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whats up with dfa??

2K views 24 replies 9 participants last post by  Snake 
#1 ·
While I was searching some other forums i read a post saying that dfa was bankrupt or bought out?!:confused: any body know whats actually going on, i dont want to spread rumors that arnt true, just want to know whats up... If this is true what a shame, good people getting the shaft... pisses me off :bang2:
 
#2 ·
You can go to DFA's web site and read about it in detail but yes, DFA has filed for bankruptcy. The assets were bought before the filing and the DFA systems will be refined and sold by the new company. This was basically brought about by the lousy economy, the fact that Jason had recently borrowed more money to continue, and then was called back to active service in the Navy. The company couldn't survive with him gone and he has family responsibilities while he is gone so he did the best thing he could. He saw to the product continuation in his absence for his customers and folded the company. When he returns he will be part of the new concern.

There is a long thread on this over on the DFA forum if you want more information.
 
#4 ·
This REALLY REALLY bothers me. Knowing that there are issues with the v3 then making this statment


Third: For ALL DFA customers... we unfortunately cannot honor any warranty claims against the V3 or any parts that were sold by DFA. DFA as a company has been dissolved, and the new company being established (which has procured the inventory) was not involved in the original sale of these components.

You guys spent a buttload of coin on a DFA kit because of the good rep and the great warranty just to have the new owner tell you "sucks to be you!" But hey we will SELL you new parts to replace parts WE KNOW are bad and failing....


1) the pressure switch issue: Thanks to Jason (and James), we have successfully procured the knowledge, parts list, and assembly instructions to start creating replacement kits that address the pressure switch issue. This is DONE, and will be the FIRST ITEM offered for sale from the new company. Replacing JUST the pressure switch will not solve the problem... and even the kit just purchased from DFA to solve the problem (with the BLUE ground wire) will not solve the problem. (The problem itself has been insidious to figure out). This will be the FIRST ITEM that will be produced for the new company. If folks would like to place a quick informal "pre-order", please PM me so that I can get a count. This will get us our first jump on our first product. Pricing available as soon as I get it.

2) pump replacements: Again, thanks to Jason, we have successfully procured the knowledge, parts list, and assembly instructions to start creating pump replacement kits for those that need it. This is all but DONE, and will be the SECOND ITEM offered for sale (very closely following the pressure switch).


I am even more glad I chose to build my own kit now. I know all the parts and pieces in my system and should something fail I can source my own replacement or get it covered under their warranty (if any)

I know its all about money and no one wants to lose it, but you buy a company (or fizzle out an existing one) you should stand behind the product you bought (or company). This bothers me quite a bit. But hey in todays market, who gives a crap about the customer? Just talk to any cell phone/TV/SAT provider. We will bend over any existing customers and ram it home, but if you are a new customer you get the special treatment and they give you the world for 5 bucks.

This bothers me a bunch....
 
#9 ·
I am even more glad I chose to build my own kit now. I know all the parts and pieces in my system and should something fail I can source my own replacement or get it covered under their warranty (if any)

I know its all about money and no one wants to lose it, but you buy a company (or fizzle out an existing one) you should stand behind the product you bought (or company)
Not trying to add fuel to the fire, but I just wanted to add a few things to make sure everyone's on the same page.

One of the reason's DFA is in this situation is because of the warranty they offered. For those of you who don't know (not directing this at you, but at anyone who might read this thread), DFA warrantied their system for 2 years, unconditionally. Unfortunately, the companies they bought the Vegistroke components from screwed DFA on the components' warranties. Which left DFA to foot the bill for repairing and replacing parts.

A two year unlimited, unconditional warranty on this type of aftermarket accessory is unheard of. The new owner recognizes this and will likely offer a warranty, but it won't be as generous. Unfortunately, he can't match that warranty and keep the business afloat.
 
#5 ·
Tubular, I somewhat understand your feelings but I support the effort that Ryan is making to provide some continuation for the V3. He did not buy DFA. DFA declared bankruptcy and is no more. Ryan bought inventory from the failing DFA and is striving to iron out issues and provide a solution to V3 owners that would otherwise be left completely on their own. He is not responsible to honor any warranty that was tied to DFA.

