Have you been screwed by Rusty's Offroad????

[xDUMPTRUCKx]

I know a large population of the naxja community have bought something from Rusty's Offroad, including myself, and there are a thrive of folks claiming wrong-doing on rustys behalf. This im hoping will become a sticky and mabey we can get a NAXJA wide boycott on his crap.....i mean product.


What do you think?

Lets hear it.

[frankenstang57]

IMHO I think their stuff is crap. Then again, I'm running RE on my rig and I just helped do a RE 4.5 on a buddy's XJ. Good stuff. I guess I'm biased. Thing that really makes me laugh, their lift comes with a bracket to relocate the front brake lines. What's wrong with drilling a couple of new holes? Have you ever heard of someone (sane that is) removing a lift? Never bought any of their stuff, but I was warned in advance...

[lazarus]

I have some of the stuff on my heep, I really like the spring rates, but the trackbar I had broke. So Im not sure I will buy from them.The shipping costs alone are a turn off for me. even after I called and ask if i could have my own carrier pick up the product they gave me shyte about sales tax or shipping , one had to get paid.Something wasnt right with that and didint sit well with me!

[bigbadwolf54]

My brother and I both run his 4.5inch kit, and we are both really happy with it. They both ride very well, and flex good. On my brothers order he forgot to send the one u-bolt so he sent him that and he got it in two days. To compensate he refunded shipping for the whole kit. It seems like the only product that people have a problem with is the Trac-bar.

[Teellandor]

Wasn't just the posts here that has got me turned off of them, I've seen some bad Rusty's crap on Jeeps. Mostly though, seems that the amount of lift isn't quit as advertized.

I guy Dave and I work with suposedly got a 5.5" Rusty lift, but from what he describes, my rig is taller with a 4.5" RE kit. <shrug> He needs to get it running so we can be sure.

[IntrepidXJ]

where the option "I've wheeled with a number of people on the trail who have had Rusty's failures and slowed everyone else down"

;)

[XJEEPER]

No kidding........ here's my two poll answers:

"Rusty's junk broke and we had to cut our run short to get a broken rig off the trail"
"Who's had to pay to repair defective welds on Rusty's parts?".

[xDUMPTRUCKx]

well for me ive had:

motor mount welds break....on each mount.

9" coils got "lost" twice by ups and no tracking number was issued, they took 4 months to reach me

spring perches deformed and bent all to shit.

i called him everyday of those 4 months to get a tracking number. i never got it.

[xDUMPTRUCKx]

It seems like the only product that people have a problem with is the Trac-bar.


do you read the threads here on naxja?

[pb_beaker]

Did my faithful search before asking about what 4.5" lift to get. Got bad advise about Rustys so i went with the RE. love it so far:cheers:

[Gerr]

I have a few of his items including his track bar and have had zero problems with Rusty's

Its very simple guys call him to order and talk to the man himself

[mike94xjpa]

I ran rusty's 2" & 3" AAL, lower control arms,& 3" coils On my 91 XJ with 0 problems, I loved the lower control arms, and the springs didn't sag any more than anyone elses, and flexed like crazy, while still being stable on road. I beat the crap out of my jeep and never had a problem. Remember some push their riggs to the limits, others push them off a cliff the complain when something breaks. People have problems with every manufacturer out there R.E., Skyjacker, OME, Rough country, ... think about how much of their stuff didn't break that no one felt the need to talk about.
Every company lets some bad stuff through QA Rusty's is pretty good about supporting their product when that happens.

My buddy has had 4 skyjacker rear shocks blow out on his WJ, should we stop buying their swaybar disconnects now? just my 2 cents

[Yucca-Man]

I have a few of his items including his track bar and have had zero problems with Rusty's

Its very simple guys call him to order and talk to the man himselfWhy? Does talking to Rusty himself while placing an order ensure that you get a complete, crap-free order?

[gregmondro]

Running rustys springs on my XJ with a 5.5" lift. Pretty much the RE 5.5" Lift with Rustys springs up front. Flexes great. Other then that, I have no experience with stuff from Rustys Offroad first hand.

I probably wouldn't run anything else from Rustys on my Jeep just from posts on here and seeing some of their kits in action.

