Skid mark garage flex fuel kit review

[4SFED6.0]

I would like to make a review of the skid mark garage flex fuel set up that I purchased a few months ago. Its been weighing on me whether or not I should post this but I feel like others should be aware of the quality, or should I say lack of. First thing, upon initial arrival of the kit I see they want you to use a cheap fuse tap to get 12 volts for the sensor. This is a horrible way to do this and adds unnecessary clutter to the install. Theres a reason why almost every other flex fuel kit for any LS application uses a coil breakout harness to get the required battery + and ground feed for the sensor, makes for a much cleaner install. The only reason they use the fuse tap is to save a few dollars, not to mention the fuse location they have in the instructions is not even correct, it wont fit in the fuse specified. The crimp on the pin going to the ECU is not done correctly. The crimp is only on the insulation of the wire and nothing to the wire it self. Sure it might work for a while but im sure eventually its going to get inaccurate readings from the sensor. They also use a junk set of uninsulated spade connectors to make what they hype up as being a "modular" install so it can be removed without taking the pin out of the ECU. This would be acceptable if they used a weather pack connector, but again in there quest to save a few dollars they chose to compromise. I wouldnt use a set of those spade connectors on my lawn mower let alone in the engine bay of my car. I was so disgusted with the quality of the kit I immediately emailed them and stated all of my concerns. I did not pull any other pins out of the connectors to check to see if they were done right so I have no idea whether they were done right or not. At this point I had no faith in the workmanship of there product and wanted to send this back, I thought I was being generous by offered to pay the return shipping. He agreed to accept the return, he kept telling me to review their return policy which states that all returns are subject to a 20% fee. I figured OK no big deal this is a quality issue and they'll give me a full refund. Well sure enough they got the product back and indeed charged me the 20% fee and on top of that had the nerve to say that im even lucky to get anything since there were marks on the $3 fuse tap trying to install it. Ive heard of other reviews on camaro6 mentioning the improper crimping on their terminals, have they remedied this issue? IDK But in the end you get what you pay for and I know I will never buy anything from them again. I initially spent $157.99 shipped for the kit, spent another $6 in return shipping and was refunded $120. So in the end im out almost $45 to be there guinea. I will post pictures later today of the issues.

[CGbambam]

Would of been cheaper just to source the parts yourself from the dealer, that's what i did. Most flex fuel kits are overpriced as it is

[4SFED6.0]

I did make my own eventually, for half the price and a superior end product.

[DSX Tuning]

It's easy to say that a comprehensive kit is overpriced until you understand what really goes into it.

For the Camaro SS, which is my lowest priced one at $250, there's three components: sensor, harness, and a custom fitting.

The sensor is obvious for what it is, and a genuine Continental (aka not made in China) sensor is usually had for somewhere around $50.

The harness is where there's a decent chunk of labor. For the harness alone, I have a total of 14 crimps which uses a total of five different crimp tools. Some people out there use a $20 Autozone piece, but purpose made crimpers rack up in price very fast. Some of my crimpers are over $600 and are designed to crimp only one or two specific terminals, and in total, I'm over $10,000 invested in crimping tools alone for the various things I do. Rennsteig costs a small fortune! However, these tools are the difference between a connection that lasts a few months and a connection that lasts the life of the vehicle. Beyond that is sourcing wire that is actually meant for the application (I use SAE TXL wire which is what the OEM uses). There's no solder used anywhere because it causes wire embrittlement and leads to broken connections. Ultimately, it creates a very easy plug and play connection system which eliminates time spent for a user to install the system and also prevents them from having to irreversibly modify the factory wiring harness.

The fitting I use is a custom made one specifically for the application that I designed. I had to properly design the o-ring glands which surprisingly every fitting out there I've found has the gland sized wrong. I had to invest in making a lot of them to even be cost effective to do, and I wound up using a far superior o-ring material (fluorosilicone) for the ultimate in corrosion resistance and leak free operation. My fitting is designed to be 100% plug and play as it is a true push connect fitting (no backing nut to fumble with). It uses a stainless steel retainer clip inside, just like a factory push connect hose. I don't use any repurposed factory components that get bent/twisted/forced to fit.

The whole thing is capable of being on a car with great fitment in a matter of minutes. My point is that some people are willing to pay for things that are already meant to fit correctly and install easily, and making things like that does cost money. Plus, you can email or pick up the phone and call for help/advice. I'm not speaking in defense of anybody else but my own company, but I felt I needed to say something.

[hammdo]

I have Dave's (DSX) kit. There is a big difference when you looked at his custom made hardware as well as his harness. When I had an issue, his support made the difference. Some forget, DSX and others are in business to make a profit and to recoup their investments made. The difference usually comes down to quality of the product. I can vouch for Dave's...

-Don

[dreksnot]

I vouch for Dave's (DSX) kit also. You get what you pay for. If you're too cheap to put the right quality stuff on your Camaro, then you get to deal with what you pay for....

[blake-b]

I heart Dave (no homo)

[CGbambam]

Well I didn't find it too difficult just to piece mine together and haven't an issue with it. It is just a power, ground and pcm wire afterall. But hey each its own, I'm sure you make a fine kit as well.