WHITEHEAD PERFORMANCE

[NewZed]

Aren't you guys getting a written receipt when you hand over your money?  Most businesses have a simple written agreement that explains how they handle disputes and refunds.  You can also dispute a charge on a credit card.  

 

I think that if you have a written agreement before you make the payment they will be much more likely to give a refund.  If there's no agreement then you're stuck with the time limit on your card or Paypal.  Credit cars bill monthly so anything with a six week lead time should not be paid for without a written agreement about timing and refunds.

 

These guys are just taking advantage of people that don't know the ins and outs of buying expensive items.  No offense intended.  But this applies to more than just Whitehead.  It sure does look like Whitehead has gone to the dark side though.  And it seems to be working for them.  They don't need a good reputation, just a flashy web site.  People keep sending them money.

[rxx2rxx2]

I would ask for a refund ASAP and try to get your money back via dispute with PayPal or your credit card.

 

Don't let it drag on. Lots of false promises from Mike. I put too much faith in his word and Bank of America declined my credit card dispute because too much time passed.

 

I ended up going with an MFactory unit and had it installed locally.

 

[notforyoujdm]

On 8/5/2022 at 1:03 PM, NewZed said:

Aren't you guys getting a written receipt when you hand over your money?  Most businesses have a simple written agreement that explains how they handle disputes and refunds.  You can also dispute a charge on a credit card.  

 

I think that if you have a written agreement before you make the payment they will be much more likely to give a refund.  If there's no agreement then you're stuck with the time limit on your card or Paypal.  Credit cars bill monthly so anything with a six week lead time should not be paid for without a written agreement about timing and refunds.

 

These guys are just taking advantage of people that don't know the ins and outs of buying expensive items.  No offense intended.  But this applies to more than just Whitehead.  It sure does look like Whitehead has gone to the dark side though.  And it seems to be working for them.  They don't need a good reputation, just a flashy web site.  People keep sending them money.

When one shop is the go-to place all else is really out the window. I don't have a shop within even ~3 hours of where I live that was willing to touch my car at first. All of them work on trucks only and were shocked when I said the diff must be out of the car to be worked on. They had never done it like that before and didn't know how to set lash(or whatever it is called) and everything else required without it being mounted. I am in a real bad spot because nobody local could do it, so I went online to look for the best. I just did not dig deep enough. I went through Paypal so I knew I would be covered.

 

The other part of this is I did get everything in writing through emails but there is no contract of course. Not much a person can do if they ask the shop how long it might take and the shop just straight up lies to them. I assumed I was dealing with someone that was telling me the truth but it seems like they were not at first and possibly are not now, but I am not sure about the last part. Time will tell.

 

Now I have no idea how I am going to get my car back up and running. I need to find somewhere somewhat close to me that can do this work. The ones that eventually said they would give it a try do not inspire much confidence as mentioned above they have never done work on a car diff and expect it to be mounted only. I don't want to buy a nice LSD and lots of parts only to have someone mess it up. I need to buy the LSD, a new ring and pinion, and who knows what else. That will be over 2k most likely all said and done just for those parts as I want to match the 4.36 I have in there right now.

 

Oh and my other issue is Nissan doesn't seem to make the pinion bearings for this anymore and I don't know where to find them. I can find the side bearings but pinion are impossible... Whitehead offered to sell me 4 bearings(2 side and 2 pinion I believe) for $450 which is a lot but at least I'd have the right ones... I cannot find the damn things anywhere else. If I could that would be a step in the right direction. This is for a short nose r200 that goes to an s14 240sx. I had contacted some bearing makers but they said I would need to pull them from the diff and measure them, there was no other way for them to know what I needed and I just cannot do that at this time. These were even places that stated they did Nissans lol.

Edited August 8, 2022 by notforyoujdm

[NewZed]

There's a guy on the forum who helped develop an LSD that should work.  

 

Rockauto is a good place to get part numbers and parts.

 

https://www.rockauto.com/en/catalog/nissan,1992,240sx,2.4l+l4,1209013,drivetrain,differential+pinion+bearing+/+race,2264

 

https://forums.hybridz.org/topic/127169-mfactory-r200-helical-lsd/#comments

 

http://www.teammfactory.com/catalog/mfactory

 

[NewZed]

If you gave a little more info on your location somebody might know of a shop that could do the whole thing for you, in the states.

