maybe if it was 35-50 $ but 300, I will stick to using pick tools and a wire brush to repair.

 

OK, whatever works for you.

 

350 bucks sale 300 bucks????

How much profit are you guys trying to make on this kit?Come on?What about testing how long have you had one of these kits acctually on a truck??Are you only trying to sell to the guy that screwed up and droped the threaded part in the oil pan????Looks like a good idea but pricing is crazy!!!!!!!!

 

I'm sorry that I can't offer these at the "truly amazing introductory price of $19.95, where if you call now, we'll double your order and give you 2 for the price of one and free shipping if you just pay this small processing fee".

Look, I've been in this business for 11 years and I've been building my own custom products since DAY ONE. I've tried all sorts of pricing methodologies for the stuff I've made and the stuff I just resell, and I've come to the conclusion that no matter what I do, unless I'm giving the stuff away, someone will be unhappy with the price. If I stick to MAP pricing to stay in the good graces of my suppliers and make sure my customers are purchasing from an authorized dealer so they still have a warranty...and offer free shipping on the item...someone still calls and beats me up over the fact that they can get it cheaper on ebay or from some fly by night operation. I can accept all of that, it's just how this business goes.

On the other hand, what I can't accept and what really upsets me is when I'm accused of intentionally gouging someone. I do NOT operate my business that way and I take personal offense at the suggestion. It's one thing to question the price, it's something entirely different to be insulting about it. My short answer to the comment above is simply, if you don't like it, don't buy it.

What I will not do is make apologies for the price on this product. In the first place, the person that put the time, money and effort into designing, prototyping, testing and manufacturing this product needs to be compensated for his work. There is absolutely no point in manufacturing the part if he's not going to make enough to justify the effort, particularly since his business is fabrication and this is how he makes his living. In addition, as the company that has invested in the inventory, is paying for the advertising, is taking the pre and post sale technical calls and is having to endure the insulting postings from people like the above poster, we are entitled to make something on the sale as well. I'm not sure how much you think we are making on this part, but when you consider the fact that many of the sales have been made to "shops" (who we discount to further so they can offer the product at the same retail price that we do), I can assure you it's not as much as you think.

Look, if you want to fix it cheaper, get the kit from international and cross your fingers. If you're lucky, the back piece doesn't have damaged threads and isn't warped, the nut isn't damaged, you won't drop the back piece into the pan and changing the o-rings will fix your leak. Heck, don't even bother doing all of that, just clean the outside really good and cover it with either silicone or jbweld (we've seen both of those on trucks in our shop)...whatever suits you.

The point is, there are less expensive ways to fix this problem, so it's not like we've got a monopoly on the fix and we're taking everyone for a ride. We simply have what we believe is a better way to fix the problem, one that can be installed very quickly (how much is your time worth?), can be easily serviced if you somehow develop a leak past the double o-ring seal (again, how much is your time worth?) and one that is made from far superior materials when compared to the POS pot metal stock piece. Take your pick, I'm good with whatever you decide.

 

:agree::agree:

 

It turns out that there is a fitment problem with this product and HYPERMAX connecting rods. For specific information and photos showing the problem, please see the notice in RED at this link:

Dipstick Adapter Repair Kit

Please let us know if you have any questions.

 

How many people have ran this kit and had it a while now? I am OK spending the money if I know it will fix the problem and never leak again. But if I spent the money and it made the leak better but not nonexistent I would be mad. Just curious who has had these now a few years or several miles. Thanks!

 

Quite a few have run it successfully. One thing you can be assured of is that Dennis at Strictly diesel doesn't build junk

 

On one of the forums where people were beating him over the price he made the point "what is your time worth?" and that is what I keep wrestling over in my mind. In one hand I got this old truck I don't want to put that much $ into...in the other I feel my time is worth the $300 price tag to have it done quick, easy, and in such way that it won't leak and will make for easy future maintenance. Or maybe I will build something similar myself.

Just looking for feedback from guys who actually bought this and run it...good or bad feedback welcome.

 

Even if you were going to pull the motor to address some other issue (leaking pan rail for example), I don't see why anyone would want to install a new factory piece and be right back where they started. The factory one will leak again over time, it will warp again if over-tightened, it's still made of garbage material, it's still sealed on the inside with a single o-ring...

You don't have a signature so I have no idea whether this next comment applies to you or not...but...