[FELIX]

Well for me, I have had no problems with Rusty, but I have not used any suspension or steering components. I have his T-case & engine skids as well as an air tube intake. Not too much to go wrong with any of these products. I had no problems with shipping at that time either. These were also purchased about some six + years ago. all my suspension components are RE and I have been more than satisfied for about 9 years, so no reason to change :farmer:

Rob $.02

[zachxj01]

i bought their dif guards they work fine but aside from shipping them dif guards are pretty hard to mess up but from reading horror storries i dont think i would ever order anything wicked expensive from them like lifts or something besides i am partial to RE and Clayton lifts

[Yucca-Man]

FWIW I bought his towhooks (bracket required for use with XJ, etc) several years back. The packaging was a joke, and they tore the box apart from the inside but I received everything. Never had to use them so can't say much about the strength, etc.

[xDUMPTRUCKx]

wow there seems to be a lot of people satisfied......what a suprise.

[POLAR_JEEP_04]

im happy with the parts i got from rustys but the shipping cost could have been better

[Glenn B]

......what a suprise.

Why? More people complain when they are unhappy for whatever reason, than those that offer praise when they get what they expected.

[zfinger]

I'm happy with my track bar, LCA's, and tie rod. My friends 4.5" kit looks and wheels great. Easy clean and complete install. Everything shipped fast too. I'm happy with them and will be buying the track bar mount/conversion soon as I get the cash.

+1 For Rustys!!!

[swbooking]

Have people not seen the catastrophic failures that Rusty's products cause? IMO i would NEVER run a company who makes products which can break on you on the freeway! I cant imagine what they do when you really use them. And i dont think ive ever seen a Rusty rep on the forums to defend or try to fix any of the problems their company has... just my .02

[CanMan]

Shipping costs are a joke and it takes too long to arrive at the door.

[XJ Eric]

I have some of the stuff on my heep, I really like the spring rates, but the trackbar I had broke. So Im not sure I will buy from them.The shipping costs alone are a turn off for me. even after I called and ask if i could have my own carrier pick up the product they gave me shyte about sales tax or shipping , one had to get paid.Something wasnt right with that and didint sit well with me!

Hmm, if you pick it up in state you have to pay sales tax. Your carrier? As in the one you own? Or a company you use on a regular basis? I'm not sure how the tax laws work, but it may be that if someone comes to pick it up, then sales tax has to be paid. Hows that his fault?

As for my experience with rusty's stuff. I have the 4.5" kit and it works great. No complaints. I actually got 5.5" out of my lift and it has settled less than a half inch in the year since I installed it. My HD tracbar did bend on me right where the adjustable end goes into the tracbar, but that was my fault as I didn't tighten down the jam nut properly (read, AT ALL!). I sent it back to rusty's and on the way there I guess it came up missing. (Box made it but there was a hole in the end and it was empty) UPS paid me the purchase price for a new one and I got the new one, essentially, free!
I have no complaints but the kit did take two weeks to arrive. Too long? eh, maybe a little.
I bought the kit through 4 Wheel Performance, www.4w-p.com (http://www.4w-p.com) , in Whichita Falls, TX. The 4.5" plus HD tracbar AND mount plus shipping and thier markup ran me $1000 even.

[swbooking]

My RE 4.5" complete kit, RE Hack N' Tap SYE, Shocks, Boots, and CVDriveshaft ran me $1300... Ill pay the extra $300 bucks and have a track bar that wont kill me while im driving.

[djblade311]

I'm almost rusty's free except for the coils and leafs! And yes I've had their crap break on me!

[Harlee&Tahoe]

I haven't had the opprotunity to get screwed and don't plan on it any time soon, wife might get jealous.
Bad news travels faster than good news.
Word of mouth is a powerful advertiser
Don't screw your people and your people wont screw you.
Customer service goes a long way, pick up the dime today and reap dollars later.

[red91]

No I have never had anything from Rustys go wrong.

Make sure this thread comes up at least once a week.

Rustys' bashing must be popular...Guy gets beat on more than an abused wife does.

[IH8RDS]

+1 For Rustys here. 100% satisfied customer. Yea, this usually comes up once a week :gee:

!!!1 I think it is cool these days to bash Rusty's

[XJSpencer]

I voted that I would buy again. Keep in mind that the only "Rusty's" brand product I bought was the air tube bracket thingy.....It did take a while to get my Hub conversion though.

[jforse]

I have there 3" lift, trac-bar, intake tube, and cat back. I'm happy with all of it. Works well for me. Had it for a couple years now. I vote 1 for Rustys, but my next lift will be REs 4.5"

[jbmoose]

There's just something about the words "Jeep" and "rusty" mentioned in the same sentence:D

[gixxer410]

I have rustys 8 inch long arm kit and have had no problems so far with the kit but the specs they give for caster and front angle must have come from a crackerjack box and They need to drop the t-case just a little more. My height and flex is better than my friends 8 inch skyjacker kit.

