Falconworks DII P38 Throttle Body Heater Plate Review

kennith

Well-known member
Apr 22, 2004
10,891
172
North Carolina
This is the easiest review I've ever done.

Remember, it's over $200.

Enough said.

Cheers,

Kennith

EDIT: Customer service was outstanding, and it looks like the refund posted. This thing may have been a bit crappy, but they sure did stand behind it. Can't complain about that at all.
 
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kennith

Well-known member
Apr 22, 2004
10,891
172
North Carolina
Almost unbelievable, isn't it? I would expect ten times that quality from AliExpress. :smilelol:

I figured I'd take the hit for everyone since I need to sort a small leak there anyway.

Sure glad I did.

Here's what I sent them earlier:

Hello,

I purchased the throttle body heater plate the other day.

The quality isn't really where it needs to be at that price point, and I'm going to need to return it.

I do appreciate you serving the community at large, but this just isn't going to do it for me.

Thanks

They shouldn't have much to complain about. We'll see how they respond.

The thing is, with as low volume as these parts are, it's certain that they handled and boxed this manually. That means they saw this quality go out their door and didn't care. It's not a "occasionally something just isn't right" situation.

The best part is where they managed to file away the edges at the corners by accident. Call me crazy, but I don't think this thing is an improvement. I'd rather bank on the factory unit. :ack:

Cheers,

Kennith
 

p m

Administrator
Staff member
Apr 19, 2004
15,617
838
58
La Jolla, CA
www.3rj.org
Seriously... it doesn't take a whole lot of effort to cut a piece of brass plate, drill a few holes and braze or even solder in the ports!
 

Blue

Well-known member
Mar 26, 2004
10,043
856
AZ
Damn...I was this close (finger hovering over mouse button) to ordering one of these the last time my throttle body heater went out. Glad I didn't. I'll fucking bypass this shit next time it starts dripping like a Tijuana whore.
 

kennith

Well-known member
Apr 22, 2004
10,891
172
North Carolina
bypass TB > install this shitty shit McShit.
just sayin...

Someone had to do it, because the company is correct in their solution. The execution simply sucked. If you're not running Dexcool and you get that leak, it's warping.

I'll be making my own. It's a simple task; it just needs to be done properly. I've got the design in my head already, and it's not going to warp, regardless of material. It's just a matter of ensuring the stuff doesn't cause undesirable reactions.

The world is full of good ideas and poor execution. These guys seem to be very nice. They're just a little in over their heads. No pun intended...

We'll see how the return actually goes, but the response I got was great. If they'd just outsource the project to an experienced small part manufacturer and make some in bulk to sell on Amazon and Ebay, they'd have something good on their hands. I do maintain that any quality part that permanently solves this problem is worth the money, but it's got to be made to a high enough standard.

At this time, though, it's one of those "know what you're good at, and stick to that job" situations. They intellectually solved the problem, but physically were unable to manufacture the part to acceptable quality.

This is the same reason I don't do my own high-level code or welding. I can, but that doesn't mean I should.

Cheers,

Kennith
 

kennith

Well-known member
Apr 22, 2004
10,891
172
North Carolina
Communication Review:

These are some of the most responsive and polite people with which I've had the pleasure of dealing.

It took me a while to find time to ship it back, so the refund hasn't arrived yet, but they said to expect it Monday, which would be an appropriate amount of time. We shall see, but at this time I do suspect it will arrive as promised.

It seems that, in general, it's a really responsive and friendly operation that just has a bit of trouble meeting it's own standard. I would certainly give them another chance with a different part.

On balance, what we have is one of the very few smaller-time Rover vendors who manage to do their best to actually provide service and delivery to their customers.

If the refund is provided, I will likely offer to design them a part that they are more capable of manufacturing to replace the current offering, or otherwise aid them in the creation or location of a new process in that regard.

Seriously. They're fucking awesome at customer service, and they do see the need for improved designs in relation to certain vehicle-specific parts. They did have the right idea; the execution just fell short.

If everything goes as specified, I will be confident saying that these people should be encouraged to continue improving and supporting the community. They may not be very good at making heater plates, but at least they deliver them and respond with enthusiasm and interest.

That places them a mile ahead of most people we've seen come and go over the years.

Cheers,

Kennith
 

bendts

Well-known member
Jan 27, 2015
277
18
Farmland
Big problem is that they let that pile of shit go out the door with a smile. For what they charge that item should be CNC'd as one piece with no welds.



Hell I bet a CNC shop could do it for half that.
 

kennith

Well-known member
Apr 22, 2004
10,891
172
North Carolina
Big problem is that they let that pile of shit go out the door with a smile. For what they charge that item should be CNC'd as one piece with no welds.



Hell I bet a CNC shop could do it for half that.

I suspect a one-off would be about three quarters the price or a bit higher.

If I run out of time I'll do that, but my intent is to just make one with a chisel and file. It's slow, but it's easy.

Even if I did crank out fifty of them, none of you cheap fucks would buy any. :rofl:

Cheers,

Kennith
 

bendts

Well-known member
Jan 27, 2015
277
18
Farmland
Now Now - Don't be so judgemental. If you could make them out of a quality Aluminum that wont turn into a pretzel, you may have some sales. Bronze is fairly high on the
Galvanic​
Corrosion list for Aluminum. So a nice CNC'd chunk of Aluminum would be best.


I'd bet you could get a deal on 100 of them.
 

kennith

Well-known member
Apr 22, 2004
10,891
172
North Carolina
Now Now - Don't be so judgemental. If you could make them out of a quality Aluminum that wont turn into a pretzel, you may have some sales. Bronze is fairly high on the
Galvanic​
Corrosion list for Aluminum. So a nice CNC'd chunk of Aluminum would be best.


I'd bet you could get a deal on 100 of them.

Heh. I've been around the community long enough to know what people will buy.

I'd get some sales specifically because I made/designed it, and people know I'm going to obsess over quality and that I'm well versed in the science behind all this stuff, but only a few. Perhaps if I designed Defender parts; but I don't own a Defender. If I got it into a few catalogs, I'd get a few more sales, but nothing worth the trouble.

I've got too many other things to do to spend time dicking around for a few bucks. Honestly, anyone could have one machined. There's nothing interesting going on in there. Just pick up a used unit from Ebay and send it off.

I'll probably be using aluminum. I may do something special, but I doubt I'll bother this time around. I could go balls-out, but it's not necessary. If I do, it'll just be for fun. Every now and again I just need to design something that NASA would like.

Hell, I design and build cool shit all the time, and never bother to sell it. Quite often I'll just trade the designs to have one manufactured for free so I don't have to build the stuff. :rofl:

It's hobby for me; not a business.

Cheers,

Kennith
 

kennith

Well-known member
Apr 22, 2004
10,891
172
North Carolina
Refund processed without a hassle, it seems.

They've been very responsive.

I feel it's important to note this, as there's more to business than just making and/or selling something.

They've got customer service right front and center, and it really makes me wish the product quality matched the price so I could say they are great on all counts.

They may need to learn a little more about manufacturing, but many operations could use these guys as a case study for service.

At the very least, we know they're good people. I didn't get screwed, as I got my money back without issue, and without any argument whatsoever. The only reason I gave for the return was the product quality didn't match the price.

No further information was required, and they stayed in contact.

Cheers,

Kennith