**Saftey Check**Check Your Whiteline Uppers

[Roadracer350]

I agree, it takes a lot of effort to jump on and attempt to rectify a situation like they have, it is surely good to see companies take that step.

As for the testing, and the cars running these parts, I guess it just depends on the fine details. Has there been an issue that was hidden, or not mentioned? Are/have the people with these cars actually inspected their components? Not sure if you are seeing the threads on SVTP, but, 5+ people in a single thread is, well, overwhelming.

We had an A-Arm incident with someone, who admitted to me on the phone that he had never one time inspected the parts after the years of abuse he put them through. When we analyzed the piece, we discovered that the gusset on the A-Arm had been cracked for a substantial period of time, we estimate 1-2 years. We have felt the pain that WL is feeling, and I truly hope they get everything squared away for their customers, and release a new UCA system that performs flawlessly. Heck, they should just duplicate our UCA differential side mount, and they will be good to go!



First of all, I have never stated their entire line is junk. I recommended their Wats Link to a customer last week.

Thousands? They (WL) claimed "100's" on another thread.

Regardless, 5+ people in a single thread is proof that there is an issue, no matter which way you spin it.

That thread on SVTP was made, and it appears that almost every user in that thread checked their WL UCA, and it was defective.

The above in bold is exactly why some companies are making these threads.

I have already stated you NEVER said their line was junk. Their was some people on the SVT forum saying that. I was generalizing. I have stated their is a problem BUT 5 units out of the total amount of units sold does not warrant a recall. How many arms and K members failed for you guys? BMR never issued a recall. You stopped sales and redesigned the units. You addressed the problem, fixed it and made the customer happy. That is the end result is to make the customer happy. The head guy for Whiteline NA got on the SVT site, addressed the problem, stated what they were doing to correct it and gave out a number and email. They stopped sales of the UCA until they find out and correct the problem. What more can we ask? Do I believe in WL products? Yes. Do I believe in BMR products? YES. Both lines have had problems and both lines have had issues BUT they both have made the effort to find the root cause and fix it to make the customer happy. Look at Terry, he has beat on his cars EVERY weekend and has never once mentioned a failure like this. I do not know how many units they have sold I am assuming (and we all know what that means) it is in the thousands because of them being a mfg that 5 parts out of the total sold are isolated incidents. Yes some of the guys on that thread are having problems but what about all the people that are not? What about the people on this forum that are not? What about the people in Europe, Australia etc? We need to find the cause. Is it the thickness of the metal, Heat Treating problem, Base material problem, Manufacturing Problem(weld to hot, to quick a cool down etc). Lets let them figure out what happened and see what they are going to do to fix the problem. I know the original guy on the SVT forum they have already contacted him and took care of him. Give them some time.

 

[Mustang259]

As a person interested in suspension upgrades, discussions like this are both helpful and harmful. Helpful in the sense that by following these types of discussions I will learn what companies stand behind thier products and those who don't or try to play the blame game.

Harmful because now I have to question whether or not companies are capable of engineering products better than car manufacturer engineers. Also, this gives Ford more ammunition to deny warranty claims, when applicable.

There are so many aftermarket companies and of course they ALL claim they are the best, but stuff like this really makes you stop and think whether any of them are any good at all.

To be honest I would have to agree with a previous poster who stated he thought the Whiteline UCA looked weak, it does, but I believed Whiteline that their product was solid, Now I don't.

To be fair, I also have my doubts about some of the Ford parts that come stock, AS a consumer it is hard to trust anyone now a days.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[Wicked97]

I didnt mean for this thread to turn in to a We hate whiteline pitch. Or bash on BMR for parts that have already been fixed.

We carry as many lines of suspension as we feel necessary to give our customer base a good selection so they can make an accurate decision as too what product they think will fit the needs and goals of their car.

I think there is a big problem in this industry where shops or online reatilers get hooked up with one vendor and push that product down everyone's throat. they might as well just say "this is the best because its all i carry" Hence the giant push as of late with whiteline.

Any way i made this thread so that people with this product could check their suspension to make sure its in working order before there is more broken parts or worse some one wrecks their car.

We sell
BMR
Racecraft
TRZ
Team Z
Steeda
Whiteline
UMI
UPR
Metco
Maximum Motorsports
among others

So moral of the story is there go ahead and check out your stuff and make sure its in working order

 

[OneQwkStang]

Factory parts are the best!! Stay stock and not worry LOL

 

[Wicked97]

Factory parts are the best!! Stay stock and not worry LOL

haha thats one way to look at it.

