Some newbie lessons learned and a caution to others.
Had waited for my Prinsu Pro rack for a while. It finally showed up and when I had the time to do the install, I unboxed everything to see if I had the parts. They don't include a single piece of paper with shipment - no install directions, no parts list, etc so anyone considering this rack should Google search for some YouTube guidance. There are a couple of videos for the LC250 which are spotty (nowhere can one find the torque settings, etc). The part headcount looked right (there was no loctite but that was one I could deal with easy enough).
Big mistake was I headed over to my LC and removed the roof runners and the crossbars. Headed back to the Prinsu Pro to get it put together and found that the metallic dovetails linking the large outer rails were miscut and the front and rear sections would not link together. Was even more shocked to find that the other side had the same problem, with misshapen metal dovetails that would not articulate. Really appears to be shoddy workmanship. These are the large primary structural members of the rack and it tells me quality control is pretty questionable as this link is integral to the design and easy for them to check (I guess I should have done so before removing my LC roof equipment!).
If this isn't concerning enough, I have spent the a good part of the day just trying to speak with someone at CBI/Prinsu. They dont answer their phones and push everything to a text message system. They promise to get back in touch with you soon; but I havent heard a peep. I've given them all my info a couple times so no real excuses.
I guess I'll spend the rest of my day reinstalling all the Toyota hardware I removed. Repackaging the Prinsu rack will be another challenge.
Wonder if others have encountered this or similar issues. Anyway, I realize crap happens (though 2 machining errors, not picked up in QC really should not). I'm guessing they are making money hand over fist producing these racks and quality is taking a big hit. No excuse for the crappy customer service. Lots of folks seemed happy with their Prinsu racks in the past so maybe a glitch in the matrix my production day? There are some other good rack manufacturers and products out there and it looks like they'll have a new customer.
Moral of the Story: I'd be very cautious buying a Prinsu product now or in the future, but if you do - really give it a look over for metal/structural defects and the like (and do a lot of self study to avoid pitfalls in installation, as they don't provide instructions or support).
Had waited for my Prinsu Pro rack for a while. It finally showed up and when I had the time to do the install, I unboxed everything to see if I had the parts. They don't include a single piece of paper with shipment - no install directions, no parts list, etc so anyone considering this rack should Google search for some YouTube guidance. There are a couple of videos for the LC250 which are spotty (nowhere can one find the torque settings, etc). The part headcount looked right (there was no loctite but that was one I could deal with easy enough).
Big mistake was I headed over to my LC and removed the roof runners and the crossbars. Headed back to the Prinsu Pro to get it put together and found that the metallic dovetails linking the large outer rails were miscut and the front and rear sections would not link together. Was even more shocked to find that the other side had the same problem, with misshapen metal dovetails that would not articulate. Really appears to be shoddy workmanship. These are the large primary structural members of the rack and it tells me quality control is pretty questionable as this link is integral to the design and easy for them to check (I guess I should have done so before removing my LC roof equipment!).
If this isn't concerning enough, I have spent the a good part of the day just trying to speak with someone at CBI/Prinsu. They dont answer their phones and push everything to a text message system. They promise to get back in touch with you soon; but I havent heard a peep. I've given them all my info a couple times so no real excuses.
I guess I'll spend the rest of my day reinstalling all the Toyota hardware I removed. Repackaging the Prinsu rack will be another challenge.
Wonder if others have encountered this or similar issues. Anyway, I realize crap happens (though 2 machining errors, not picked up in QC really should not). I'm guessing they are making money hand over fist producing these racks and quality is taking a big hit. No excuse for the crappy customer service. Lots of folks seemed happy with their Prinsu racks in the past so maybe a glitch in the matrix my production day? There are some other good rack manufacturers and products out there and it looks like they'll have a new customer.
Moral of the Story: I'd be very cautious buying a Prinsu product now or in the future, but if you do - really give it a look over for metal/structural defects and the like (and do a lot of self study to avoid pitfalls in installation, as they don't provide instructions or support).
