bz2500

Hi everyone, I just want to post up my recent dealings with DTT. I want to state the facts and hopefully people who want to do business with them will be very careful, because I don’t want what happed to me to ever happen someone else. (Which it did)

So to start off in November 2010 I bought parts to overhaul my trans so it can handle a little extra power. Bought some parts and their $565.00 "billet single that can handle 500hp 1000lbs torque... Now back then you didn’t have to wait months for your parts and I received everything in a timely manner. Installed the parts myself and had a decent tranny, was never quite happy with the shifts but whatever, truck was down for a month and I was happy to be driving it again.

Now fast forward to June 2012, truck was running higher rpms than usual, emailed DTT but no reply for days, when I did get a reply it was a rudely toned email from shanty saying pretty much we can’t help because we can’t see or drive the truck... So because of that great customer service, I still needed answers so I went on Cummins forum and started a thread where DTT was quick to reply but still no answers. I took the troubleshooting into my own hands removed OD, found clutches a bit burnt, no material removed or warping of steels but still things were slipping. Replaced them, put it back still no change. Later I swap valvebodys but no difference. Now I’m scratching my head. I called up local tranny guys and they said sounds like the convertor; I was like no way is a performance one and I got like 23,000 miles on it. Well I took the trans down opened it up and the clutches inside were perfect. So I put everything back and swap out the convertor with my old one which has 212,000 miles. Guess what my truck working fine again. So without a doubt my convertor was the problem. Also all my findings and pictures of the transmission internals were posted up for everyone to see.

So now I was happy that I know the problem but angry at the same time because the convertor is no good. So I noticed a number on it and goggled it, only to find my "performance" convertor is nothing more than a stock convertor with billet front cover. Which is good for 550 lbs of torque as stated by the manufacturer which is transtar (which i now know because DTT always claimed making their own convertors), so I guess the HP rating on that would be about 250, which for a common rail is too low.

I post the info on the forum, DTT says that just a generic number and not to worry about it. They tell me to send it back to Washington State, so it can be cut open to verify what I got... What kind of BS is that, I need to pay to send something back so they can see if I got the correct part in the first place!!! I also state how can a company like transtar track their “custom builds” if they all have a generic number on it. I mean this number is handwritten after the convertor is built, welded, and painted, so if they did something special it won’t be so hard to put a special number on it.

At this point without a doubt I have been cheated, and how can I trust these people if I do send the part back? Once it’s in their hands they can say anything, heck they can even say I got triple disk and who is there to say otherwise... Now DTT even says send it back and they will credit the 565 towards a triple... That seems like a fair offer, but these are just comments on a forum, which is not a contract and not binding. Another important point is that I am in Belize (Central America) so I can’t just go to the ups store and ship it where they want it... This is why I’m sure they made the offer because it out of my reach and would not be a cost effective solution to my problem. Also, up to today they have still never officially made me that offer.

The worst part about this is the thread I had going on Cummins forum is now gone… Someone tell me why would this thread be gone if someone wasn’t trying to cover up this mess and hope it goes away. They have people bash companies with no proof at all, but their thread is still there... Usually I let things like this go because I have better things to do and basically DTT is not worth a second of my time... However, because of the way it was handled I will take this matter as far as it needs to go until I have satisfaction.

To add to this, I have someone in Canada who bought the same convertor one month after me and guess what it failed just like mine. Dtt told him they could do nothing because he was past the one year warranty, but actually they are warranted for 3 years. This guy is equally angry as I am. Also why didnt DTT make the same offer to him like what they did to me?? He will also take this matter as far as it needs to go.

To anyone who has this convertor be careful because it also destroyed other parts of my transmission..





Spec sheet on the convertor

https://esource.transtar1.com/Bullet...00706dwp01.pdf

Lary Ellis (Top)

And the plot thickens........

gorms

Not sure if it makes you feel any better or not but I had a transtar converter that looked exactly like that marked cr70x that lasted over a full year, bought it right from transtar for like $350 usd and they list it as a billet front, lower stall converter good for 300hp/650tq. Held up alright for a while, went to the scrap yard for about 3 bucks last month.