Just dont lower, race, or add a 1 piece drive shaft and you will be good

 

[CPRsm]

I think there is a big problem in this industry where shops or online reatilers get hooked up with one vendor and push that product down everyone's throat. they might as well just say "this is the best because its all i carry" Hence the giant push as of late with whiteline.

DING!! Profit margin is a huge factor. Usually the big push comes from how much someone can make. It would make people sick if they knew how I often I hear "I know yours is better, but I make more off of X's part." Can't dealers be awesome? Lol

While it may have been an isolated incident I personally saw how weak your A arms were on Jeremy's (Lightblades) car;

How does isolated incident equal weak?

 

[OneQwkStang]

Just dont lower, race, or add a 1 piece drive shaft and you will be good

This is what i'm doing now....just drive the car and enjoy.

 

[Roadracer350]

Guys... Lets stop bashing everyone's parts and lets see how they fix this. Everyone has had problems, its how they address them and fix them. Everyone needs to take a breather and sit back. We can bitch and point fingers all we want but lets see what happens. I do have one question tho... Who on this site has had a problem?

 

[fdjizm]

It's pretty clear there should have been a spacer there, the arm was too wide for the bushing and closed up when tightened...(how are people not noticing this?)

My J&M adjustable UCA tightens down and doesn't clamp up like that because it's barely wider than the rear bushing. Not sure why whiteline would make the rear mount so wide... But a spacer could have fixed that easy.

 

[Fullboogie]

I don't think a spacer is the problem. As Van commented on the SVT thread, the arm is deformed because it was pulled into that position and subsequently broke.

 

[Seer]

I have already stated you NEVER said their line was junk. Their was some people on the SVT forum saying that. I was generalizing. I have stated their is a problem BUT 5 units out of the total amount of units sold does not warrant a recall. How many arms and K members failed for you guys? BMR never issued a recall. You stopped sales and redesigned the units. You addressed the problem, fixed it and made the customer happy. That is the end result is to make the customer happy. The head guy for Whiteline NA got on the SVT site, addressed the problem, stated what they were doing to correct it and gave out a number and email. They stopped sales of the UCA until they find out and correct the problem. What more can we ask? Do I believe in WL products? Yes. Do I believe in BMR products? YES. Both lines have had problems and both lines have had issues BUT they both have made the effort to find the root cause and fix it to make the customer happy. Look at Terry, he has beat on his cars EVERY weekend and has never once mentioned a failure like this. I do not know how many units they have sold I am assuming (and we all know what that means) it is in the thousands because of them being a mfg that 5 parts out of the total sold are isolated incidents. Yes some of the guys on that thread are having problems but what about all the people that are not? What about the people on this forum that are not? What about the people in Europe, Australia etc? We need to find the cause. Is it the thickness of the metal, Heat Treating problem, Base material problem, Manufacturing Problem(weld to hot, to quick a cool down etc). Lets let them figure out what happened and see what they are going to do to fix the problem. I know the original guy on the SVT forum they have already contacted him and took care of him. Give them some time.

How many units sold? Because in a six sigma quality organization you only are allowed 3.4 defects per million.

I doubt there are a million whiteline uca uppers made. Which in case states, they are in serious need of quality control.

 

[brianadams03]

I have already stated you NEVER said their line was junk. Their was some people on the SVT forum saying that. I was generalizing. I have stated their is a problem BUT 5 units out of the total amount of units sold does not warrant a recall. How many arms and K members failed for you guys? BMR never issued a recall. You stopped sales and redesigned the units. You addressed the problem, fixed it and made the customer happy. That is the end result is to make the customer happy. The head guy for Whiteline NA got on the SVT site, addressed the problem, stated what they were doing to correct it and gave out a number and email. They stopped sales of the UCA until they find out and correct the problem. What more can we ask? Do I believe in WL products? Yes. Do I believe in BMR products? YES. Both lines have had problems and both lines have had issues BUT they both have made the effort to find the root cause and fix it to make the customer happy. Look at Terry, he has beat on his cars EVERY weekend and has never once mentioned a failure like this. I do not know how many units they have sold I am assuming (and we all know what that means) it is in the thousands because of them being a mfg that 5 parts out of the total sold are isolated incidents. Yes some of the guys on that thread are having problems but what about all the people that are not? What about the people on this forum that are not? What about the people in Europe, Australia etc? We need to find the cause. Is it the thickness of the metal, Heat Treating problem, Base material problem, Manufacturing Problem(weld to hot, to quick a cool down etc). Lets let them figure out what happened and see what they are going to do to fix the problem. I know the original guy on the SVT forum they have already contacted him and took care of him. Give them some time.