[notforyoujdm]

I appreciate it but I've already looked for the part for a while and I'm not really looking to do more of that. I'd be happy to pay someone for the part, like I said I was willing to do $500 just for the 4 bearings to Whitehead. I know I am getting screwed at that price as I can get the side bearings from Nissan for $66 each but I'll pay for someone else to throw it together and be responsible for making sure it is the right part the first time. The place that I found selling them before said there were like 4+ different options for the pinion bearing size in a short nosed r200 and that I had to measure to be 100%. It having 4+ different possible sizes makes very little sense to me for the same short nose r200 but I am just relaying what they told me and they had an interest in selling me the part. Plus they said they do not stock any Japan made bearings which is what I would prefer, they always last longer. I just want to pay someone to fix my car and it is frustrating that I need to disassemble the thing to find out what parts are needed to do that. I am paying to avoid doing this work myself, ya know?

 

The LSD itself isn't actually the issue either. I could order a Quaife from Quaife themselves without any delay whatsoever and have it delivered directly to my home. I spoke to them and confirmed this. Their website states it is in stock as well and will let me purchase it right now. I am still not sure why Whitehead has a delay with their orders.

 

As far as location as specific as I would want to get would be Colorado. I could drive to Denver several hours away if needed. I am sure there must be a good shop out there but I cannot find one that seemed to know what they were doing and would rebuild my diff. Lots would install it for me, just very few could rebuild it.

Edited August 8, 2022 by notforyoujdm

[NewZed]

4 hours ago, notforyoujdm said:

Oh and my other issue is Nissan doesn't seem to make the pinion bearings for this anymore and I don't know where to find them.

 

7 minutes ago, notforyoujdm said:

I appreciate it but I've already looked for the part for a while and I'm not really looking to do more of that.

 

I'm not getting a clear message out from what you're writing.  You said you can't find the pinion bearings but Rockauto has a big selection.  You could buy one set of each and still save over Whitehead.  Now you say you want Japanese parts.  Maybe you're being too picky.  

 

Sakura Garage could probably get it done or help you find parts.  Or ArizonaZcar.  You'd need to know what you want though.  Whitehead is just a bad choice.  You should cancel your order and start over.

 

https://www.sakuragarage.com/home

 

https://arizonazcar.com/

[notforyoujdm]

Wanting Japanese bearings is just the standard that I set for any car I buy generally. When my Honda needed a new wheel bearing I got a quality Koyo rather than just any bearing. I don't see wanting quality parts that will last as being picky at all but everyone is different. I personally like to do a job once and have it last rather than cheap out and have it fail, that is my reasoning.

 

As far as the pinion bearings I cannot find the right ones, no. Nissan no longer sells those but they do sell the side seals. If I could buy from a quality bearing maker that knew the size I needed I would do that. I just do not know the size.

 

RockAuto doesn't deliver to where I live so I avoid that website now. Something about them needing to do extra tax paperwork so they refuse to do business with my county. When I used to live where they delivered I also found the information on the website to be not always accurate. You order a part meant for your car and get the wrong one even though it clearly states it fits your model. Happened with some axles to me, listed for my exact model and everything. I understand this is due to the listing but again I'd rather order from a company I could speak to that would assure me the part is correct since I do not know the right size. If I could call Rock Auto it would be different but they are not that type of business or at least were not in the past.

 

Thank you again though.

Edited August 8, 2022 by notforyoujdm

[NewZed]

4 hours ago, notforyoujdm said:

Wanting Japanese bearings is just the standard that I set for any car I buy generally. When my Honda needed a new wheel bearing I got a quality Koyo rather than just any bearing. I don't see wanting quality parts that will last as being picky at all but everyone is different.

 

I think I see the reason that Whitehead might take extra long on yours.  If they can't keep up with normal diff builds then your special requests are going to add even more time.

 

Good luck.

[G-Tech]

I just rebuilt my Diff. Z car depot and Z carsource both sell Nissan Bearings. I too wanted Nissan Bearings.

 

I don't think Whitehead is delayed because of adding to the order. I think they are just overwhelmed with orders. He was supposed to get back to me about a price on a built diff and never did. And my stubaxles i ordered 5yrs ago was something he said would be done in 6 weeks and i waited 9months. I only dealt with waiting that long because it was winter and im in NY. I was breaking stock axles and they were the only ones at the time offering stronger ones.

