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So I was in the process of finishing up a $6k engine build (stroked, CR increase, forged everything, cam, etc.) on my LS3 and I purchased a FAST 102 manifold from Maryland Speed as one of the upgrades. The manifold was brand new and installed on my C6, when the shop took it out for a test drive they heard a strange noise from the engine. They immediately shut the car off and towed it back to the shop. They took everything apart trying to find the problem, spent countless hours on it.
As it turned out, there was a random bolt in one of the cylinders. This is not some backwoods shop, they have what is currently the fastest 6th Gen Camaro in the world. They work on dozens of vettes every week, building 1000+ hp cars all the time. So I know they double checked everything before buttoning up the car.
Well they went hunting around to find out where this tiny bolt had come from, as it turned out, it was an exact match for the 8 small bolts that are used inside the FAST 102 manifold to hold the runners down as you can see below. None of the bolts were missing, meaning this was an extra one left inside the manifold from FAST's manufacturing. Since they did not hear anything rattling around when they installed the manifold, we could only assume it was wedged up next to a runner inside the manifold and came loose on the test drive. The bolt is rather unique and does not match anything else I could find on the C6. You can also see below the damage caused by this bolt. The new piston was damaged, as well as the head and one of the valves (leaking). A new piston and head was purchased and sent back to the machine shop again.
We contacted Comp/FAST (same company) and they basically denied responsibility and would not help at all with the costs. I would recommend staying clear of this company as their customer service would not stand behind their products and manufacturing. The costs incurred from the damage were quite high when including the labor into the rebuild of everything.
Bolt on the left is from the cylinder, other 8 are from the runners.
Yup when I got my fast I took it apart to find one of the runner screws not all the way it. In the instructions it does say to take it apart and silicone the rear part of the manifold so I checked the runners and just looked around a bit and found that.
Yup when I got my fast I took it apart to find one of the runner screws not all the way it. In the instructions it does say to take it apart and silicone the rear part of the manifold so I checked the runners and just looked around a bit and found that.
Just because they say they won't help you out doesn't mean a court would agree. I'd sue them and use the shop as your expert witness.
Last fast I pulled apart had 2 of them sitting in the bottom, and the plastic parts that the bolts go through bouncing around. Sucked several chunks of plastic through the motor.
Last fast I pulled apart had 2 of them sitting in the bottom, and the plastic parts that the bolts go through bouncing around. Sucked several chunks of plastic through the motor.
Sounds like their QA process on their manufacturing is doing a **** poor job.
I commented on your thread over on HPJ, but I'll reiterate here.
This is a ridiculously unfortunate and ****** situation, and I'm sorry that you're out of more money and time. I think your assessment of what happened is correct.
Yes, let this be a lesson to everyone with a FAST 102. ALWAYS pull them apart, before installing on your engine. I too, have found them with loose runner bolts and plastic shavings inside. Disassemble everything, wash, then reinstall all bolts with blue thread locker.
I am sorry this has happened with your build. Any racer hates to see it happen to another.
Comp will not discuss your situation with me, which I understand. That said, I have been doing this a long time, and here is what I can tell you speaking for myself. I am in NO WAY speaking for Comp.
When you get into racing parts and building motors, it is largely an at your own risk kind of thing, and the only recourse you have is what the manufacturer offers as a warranty.
As you can see, they only cover whether the part they sold you is defective or not. When you hear “limited” warranty, this is what “limited” means. It limits what they cover. The warranty goes out of it's way to say nothing else is covered. This is for very good reason. You could not reasonably price a product if you were on the hook for anything that could possibly go wrong in it's use.
Anything else is a huge gray area. Yes, you used what most (including myself) consider to be a very good shop. If you were a manufacturer however, would you ever want to put yourself in a place where you are liable for the guy who tries to build his own motor and screws up. Do you just pay him for a new motor (when his ability can be questioned) and labor (when he did the work himself). Even with shops, how do you know the labor won't get sandbagged because now it is being paid for under warranty. What if the parts used in the build were questionable? There a lot of shops out there that are plain not that good. Even the best shops have $10 /hr just out of high school people working there. These intakes are modular, and in the instructions, it is supposed to be taken apart and drill for the MAP sensor. So who is to say something did not happen there.
Again, you used a reputable shop that we personally would recommend...and use myself. I have no doubts about them. However as you can see, there are a lot of circumstantial issues here and no direct evidence. All of this is why warranties are expressly written to avoid being liable for damages in a situation like yours. At the end of the day as a manufacturer, you are responsible for your part. You cannot warranty parts you did not make or choose (meaning your engine), and labor for an installer you did not pick and have no oversight…and potential damages in racing applications...at least not without charging a ton more for your parts.
I have been in your shoes, and it sucks. We did a pretty extensive build on our 2010 Camaro with a TVS 2300, blower cam, and a bunch of other stuff. Car had 2K miles on it. Build was just finished and tuned, and me and the wife went to take it on a trip. Hit an exit ramp, and the oil pressure light came on. I shut it down as soon as a I could safely, but the car had a nasty knock. We took the motor apart, and it was basically trash. Several lifters were broke, stuff jammed in bores, all the other stuff that happens.
After the fact, I learned that the 2010 Camaro had a TSB out for the oil pumps having a faulty check valve. People all over Camaro5 were being flatbedded to dealers because the cars would have the oil light come on all the sudden.
However because my car was modded, GM would have no part in fixing it, even though the damage was caused by a known defective part. I think they agreed after a bunch of complaining to fix it if the car was flatbedded back to my shop, and returned to them with a completely stock motor (which was impossible due to the damage and not having the stock stuff). Nothing hurts more than spending a bunch on a build, and being at the finish line, only to have a motor with 2K miles on it blow up. I get that.
That is why as a token, I can offer to discount any further parts you need to complete the build as much as possible. We cannot however supersede or supplant the manufacturer’s warranty.
Last edited by MarylandSpeed; 03-31-2016 at 05:56 PM.
Comp has produced a product that is defective in workmanship .... and should be held liable for the resulting damage. I would strongly encourage you ( Maryland Speed) enjoin the OP and assist him in his efforts to recover.
To the OP, if you continue to have issues and cannot get this reasonably resolved, in my opinion I would take both the seller and manufacture into court and let a judge decide the liability of each respective party. The area of law that protects consumers of defective merchandise that causes harm holds not only the manufacture but can also hold the seller liable .
Damn, that really sucks a$$ to hear. I really want one of those FAST intakes. Were people having this problem with the LS3 manifolds only? Or both the LS2&3...
Thanks for sharing, I was looking at pulling the trigger on one of these 102 manifolds soon, but not anymore. They should have taken care of this. I have 3 LS vehicles comp cams is out also.
Thanks for sharing, I was looking at pulling the trigger on one of these 102 manifolds soon, but not anymore. They should have taken care of this. I have 3 LS vehicles comp cams is out also.
Along the same lines, the shop/builder also has another claim with Comp related to some problems with a cam. Evidently a lot of their cams lately have had harmonics problems. If you look around online you can find tons of complains related to Comp/FAST's customer service.
03-30-2016, 01:59 PM
My horrible experience with FAST/Comp