Wanna ask Chrysler how many Jeeps caught fire to recall millions(not hundreds like WL) of vehicles....

 

[Greg Hazlett]

For those that say the Whiteline UCA looks "flimsy" wait until you have the stock UCA and an aftermarket one in your hand and you will see there is a difference!

 

[Greg Hazlett]

DING!! Profit margin is a huge factor. Usually the big push comes from how much someone can make. It would make people sick if they knew how I often I hear "I know yours is better, but I make more off of X's part." Can't dealers be awesome? Lol



How does isolated incident equal weak?

Perhaps I was reading it wrong but I took BMR's comments that thier products are superior and my point is BMR has had issues as well.

 

[46Tbird]

Not that I have a dog in the fight, but that is one weak ass looking UCA.

NO SHIT.

Aftermarket parts are supposed to be STRONG. This thing is supposed to keep a rear axle stable in a car that could conceivably weigh 4000lbs, make 650rwhp, and has a ton of grip. Those numbers are pretty typical of S197s these days. That flimsy shit is just waiting to do exactly what is shown in the photos - bend and then fail.

Adding washers MIGHT keep that folded / square sheetmetal piece from deforming during installation, but it's not going to keep it from getting manhandled by the car when used. That entire boxed end should be quarter-inch plate, as should the portion of the chassis mount that holds the other end of the control arm. Even the UPR ripoff seems to be made more substantially.

I'm not a WL hater. I have never used their products so I have no firsthand experience. But I do have a pair of BMR LCAs sitting in my garage that I am not happy with. OEM stuff may have crappy geometry, but at least it's pretty strong and quiet. I don't have hundreds of track hours to weed out weak parts, so I expect aftermarket stuff to work well - and safely.

I know I'm pissing in the wind as I'm 100% sure WL is responding to the issue to the satisfaction of their customers. Just wanted to toss my .02 into the ring.

 

[CPRsm]

For those that say the Whiteline UCA looks "flimsy" wait until you have the stock UCA and an aftermarket one in your hand and you will see there is a difference!

The stress loading on a stock arm is much different than these aftermarket arms though. The stocker can be thin by design and be plenty strong. The tensile strength in a stock arm design is taken advantage of. It's pulling the metal in it's highest strength point. After market arms use tubing for the same reason. The mount on these UCA's was just to thin and to broad of a welding surface, no way around it. UCA's are no fuggin joke. Easily the highest stressed part in a suspenion. LCA's you can damn near put together with bubble gum. Their only severe load is compression. Poor UCA though, probably sees 10 times the load of the LCAs. The leverage the rear causes being so close to the axle centerline, OH LAWDY lol. Luckily it's and easy fix for them.

 

[Roadracer350]

How many units sold? Because in a six sigma quality organization you only are allowed 3.4 defects per million.

I doubt there are a million whiteline uca uppers made. Which in case states, they are in serious need of quality control.

I don't know. I don't work for Whiteline. I'm not sponsored by Whiteline. I don't sell Whiteline. I just use their stuff. I actually have one of their UCA's but it is not installed yet and I am going to see what happens before I do. Am I going to bash them? No. I am looking at the BMR K member even tho I have been told they have had problems. Is that going to put me off on their products? Nope. I think they make some good stuff and I want to try their products.

 

[Roadracer350]

Has anyone had a chance to find the UCA that is supposedly used on the Boss 302 cars with the spherical bearing where the rubber is? Does anyone know a price?

 

[Greg Hazlett]

Ask Jayman33; he has a Boss but not sure if he changed out the UCA.

 

[BMR Tech]

Has anyone had a chance to find the UCA that is supposedly used on the Boss 302 cars with the spherical bearing where the rubber is? Does anyone know a price?

There is one on the R/S cars that is made by Multimatic. I believe it is priced in the $600 range, though. I think you can only order it directly through them.

I'd recommend going with something like our UTCA020, though....for less than half the price. It is a bearing and is adjustable.

Actually, I would recommend a poly/adjustable UCA with a bearing in the diff...

Here is the Boss 302 R/S UCA.