today and was quoted 2K to get what i want done.
Thats a welded in plate inside the roof, plug welded from out side and lead to finish off. No Bog allowed.
Then the entire roof painted with a 2 part hard clear coat over the top.
As you will see from the pics the problems that exist.
Im more than happy to answer any questions in a PM.
As i intend to take legal action against the supplier for the damage caused then report them for unsafe product on the roads.
Having spent years making B Doubles Skells And all forms of road transport, i know that if its unsafe it will be put off the road. Period.
As for the roof top tent you will see what i added to try and keep water out.
You will also notice the bend in the cross rails due to the force created by the end plates mounted on the gutter.
Take note of the cracking and fallen of powder coat on the rack, this happened in the first week.
Also look at the angle the gutter mounts are at compared to the rack, you will see that they are the wrong angle.
Causing the cross rails to bend and rip my roof open.
I have included the brackets they supplied, they are as they came out of the packet, totally useless. Note the placing of the holes.

[lorrieandjas]

Bugger me - I've not seen anything that dodgy for ages...... I'd be absolutely rotten if that happened to me!

[optic]

Sorry folks some pics didnt get posted.
Not sure how to correct that.
Let my problems be a warning to all those that think they are getting a quality product, when in fact its only a copy from off shore.
Not one thing that i got from these people is right, not one thing.
The last time i visited them he told me about a snorkel they just had made.
And said and i quote what he said dont buy one cause the template isnt right yet.
Im at a loss as to how any one in Australia can support off shore product by promoting it in a mag?
Surely they are just as bad as those supplying the market with bad product?
Ask yourself should we support such a mag that leads us to believe we are buying a quality product?
When in fact its rubbish?
Just as bad as the importers in my book and may they go broke fast.

[optic]

Really sorry to here that mate, if it makes you feel better I have the same prob with my egt and boost gauge with the lights no longer working and being smoked lenses I can't see the needle unless I take the lens off which I have. I sent the seller a msg regarding the problem and the sent one msg back which didn't really help me at all. I then sent them another and never got another reply even after sending at least 5 or 6 other msg's. I then put a complaint into eBay and they turned around and said my best bet would be to discuss the matter with the seller and try and come to an agreement.

Go figure!!!
Always use paypal mate.
They have enormous power to get things done, or you get your money back. You are insured against bad product.
I have started disputes with them many times, and the sellers fall over backwards to get it right.
To date i have not lost out using paypal and i use it often, Thousands in fact have gone through paypal.

[AB]

Sorry to hear all this mate and those pics are a shame!!!

The stitching looks very pox too and almost looks like house hold string is used rather then anything synthetic.

The roof rack is a whole nother story. Very dissappointing!!!

[threedogs]

I'd be in tears then venting the spleen bigtime, good luck in your quest to nail these, these what, I'm looking for a word ,We'll call them losers for now.
Hope they don't drag this out as may be the case. as for"workmanship" I can't see any. Your Roof what can I say except leads the way to go. The whole 4x4 industry is &^%$&^
by losers making copies at the expense of someone else. I for one will be closing shortly for this reason alone,

[optic]

Thats a pity to hear your closing up.
Sooner or later and it will be later on, people will wake up.
Who knows who may get hurt before that happens or a life is lost, all due to a quick buck.
I just hope that my problem steers others away from the imported rubbish.
And it is rubbish as you can see from the pics.
They do not lie.

[Richo460]

Thanks for the heads up, i was thinking about purchasing some gear from that mob too.
I aslo have a gripe for cheap crap, i bought a turbo and manifold off ebay for my TD42, while i was expecting much from the turbo (and i didn't get it), the manifold was really the biggest POS i had seen. When trying to bolt in onto the block, 3 or 4 of the nuts would foul on the casting and you couldn't get them on, i had to grind material out of the manifold in 3 spots for fitting. After 3 weeks the manifold warped and broke 2 bolts in my head. The V band flange that came with the turbo doesn't match the shape of the clamp and it never seals, the turbo didn't come with any fittings. I am glad i learn't this lesson and it wasn't too expensive.
I will be buying Australian alot more often now and continue to support local small business, but i do expect customer service. I would have got a local shop to fit a turbo kit in the first place if they were rude to me.

