Warning!! DBL Designs - Install Issues & Dishonest Business Practices

[Vance Vanz]

I’m going to try my hardest to keep this objective and on point. I promise to refrain from using subjective terminology such as hack shop, slimy, etc.

I’m also attempting to keep this post as short as possible, but I know that will be difficult given the number of issues that I have experienced, and continue to encounter, with DBL’s installation of a single rear wheel conversion. Let’s get right to it.

My brand-new-fully-loaded F550 truck went straight from the dealer to DBL’s shop. The first time I saw my truck is when I picked it up from DBL. I’ll skip past the scheduling issues, lack of response as to a completion date and me having to eventually say “Unfortunately, if you can’t complete the conversion within the more than extended time frame you’ve already been given, I’m going to have to pick up the truck/conversion and do the work myself.”

Here are the issues after picking up the truck:

Permanent scratch marks on the back of the driver and passenger side front leather seats.

Note: DBL forgot to install the hidden winch mount (55-65 pound solid steel object with sharp squared edges) and decided to load it in the back of the truck (crew cab) with absolutely no packaging or protection on the winch mount or in the truck !​

Permanent scratch marks on the plastic in-floor storage box in the crew cab.

Note: More wounds to the brand new truck as a result of putting the hidden winch mount in the crew cab with no packaging or protection !!​

Black spray paint/over spray on the back edge of the front fender, along with a wear mark completely through the factory paint in the same location.

Note: DBL miss aligned the factory fenders during the conversion process, causing the front door to rub on the front fender, and did not bother to correct the issue. They just kept opening the driver’s side door and wearing the paint completely through, down to the aluminum, while completing the remainder of the conversion . Trust me when I say that this makes a loud squeaking sound when it occurs .​

An additional wear mark completely through the factory paint on the front edge of the driver’s side door. This one was at a different location/height on the door compared to the previously mentioned one on the front fender.

Note: Another wound to the truck by DBL miss aligning the factory fenders during the conversion process and ignoring the loud sound it makes when it occurs !​

Peeling paint and rust on the visible front steel brackets DBL installed and painted.

Note: DBL clearly did not sand, clean, nor apply any primer to the steel brackets before painting them. In the first picture you can also see that one of the rivets they installed was not long enough.​

Large gaps between the factory-front-fender Ford F550 emblems and the DBL aftermarket fenders

Note: My finger is lightly pushed into the crack to give some scale as to how far the emblem is sitting away from the fender; I'm not pulling it away from the fender.​

​

Note: After pulling on the emblems with my one finger, not very hard at all, one emblem literally fell out and the other came out very easily. One emblem did not have any factory, or aftermarket DBL sized, clips on it at all-nothing. The other emblem (shown above) had the incorrect sized clips, clips that were double stacked and a few dried globs of a sealer that did not stick to either the fender or the plastic.​

List of issues continued in the next post......

 

[Vance Vanz]

Issues after picking up the truck (Continued)......

Four diagnostic codes/error codes on the truck

Note: Prior to purchasing the conversion, I specifically and explicitly talked with Daniel (the owner of DBL) and asked him “Will the conversion void the factory warranty in any way, or cause any factory diagnostic alarms/codes on the truck?” I was told “no” by Daniel. After the conversion was complete and I noticed these alarms, Daniel explained they were the result of the conversion !​

I contacted Daniel shortly after picking up the truck, as soon as I discovered all of these issues. I sent him an email listing all of these issues and attached photos of everything. His initial and belated response was pretty evasive, not taking much responsibility for these issues. Then came him pushing me off for weeks at a time, short responses, or responses that had nothing to do with the issues at hand, basically him deflecting. This went on for several months until he just stopped responding to any of my emails, phone calls or voice mails.

It was basically take him to court or move on with my life. Of course I don't have the time or patience to take someone to court for this, but the fact that Daniel would put a customer in this position is beyond me.

So this is where I thought the story would end, I would lick my wounds, move on with my life and forget about DBL being unprofessional and dishonest. I wasn't so lucky, it gets worse, much worse. The first round of issues was unfortunately the easy part.

Here are the additional issues after digging into the conversion:

The fenders and fender liners were uneven and had fitment issues.

Note: The bottom inside edges of the fender liners curved in about 3/4-1", they did not sit flat and straight across the bottom edge of the fender liners. DBL cut the factory fenders and inner fire wall/pinch weld areas at different radiuses/arcs, making everything uneven and creating fitment issues​

​

Note: The black marker lines represent how much and how many locations I had to cut to try and even everything up, just in this small isolated area. This was the case on both sides of the truck. DBL clearly did not use a template and/or the same template when cutting the factory fenders and inner fire walls pinch weld areas​

ALL non-visible cut and/or ground factory metal surfaces were not painted or sealed

Note: DBL did not paint and/or seal a single non visible factory metal surface that they cut or ground. Trust me when I say there were a lot of them, as you will also see throughout most of the pictures in the thread​

List of issues continued in the next post......