One thing that never ceases to surprise me is the number of people that will spend large sums of money on "optional" or "accessory" type stuff (lift kits, wheels, bumpers, lights, stereos, big horsepower mods, etc.) that will then be unhappy (some very much so) when they have to spend good money (sometimes significant) to do "necessary" work like repairs or maintenance. It doesn't matter if it's a daily driver or an all-out competition vehicle, you still have to take care of it and fix what needs to be fixed.

Don't take that comment the wrong way, I wasn't trying to be a jerk. We literally see it on a daily basis though, guys will roll through our shop in gorgeous trucks, tell us how they use it to tow their ski boat, toy hauler, etc...and then balk at necessary repair costs. It's even worse when they created the problem themselves, by neglecting the trucks "needs" so they could spend the money on their "wants"...and somehow we end up being the "bad guy" for delivering the news (don't shoot the messenger).

Maybe this isn't the situation with you at all, maybe you've got a 100% practical vehicle that you use for work or daily driving. Maybe you actually "need" to drive that diesel (so many people have one just to have one and never tow and don't "need" it) so the extra cost of owning a truck that uses a more expensive fuel (don't get me started), takes 15q of oil, uses filters that are more expensive than the tiny gasser filters, wears through tires faster because of it's weight, etc...is a necessity. Maybe you're on a tight budget and this is literally just a matter where the money is coming from, rather than what new toy you can't buy if you spend the money to do a repair. That being the case, my original point of "what is it worth to you" still stands. If the oil leak isn't bad enough (yet) that you are having to add oil regularly, if it isn't making a mess in your driveway that you keep having to clean up (wasting time and cleaning supplies)...if it isn't really a problem yet...don't do anything. Spend the time saving up to buy our part or planning when you are going to take the truck out of commission to pull the engine and fix it with a new factory part...whichever method gives you the "warm fuzzy" feeling you seek.

On the other hand, if the leak is already a "problem", you have to factor that into what it's costing you. Every time you have to add a quart of oil...$. Every time you have to waste time cleaning up a mess...$. It's already costing you time and money, and the longer you wait, the more it will cost you. How you use the truck also plays into the equation...if you have something else to drive and it doesn't matter if it's down, you are in a very different situation than someone who counts on their truck for work or daily driving. Having a work truck down is a "time is money" situation. Having to rent a car to take your daily driver down is a "time is money" situation.

This was a long post to get to this, but in the end, is $300 really that bad? I can see the debate over thousands (like fixing a 6.0L), but this is really pretty cheap. It's only about 1-2 hours of your time to install it, and you can just move on and not worry about it again.

That's my perspective, for what it's worth. I've had a number of people tell me (some actually nearly yelling at me) that we are jerks, the part is too expensive, etc. Everyone has their opinion, I don't get offended, I simply choose to pay more attention to all of the customers that call us, email us or post online reviews raving about this product because it was fast, easy and a lot less expensive than paying a shop to pull the engine. If you would prefer to pull the engine and use a stock part, more power to you.

 

I've only had this truck 11 days. It is in overall good shape but some issues as it is 19 years old. I have about $1,000 budget to fix it up and $300 is almost 1/3 of that. That is my only issue honestly. Only aftermarket stuff on it is the intake and 6 position switch that the previous owner put on it. Not a DD. A 3rd (4th if you count the wife's CR-V) to mainly tow my rock crawler Jeep. It can be down weeks for all I care.

I think it comes down to what people WANT to spend....ie: I got a great low mileage truck worth $15k that is super clean so $300 is nothing...vs I got a farm truck I paid $4k for and just need to get it driveable...and of course everything in between. I personally bought this truck only as a tow vehicle. So keeping it reliable is priority #1...which is why I will likely order this kit after the 1st of the month.

I think this part has its place...I am glad you guys offer it. If you didn't people would be posting "why doesn't someone make something like this? I'll pay whatever it costs!" You know how the ineternet forums are...

 

I got a small list of things to fix on this truck and a bigger list of things to fix on my Jeep...not enough time. So that is why I decided to order this kit...save time and hopefully it never leaks again from the dip stick/pan junction.

 

pics or GFTO... opcorn:

 

Looks like it will be here on the 10th. Hopefully I can do it that Wed or Thurs night before a long weekend wheeling trip. Would really like to tow the Jeep to that event...

 

I just ordered one for my 2000.
After the guys at jiffy lube screwed my original up. Time is valuable and with 350k on engine I don't want to pull it out till its time to rebuild.