Yeah it sucks that DFA was forced to fold. Yeah it sucks that the warranty that the V3 came with is out the window. I am one of the customers that lost part of my warranty and will now have to purchase replacements. Still I am glad that Ryan has picked the V3 up and I will have a place to get replacement parts. We could be just left on our own to try to figure out how to deal with the pressure switch issues and try to engineer a solution.

It isn't perfect but it is what it is, which is a far cry better than nothing. Just my humble opinion. Others are free to disagree.
 
#6 ·
I will agree that it is better then nothing.

If you are going to charge for a replacement for a known bad part I sure hope they give it to you at cost. making a profit on that is just not right.
 
#8 · (Edited)
Eh, I think most of us Vegistroke owners are just happy the company didn't go under completely and there will be an opportunity to buy replacement parts. Even if I had to replace a $700 pump, it would pay for itself in 3-4 months.

(and the new owner's name is Jay :D)
 
#7 ·
well most of the bad parts have been on recall for a couple months so if u didnt get it fixed than i see it as your problem. if i had the chance i would buy the kit over and over again, its an amazing kit and nothing compares to it at all!!!!! even though dfa went under they r still willing to help. and if u cant get them than dfa forum is always there. like my system just stopped working, and i posted and not 5 mins later i had 2 guys call me going over what i need to do, than clay henry calls me and i got at least 5 different people text me if its all good or not. and u cant just expect a person who bought a business to just give all the parts he just bought away. jason and maybe james(not to sure) will still be in the business just not owners. and the new owner(think his name is jay) has had a Vegistroke since they starter with the v0, ya ur gunna have to buy some parts but most have been recalled for months. i spent over 6800k on my kit and its still worth every penny.
 
#11 ·
well most of the bad parts have been on recall for a couple months so if u didnt get it fixed than i see it as your problem. if i had the chance i would buy the kit over and over again, its an amazing kit and nothing compares to it at all!!!!! even though dfa went under they r still willing to help. and if u cant get them than dfa forum is always there. like my system just stopped working, and i posted and not 5 mins later i had 2 guys call me going over what i need to do, than clay henry calls me and i got at least 5 different people text me if its all good or not. and u cant just expect a person who bought a business to just give all the parts he just bought away. jason and maybe james(not to sure) will still be in the business just not owners. and the new owner(think his name is jay) has had a Vegistroke since they starter with the v0, ya ur gunna have to buy some parts but most have been recalled for months. i spent over 6800k on my kit and its still worth every penny.
That's part of the issue people are complaining about. The new pressure switch replaced by the recall doesn't fix the problem and there is another fix that we will have to buy that may or may not actually resolve it. But like I said earlier I am glad there is a place to get this from and I don't have to engineer a solution on my own.
 
#10 ·
Didnt DFA use "special" FASS pumps? I remember reading somewhere that DFA had them special built for VO (or something like that). So FASS screwed them on the pumps? That makes me mad at FASS. I talked to them about the pump I was getting and they claimed they would warranyt it for 8 years with VO since its a VO pump. They can not claim that I am using it for something it was not designed for, since they sell it as a VO pump.

Wonder how it really went down between DFA and FASS?
 
#12 ·
So its not the switch, what is the issue? something with the design of the block maybe?

You could always plug the hole in the block, put a Tee on the output and sitck a switch there. Pretty easy and should not cost that much.
 
#14 ·
I don't know if I should disclose this information or not, but a number of people have publicly asked about the pressure switches so I'll provide what I know.

When switching from diesel to oil (or vice-versa, I never asked for clarification), there's a small voltage spike that's getting absorbed by the pressure switch. Even with the new relay, the pressure switch is feeling the effects of the spike. The root cause (voltage spike) wasn't found until a couple of weeks ago during the ownership transition period. Jay is developing a new pressure switch that should hopefully mitigate the impacts to the switch, but the release date for the new switch is still to be determined. Its been designed but still needs to be tested.

