I have always been REASONABLY loyal to TRF, and probably always will be.
Have they ticked me off a few times? Yes. Like the time I ordered 4 new
UJ's and had them shipped to me 2nd day air... or at least that's what I
asked for. On the afternoon they were to arrive, I got home and promptly
tore into the rear end, removing both axles in under 45 minutes. It was
Thursday and we had a big car club drive on Saturday. Before I knew it the
clock struck 6 and UPS had not shown. They had sent the parts UPS ground
by mistake, which at the time (in 1989 or so) took about 10 days to Oregon.
The TR was torn apart and I was without a car until a week and a half
later. And I've waited for backordered heater hoses for almost a year,
too. And God knows what else.
BUT... if you want a good illustration of TRF's dedication to our hobby
(and theirs) just compare their catalogs (particularly the TR6) with those
of Moss, Vicky Brit, BPNW, Rimmer Bros. etc. Although I will order without
hesitation from those "other" guys, I will only do so on parts that are
"no-brainers." What other parts supplier gives you a THOROUGH breakdown of
the differences between the TR6 gearboxes, after all? TRF's painstakingly
complete catalogs for the TR6 range I think are incredible and demonstrate
that they are committed to doing their job to the absolute best of their
ability.
Yeah, I get the feeling that Charles might be a little on the pompous side.
(But I don't know the guy!) and yeah, occasionally they screw some things
up and /or make business decisions that we may not agree with. But they'll
probably always be the first people I call, particularly for
out-of-the-ordinary parts.
I would just suggest that people should not be quite so quick to jump all
over Mr. Runyan... I think he runs a decent and honest business and for
that I respect the guy. I rarely, if ever, read much of the text of the
sale catalogs... I just look at the parts and the prices!! Maybe the folks
who object so strenously to Charles' writings should do the same!
Pete Chadwell
1973 TR6
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