 

[Vance Vanz]

Additional issues after digging into the conversion (Continued)......

Metal surfaces were not cut cleanly & are a hazard

Note: The amount of sharp metal slivers and literal shanks that DBL created by not cutting the factory metal cleanly, or coming back and grinding/filing the surfaces, is unbelievable. I literally almost sliced my finger open on the top two (top two pictures) before I new they were there. They are right next to the front mounting bolts for the fenders. "Are you kidding me?"​

Note: DBL's inability, or lack of desire, to make a straight/perpendicular cut on a square tube and more areas/opportunities to slice your skin open.​

Various items that were not addressed to a standard build/trade quality

Note: Areas that DBL painted right after they were welded, no sanding, cleaning, or priming of the metal surface before applying any paint.​

Note: DBL decided to leave their unused welding rod/wire attached/hanging from their weld​

​

Note: (Right side of picture) cut factory foam/hard plastic that was just left hanging to possibly cause a mysterious rattle on the truck.​

List of issues continued in the next post......

 

[Vance Vanz]

Additional issues after digging into the conversion (Continued)......

I know, there may be some of you out there saying come on, this isn't that bad, you are just nit picking stuff now. Get real and just fix it yourself 🤠! Move on!

OK, OK. I have been saving some of the good stuff for last, please be patient, I'll get there. And......., please also remember that we are talking about a brandy new truck and a conversion that puts the total price package close to the $100K mark. How would you like it if I took your brandy new truck and just started hacking the living SH(insert 😁 face)IT out of it with a grinder that I had no clue how to use? Now we are speaking the same language and starting to get warm 😡😘.

Back to the issues at hand, (Additional issues after digging into DBL's mess - continued.......)

Improperly sealed cab-firewall aluminum plates

Note: DBL's idea of a properly seam sealed and painted aluminum plate. Both sides looked like this. I don't even know what to say at this point. I was literally on fire when I saw this 😤😡🤬. I have to be honest, the thought of driving to Texas to visit Daniel did cross my mind.​

​

I'll stop talking now and just let you soak in the craftsmanship of DBL.​

One more time to completely take in the full effect of all that is DBL. Oh no, please don't look away, enjoy.


Inadequate structural support in structural areas of the truck

Note: Wire wheeling the seam sealer off to discover what mess lies beneath the DBL mess.​

Note: I would have never guessed it, but DBL is now officially never ceasing to amaze me. Silicone. DBL installed a structural plate, that is supposed to be welded, with silicone. Per DBL's owner, Daniel Little, straight from the salesmen's mouth, "Oh yah, we definitely weld the structural pinch weld areas of the firewall that we cut out, with an aluminum plate." I'm Speechless😦​

Inadequate fitment of structural parts

Note: Again, I will just let you bask in the quality and craftsmanship that is DBL Designs. Did I also mention the honesty and integrity of DBL. These plates literally fall out of the areas they are supposed to sit in. I had to apply some masking tape to the back edges of them so they would stay put for the photos-I'm not kidding or exaggerating.​

Oh, we're still not done yet. it keeps getting better, trust me.

List of issues continued in the next post......

 

[Vance Vanz]

Additional issues after digging into the conversion (Continued)......

White rattle can overspray on factory black components

Note: Not that big of a deal in the grand scheme of life, but again, this is a brandy new truck. Several of the overspray areas are also visible, meaning I'm going to have to do touch ups on them and the list of items that I'm going to have to correct that DBL has F(insert 😀 face)UCKED up is now very long.​

When I finally think that the punishment has ended, I turn and look at the DBL fenders. Why did I do that 🫣.

Rivets in the fenders were improperly installed

Note: DBL installed several rivets too close/on the corner edges of the fenders, and on the finished-visible corner edges, which caused the corners to blow out.​

Bodywork & major structural issues on the DBL fenders

Note: Many, if not all, of the flaws and pits in the DBL fenders were in the same line/plane along the fender. I also noticed what looked like to be stress cracks in the primer. As soon as I put a little pressure on these areas with my thumbnail, they chipped and broke away into larger voids. I decided to sand the primer off of the fender along this line/plane.​

List of issues continued in the next post......

 

[Gravelette]

I’m going to try my hardest to keep this objective and on point. I promise to refrain from using subjective terminology such as hack shop, slimy, etc.

I’m also attempting to keep this post as short as possible, but I know that will be difficult given the number of issues that I have experienced, and continue to encounter, with DBL’s installation of a single rear wheel conversion. Let’s get right to it.