Those electrons will get you every time. :D
 
#13 ·
I'm not too sure about the details of the pumps from FASS or what companies shafted Jason and James so anything I offered would just be speculation on my part. But I know Jason and James weren't happy with a number of the companies they had contracted with....prices got raised, parts suddenly became "unavailable," and warranties weren't honored.
 
#16 ·
Well, let's clear up a few things.

1) My name is "Jay"... not "Ryan".

2) DFA was not "purchased". The assets were quietly moved into the possession of the lein holders in the dead of night before the bankruptcy courts put a padlock on the door.

3) The new company has successfully negotiated the assets to be purchased from the lein holders.

4) No one has gotten the shaft in terms of order fulfillment from DFA. For the past 96 hours, I've been building kits with Jason for knowledge transfer and to make sure that no one got hosed from an order placed with DFA.

5) New Company did not purchase DFA... therefore we can't honor any warranties from DFA. We simply purchased the assets so that we could provide a parts/service solution going forward. We believe in the Vegistroke, and we decided to take the risk given Jason's predicament.

6) (hheynow... if you want my Street Cred... I was 'Halitosis' over at TDS)

7) The support over at DFA has been overwhelming. To my amazement, no one has sent me a "I am totally FORKED" PM... in fact, every PM I have gotten over at DFA has been from people wanting to know what they can do to help... I can't say enough about the Vegistroke community...

8) I do not have red hair.

9) We looked at all options on the table with the cards dealt: DFA massively in debt, Jason being deployed, and customers needing solutions. The solution we came up with may not be the PRETTIEST, but going forward, it offers the most flexibility and the most chance of success. Without throwing any arrows over at DFA (who represent a benchmark of character that everyone should aspire to).... the new company will be run as a BUSINESS, not a CO-OP.

10). The pressure switch issue has been an insidious one to find... mostly because the pressure switch was the SYMPTOM, not the CULPRIT. Yes, a solution has been found. It was found in the bottom of the 9th inning just before the bankruptcy. It has to do with a power spike introduced in the system when the pump is shut down... the rotation of the electric motor sends a wave of energy down the wire when it spins down, and the pressure switch winds up taking the bullet. The new solution gives a place to shunt the power spike to.

11) I was not born in Prague.

If you want the full details of what's going, I urge you to read up over at DFA the entire post: Dfa announcement - Dino Fuel Alternatives Forum... not just the random snippets cut and paste into new forums that (frankly) make the new company look like complete asses...



Jay
 
#18 ·
thanks Ryan,

best of luck with the new endevour. i udnerstand why people may be upset. but i also understand business and this make sense to me. not only as a business decision but legally since this is a 'new' company, not a buyout. glad someone saved the system from going down the hole.

i agree with tubular, i prefer to build my own. but that me, and him, we like to tinker. i like to know how things work in detail, bit of a geek, some things fascinate me. but i know how it all works, and if i cant get replacement parts i will know how to devise a new solution. not bashing the veggiestroke at all, this is just IMHO.

i am anxious hwoever to see now products from DFA in the future.
 
#20 ·
Sorry for calling you Ryan, Jay. I'm getting old and suffering from halfheimers so sometimes things like that happen. Best of luck going forward with the new business.
 
#23 · (Edited)
We were talking about timelines over at the DFA support forums...

Our first priority is the creation/manufacture/sale of the two critical failure items. Both have been FIXED... and we already have several verbal orders when we can get them out the door.

Our target for this is mid August.

After that, we start the sale of complete kits in September.

Fixes first... then we move on to kits (which will contain the updated fixes for the kits).

Like I've said before... selling a thousand things? that's actually easy. The preparation it takes to sell your FIRST one? That's hard.

The outpouring of support so far has been beyond tremendous. It's so obvious everyone with a Vegistroke WANTS this to succeed long-term, and they have been offering up assistance from every angle... it's why I firmly believe that this will truly succeed long term, and why I'm putting so much effort into it now...


Jay
 
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