I'd say keep spreading the word, not the right industry to try and screw the customer over every time hoping a new naive customer will stroll along right behind them...

I don't really browse many other forums often and I've heard enough on this site to not advise ANYONE to buy their products, and they have officially lost 3 customers because of that.

JoeCanuck

I'm the Canadian BZ2500 is talking about.

My converter lasted almost exactly as long as BZ's did...about a year and a half. It started slipping shortly after I first installed it. I have a transgo TFOD-Diesel shift kit which gives me 90psi idle and 150ish locked and wide open throttle.

It took me about a month after installation to give the thing a real workout. January in Northern Alberta isn't conducive to proper testing. When I did test it, the trans was slipping the same way as my stock one, which was at any power level higher than 1 on my adrenaline, I would get slip. I was always very careful to monitor my tach so as soon as I detected the least amount of slip, I would back off.

Usually, it was fine, unless I had some weight in the back or I hit a steep hill.

I left it in since it was ok most of the time and changing it was such a pain and I thought that being new, it would still be better than my old one.

So there I was driving through the Canadian Rockies hauling a 2500lb camper and pulling 2000lb trailer, (we all know that's nowhere near max load), I'm climbing up a long hill and I get some serious slip. I back off, turn my adrenaline down to zero and by now, the tc lockup just won't bite at all. I put it in 2nd to keep the tc from locking up and pull over as soon as I get the chance.

Since I happen to know where the wire to the lockup solenoid is, I snip it to keep the truck from locking up at all. This also puts me into a limp mode that leaves me with 2nd and 3rd. I decide to drive a while since I was in the middle of nowhere without service and I thought that since my transmission was screwed, I might as well make as many miles as I could...that turns out to be 150km, (100 miles)...that's pretty good on a bad transmission.

I overnight in Hinton and first thing in the morning, I call dtt. I tell them my problem, she tells me that warranty procedure is that I send my tc in to them, they send it to Missouri to see if I abused it, then if they decided I didn't break it on purpose, they would send me a replacement...so at least a month.

I said I'd have to look into my options and ended the conversation. I had some more questions so I called back a few minutes later. Before I could ask, the woman told me that according to their records, I only had a one year warranty. I thought I had 3 years...she repeated I only had one year...and that was that.

So after driving 150k's with a limp mode transmission, I discover a way to get 4th without lockup and drive another 300k's...without any out of ordinary slippage, no overheating and when I get home, I check my fluid...and it's as pink as when it came from the bottle.

Some tried to question whether my transmission could have been slipping, not the tc. Well, 450k's, (300miles), of driving through the mountains is proof enough that my transmission is fine.

They tried to make it seem like bz2500's problems came from him having a stock valve body...though they never say that an upgraded one is required for their tc's. Regardless, my valve body puts out more than enough pressure for any tc and the thing still failed.

So being disgruntled, I started a thread on cf.com about my experience...which is where BZ2500 contacted me about his almost identical experience.

In his thread, which I managed to recover after it was deleted, dtt's s. kondolay tells bz that the $585 singles have always had a 2 year warranty, which flies in the face of their vendor thread on cf.com which advertised these tc's as having a 3 year warranty.

Now, I'm getting ******. These jerks not only send me the same billet stock converter that BZ got, but they lied to me about my warranty. The only feedback I get from dtt is a post from kondolay on my thread telling me to send them the tc and give him a call.

Shouldn't he be calling me?

I also have screenshots of another thread where the same thing happened to a guy and he got his money back, which is what I'm asking for.

Anyway, I have another tc, (from another company), coming my way and I haven't made up my mind what to do about dtt...but it's not over yet by a long shot.

What is not going to happen is my tc going back to them. I have no doubt that the tc switch was an accidental screwup, (and I shouldn't have to pay shipping for their screwup), but lying about my warranty was not...and I'm not going to send the only evidence I have against them...back to the guys I'm going after.

