My RCI Experience

I originally posted this review on T4R.org, but also wanted to post here for anyone considering RCI for your Toyota armor needs. I am not saying this was a terrible experience, but I am saying that I believe RCI has some room for improvement.

On April 19th I placed an order for a set of 5th gen 4Runner sliders. I ordered them bare, as I was hoping to have them a bit sooner and not wait for powder coating. RCI’s website states approx. 1-3 week lead time. On Wednesday May 17th, I emailed Josh to inquire about my order. I received a quick response from Josh stating that my sliders were being built over the weekend and would likely ship on the following Monday (May 22nd).

Another week goes by without a shipping confirmation, so I email Josh again on May 29th. I told him its not a big deal, but that his website says 1-3 weeks and it has now been almost 5 weeks. I ask if it would be possible to have their 10% off Memorial Day promo applied to my order. I already used the 5% T4R code, so I was asking if it was possible to receive the other 5% for another $29.75 off. I do not receive an email back from Josh, until I received an automated shipping notice on May 31st stating that my sliders were shipping. No response to my additional discount request. One of my sliders arrived on June 5th, and the other on June 6th.

I emailed Josh on June 6th with a few questions on my sliders. I wanted to make sure I received all my hardware. One of my boxes looked like it was accidently torn open during shipping, then taped back shut. This box had no hardware in it, while my other box had a bag of hardware attached to the slider. I also did not receive any instructions. RCI’s website states that instructions will be included. I still have not received an email back from Josh.

It took 6 weeks for my sliders to ship. This is double the statement made on RCI’s website. While I understand 6 weeks is not an unreasonable lead time in this industry, maybe RCI should update their website to better reflect an accurate lead time? If I purchased these during a group buy it would be a different story, but I did not.

It has also become apparent that the build quality on the sliders I received is mediocre at best. I'm not a professional welder, but I noticed the welds on my sliders looked messy. Everyone who has seen these pictures agrees. I emailed Josh a few of these pictures on June 12th, looking for an explanation on why my sliders have questionable welds. I have still yet to receive any response from RCI. I have also attempted calling with no answer and no returned phone calls.

 

For the amount of time they had to build your 5th gen sliders, they are poorly done! As you said much room for improvement or at least more attention to detail.

 

My 13 year old welds better than that shit show. Hope it gets resolved for you.

 

Thanks for the replies. Since RCI is apparently going to try to ignore this issue, I'm going to try to do a PayPal dispute.

 

Wow those weld look like shit! I can weld better than that...those are some cold ass trigger beads.

Glad I went with bamf

 

I filed a dispute with PayPal for a different company that never even shipped $900 of suspension parts. Hopefully things work out.

 

I saw your post and contacted RCI to make them aware of your issue. Hopefully things get resolved for you.

 

Thanks again everyone for the support and replies. How much do y'all think these welds question the durability and functionality of these sliders? Should they still be safe to use as a hi-lift jacking point? (RCIs website states they are a suitable hi lift point)

 

I wouldn't trust the welds on the legs


Btw these welds on mine were done by someone who is not even in the welding industry and welds just for fun.....this is what I would expect from rci if not better

 

://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/my-experience-with-rci-offroad.507087/ here's my experience.

 

OP, did you install them? Were there problems with them fitting correctly? Did the holes line up? How do they look on the truck? Do you think you could use a hi-lift jack on them? Besides taking longer than advertised and "ugly" welds, is there anything else that you don't like about them? Is there anything you like about them? Just curious.

 

The sliders did fit correctly and the holes lined up. However, the verdict is still out on the long term durability and hi-lift capability of these sliders.

 

wow I would expect at the very least a response, and yea, those welds probably wont last, doesn't look like very good penetration.

 

Former AWS CWI checking in here (American Welding Society Certified Welding Inspector).

The pictures may be a bit misleading. Those welds aren't horrible at all. I see maybe a couple rejectable discontinuities, but nothing that I would flip out over.

The worst might be the welds at the bottom of the first picture, but they're out of focus so I would only be guessing at what they really look like.

 

Well that's disappointing...

 

I don't like those welds.

 

Agreed....looks like dog shit. MIG welding isn't exactly rocket science

 

Neither is creating a great painting, but it's certainly a skill that takes training and practice. Sticking metal together is easy, but making it look nice takes a decent amount of skill.

Edit: Also, it's rather difficult finding people that can do it well that are also reliable.

 

I don't disagree. I'm a fabricator myself. I rarely have the luxury of doing it in a controlled shop setting however. Ive seen some ugly welds that were no question strong as well as beautiful welds that were not worth a damn. Key is creating both. When people pay for a high end product they deserve just that, all the way through. You know this as well as anyone. Your guys reputation speaks volumes.