Lakewell Dashboard Issues

[Industrialando]

That's a great idea, at this point I'm losing money so I'd rather the dash go to someone that can use it rather than Lakewell selling it to the next unsuspecting customer.

[EC900]

From a consumers point of view;
If you paid to have a damaged or defective item shipped to your door, it is upon the Selling Shipper to pay for its return…Not You.
I had a similar experience with eBay, Seller stated Free Shipping, item I received was either used or a repackaged return item. I notified Seller, they say ship it back (insured) to the tune of $10-$15.
I explained this to eBay and they mediated, agreed with Seller but eBay issued me a credit for the return ship cost.
Returning an item for dissatisfaction or changing one’s mind is one thing where costs are put on a customer and usually returns accepted policy can be free, or customer expense if stipulated prior to sale.

I think it would be beneficial for you to prod Amex to reimburse you for all costs for the return of this purchase. Credit cards have a limited ability since they (will/have) already collected their usage transaction fees from the Seller anyway, it’s how they make their $ when one pays their balance every month.
There’s absolutely no reason other than frustration to sell off the defective dash and take a loss.

[Industrialando]

EC900, completely agree however AMEX was convinced of Lakewell's "Policy" on their website which indicates return shipping costs are the buyers responsibility. I tried to push AMEX and they were not having it, despite the product being defective.

Even more infuriating is Lakewell's first response to the claim the dash was defective was to blame the car for being "out of tolerace". Wild as the dash I received from Porsche fit like a glove.

[phelix]

Escalate it within Amex. If that doesn’t work ask Lakewell to provide shipping and they can deduct the cost from the refund - they should be able to get shipping a lot cheaper as a result of their corporate account.

[E Sully]

I had similar problems with a couple of items, and trying to dispute it with the credit card company. You pretty much can't win unless you send it back first.

[Mike Andrew]

When I got the wrong color visors from them, their remedy was for me to "sell them on" because of the hassles with return shipping, customs, et cetera. Listed them here and they went quickly. However, losing a few $ on a $200 purchase is not the same as taking a hit on a $1000 purchase. Especially since it is noted that the dash does not fit well.

Good luck with the resolution.

[Dpmulvan]

Originally Posted by dtwa

The ABS dash cores are German made and the one I bought fit pretty well in my 85. There was a slight angle mismatch where it met up with the door garnish moldings. But overall a pretty good fit.

These things are unfinished and have to be covered with vinyl/leather. I had mine professionally done in leather by a well known shop (they had never seen an ABS core before). But over time (months) the leather detached from the core. Re-glued it and it failed again. I think the failure was due to excessive expansion of the core when hot, causing the glue to eventually fail.

Maybe there is a way to make this work (different glue?), but I decided to move on. Ended up going with the Genuine Porsche item (not leather) and have been very happy with it. Texture on the vinyl matches the original leather pretty well. Fit is excellent.

—Dave


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Dave,
Porsche used staples and skived leather on their dashes when it was an option. They would simply put the leather right over a new vinyl dash. The thinner skived leather along with staples would keep it in place, however the sun and defrosters would shrink it and the areas around the defroster slots would pull up. A few pics.

[mm8991]

One of my PCA friends mentioned this forum thread after finding out that I purchased a new dashboard from Lakewell before the holidays. I actually ordered the dashboard and new door caps to match the grain of the vinyl (the ones in the car seem to be worn almost smooth now). I also ordered a carpet set and leather steering wheel cover. I had no issues with Lakewell on the order or DHL shipping. The products received were well packed and appear to be of good quality; however, I will know more once I start the install. I also had a response from their customer service in one day after asking to send their install instructions (for the dashboard they sent a link to a YouTube video).

I just removed everything (carpet, windshield, dash, etc.) this weekend and plan to install next weekend. I will pay attention to the areas of concern from the original post and will report back soon. Sorry to those that had troubles -- I agree that it sucks to get no response and feel compelled to get the credit card folks involved.

[motorracer]

So if i pull the leather cover off i will have a nice vinyl one.

[Gretz]

I purchased a dash from Lakewell about 4 years ago and I'm finally getting ready to install it in a few months. Hopefully it fits better than some of these that have been discussed, as I'm way past any return window.

[mm8991]

An update on my prior post... The Lakewell dash cover installed easily and fits well on my car. I had no issues getting the dash tightened up with a nice clean fit around the gauges. Overall, I'm happy with the results. I am also happy with the carpet set. In fact, the carpet layout and binding around the outer seat rail was way nicer than the carpet set that I removed from the car (not sure if it was the original set, but it looked like it could have been that old). I also purchased a new steering wheel cover from Lakewell, and while it was not perfect, it is a big improvement over the old original cover that was in rough shape.

