Any feedback about Advanced 4x4

[RocKrawler]

ejenter - me that you havent read the previous posts - nobody said he didnt do good work or have a great product, they said after the sals they couldnt maintain or repair their vehicle because he was unwilling to provide or ship replacements, and had to fight just to get a part number to service the vehicle they already had if they werent in town to have him do the work.
In my opinion, if you can prove ownership of the vehicle there should be no issues with being provided a build sheet or bill of materials for that vehicle so the truck can be serviced after the sale with common aftermarket parts available at any auto supply store. If its a special built piece thats different, but something like a tie rod end should be a fight.
Because there are a couple people that that have had the same experience I tend to believe them, as its a common theme. You are referring to "ideas" and his solutions, that is irrelevant in the discussion that is taking place here because his work is not in question, his follow through after the sale is.

 

[Maximus Ram]

It is amazing to me to read the complaints and "reviews" by people that obviously fall into one of two categories. 1. They couldn't by a clue. or 2. They are THAT type themselves and are put out by someone who puts them in their place.

Please remember... Experience ALWAYS trumps a THEORY! Randy is by FAR one of the most knowledgeable 4X4 expert in the Nation, BECAUSE he has done it all. If you don't know what you are talking about, he will be sharp, because you obviously don't know what a locker is or how it is supposed to work, and you are lazy. So, you ask him to do some work and are displeased with the result, LIKELY because you had no idea what a new technology or piece of hardware should work. If you don't know what you are talking about, but you ACT like you do? Then he will be what some may call and @ss, and it is a GOOD thing. If you can't take it. Go get some experience breaking your 4X4, and then come back and get it right.

When I have a "good idea" or a request, I just go and ask. He either tells me why it won't work, or how to do it right, or if it is just plain stupid.

His business is called "ADVANCED Four Wheel Drive Systems"! This ain't some glorified tire shop...

I have known Randy for YEARS and NOW he is a very good friend. I feel great about taking EVERYTHING to him. He is fair, he is TOP quality, and he is honest.

And shut your mouth, and he might share some of his experience with you.

Nice first post....:Wow1:
Dig up a thread that is almost a year old and flame people for stating their expierences.
From what I read , he does great work but customer service is lacking...sounds like constructive critizism...not always a bad thing..

 

[mountainsoul]

It is amazing to me to read the complaints and "reviews" by people that obviously fall into one of two categories. 1. They couldn't by a clue. or 2. They are THAT type themselves and are put out by someone who puts them in their place.

Please remember... Experience ALWAYS trumps a THEORY! Randy is by FAR one of the most knowledgeable 4X4 expert in the Nation, BECAUSE he has done it all. If you don't know what you are talking about, he will be sharp, because you obviously don't know what a locker is or how it is supposed to work, and you are lazy. So, you ask him to do some work and are displeased with the result, LIKELY because you had no idea what a new technology or piece of hardware should work. If you don't know what you are talking about, but you ACT like you do? Then he will be what some may call and @ss, and it is a GOOD thing. If you can't take it. Go get some experience breaking your 4X4, and then come back and get it right.

When I have a "good idea" or a request, I just go and ask. He either tells me why it won't work, or how to do it right, or if it is just plain stupid.

His business is called "ADVANCED Four Wheel Drive Systems"! This ain't some glorified tire shop...

I have known Randy for YEARS and NOW he is a very good friend. I feel great about taking EVERYTHING to him. He is fair, he is TOP quality, and he is honest.

And shut your mouth, and he might share some of his experience with you.

Randy, get off the computer. Your hotdogs are boiling over.

 

[spurious]

WOW! Take it so personal do you.
It's funny never mentioned him by name. It seems to me he holds all the knowledge you and you are just the voice of non-reason. If you were privy to my conversations with Advanced you would be quite embarrassed that you are lashing out on something you know nothing about. You may have good experiences with them, that is fine but there are those of us that have had trouble with Advanced (the company). I still to this day own their conversion, I have not tried since to order anything from them and maintain I would do everything possible to avoid doing so unless I was standing on their doorstep.
Just my honest opinion......