My brand-new-fully-loaded F550 truck went straight from the dealer to DBL’s shop. The first time I saw my truck is when I picked it up from DBL. I’ll skip past the scheduling issues, lack of response as to a completion date and me having to eventually say “Unfortunately, if you can’t complete the conversion within the more than extended time frame you’ve already been given, I’m going to have to pick up the truck/conversion and do the work myself.”

Here are the issues after picking up the truck:

Permanent scratch marks on the back of the driver and passenger side front leather seats.
View attachment 872345

Note: DBL forgot to install the hidden winch mount (55-65 pound solid steel object with sharp squared edges) and decided to load it in the back of the truck (crew cab) with absolutely no packaging or protection on the winch mount or in the truck !​

Permanent scratch marks on the plastic in-floor storage box in the crew cab.
View attachment 872347View attachment 872348View attachment 872346

Note: More wounds to the brand new truck as a result of putting the hidden winch mount in the crew cab with no packaging or protection !!​

Black spray paint/over spray on the back edge of the front fender, along with a wear mark completely through the factory paint in the same location.
View attachment 872339

Note: DBL miss aligned the factory fenders during the conversion process, causing the front door to rub on the front fender, and did not bother to correct the issue. They just kept opening the driver’s side door and wearing the paint completely through, down to the aluminum, while completing the remainder of the conversion . Trust me when I say that this makes a loud squeaking sound when it occurs .​

An additional wear mark completely through the factory paint on the front edge of the driver’s side door. This one was at a different location/height on the door compared to the previously mentioned one on the front fender.
View attachment 872340

Note: Another wound to the truck by DBL miss aligning the factory fenders during the conversion process and ignoring the loud sound it makes when it occurs !​

Peeling paint and rust on the visible front steel brackets DBL installed and painted.
View attachment 872342View attachment 872343

Note: DBL clearly did not sand, clean, nor apply any primer to the steel brackets before painting them. In the first picture you can also see that one of the rivets they installed was not long enough.​

Large gaps between the factory-front-fender Ford F550 emblems and the DBL aftermarket fenders
View attachment 872341

Note: My finger is lightly pushed into the crack to give some scale as to how far the emblem is sitting away from the fender; I'm not pulling it away from the fender.​

View attachment 872344

Note: After pulling on the emblems with my one finger, not very hard at all, one emblem literally fell out and the other came out very easily. One emblem did not have any factory, or aftermarket DBL sized, clips on it at all-nothing. The other emblem (shown above) had the incorrect sized clips, clips that were double stacked and a few dried globs of a sealer that did not stick to either the fender or the plastic.​

List of issues continued in the next post......

Are you sure that is leather? It's so uniform, it could be a pebble grain vinyl.

 

[Vance Vanz]

Additional issues after digging into the conversion (Continued)......

Major structural and production issues on the DBL fenders

Note: After sanding the primer back and pressing all of the cracks in the fender, all of these long hollow tubes along the line where DBL joins the back and front of the fender (2 piece fender) opened up. Out came the Dremel to start assessing the extent of DBL's MAJOR design flaws and production/layup issues.​

​

It just kept getting worse and worse. The hollow air tube, directly down the joint/seam on the fender, nearly extended the entire length of the fender. There were even some spots where a hole opened up all the way through the fender, from the top (outside of the fender) to the bottom (inside of the fender). I had to consult a few friends, professionals in the composite industry, to see if I should throw these away, or try and salvage them. In the end, I was bale to salvage them, but not without a ton of work on my parts.​

​

DBL does not tab (use fiberglass cloth) on these joints, nor do they use any structural additive/filler to the resin. This is the case of a complete lack of composite understanding and major flaw in their production/layup process. Trust me when I say that this is not a one-off case. There were also several areas on these fenders where they exposed the hollow air tube (structural void/issue) during their bodywork. Rather than take care of the issue with resin, fiberglass cloth, a filler added to the resin, etc., they chose to fill the major structural void/issue with body filler.​

In Summary:

Please know that I did not take the time, hours and hours of my time, to post all of this information to simply vent about DBL. I did not do this for me, or for DBL. I did this for you, the next person who may be thinking about using DBL for something on their truck/build.

I've already been screwed by DBL and have also already taken the time to correct all of these issues on my build. I want nothing more than to forget about the whole experience. We are talking about 65-75 hours of fixing DBL's F(kissy 😚 face)UCK UPS. There are also additional items they screwed up on that I haven't even mentioned, such has having to buy new fender liner material and cut/install new fender liners, finding issues with the suspension items, etc. By the time I'm done fixing their SH(smiley 😊face)IT, I will be out about 90-95 hours of my time and $500 bucks. This is in addition to the thousands of dollars I've already paid them to do the install in the first place and for their fenders that I had to re-work. It's a F(Unicorns 🥳)UCKING mess.

