Clausses

Hello, Richard. Did the rubber bushing idea I gave you not work out? I found a website that has wave washers for sale, they may help some more. I'll attach it, also, feel free to call me whenever if I can do anything to help. If you need my number, PM me or email me and I'll be happy to give it to you.
https://www.seastrom-mfg.com/washerr...+Spring+Washer

That's a link to the website with the wave washers. If they don't have one you're looking for, I saw a few other places online and they don't seem to be very expensive. Anyways, good luck with further production, Richard!

Richard Paul

iTrader: (5)

The wave washer is a good idea, I had thought of it earlier but failed to follow up. Your vender does have an item that could be made to fit. It's just that I have to buy 10 without knowing if it will work. Oh yea, they are 12.50 each if you buy 10.
I'm trying an O-ring now. Doing a test on that tomorrow.

Clausses

Any luck with the washer? And, that's just a vendor I googled for- you're more than welcome to find your own, it won't hurt my feelings any. :P. But, if you know the dimensions, maybe you can find just one or two somewhere to try and see. The wave washer is what the factory uses. Factory also uses a spherical upper pivot point, not an offset one.

Richard Paul

iTrader: (5)

I've looked at other vendors. But i've got an O-ring part to try I just need a car. My tester last week had problems and couldn't get here. I'd send it out but it's going to need some tuning to get right.

Are there any cars out there with Axialflow shifters who want to come by?

Clausses

I would if I wasn't halfway across the united states. lol.

Rockinjaz

Any updates? I really want to get this shifter back in the car. It's a pretty expensive paperweight at the moment.

Richard Paul

iTrader: (5)

Well I've come up with an O-ring that goes around the outside of the upper bearing after beveling the od. Just haven't been able to test it.

skydemon

iTrader: (2)

Hi Richard, I emailed you a few weeks ago but no response. Any news on the updated shifter? If you need me to come over again, I'm sure we could work it out.

Cya Matt

Richard Paul

iTrader: (5)

The parts are ready, Email me and I'll send you one to see if it works.
Also the new batch of 2.3 units are almost done (end of the week) and they will have an improved lockout and the O-ring top bearing. There are about 15 left not yet sold.
If everything works out there will be extra upper bearing parts for anyone with 2.1 or 2.2 that is having vibration problems.

Richard Paul

iTrader: (5)

I forgot to post my new Email for those who want a new part.
rap@axialflow.com

Matt,
I think we need your car again to test these.
Now that they are done I noticed something.

I know there has to be someone closer but have not made contact.

For those who get the few I'm mailing today:
Take the split O-ring that is taped on and put it in the groove of the upper bearing before installing the retainer plate. I cut them so they would not jump out before being clamped down.

Anyway that's why we need a test car. Also the lockout is wider and I don't know how it's going to act on the install.

For those who wrote about ordering you can just use the Website.

skydemon

iTrader: (2)

Richard

I am not really that far away and I'm willing to to come over again. Let me know if you want to set something up.

Cya Matt

Richard Paul

iTrader: (5)

Yes, I would like to see the 2.3 in action. (I've shipped 5 just on faith.) I also want to see the retrofit part working.
I've moved since you were here last. Not far but call or email for new address.
I have nowhere else to be so make it easy on yourself.
I just got back from a road trip to Az so I'm traveled out.
I took my new Mini Cooper S and that was a blast. Even in the high winds the little thing ran great at 90 for hours. Burning half what an Rx8 would in fuel and no oil.
What a change! I love that thing. Admit it doesn't have much room in it, handles like a go kart and rides like one too.

skydemon

iTrader: (2)

Richard

I was tempted to get one of those a while back, they look like a lot of fun! I responded to your P.M. I can come over tonight after work 8-830ish. I will call after work for your new address.

Cya Tonight, Matt

USAF_AV8R

iTrader: (1)

hey Richard, I sent an email on Wednesday requesting that updated part for 2.2 shifters so just wanted to be sure you got it. It's for my order on Aug 21, 2016. thanks.

pcs

iTrader: (2)

I think I need the updated pieces too - I was the one that tested the original, but ended up taking it out because of the lockout positioning for reverse... Pretty sure it was the 2.1 - are there additional pieces that can be used to correct the lockout for reverse and how it gets into 1st?

Thanks,

PCS

Richard Paul

iTrader: (5)

Send it back and I'll see what I can do with it.
RAP

8CHMan

What is the status of this atm? My shifter (I think it's a 2.1) is just sitting in my garage. Do we email RP for new parts? I'm not sure what we are supposed to be doing, am I missing parts that people already have now to negate the vibrations?

USAF_AV8R

iTrader: (1)

I swapped out the old part for the new one with the rubber o-ring, but the vibration noises are still there. anyone else have the new part installed?

Psychofox

yea, i also experience vibration noise with the new parts.