 

[Ozrockrat]

Their conversions are very good

So just go with it. But put in as part of the contract that you want a full parts list at the end of the job.

For what it is worth I have one of their conversions with over 250,000 miles on it and it handles and steers well, turns better than my 2wd van and I would be prepared to jump in it tomorrow and head to Alaska (if someone comes up with the vacation and funding :sombrero

Personally I would rather have someone who does a well engineered job that works than good sales support afterward.

 

[RocKrawler]

Personally I would rather have someone who does a well engineered job that works than good sales support afterward.

There is more than 1 well engineered setup, and if you get it and can never repair or maintain it because the builder wont help then its a moot point as nearly everything can wear out. Having its service life be only as long as the original parts last (because they wont provide new ones or part numbers) it a long term waste of money. If its a simple design that is well engineered AND you have good support, you get to enjoy it longer than the original parts last.
I can only speak for how my personal money will be spent, but I'd have a hard time shelling out money for something I know I'm potentially screwed on as soon as I take delivery based on several experiences here.

 

[Ozrockrat]

Yep I agree with most of your points!

There is more than 1 well engineered setup, and if you get it and can never repair or maintain it because the builder wont help then its a moot point as nearly everything can wear out. Having its service life be only as long as the original parts last (because they wont provide new ones or part numbers) it a long term waste of money. If its a simple design that is well engineered AND you have good support, you get to enjoy it longer than the original parts last.
I can only speak for how my personal money will be spent, but I'd have a hard time shelling out money for something I know I'm potentially screwed on as soon as I take delivery based on several experiences here.

My total experience with van converters is owning an Advanced 4WD conversion and test driving a Quigley so I am not qualified to nor am I suggesting that theirs is the only well engineered setup. Mine has been converted for most of its 250.000 miles so I think we can safely say it has lasted past the original parts. So far the only bespoke parts I have found are the driveshafts and some mounting brackets. Everything I have needed has been a ford part.


Yes it would be a lot better to have great after sales service and a full as built parts list (BOM). This is where I think Chris (Ujoint) has the upperhand. You grab a kit from him and source your own major components so you know what you have got. But (sorry no disrespect to Chris) will UJoint be around in 30 plus years like Advanced, Sportsmobile, Quigley etc to answer any questions on what he supplied X years ago. I hope so.


So back to my original point. Get something that is engineered right and put in the build contract that they must provide the BOM and parts cross reference on all parts that are installed that are not OEM for the vehicle.

From my own background (engineering/reliability engineering in the mining industry) we had a bunch of pickups for service vehicles (F250's) that had great after sales service and parts availability but we could not keep them in service. They were designed for the job but did not live up to the design. Replaced them with Landcruisers and drastically reduced both the out of service time and cost of ownership/operation.

And I am sure from your background Terry (Offroad Industry if I read your previous posts correctly) you have seen things the jeep progression whereby the body ends up being jeep but the engine, gearbox, transfercase, axles and suspension were all changed for something that could handle what the owner wanted to do with it. Who do they go to 10 years later for a part number???

 

[RocKrawler]

Your experience is 100% more than mine in vans! I have been in this industry for a long time, and although I have the capability of doing the entire conversion from scratch myself, I prefer to use well engineered available components because time is money. If your setup has been working well for over 250K it speaks volumes to the engineering and design of the product, and for that matter the builder. Making a contract to get the BOM would be a crucial condition to considering that builder, and would provide better peace of mind. From other owners testimonials I'd feel relatively confident having the conversion performed correctly through that shop.
FWIW I dont know or have any affiliation with Chris. I have spoken to him numerous times on the phone and through e-mail, and can tell you his level of customer service is uncommon in this industry. Because of the simplicity of the design I'd feel confident I wouldnt require much in terms of after support to keep it going, and if he did disappear custom springs are available through dozens of suppliers; Deaver, Alcan, National, etc. Although I havent asked I would be pretty confident he would provide replacement part numbers for the commonly available components (bushings, steering parts, etc.) and other parts that are custom fabricated (springs, frame brackets, etc.) would obviously be only sourced from him. Given how he uses his van they would seem to hold up well.
And lastly I agree with you completely about the Jeep progression - it would be nearly impossible to service simply unless impeccable records were kept. The simple solution around that for me was to stick with Toyota, Suzuki or Ford and not have to change everything to make it a reliable rig.

