[DMCForum] Re: FanZilla VS "Fan Fix":

["pjgrady2000" <rob@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

-


Martin,

Hmmm..... you didn't build it because it would be at a price 
you "couldn't justify". Sounds like a Fanzilla I suppose but why is 
it you two "electrical engineers" can find so much fault with a 
product but aren't willing to invest the time and money to invent 
something better for less as you suggest it would be so easy to do. 
I suppose if I sold "Zilla's" and all of our other products at cost 
the price would be more justifiable but as a business model it 
wouldn't hold much water and I would be just another failed "flash 
in the pan" DeLorean vendor like so many others. I know it's 
shamefull to earn a living working on DeLorean's but my customers 
seem to appreciate it and the last I heard you were trying to do the 
same thing. I'm sure your engineering degree makes you an instant 
expert on all things DeLorean so perhaps I can call you for 
technical advice. NOT! I don't know about you but I've been doing 
this for twenty four years and plan on twenty four more and I think 
you'll be moving on to greener pastures long before then. I'll miss 
you but you won't see me bashing your products and I assure you it's 
not because you haven't made anything . It's called professional 
courtesy which seems to be sorely lacking in this business. Perhaps 
I should abandon this practic of selling solutions that some people 
don't appreciate and concentrate on replacing all of the extra blown 
solenoids, batteries, and engines I could sell as a result. I 
realize that this debate will be endless and indeed pointless so 
I'll go about doing what I always do...fixing DeLoreans. I'll let 
you have the last word. Tommorrow is Monday and it's back to work 
for me. Like today I'll be working, but harder, so the thread is 
yours (and Elvis's). Have fun!





-- In DMCForum@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, Martin Gutkowski <martin@xxxx> wrote:
>
> Rob,
> 
> Fair enough, there was a problem in the batch that went into the 
car in 
> question, and you may recall I did contact you about it at the 
time. I 
> knew the Zillas were fully guaranteed and suggested you contact 
your 
> customer directly to arrange a replacement/repair. I can probably 
drag 
> up the e-mails if you like.
> 
> As to your comment below, as you put it so bluntly, I will reply 
in a 
> similar vein.
> 
> If you look back at my posts, you should find that I always praise 
the 
> FanZilla as a neat concept, however I do think it could be better 
and 
> found a failure on my own car that would cause the "fan fail" not 
to 
> come on*. Not long after that happened, I heard on the DML of 
someone 
> who found the exact same problem and did have a FanZilla. I 
DID "build a 
> better mousetrap" and got as far as the prototype stage that 
worked 
> perfectly. The fanzilla is a pair of relays which are switched 
> sequentially using a 555 timer circuit. Each output is fused and 
the 
> fuses are "watched" so if either blows, the fan fail light comes 
on. I 
> think this is simple and reliable, but my own fan failure, plus 
comments 
> from others sent me down a different path and I have not been able 
to 
> recommend the fanzilla as a result of it - NOT because of the 
failure of 
> the unit I saw, which I knew was unusual. I should have made that 
clear 
> in my previous post. I contacted Bob about these specific 
circumstances* 
> and yet again received no reply.
> 
> So why didn't we build our own? Because to re-coup the kind of 
money it 
> would take to make the kind of product I wanted would mean selling 
at a 
> price I couldn't justify asking. It's cheaper to buy a better 
> alternator**! FWIW we got it down to a single solid state plug-in 
module 
> the size of two fan-fail modules that just plugged into the two 
adjacent 
> relay bases. No ugly flying leads and box.
> 
> Regarding the other Zilla products: The LockZilla is indeed a 
waste of 
> money, in my opinion. I have never dismantled one but have rebuilt 
> countless stock modules that have a zero failure rate to date. The 
cost 
> to my customers? Less than $50. I have looked into making a direct 
> replacment but I was asked, by a customer, "why bother, have any 
of the 
> other units failed?".
> 
> The TankZilla is a 3rd party sender machined to fit the hole with 
a box 
> of tricks to make it work on the DeLorean's electrics. Great, if 
it's 
> reliable, but very expensive given that the DMCH unit came in at 
half 
> the price and is a properly designed drop-in replacement. These 
facts 
> alone speak volumes, IMO.
> 
> I don't appreciate being told I don't do anything but complain. Go 
back 
> and re-read my contributions to this current "FanZilla" thread and 
tell 
> me if I said anything negative other than to point out that I've 
seen 
> your product fail too! I should have made it clear that I know 
this was 
> rare, but at the time, you didn't seem to appreciate my 
involvement.
> 
> * Get water into the fan motos and thanks to the location of the 
drain 
> hole and the tilt on the motors, it gums up the brushes causing 
the 
> motors to go open circuit within a couple of weeks. This can be 
fixed 
> with a squirt of switch cleaner through the drain hole and a 
couple of 
> taps with a hammer (and mine have been fine for 3 years since) but 
> that's cold comfort to an owner whose head gaskets have failed as 
a result.
> 
> ** http://www.delorean.co.uk/DMUK/newparts1.html#alternator - the 
dog's 
> bollocks.
> 
> Martin
> DeLorean Motor Cars Ltd
> www.delorean.co.uk
> 
> 
> 
> 
> rob@xxxx wrote:
> 
> >Your
> >incessant nitpicking of Zilla products is counterproductive and 
I'd suggest
> >if you can build a better mousetrap then go ahead so we can all 
critique
> >your products. You don't seem to like anything but complaining!
> >
> >Rob Grady
> >
>

---

YAHOO! GROUPS LINKS

•  Visit your group "DMCForum" on the web.
   
•  To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
   DMCForum-unsubscribe@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
   
•  Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service.

---