[Bloodyaussie]

I will be buying Australian alot more often now and continue to support local small business, but i do expect customer service. I would have got a local shop to fit a turbo kit in the first place if they were rude to me.

I hear you... I have been treated like shit from a few businesses in the 4wd industry, because I dont have a 2011 Gu or 200 serious cruiser and cant fork out big dollars at the moment on mods.

I am trying more and more to stay away from Chinese crap but I would like to be treated with respect from the retail shops here as one day I will have disposable income to spend on my pride and joy and not on houses and renovations...

[macca]

Yep after recent experiences I'm gunna be a Racist White Australian Policy type of consumer,
If it has Asia on it it's "off the list". The people living in those countries need jobs but so do Aussies.
If they are going to produce crap, at a price to suit most times, we are not even going to consider them.
We dont use knock offs in our business, simply too much risk no matter what the cost.
We dont buy food from those countries, fair go they put rubbish in the formula they feed their own kids and killed them. What are we getting.
Fish from farms in SE Asia is possibly full of good ol American Agent Orange from the waterways and who knows what else in the food they feed them. Do a search on Bassa from Vietnam and Thailand, it is frightening.
Bag me for my attitude but its my money, my health and my safety.
I'm going to get another Aussie beer and line up for bit of Aussie beef with local farmers market and home grown veggies for my dinner mmm mmmm mmm mmmm mmm

[karol]

The question for most people is to buy cheap or not to buy at all as money doesnt grow on trees. So is no roof rack or tent at all much better then cheap chinese one? For many people is spending $1000 on arb roof rack just never gona happen.

[macca]

The question for most people is to buy cheap or not to buy at all as money doesnt grow on trees. So is no roof rack or tent at all much better then cheap chinese one? For many people is spending $1000 on arb roof rack just never gona happen.

Fair comment, I got fed up with arriving at camp and couldnt use it without repairs.

What did we do before the market was flooded with this stuff we are talking about?

[optic]

I got on line to see what is available here and made locally.
I found several that sell well known brand names i also found another at about half the price. Made to order.
I would want to see one mounted before i purchase another.
Your right when you say for some the costs would be to great.
But in the long term they are far cheaper to go local.
Im now up for 2ks worth of work on my roof, had i gone local in the first place i still would have saved $1.500.
And not had my patrol out of action for a week.
Im just trying to warn people of the things that happen that you would never expect to happen.
Who in their right mind would have predicted that this Chinese roof rack would try and tear my roof off.
All because it is not the right profile to suit the gutters and the spread of the gutters.
I purchased a roof rack for a GU Nissan patrol.
Thats is not what i got.
But in any case many people will make their own call on what they can afford.
I understand that.

[Lonicus]

Sorry to hear about all the crap you've gone through, and the damage caused Optic.

My brief foray into the cheap and cheerful alternative was thankfully not damaging to the car and only a little to the wallet.

Now it's a case of doing without until I can afford the quality local, or proven brand name, stuff. In the long run it's a whole lot easier and generally cheaper.

[growler2058]

Slightly off topic, but I joined a bowhunting forum and every now and then someone asks about cheap compound bows on eBay. Again only baaaaaad cheap nasty shit that has the potential to do serious physical damage to the user!!
But I spoke to a Chinese gent who told me that there is good stuff that comes out of china but the world demands cheap shit from them and that's what they deliver. So the lesson is I spose don't buy shit, if the demands not there????


Sent via my tapping thumbs

[Bloodyaussie]

I have one of those Chinese roof rack things and almost straight after I bought it I got buyers remorse and so wished I had not got it.... the welds are just rubbish and the recycled steel used it so poor it has no real integrity.

