[DeTomaso] McLeod--standing behind their product!
Will Demelo
wdemelo at cogeco.ca
Wed Nov 24 06:13:47 EST 2010
It's good to hear that there are still companies out there that provide
great service.
Will (McLeod user)
----- Original Message -----
From: <MikeLDrew at aol.com>
To: <detomaso at realbig.com>
Sent: Wednesday, November 24, 2010 3:12 AM
Subject: [DeTomaso] McLeod--standing behind their product!
> Hi guys,
>
> Back in the late 1980s and early 1990s, Dennis Quella was a huge proponent
> of changing out the stock clutch slave cylinder and replacing the whole
> monkey-motion setup with a McLeod hydraulic internal hydraulic throwout
> bearing.
> Both Jack DeRyke and I bought off on this notion, and have been running
> them with success for many years (18 years in my case, with a lot of years
> of
> sitting from time to time, which is normally doom for any sort of
> hydraulic
> anything).
>
> When I installed a new engine in my car this spring, I changed to an
> aluminum flywheel, and never thought to check to see if it was the same
> thickness
> as the old cast iron flywheel. The setup on the hydraulic throwout
> bearing
> is critical; if it over-travels, the seals can suffer and fail.
>
> I got the engine installed just a few days before the POCA Fun Rally. In
> Reno, I was disconcerted to discover a puddle of brake fluid under my
> gearbox; I had to continually top the reservoir off in order to get home.
> The
> unit was functioning just fine, but it was leaking when it wasn't under
> (foot)
> pressure. After I got home, the car sat for a week and BLEAH, the fluid
> all poured out.
>
> French POCA member Stephane Bergeron came to visit for a day in July; we
> pulled my gearbox and discovered the 90-degree fittings going into the
> unit
> were both loose. A-ha! That HAD to be the source of the leak, right?
> So
> we fixed that, put it all back together (again without bothering to check
> the setup clearances), filled and bled it, and it worked perfectly.
>
> Came home a week later, and BLEAH, fluid all over the carpet again.
>
> So the car sat untouched, until just last week when Lori and I pulled the
> gearbox out. I had spoken to the McLeod reps at the SEMA show, asking
> their
> advice, and they told me to just send the unit down to them for a
> look-see.
> They showed me the current-generation version, which is profoundly
> improved over the 1980s-spec version in my car. I was tempted, but
> decided to
> let them look at mine first.
>
> I shipped it down there last week, care of "Bernie" who is their
> specialist
> in these things. Bernie determined that at least one of the O-rings had
> gone bad (not unexpected after 18 years), so he totally dismantled it,
> replaced all five O-rings and seals, AND installed a brand new bearing
> assembly.
> He then packed it up and UPSed it back to me, in time for me to install it
> today (by coincidence, Stephane Bergeron was here again and was able to
> help
> in the same manner he did last time).
>
> But here's the amazing thing. I bought this unit from Dennis Quella in
> about 1992 or 1993. It's about a million years out of warranty. Yet
> the
> McLeod guys totally rebuilt it, installed a brand new bearing AND shipped
> it
> back to me quick-style, and charged me a big, fat ZERO for all their
> work!!!!
>
> We were very meticulous this time, took all our measurements and set the
> thing up just so, then installed it, filled and bled the system, and it's
> working like a champ once again.
>
> My hat is definitely off to the McLeod guys. It's totally unreasonable
> for them to provide all this service for absolutely no charge--even if
> they
> are feeling charitable and decide to rebuild the unit for free, at the
> very
> least I should expect to pay the UPS charges. But no--they felt
> compelled to
> stand behind their product to the Nth degree. That sort of service and
> dedication to their customers is a rare thing indeed!
>
> I have every confidence that this thing will last me at least another 18
> trouble-free years--longer most likely, since I plan to drive the car
> regularly and not let it sit for years at a time!
>
> Mike
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