Well it sounds like you got a professional and prompt response from TM.

Now just stay patient, sit tight, don't e-mail him and I'll look forward to hearing from you in about 3 weeks.

Small note, there is no they or them. You could opt to keep it singular and just say "he" or "him". TM stands for Todd Matsubara.

 

not sure i want to lower it, it already was much harder of a ride with the 20"….. i was told if i lower it ,it will be even harder…

ALL….. as in steering, control upper also, and sway??? i could sell the 20" and do 18" would that be better…. i mean i want 20 and lower a little, but i dont want it to ride like a go cart….. I LOVE THE LOOK THOUGH…

i ordered trailing arm, ball joints, and tie rod ends all oe new from sewell, and was going to change out sway bushings, steering bushings and caster/trailing bushing…… what do you think?? sorry for all the questions i just have brand new 20" black/machined sitting in my garage that i would like ON the car…..lol

 

All will improve your steering feel, but the steering and sway bushings don't have much effect on the 20s. Arm bushings are probably first and then come ball joints.

Tire pressure plays a big roll on ride. Everyone has a different opinion, but see what pressure you are running. 35 psi max, but don't ever let them run much lower.

Also wheel and tire choice play a factor. Lighter hi performance rims and tires known for their ride quality can also make a big difference.

Been on the GS section for almost 10 years and seen plenty of people riding on 20s with few complaints about the ride, but maybe they're just less sensitive about ride than you are.

 

no complaints….. just not as soft as the marshmallow 16" lol….. the shake though i cant live with… so we will see how it goes after the work is done.

 

One question why did you spend $258 on trailing arms if you plan to replace the oem rubber bushing w/poly?

 

only because i cant get daizen and i couldnt find any others…. so i ordered the new ones and THEN found another company that sold them. some are waiting 2 months to get them from daizen/tm and i am not willing to wait and maybe get them…. this will also allow me to get them pressed before the other guy starts the work. he doent have a press… i just pray i will be able to put my 20" back on…. with no shake….

 

I had an absolutally tremendous service from TMengineering. I got my Steering Rack and Control Arm bushings in three days from the day i ordered them. Then i realized i ordered the wrong Control Arm kit so he sent the right caster arm bushings the next day along with prepaid mailing to send them back to him. Two thumbs up for him. I know people have been having trouble with him in the past about shipping times and the such. I guess it depends on when he has his shipment in and how professional you are towards Todd. He seemed like a really cool person and good luck to everyone out there ordering from him, if he has parts in then you're in luck. If not...

 

Glad to hear you speak up and balance the feedback between good and bad.

If you go back and look at some of the rants from dis-satisfied posts, you can sense on some of their posts, that they pounded TM with questions and showed impatience. I've seen enough complaints across all forums and about other vendors to know that 99% you are only hearing "ONE SIDE OF THE STORY" where the vendor often has no opportunity to hear about the allegation and be allowed to defend themselves .

3+ years ago, I remember seeing a post ranting how TM didn't ship the product, the guy said he sent e-mails to TM and response was OK it will ship, yada, yada, yada, a week goes by and still no product. He whined that TM had his money and he'll call the BBB and recommended to everyone not to do business with TM, then no new posts from him after that.

Well, I happened to stop by TM's shop about a week later and I mentioned the complaint to him, I found out that TM was not aware of the thread, but that he had responded to the guy that his credit card was denied several times. TM e-mailed the guy back for a new Cc# and got no further reply. So who's the deadbeat now eh?

9 times out of 10 you hear complaints on the forum, but unfortunately there are a lot less people who would do like yourself and mrjaydm who will step up and give some positive feedback.

I do give some benefit of the doubt that some of the complaints of TM's service are real, however TMs follow up appears to be based on the customers attitude. It's how a customer deals with TM at that point, that determines the final result. (A word to the wise is treat TM professionally, be patient, don't email blast him. If TM is out of stock, he is now at the mercy of the manufacturer to get the product to him, whether that takes 2 weeks or 2 months no promises, so bite the bullet and wait, otherwise cancel the order, because e-mailing him over and over at that point is just usless)

It is very clear that the availability of the arm bushings is up and down. In mrjaydm's post #164 (see quote below) it's apparent that TM did reply to him that he's out-of-stock and he was given a "choice" to wait or cancel. So at this moment, let's wait 3 weeks and see if TM delivers.

 

Yea I know for sure that Todd is doing his job, I would never bash the guy especially now that I know he does all the work behind the scenes. Major props to him for keeping the supply of great parts coming to us GS owners. I am thankful for people like that. I'd rather wait a month for one great part, then replace junk parts time after time.

 

I had an order in with TM, but they/he replied that they were out of stock and would be back in stock in a few weeks (with no exact date). This was a week or 2 ago, and I couldn't wait any longer, so I canceled the order and did some serious searching on the web and found some great deals on the whole parts (which include bushings). This will save me some money on the labor and probably work out close to costing me the same.
FYI, I ordered L&R front Lower Ball Joints, Lower Control Arms (both of the 2 pieces each side in the front), Stab Links, Sway Bar Bushings, Upper Control Arms - L&R front, Wheel Bearings - all 4 wheels, Brake Rotors & Pads - all 4 wheels, and L&R front Brake Calipers. If anyone else is interested in my findings as far as pricing goes, let me know as I can save you a lot of time and money!

2000 GS400 (just bought - a work in progress)
1999 GS400 (totaled - leaving soon)

 

what calipers?? and what lower control arm??? oe stuff or knock off...

 

Guys,

TM Engineering has not been a CL vendor for a several years and I don't see this thread accomplishing much other than discussing their inventory and stock (which we have no real visibility to) and feedback on their customer service (which you can find loads of feedback on - both positive and problems).

There are a few offshoot discussions about various other valid topics... let's start new threads for those where warranted please.