Years ago I managed to snap a medium sized Chinese bench vice in half and I ended up knocked out and a heap of stitches in my face.. now I have 2, one of which is a fwaarrkking big offset dawn vice made in 1923 and the other is a Sheffield and if I ever managed to break them... and I picked both up from swap meets for a very good price !!!!

It's hard but I am trying to stay away from the rubbish.

[mick.]

Here are the pics i took today after i had gone to see my Nissan mechanic.
He stood back and said i dont believe what im looking at.
I also did a visit to a car resto place today and was quoted 2K to get what i want done.
Thats a welded in plate inside the roof, plug welded from out side and lead to finish off. No Bog allowed.
Then the entire roof painted with a 2 part hard clear coat over the top.
As you will see from the pics the problems that exist.
Im more than happy to answer any questions in a PM.
As i intend to take legal action against the supplier for the damage caused then report them for unsafe product on the roads.
Having spent years making B Doubles Skells And all forms of road transport, i know that if its unsafe it will be put off the road. Period.
As for the roof top tent you will see what i added to try and keep water out.
You will also notice the bend in the cross rails due to the force created by the end plates mounted on the gutter.
Take note of the cracking and fallen of powder coat on the rack, this happened in the first week.
Also look at the angle the gutter mounts are at compared to the rack, you will see that they are the wrong angle.
Causing the cross rails to bend and rip my roof open.
I have included the brackets they supplied, they are as they came out of the packet, totally useless. Note the placing of the holes.I don't know whether your aware or not but did you know your roof has been painted before and possably repaired where that crack is.

To repair that it would need welding then a plastic filler over the top would be fine. Lead wiping doesn't handle flex and side to side movement to well so it may delaminate or crack when your roof flexes while driving. Lead also doesn't stick to a lot of newer metals which is why most panel shops have a couple of different welders with different wires for welding the different metals. Lead wiping was fine when the bodies where made out of 1.2mm steel and all steels where the same but now there made out of 0.4 or 0.8 mm there is far more movement (expanding and contracting) which is why we have plastic filler. High quality plastic fillers will out last the car. The stuff you buy at supercheap which is put in by backyarders gives bog a bad name.

I used to be a spraypainter and a technical paint rep so all this stuff was brain washed into me. lol

Cheers Mick.

[threedogs]

Aussie I've got a 60kg blacksmiths vice 6" jaws already 100 plus years old. awesome tool indeed
Back to topic, there are decent products from Sth Africa, I like those Magliniolina roof top jobs.
My roof rack will be based on 4 rhino bars with led light bar and awning bracket .

[AB]

I wouldn't also disregard buying anything from China as a huge percentage of your basic consumables and household products are from China.

The company I work for imports from China and to be honest we just don't see this kind of high quality workmanship in Australia in the industry I work in full time.

There's China and then there's China.

China has amazing quality and of course this low quality gear like all countries.

The problem is not China, the problem is companies in Australia happy to import this rubbish and find it acceptable to sell it in Australia without giving a flying fat rats about how safe or how long it will last.

Unfortunately there is a demand for this crap all over the world as a lot of people want bargains!!!

[threedogs]

Your jobs safe for a while AB lol, correct what your saying to and its not just China.
India rings a bell' Just reading waeco / engel thread and one post inquired if worth buying a chinese fridge.
what the, some item you can get by with but your bigger ticket items you'll need to research.
talk to club members every salesman will say his product is best, but forums like this will give you real world answers.
EG ferret and myself have engels over 15 years old I'm not even thinking of up dating ,why would I, still looks, works great

[megatexture]

Yea im with you 3dogs i personally wouldn't be skimping on a fridge thats potentially got your life on the line if it fails out in the sticks and especially not for the price you pay for them also, its gotta be able to go the distance

[rkinsey]

To be technical, Australia (and all countries I am sure) have mandatory manufacturing and saftey standards that all manufacturers and importers have to make sure that their products meet or exceed.

All products have to be tested and then, if they pass said testing, are then issued with a certificate.