So what can you do about it? Well, if you haven't used DBL in the past and you are thinking about it, definitely consider whether it is a good idea to let them touch your vehicle. The number of blatant issues on my conversion/truck and Daniels complete lack of taking any responsibility for it, is not a one time issue. This is a representation of how DBL does business, this is DBL. I have no idea how a shop like this is still in business. Also think twice about buying anything from them that they produce in house.

For those that have used DBL, and have had issues/a bad experience, please don't continue to be part of the problem and complicit by not sharing your negative experience. Add your negative factual experience, with proof/photos, to this thread, or jump on over to DBL's Google business listing and share your concerns.

Since this thread is truly for the benefit of others and not for me, please don't ask me additional questions about it, or try and get into an online scrapper of a debate with me about it. I'm definitely not interested in any of those shenanigans.

if you want to see how a mostly DIY production looking build can still come out of a conversion mess such as this, hop on over to my build thread and follow along

https://expeditionportal.com/forum/...nture-expedition-vehicle-build-thread.232762/

 

[yamaha225]

That’s remarkably bad work. Glad you’re taking the time to give the community the information and heads up.

Ultimately this is a big part of why I don’t let really anyone else touch my vehicles and I do everything I possibly can myself. Even with my house, I did essentially everything myself when building it.

As I age I’m sure there will be more and more I have to trust others to do for me, but I’m going to be really picky about who it is. There are some great people in the world doing really awesome work, but dang there are some shady ones too.

 

[ITTOG]

I am not blaming you but just pointing out that people like this stay in business because people do not take them to court. Sounds like he got away with it and therefore will do it again. Hopefully you rated him on online sites like google with these details.

Now, how horrible an experience. I am sure you were crushed when you were discovering all these issues. Your attention to detail would obviously drive you crazy. No surprise you decided to fix it yourself. Sorry you had to go through that.

 

[plh]

I don't know anything about these guys, what was the purpose of the conversion? I would definitely take them to court.

 

[Trail Talk]

Man, I feel for you. Still vividly recall the knot in my stomach followed by white rage when we flew across the country to pick up a Sprinter conversion only to be confronted with a similar botch job. We were so fortunate to have sufficient leverage to get our money back and move on. Anyone who would let that work out of their shop is shameless though, they won’t change.

 

[unreng]

this sucks, but aligns with their apparent build "standards."
anyone considering upfitting should look to buckstop - they have several locations and their facilities are much better than dee-bee-ell

if paid by credit card, contest the charges.
he was the owner of usa6x6, so research that companies reputation and their apparent build "standards"
presuming you got new wheels&tires, did they provide a new wheel/tire sticker for the door jamb?

USA 6x6...Junk or not???

I've seen quite a few posts saying usa 6x6 sells nothing but junk and it seems that in every one of those posts, there has been atleast one person defending the guy, saying his stuff is great. I'm about to send him a bunch of money for rims and tires. I'm starting to get a little scared. Anyone...

www.steelsoldiers.com

https://www.pirate4x4.com/threads/is-it-true-usa-6x6-out-of-business.628512/page-2

USA 6x6 wheels

I have a set of USA 6x6 wheels that I purchased with a set of 43 sx's years ago. I am in the process of switching tires. I know the wheels were re-centered at some point in their lifetime and I thought that was the only modification that was done to them. However now that they are apart I...

www.hardlinecrawlers.com

DBL DESIGN - MID

vpic.nhtsa.dot.gov

we had a similar situation (although not as bad as @Vance Vanz ):
1. paid for a front locker in new front axle and they decided not to and told me when i showed up after a 1,700 mile flight to pick up the truck.
2. also had a rear axle pinion whine on decel that dee-bee-ell says is totally normal (it's not...whoever makes his "gears" is not the best).
3. their shop and office are messy, which speaks to their build "standards."

 

[ThundahBeagle]

I am not blaming you but just pointing out that people like this stay in business because people do not take them to court. Sounds like he got away with it and therefore will do it again. Hopefully you rated him on online sites like google with these details.

Now, how horrible an experience. I am sure you were crushed when you were discovering all these issues. Your attention to detail would obviously drive you crazy. No surprise you decided to fix it yourself. Sorry you had to go through that.

Unfortunately now that the op did some work on it himself, DBL would be able to say in court that op could have caused the issues.

OP has stated he is done and has fixed everything himself, so that's good. Obviously the man is skilled. But yes. If nobody takes DBL to court they will continue doing what they are doing. They are getting paid, after all

 

[unreng]

for reference - you won't find dee-bee-ell as an install or service center for liquid spring.