Here's the "yeah, BUT...": I also ordered new door caps to replace the originals that were pretty much worn smooth. Lakewell described their door caps as "Our complete set of door caps is probably the best you can buy for originality and fit. We guarantee a factory authentic appearance and fit." But this was sadly not even close. Versus the original door cap, the new molded part from Lakewell is easily 1 cm narrower than the original, and when installed leave an ugly and unacceptable gap along the top edge against the vent window frame and along the window. I sent an email to Lakewell with a several pictures to demonstrate the poor fit of the part, and I asked for a refund and a pre-paid method to return the parts. They replied with some nonsense about other parts in stock look better and they could resolve the issue, but I don't believe that -- these door caps are molded, not vinyl covered steel like the originals. They are quite floppy and flexible, and I don't believe that they will ever fit properly based on the design.

These door caps were 480 Euro, so too expensive not to request a refund. I believe that Lakewell is going to drag their feet, just like so many other people have described on this thread. At this point, I will not be doing business with Lakewell going forward, and cannot recommend them due to their poor customer service. Buyer beware...

[PeteKz]

I ordered the Lakewell door pocket set for my 1973 car 2 months ago and recently got around to installing the flip out pockets that go under the armrests. I have the same crappy quality problems as Marc described. Despite the claims on their web site of "the best" and "concours" quality, they are nowhere close.

The door pockets do not fit well, and are not formed to fit correctly under the arm rest, therefore, adjusting the hinges or tightening up the bungee will not fix the poor fit. The driver side fits a little closer than the passenger side, but still much worse than the originals. The back part of the original pocket actually has an angle to it, whereas the Lakewell part is rounded. The rounded part not fit against the shape of the underside of the arm rest, and it interferes with the pocket closing completely.

At the front edge of the pocket is a plastic pin that engages a shaped flat spring that holds the pocket open and then holds the pocket closed. That pin is smaller, and lower, and at an angle compared to the original pin and location, so it does not engage the spring correctly and won't stay open. I will have to relocate and shim it to get it to work correctly, if I can even do that, given the way the pin was installed.

I have not installed the forward pockets yet, but I can already see that several holes were not drilled, so I will have to do that myself

These pockets are made from fiberglass in a mold, so I have to expect that ALL of them are the same. Poor design and poor manufacture. I don't have time to dick around with Lakewell, so it's $1200 wasted.

All of you be warned: There may be some things that Lakewell sells that fit correctly, but most of it does NOT. I think they may be buying cheap crap from China (like the other cheap pockets you see on eBay) and reselling it under their name, not making it in Belgium.

They also didn't come with any installation instructions, and the pop rivets that hold the hinges to the pockets were too long.

Industrialando: Since you are the OP can you please add "Beware" to the title of this thread?

Pics:

[PeteKz]

First photo shows the misalignment of the pin.
Second photo shows the gap between the door pocket and the armrest, and it shows the original aluminum trim with an angle that the Lakewell pocket simply rounds off, resulting in poor fit.
The third photo shows the forward pocket, and the edge of the rubber part that inserts into the door was knocked off in shipment.

[Industrialando]

Sorry to hear that guys, seems like a consistent problem with their products and lack of seller responsibility. What is most infuriating is their tone that the car is out of tolerance, as if they have inspected the car.

PeteKz I'll try to modify the title now.

[Duc Hunter]

I bought the ABS plastic dashpad from Sierra MAdre several years ago, and wrapped it in black Vinyl and its bee great.

[mm8991]

An additional update on my issue with Lakewell's door caps: After a second request for a refund, they replied with a fairly long-winded reply that they discussed the issue with their "fitter," who suggested that I shave off material on the inside of the molded parts. They even sent photos suggesting where I would make the modifications. I replied that there was no way I was agreeing to modify the part because if I still wasn't happy with the fit, I would not be able to return the modified parts. I reminded them of their guaranteed factory appearance and fit." I eventually got a reply to return the parts to an address in Florida (brother?) and that they would reimburse the shipping cost. I took them at their word, paid $88 to return via USPS, sent them receipts and tracking numbers, etc. Today, I verified that they refunded the full amount plus shipping to my Visa.

I share my experience NOT as some kind of endorsement of Lakewell. I am still reluctant to do business with them going forward, but my headache is now behind me.

PS, I decided to buy a sheet of vinyl here from Pelican, and plan to recover the door caps myself.

Marc

[Industrialando]

Update on the dispute with AMEX. After multiple rounds of information requests they ultimately decided to reject the dispute claiming Lakewell has a return policy and it does not include return shipping. This is incredibly disappointing that AMEX would not recognize this is a defective part.

Awful business move from Lakewell and anyone considering buying from them needs to be aware of their lack of customer service and return policy. Looks like I'll be putting up this dashboard for sale on the forum to someone that needs a dash that doesn't fit well, hopefully recoup some of my money.