More information here: http://www.productsafety.gov.au/content/index.phtml/itemId/970225

http://www.productsafety.gov.au/content/index.phtml/itemId/995986/fromItemId/974066

http://www.productsafety.gov.au/content/index.phtml/itemId/985613/fromItemId/974066

A guide to product saftey - http://www.consumerlaw.gov.au/content/the_acl/downloads/product_safety_guide.pdf

Having said all of that, we the consumers, are more informed than ever before and because of that information, are more empowered. You can ask to see the product safty certification for any product (that doesnt already display this information) and if the seller cant produce this info, then vote with your feet and get a proper product that is certified.

Having said that, supply and demand determines that market of any product and this determins the price. We are all human and always look for the cheaper option.

In my time over the past 15 years supporting Consumer Electronic devices for several manufacturers and resellers including building my own custom computer systems, I have always gone for mid range priced equipment and found that I had very little problems with these products.

Just because a product is the most expensive on the market doesnt mean it is the most reliable and just because a product is the cheapest means that is the best value for money either.

Just my two and a half cents worth.

Cheers,

Rob

[threedogs]

Thats fine but don't you feel now more than ever we are flooded with cheap copies.
before it was leather or vinyl not so clear cut these days. everyone wants to save a buck.
still think before buying especially if new to 4x4 or camping , throw up a Thread and get an informed
answer from people who have experience on what works and what wont, last thing you want is gear letting you down
out woop woop... AAAHHHHMMMM woop woop

[Winnie]

We sell a product at work, it's a circuit break of a very large name brand beginning with H. Made in Slovenia. They ran out of screws in manufacturing, so pulled screws out of something else and put them in (which didn't fit) and when you tried to undo them it stripped them and made them useless. We had thousands of dollars worth of stock in this product which was completely useless. Then another time on the exact same product, they ran out of springs for the test buttons, so just didn't put them in. That means the test button wouldn't spring out, so if you were to get audited by the electrical inspector you would fail from using that product. Useless!!

[Clunk]

I think I know the brand you're talking about there Winnie.
Company I work for have unfortunately had to get all of our branded products made in China due to the spiralling costs of manufacture over here and the need to be able to compete with our competitors. Everyone from Joe Bloggs down the road to the large mining companies, to the electrical wholesalers want everything as cheap as possible, so we tooled up the manufacturers and they manufacture to our specs. Quality control is set up over there and also checked again when it reaches us. Anything that's not to standard get rejected and the manufacturer has to fix it or it or replace it at their cost otherwise they don't get paid......... As has been said before..... not everything that comes out of there is shizza but its up to the companies who employ their services to make sure that they make good quality product.

[lorrieandjas]

There's China and then there's China.

China has amazing quality and of course this low quality gear like all countries.

The problem is not China, the problem is companies in Australia happy to import this rubbish and find it acceptable to sell it in Australia without giving a flying fat rats about how safe or how long it will last.
!

Couldn't agree more. Some of the Chinese manufacturing is so much better than some of the stuff made here. The issue is that for every component made in China there are about 22 levels of quality and it comes down to what the importer or customer wants - which too often is the lowest price. I have seen, and used some great imports, however there is always the idealogical argument about made in Australia which I support and is valid. Unfortunately the laws of supply and demand mean that some people who can't afford "quality" (read sometimes over-priced or made in Oz) sometimes opt for the lowest price - and generally regret it. However, albeit rarely, sometimes the lowest price is actually the best deal for money.

I think as someone else mentioned you need to be an informed buyer - forums are great for that generally - Caveat Emptor.

Now all that said - what really gets up my nose is when you buy something from someone who know their product is a lemon.

[threedogs]

Thats called salesmanship, samples of cheap copies that are OK would to me be any Aldi gear.
but feel free if anyone has had a good run from another products, this could be interesting.
For me cheap is all my Fishing gear, got tons of it, $15 10 ball bearing reels, I can't fault them,
300mtr of 40lb Dyneema braid $13, how can you beat that, and lures 5 x $8 free post.
Mind you haven't caught anything with them either, Chinese lures Aussie Cod. LOL

[nissannewby]

I also agree with AB. Everybody turn their phone over and see where its made or assembled. I know Iphones are put together in china.