[DrMoab]

So....2/3rds of the people who bought his stuff are happy. Know what that means?

1/3rd of the people who bought stuff are not.

Would you buy something from a company that has only a 66% aproval rating? I wouldn't.

I would like to see this same poll with some of the other companies on here. I bet it would be closer to a 95% aproval instead of a 66%.

[scottsxj]

f*ck rustys, there products are garbage. Especially their tracbar and tie rods. They use shitty tie rod ends when making there stuff. And shipping sucks as well. Im still dealing with there bullshit. Im calling them tommorrow. Save yourself the trouble, and spend a few more dollars and get a decent product.

[xDUMPTRUCKx]

.....well put.


So....2/3rds of the people who bought his stuff are happy. Know what that means?

1/3rd of the people who bought stuff are not.

Would you buy something from a company that has only a 66% aproval rating? I wouldn't.

I would like to see this same poll with some of the other companies on here. I bet it would be closer to a 95% aproval instead of a 66%.

[Tampa_XJ]

got a great deal from the scratch and dent section on a set of 4.5" coils...they ended up settling a little more than I wanted, but still did well.

Trackbar...well that was garbage, mine went in the garbage the next week, when rustys said it was user abuse...its a damn jeep what did they figure I was going to do with it?

Control Arms(fixed)... I actually really liked these..for the prices they worked well...but then again there's not much to properly makign a set of UCAs

Shocks....sucked my nuts...had a problem with not only blowing them out, but the upper bushing falling apart on me..

[Prepmech]

You get what you pay for.

I ran Rustys stuff on the street and it was fine, I was pleased with it. His control arms use the factory size bushings and ride great.

The market he is targeting is people who want cheap parts. I'm guessing most of his customers rarely take their jeeps offroad, and for them Rustys stuff fits the bill.

If you are wanting suspension components that can take the stress of an offroad beating, spend the money to get components that can handle a beating. If your lifting your jeep just for looks, then buy rustys.

[xDUMPTRUCKx]

well explin my broken motor mount that caused the engine to drop and shift on the passengers side and have the alternator short out on the fram destroying alot of the wiring and good thing it didnt start a fire.....


that was on road.....no offroad mile on the "bombproof" motor mount.

I just had them to get rid of the clunking of the stockers.




If you are wanting suspension components that can take the stress of an offroad beating, spend the money to get components that can handle a beating. If your lifting your jeep just for looks, then buy rustys.

[Prepmech]

well explin my broken motor mount that caused the engine to drop and shift on the passengers side and have the alternator short out on the fram destroying alot of the wiring and good thing it didnt start a fire.....


that was on road.....no offroad mile on the "bombproof" motor mount.

I just had them to get rid of the clunking of the stockers.

As I said, you get what you pay for.

My previous post made me seem pro-Rustys, but I will never buy anything from them again. I've had customer service problems along with parts breaking.

While I did run their parts on the street without any problems, all of those parts have been replaced. I started breaking stuff when I hit the trails.

I have, however, recommended rustys parts to people who I know will never wheel their jeeps, and can't afford anything else.

Most of the people who buy Rustys stuff will probably never wheel their jeeps. They have probably never heard of NAXJA, or seen the threads about stuff breaking. They probably bought it because it was cheap and all they could afford. They will probably never have a problem with their parts. Because of these people, there is a market for Rustys stuff.

We just know better.

[rcnerd]

I have a Rusty's Beefed up crossmember...It's great so far...I actually don't know of anyone else who makes one.

also FABTECH SUCKS if you ask me...I had their trackbar drop bracket fail on me...SCARY....

Use your best judgement and mix and match....I'd try a spring from just about anyone..but its RE only for trackbars if you ask me....

ORO steering kicks A$$


my 1.765 cents (I'm Canadian, eh)

[Caged94XJ]

A couple of years ago I bought a Rustys frontend stiffener. Has I recall it was well price showed up quick and has held up well. However why would you buy any of there products when there is this much bad stuff about there products? Also why would you when there are so many far better products out there?