 

[ujoint]

Yes it would be a lot better to have great after sales service and a full as built parts list (BOM). This is where I think Chris (Ujoint) has the upperhand. You grab a kit from him and source your own major components so you know what you have got. But (sorry no disrespect to Chris) will UJoint be around in 30 plus years like Advanced, Sportsmobile, Quigley etc to answer any questions on what he supplied X years ago. I hope so.

No offense taken, you bring up an excellent point! This would be a concern of mine too if I were shopping for a conversion kit or components. As you stated, most of the parts are sourced locally. Not only is every wearable part used with my conversion available from Ford, it's available from any local parts store. Everything else COULD be recreated by any skilled fabricator if necessary, but the cost will most likely be higher.

I've been under quite a few 4x4 vans, and I've seen some nice work, and even more scary stuff. I take pride in displaying my suspension with detailed pics on my site for everyone to see. I can't find anyone else that does....

I'd also like to say that I never intended to compete with the big companies, I started UJOR to help the DIY guys. And.... UJOR will be around as long as I am because it's my #1 obsession and I don't ever want to do anything else!!!!!

 

[stosh]

Chris: Do you ever do 4x4 conversions on late model GM vans.......probably to a straight front axle? Stosh

 

[ujoint]

Never have..... I get a request every now & then.

 

[stosh]

Could you, would you, and if so, would it be a good one? Stosh

 

[ujoint]

Not right now..... but maybe in the near future.

 

[Rigger]

Kudos to Randy & AFWD

Interesting thread. I am happy to jump in and share my experience.

Randy at AFWD did a 4x4 conversion for me on my 2006 Ford E350. I liked it. I thought his conversion was pretty nice. I had a minor service issue with it. Randy responded to it in a way that satisfied me completely. While I owned it, I was offered a business opportunity that required that I raise cash, so I sold the van. I made a 10% profit on it! That's right, I sold it for 10% more than I had in it.

Fast forward a couple of years. I bought a 2008 Ford E350. I went back to see Randy. I made a change this time around and went with a heavier front axle. His build was a bit different on this van, he used a few different components, and overall I like it better than my last one. We now have about 17,000 miles on this conversion and it performs well.

We had a significant problem with the 2008 conversion that I detected shortly after we picked it up. Randy and I diagnosed it over the phone, actually. He fixed it at no cost to me, and he even paid the necessary transportation. The error came about because a part shipped to him by one of his suppliers was incorrectly labeled. It was an unforunate error, but he said it was his fault that the van left the shop with the problem. He fully owned up to it without any hesitation. Further, he fully fixed it to my complete satisfaction. It is my opinion that you will learn more about a business by watching what they do after they make a mistake than you will if they don't make a mistake on your truck. Randy is a stand-up guy. He is first-rate in my book.

So, in summary, I have bought two conversions from Randy and he has done great work, and provided excellent service. I would not hesitate to do business with him again. Every single time I have called him, he has come to the phone promptly to speak with me. He has answered all of my questions, and has never been short or rude to me, never not even once. His knowledge of these vans and the conversion process is comprehensive, and he is generous with his time and explains everything patiently.

I like the man, and I like his company. I have recommended him many times and will do so again.

Two thumbs up for Randy and Advanced Four Wheel Drive Systems.

 

[CSG]

I have to chuckle at myself in seeing this thread as I just got off the phone with Randy and had completely forgotten I'd looked into this all these years ago. I still have the van and just did two trips down to Southern Utah in February and again in March. Once again, I thought it would be cool to have 4x4 on this rig.

So forgive me in bumping this old thread but wonder if there are any new experiences to report?