[Stropp]

Right with you guys, a LOT of big name companies are manufacturing in china but have quality control at both ends, I think some of you would be surprised just who manufactures in china.

[Bigrig]

Right with you guys, a LOT of big name companies are manufacturing in china but have quality control at both ends, I think some of you would be surprised just who manufactures in china.

And BINGO was his name!! Spot on mate!!

Quality control is the issue all - not the country, the people, nor the companies ... I can point you to multiple so called Aussie companies that I'd gouge my own eyes out before dealing with due to their after sales service, lack of warranty, etc, etc ...

You, that's right ... YOU (me included of course) the end consumer are just as responsible for what you get dished up when you buy something. You have never, ever in the entire consumer retail and credit history of Australia EVER not been responsible for due diligence of some description in sussing out the company, their products, reviews, etc, etc ... you get what you pay for, and if you invest bugger all time as well as bugger all money trying to get things cheap and quick, well ... enjoy your junior burger then ... coz just like them, most the time you feel you've scored a bargain when you buy it, you feel satisfied when you see it, generally it "tastes" like what you wanted, but like most of us, you'll eventually regret it later!! lol.

Bad analogy, but I'm sure you get my point.

Some products, not all, are definitely 'cheap' for a reason - figure it out ....

[threedogs]

All straps were made here in MELB for the big 3 one has now gone off shore, but I'm 100% sure that quality controll
is adhered to, as lives are at stake. As most are saying now if the quality is there its ok. Still need to look hard for real Quality stuff.
Heres a dumb EG. I just picked up a wardrobe from 1920, hand made in Australia in Flemington by white australians as we
were rasicist back then. this wardrobe is still brand new 92 years later, I'm only using it for mop cupboard, look for quality. Would like to know if stapled MDF would last this long, solid oak everywhere no ply. $50

[optic]

I came out of an industry that decided to get parts made in China and also set up factories in India. We sent people there to teach them what to do and what was the standard.
We also put people in to watch the quality and specs.
As soon as our people left the invented their own way of doing things.
Pallet after pallet of parts for the mining industry arrived out of spec, the welding was pathetic.
Just imagine what would happen in the mines if a weld failed?
Tons of this stuff was and still is being rejected. They have no idea.
We designed work benches for the jigs to sit on while being welded, on an inspection of the place it was found that the welders also sat on the benches.
We sent parts off shore to many places as a guide to what it had to look like finished.
We shipped the people all here to see what and how we did things, even this did not help.
2 weeks ago i was on site in a major importers warehouse, in 1 ware house it was packed full of rejects over a 100 pallets of the stuff.
Computers printers faxes you name it, it was there. Circuit boards of all sorts, im serious you name it and it was there all labeled faulty or reject.
The entire work force of over 100 people were all Asain who all spoke the same lingo.
Not one safety procedure was followed, the foot ware went from sandles to sneakers you name it they wore it.
I did see 3 Aussies in one office. 3.
There were no defined walk ways apart from one that went nowhere and over 20 forklift running around.
Just trying to get out was dangerous without being hit.
I shat bricks on the top of a sissor lift with these people running around, never mind the witches hats to stop them.
They have moved their work ethics to here as well as bad product.
Im at a loss as to how a place can get away with what they do.

Thanks for the info on lead filling, im not aware of the roof having a prior problem as there is no sign of work having been done on it from inside or out.
The lead was only to be used to fill holes after welding. I spose some good bog would also work.
I have in the past done a fair bit of tig work on cars.
But due to the heat it produces i was worried about expansion of the roof and buckles.
I have asked that it be plated on the inside due to the thickness of it, then also plug welded to that plate.

Some people cant afford top range gear, so they then look for the cheap option. (Imported)
Needless to say imported or not it should meet the standard here.

Also thanks for the info n standards.