FilthyFranku

I installed the 2.2 shifter on an 09 R3. I used it in tandem with a DND tall shift **** because I wanted to improve the shift feel while maintaining the added height of the aftermarket ****. Long story short, don't do that. This will bend the fucku out shifter and spark an argument with Richard about the difference between "abuse/no warranty for you" and "weak shifter assembly".

I'm now just out 460 CAD and Richard has a bent shifter to hang on his wall. My experience with axialflow got off on to a bad start after I purchased the shifter, then thought, "hey this website looks like it's from 2003 maybe I should have checked to see if they are still in business". Emailed, got no reply for 5 days and then filed a paypal claim to try and protect my purchase to which Richard replied immediately stating how unfair I was being. Overall, I had a terrible experience and no I would not recommend this product to anyone simply because of the approach to customer service. As soon as the shifter was bent I was told how I must have been slamming gears and abusing the poor defenseless product like a redheaded stepchild. No I drove it normally with a shifter that is 3 inches taller than stock. The oem assembly handles it just fine. And yes I know that applies additional torque on the shift assembly.

As a business, dismissing a customer complaint as simply them mistreating the product should be the last line of negotiation, with Richard it was the first. He drew the comparison to how it would be like crashing a new car and expecting the dealership to cover it under warranty. Except in this case crashing your car means using as intended with one modification that unbenounced to either of you causes failure.

On top of that, I did also experience the rattling that has been mentioned previously on this forum which I dismissed because I thought it was just my motor mounts causing excess vibration.

I am just making my experience public because I did not like how I was treated. There was no inquiry into what caused my problem, just accusations. Hopefully the note about taller shifters will be helpful to anyone who was curious to that set up.

Richard Paul

iTrader: (5)

I am so glad this guy posted here. All the people on this forum know that I have taken personal care of all my customers for 13 years now.
First of all this guy is from Canada where the mail is very slow so even though I mailed his shifter the day after the order came in he cancels the payment 4 or 5
days after he ordered it. Anyway the part got there soon after that. He Emails me that he can't get 2,4 or 6 after driving it for some time. We talk back and forth and he claims there's an"offset" on the lower shaft. Without getting to see the part I sent him another shifter. He does at this point send me a picture of the first shifter and it is bent to ****. He then mails me that the second on bent also! I get the old one back and if I would have seen it first I never would have given him another for free. This thing was bent not only at the tapered part on the lower shaft but also on the top where it is a solid 10mm thick of stainless steel. I tell him the best I can do is replace the lower shaft for him on the second one but he will have to pay for the part, I'd throw in the labor. I don't know how much of an extension he put on the stick but once it's in gear stop pushing. No one else has ever bent one of my units. I can't keep giving shifters away until this guy learns how to shift, maybe he should get an automatic.
Here is a picture of the first unit, he still has the second one. Does anyone think I didn't go out of my way for this guy?
I can't get my camera to transfer right now but someone will come along and help me soon. I could even submit the email chain. But it's not worth any more of my time.

FilthyFranku

The mail actually isn't that slow, I filed a claim after 4 days of no response from you and the shifter arrived on the 5th day. The claim was to protect my investment because your site doesn't look like it's been updated in a decade and when I emailed to see if your company was still in business I didn't receive a reply or even confirmation of my order. So I filed a claim. I stated that to you directly and in my review of my experiences with you.

If my shifting is to blame then why is my stock unit in perfect working order? I think if anything you are enforcing my point because now you are still directing the fault only to me rather than addressing my issues. You own a company, and you are behaving completely unprofessionally. You would rather insult me and suggest I get an automatic rather than trying to resolve my issues with your product. In terms of you going out of your way for me, if your product breaks within a week of use, why don't investigate what happened? You offer a lifetime warranty on your products so you obviously have faith in them but you didn't even ask if something happened. You just said the warranty doesn't cover abuse and I must be abusing the shifter. Originally I gave it the benefit of the doubt thinking that it came with a slight offset that was made worse after installation but clearly that wasn't the case because the second unit was thoroughly inspected before installation and now has a slight bend.

The point I am making that even if the issue was down to the tall shift **** putting too much force on the shifter (which is shouldn't because of the actual mechanical advantage from the DND race ****), there wasn't an effort to resolve the issue other than replacing the part. No questions asked about what happened that could have caused it, just a flat statement that it was all my fault. That's a poor way of handling customer complaints and I am stating my experiences where people can see them. Not only that but I actually have a reasonable amount of formal driver training on and off track and the assumption is still that I just reef on the shifter after its in gear.

Ad hominem remarks are the worst way to resolve a customer's issues and that's the biggest reason why I will never do business with you, nor will I recommend your products to anyone else. In terms of complaint resolution you gave me a replacement part along with a middle finger and expected me to thank you.

TeamRX8

iTrader: (25)

Wow, I tore up a lot of RX8 transmissions by hard shifting, but never a shifter. lol

Richard Paul

iTrader: (5)

You didn't tell me it had to be pluged in at both ends

Reoze

Holy ****...