This isn't really Rough Country's fault, but I'm frustrated and need to vent a little.

A couple months ago I bought a 4.5" short arm kit w/ add a leaf from a local dealer here in Phoenix for $500. Installed everything and immediately had problems with the front springs rubbing badly on the bumpstops. After a month of struggling with it I went to a shop and they told me that the springs I had installed are from the 6.5" kit, so my lower control arms were too short.

I called Rough Country from the shop and told them this, and had two customer service guys tell me I was definitely wrong and there was no way I had the wrong springs. One guy told me to adjust my stock upper control arm, which he insisted was adjustable. I told him the axle was 1.5" too far to the rear, and he literally laughed and said 'not possible'. I asked for a manager and was told he was on lunch and would return my call. He did not.

After many more phone calls I got through to a manager and let him know what was up, gave measurements of the springs, and he agreed that I definitely had the wrong springs. Told me he would send me the correct springs after he verified my purchase. Well....turns out the 'dealer' I bought them from isn't actually registered as a dealer in the system. He bought the kit from someone else and resold to me. The manager said because of this he was unable to help me. I called the shop where I bought the kit, where they told me they would call Rough Country and work on it. I called back every day to check on the status, every day was told we are working on it... 6 weeks later nothing has happened.

This week I noticed my Jeep is leaning badly to passenger side. Looked underneath and my rear leaf springs are sagging really badly. So I need to replace those with full leaf packs.

So anyway 2 months after spending $500 all that I'm still running from the kit are the front springs and the transfer case drop spacers.

 

this is why i tell people to stay away from RC unless theyre just buying a simple 3" kit.

 

You'd think I would have learned by now that you get what you pay for. I bought the cheapest kit on the market from a ****ty little shop... ended up getting the wrong parts with no warranty, no return policy, and no customer service.

 

Exactly^^^^

 

Not really RC's fault. Add a leaf is usually always a bad idea, buying from a no name retailer is never really a good idea either, but hindsight is 20/20 right? Trade those springs with someone who is looking to go higher, get a set of 3.5" full pack and 1" shackles. Better than an add a leaf and a 4.5 pack. Gonna spend money, but lesson learned.

 

add a leafs don't fix your bad stock springs. And you got a used kit. That's not RC. But 6.5 or 4.5, shouldn't make your springs rub the bumpstops. Plain and simple, your axle is too far back. Springs don't control that either, that's control arms. Your lowers can too be adjusted, they should be adjusted all the way forward. But it sounds like your kit was incomplete, the 4.5" kits come with new longer lower control arms.

 

I didn't buy a used kit. It was a complete new kit in sealed original packaging.

The kit had the new lower control arms. They were not long enough even with the factory bracket adjusted all the way forward. The taller springs, running without sway bar end links, forced the vehicle higher and thus the axle down and back in relation to the body.

So whichever way you say it... the springs were too tall for the control arms or the control arms were too short for the springs... that was my problem. I bought adjustable upper and lower arms from Iron Rock Offroad and fixed the problem.

 

It really isn't Rough Country's fault that the crappy shop he ordered from gave him the wrong parts. Way to take it out of context and make Rough Country look worse than they really are.

Rough Country stands behind their parts and I have yet to have issues with my own lift from them. I have about 6 other friends who got the same lift as I did and also like the kit.

I hope OP doesn't look at this unfortunate situation as a reason to never order from Rough Country again. I hope next time he just goes to Rough Country directly instead of a 'middleman.'

 

i'm just not a fan of their stuff

 

Well like he says in the very first sentence.
He did say he had issues with the customer service guys, but from the sounds of it as per RC policy they can't help because he didn't get the parts from an authorized dealer.
To the OP did this place tell you that the were authorized dealers for RC, because if they did you MAY have something to work with. I'm not sue happy I just don't like when people get screwed because of other peoples dishonesty, and if there is some way to make things right it could be worth a shot.

 

rough country is like the cheapest beer on the shelf. some people are fine with it others hate the taste. and some have never tasted a good beer so they don't know the difference

 

Well said, but it leaves you with a hangover

 

Premade packaged kits are just that, I've ridden in a lot of different vehicles, with a lot of different kits, and for the most part, the biggest difference between manufacturers is spring rate, some are softer, some are harder. I have a RC kit on my Jeep, I had a Camburg kit on my F150. They both work, and they both work great! The jeep is a lil rougher than the truck, but the jeep doesn't have Fox Shocks or A-Arms or a long wheelbase either. But it gets where it needs to go, and the kit was around 6 grand less! Do the math.

 

apples and oranges my man. actually more like bicycles and airplanes

 

small shops suck, that one big chain we all know sucks... just gotta be careful and ask around. But it isn't always easy to find feedback