[Ironhead]

On 8/8/2022 at 12:55 PM, NewZed said:

 

 

Now you say you want Japanese parts.  Maybe you're being too picky.  

 

 

I dunno, I personally am very, very careful about what I buy from RockAuto.  Some of their parts are the same quality as you would get from the OEM dealership, others are so bad as to be utterly useless.  You need to have a good idea what you are ordering and what it "should" cost from a reputable source.

 

When I was putting together my car I bought a CV axle for a Q45 from them.  The cost was $96.  This really had me on guard, as at that time the OEM equivalent was $1200.  I figured I had nothing to lose.

 

Well, I did, I had $96 to lose.  The part was such utter crap that I wouldn't have used it on anything.  I dismantled the CV joints to see if any parts were usable, and I don't even have the words to describe how bad they were.  I'm positive they would have knocked like crazy out of the box.

 

As to Whitehead, the negative reports from customers have been going on for so long now that I'm surprised they are still in business.  Really sad to hear people are still getting taken by them.

Edited August 16, 2022 by Ironhead

[beastlick]

Buyer beware of Whitehead..... Not sure what's all going on with them. Didn't order anything diff related but purchased a simple set of headlight covers from them. After nothing for two week, even an order confirmation, I reached out in which they said they would have it shipped out the following Monday. Come 2 weeks later, still no shipping confirmation or tracking or product. After a month and half total, I had to dispute luckily through PayPal and was able to receive fund back. Still no response back from Whitehead. IMO, I would avoid this company until they get their stuff back in order. 

[notforyoujdm]

On 8/8/2022 at 6:15 PM, NewZed said:

 

I think I see the reason that Whitehead might take extra long on yours.  If they can't keep up with normal diff builds then your special requests are going to add even more time.

 

Good luck.

 

They literally told me that my "special requests" of the quaife LSD would take less than a month total. I let them use whatever bearings they wanted for the $500 charge they said for them, although they did say they were OEM Nissan IIRC. If a company agrees to a timeline and says they can provide it then there is nothing wrong done on my end to expect that to be truthful. I am a little surprised someone would even hint at that but my expectations are fairly low anymore.

 

Either way I am working on a refund but Whitehead doesn't respond and Paypal is going to take a while.

Edited August 19, 2022 by notforyoujdm

[notforyoujdm]

Last post here just to update and say it was not a struggle to get a refund. I applied for one and it was approved a few days later without Paypal needing to jump in. Still no contact from them though but whatever. 

Edited August 25, 2022 by notforyoujdm

[NC240Z]

I'll add my experience here, as it seems I am the latest in a long list of customers getting scammed by Whitehead. I ordered an R200 3.90 with a Quaife LSD from them in November 2021, spent approximately $3K on the setup. I had the same experience with them being very responsive right up until the order was placed, and then pretty much radio silence since. I have called, emailed, etc. and have gotten a response from Mike twice in the last 10 months. Once in March to tell me they were having trouble getting the Quaife units in, but that otherwise the diff was ready to go and as soon as the LSD was in they would ship it. Was told 3-4 more weeks.

 

Fast forward to June, 12 weeks later, had to pepper them with emails again to get a response. Mike finally says the Quaife units were in and they were completing all diff orders in the next 4 weeks including mine. That was 12 weeks ago, have not been able to get a response since. Funny enough, in some of the Google reviews as recently as August other people are getting the same excuse that Quaife units are still not in, doesn't seem to add up. They are getting hammered with 1 star reviews and complaints and don't seem to care at all that the business reputation is taking a nose dive. Even get a bit snarky and rude in their responses to customer complaints. 

 

Does anyone know how to get in touch with the owner, Greg? Dealing with Mike, who is apparently the manager, is getting me nowhere. 

 

@notforyoujdm glad you were able to get refunded. I think I am unfortunately way outside the 180 day period to have PayPal handle it. 

 

 

@rxx2rxx2were you ever able to get a refund from them?

[NewZed]

Just saw this on ClassicZCars.com.

 

https://whiteheadperformance.com/

 

 

[rxx2rxx2]

@NC240ZI never did receive a refund. Bank of America declined my dispute because of the time that had elapsed.