[Gerr]

Why? Does talking to Rusty himself while placing an order ensure that you get a complete, crap-free order?
Its just how ive done buisness with him and Ive never had a bad order. most complaints about thier service seems to stem from the underlings

[little red cheroke]

I haven't had the opprotunity to get screwed and don't plan on it any time soon, wife might get jealous.
Bad news travels faster than good news.
Word of mouth is a powerful advertiser
Don't screw your people and your people wont screw you.
Customer service goes a long way, pick up the dime today and reap dollars later.


x2 on eatin the small costs. he sent me a track bar that was broke before i even put it on my damn jeep. then told me it was user abuse and chargerd me to fix it, i have wanted to do some sort of 6" or more LA setup and was gonna order his, but he f***ed me, so ill take my $$ somewhere els

[bshaw]

FWIW I bought his towhooks (bracket required for use with XJ, etc) several years back. The packaging was a joke, and they tore the box apart from the inside but I received everything. Never had to use them so can't say much about the strength, etc.
yep, their shit too. ask me how I know, the brakets bent like tin cans.....
I'll never buy from that company ever again.

[PhunkXJ]

I wouldn't say I was screwed, disappointed in the product is more like it. It was cheap and now I believe you get what you pay for.

I bought my 4.5 lift from rusty's back in 2003. It took about 3 weeks for everything to arrive in decent shape. customer service was fine, we had issues dialing in the control arms and adjusting the ride. Rusty was extremely helpful. However, what my husband liked about the kit was the adjustable/flexible LCAs. They were extremely noisy and Rusty's solution was a jam nut which then made it a fixed arm, kinda defeted the purpose. I had the sagging rear leaf problem and Rusty sent me an add a leaf which worked ok but we ended up swapping in a set of RE packs. Eventually the only components of the original kit that lasted on my xj were the TC drop and coil springs. We started swapping parts about 6 months after the lift was installed, starting with the shocks and trac bar, the bushings wore crazy fast.

I never had any customer service issues, just quality issues. When I called things were resolved mostly to my satisfaction. Certain things weren't worth bitching about because the best they would be able to do is replace it with the same crap, so we just went with another manufacturer.

[Glenn B]

However, what my husband liked about the kit was the adjustable/flexible LCAs. They were extremely noisy and Rusty's solution was a jam nut which then made it a fixed arm, kinda defeted the purpose.

I think the jam nut is a reasonable solution. I have had Rusty's arms and RE's arms, both had jam nuts. The flex should be done at the bushing, NOT on the threads of the control arm, IMHO. That would make for a sloppy/loud situation... just look at the threads. :) Adjustable is a great way to allow you to set the proper alignment for your lift (or bend chassis in my case), but you still have to take one end loose to adjust them. Again, IMHO, a jam nut is a proper solution. I guess you could loosen it up on the trail if you want the threads to take the flex, rather than the bushings. :dunno:

[256offroad]

Shipping costs are a joke and it takes too long to arrive at the door.

this is why i am lucky hes 45 min away....

[AZRockRunner]

I bought my jeep about a year ago. After doing alot of research on this and other boards, I decided to go Rusty's for EVERYTHING.
I bought a full 4.5" lift kit with new rear leafs. HD steering and HD track bar and mount.
I got 6" of lift out of the rear leafs and still have not settled more than 1/2 " so I ended up spacing the lift in the front.
My crap flexes GREAT. I stuff the 33" tires as far as the inner body allows.
Only problem I have had is the track bar. Mine bent at the frame side due to excessive threads sticking out. In other words, the track bar was to short. I called and talked to Rusty and he had me take measurements and pictures. With that he made me a brand new track bar and shipped it for FREE. I have wheeled the crap out of my lift in the AZ desert as those that wheel with me can attest to and havnt been standed or broken once.
I am sure we can find bad things about every product out there if we wanted to.
As far as I am concerned, he is a man that stands behind his products and therefor has earned my future business. Nothing is perfect, its what the company does to correct the problem that counts for me.

Just my .02

[RyanM]

I ran one of his track bars for a while. The three pictures ive seen, 2 were because no threads were in the end(tb too short), the other was the tubing snap http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v647/haleyes/Winterfest%2007%20FlatNasty/100_3017.jpg

[freerider15]

Well, i personally have had no problems what-so-ever with my Rusty's stuff. I run Rusty's LA kit, and rear leaves...no problems with either one. Not only that...but I can also honestly say I've put mine through more than 90% of NAXJA's users will ever even get close to trailwise...with nothing but scraping. However, Im not a big fan of RE's LA kit, nor Full Traction as I feel they take away way too much clearance (not that Rusty's doesn't). If I were to do it all over again I would love to build my own setup, which is what I will be doing when I go triangulated 4-links front and rear in the near future.

[Wounded XJ]

It seems like most of my Jeep is Rusty’s and I have no complaints. I did bend my trac bar because it was too short. I called them and they send me a free replacement that fit my Jeep perfect 3 years after I had bought the lift no questions asked. That is great customer service in my mind. Never had any issued on shipping either. I will buy from them again.

Oh and the only aftermarket trail failure I have had comes from everyone’s beloved RE. One of their brake lines, which the sales person on the phone said "our lines are indestructible" at the time of order, snapped. I had to take pictures and mail it to them before getting a new one sent. I was finally advised it was a “manufactured defect”. Does this mean the rest of their stuff is crap or is this a Rusty’s only rule.

[swbooking]

Oh and the only aftermarket trail failure I have had comes from everyone’s beloved RE. One of their brake lines, which the sales person on the phone said "our lines are indestructible" at the time of order, snapped. I had to take pictures and mail it to them before getting a new one sent. I was finally advised it was a “manufactured defect”. Does this mean the rest of their stuff is crap or is this a Rusty’s only rule.
OK so you broke a break line... Did you order it too short and flex the shit out of it causing it to rip? OF COURSE theyre not indestructable they might be SS but its still a brake line... at least that didnt cause you to fly off a freeway going 70 and almost die...

[Wounded XJ]

OK so you broke a break line... Did you order it too short and flex the shit out of it causing it to rip? OF COURSE theyre not indestructable they might be SS but its still a brake line... at least that didnt cause you to fly off a freeway going 70 and almost die...

Length had nothing to do with the problem. As I was told by RE they discovered a problem in the manufacturing. Anyone who buys into the “they are indestructible” line is joking themselves, but that is what I was told over the phone.

While I was lucky and it happened at very low speed, I don't think loosing a front brake line at high speed would be a good thing either.

I’m not trying to say RE is a bad company, I would probably order more parts from them, just trying to prove the point that everyone has problems.

[Ramsey]

I ran one of his track bars for a while. The three pictures ive seen, 2 were because no threads were in the end(tb too short), the other was the tubing snap http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v647/haleyes/Winterfest%2007%20FlatNasty/100_3017.jpg
wasn't some hangtime involved in that

[scottsxj]

i stripped a jam nut out on his tierod and it was totally my fault so i asked for him to send me a new one, it took about a month of calling twice a week before they finally said they shipped it out, it still hasnt gotten here, i dont plan on ever seeing it. Im gonna sell this POS tierod. i asked him what i should do about the nut since my jeep has been down for amonth now, and he said i would be ok with just using one jam nut on my tierod, doesnt seem to safe to me, I say f*ck them and their customer service. They will never get another dime of my money.

[ILLXJ]

I have his 4.5" kit with a HD track bar. The only thing I have replaced are the front springs. I got a good deal on some RE 5.5" coils to level it out. Another member is running the 4.5" coils now. I haven't had any problems since 03. The rear springs are sagging a little now but are still at 5". I'm not the most hardcore but I'm not afraid to beat on my stuff if necessary. JIM.

[RTicUL8]

wasn't some hangtime involved in that

Instead of a track bar he needs a track spring.
Now THAT would be interesting... :)

[ebjones7]

I have a Rusty's 3" Spring Pack Lift and I am completely happy with my product. The shipping was a little expensive but that also is not necessarily Rusty's. Im Happy!
Thats all i got to say about that!

[Cox89XJ]

I'm happy with my 4.5 kit..... Some people could brake a crow bar.

[Grifter144]

i have rustys products on my heep and have had no problems..and i voted that way too..

so far rustys service has been top rate in regards to me.. the only F up was a shipping addy mistake..package went to my old addy (which i had failed to replace in my profile on his site) rather than the new addy that i had placed on the shipping order..rusty promptly mailed out another package and covered the cost of shipping.

in the future i will be considering RE products namely because they seem to have a better customer respect outlook..and they have been more then happy to help me out with my questions via phone calls even though my jeep only has one of their products on it..and yes i swapped the rustys tbar for a RE tbar..

so +1 for rustys: good on ya bro...

to that point i have a buddy who wants to lift his xj..he has emailed RE three times trying to get answers regards their longarm kit..3 weeks and no answer..should i start a RE bashing poll too...

and tuesday this week my no slip locker failed or broke , passenger rear wheel now spins free..( i still need to take it apart and look) should i start a powertrax bashing poll too?

crap happens aye..

RLTW,
Grifter

[xDUMPTRUCKx]

crap happens aye...



not exactly.....theres crap and then theres rustys.

[XJMarty]

His customer service sucks ass, we waited for 3 months for the items and got nothing. Going RE way all the way :)