I'm not going to mince words; stay away from dtt....period. They'll talk a great game to get you to buy but once they get your money, you're on your own. They may have been a good company once, back when the old man ran the show but now the kid owns it. I can only directly go by what happened to me but I got screwed.

Don't let it happen to you.

ps...I have screenshots of bz2500's deleted thread, as well as my own, all private messages with kondolay, other threads between dtt and customers with problems and the dtt sales thread.

Onemoparnut

I can't believe that they keep deleting the threads on other sites. I bet that don't happen here lol... Sucks people have sank so low to do things like this.

Blake Clark

As long as it stays civil, it will stay right here.

bz2500, sorry to hear about the troubles that you are having. Espcially being in another country and having to fight with this.

Im not sure if anything can be done legally, but I would at least file a complaint with the BBB. The best thing that can be done, is the facts be put out and they will travel quick.

John_P

bz2500:

I want to thank you for sharing your DTT story with our members.

I am sorry to hear you have had the troubles with their products but have to tell you and others "It does NOT surprise me AT ALL!" DTT is now being exposed for what they really are, a lousy aftermarket diesel transmission company who DOES NOT take care of their customers! That has been evident to me for a few years now and I am hearing more stories just like yours and Jaymies all the time!

As Blake said, as long as the DTT threads stay civil we are not going to DELETE it here.

Thanks.

-------
John_P

Lary Ellis (Top)

I am going to add something to this just because it still strikes me as "Odd" behavior after the fact.

After Stefan took over DTT he emailed me wanting to Advertise on our Forum. I explained the options that we had that pertained to advertising banners on DTR.

He told me he did not have a banner and did not want one but he still wanted to pay me to advertise here....

I explained to him that I could not in good concience take his money for a banner ad and not give him in return the value he was paying for a (Banner Ad).

He was adamant that he still wanted to do it but I refused to take his money.....I don't know how or even IF this fits into the overall story, I just know it struck me as somewhat weird to want to pay good money and getting nothing back in return....I just don't roll that way...

bz2500

Exactly, the point is to keep it civil and not start a bashing thread. I just need to keep the information out there for anyone to read because if i knew this when i was shopping around i would have never wasted my time and money with them.

Blake, I already went to the BBB, but the case was closed because we couldnt agree on anything. The funniest part of the BBB experience was that DTT never wanted to talk about the convertor, they just compltely ignored that. Also,the BBB cannot enforce anything if they are not a member, and im sure they could never be a menber of the BBB. If it is alowed I have no problem to show the details of the case here just give me the go ahead.

Lary, the reason why he doesnt want banner ads is because he loves to start new threads about the products they sell.. DTT will say anything to get your business. Just look at what happend to Joe and I. He stated the convertor can handle 500 hp, 1000ft lbs of torque and it has a 3 yr warranty. Now he's calling that the budget buster convertor. Also i have him saying numerous times that they "build convertors and parts in house" I'll tell the only part of that statement which is true is the "in house" cause that where the business is run out of.. Well i guess you live and learn, but i can say DTT can expect to hear from me when they least expect it..

irish power mad

Wish I'd read this 6 months ago before I gave DTT 4000 odd bucks.Still waiting on my tc and I'm getting sick and tired of being constantly fobbed off.It seems to be a battle of wills to get anything from them.

chaikwa

Don't put too much stock into what the BBB reports. From past experience I've found that both the BBB and Dun & Bradstreet can be 'bought'. I've never been a BBB member but was told by them that they could "improve my rating" if I enlisted their services by paying their standard fee. I had a poor rating because there was no information in their system on my business. Basically the same thing with D&B except they have a record on me personally but not on my business. Somehow they made a connection between me and the business and gave the business a negative rating due to lack of information. The federal government requires us contractors to have a D&B number in order to get paid, but I didn't want a D&B profile on my business just because of the way they do things, and their fees are a LOT higher than the BBB. I finally resolved the issue thru an attorney's letter with the threat of legal action against them if they didn't remove the business from thier files, but like the attorney told me, we'll probably have to go thru the whole thing again and again every time they 'update' their records. Basically that means I either spend money on the attorney or the D&B fee.

NE frmhnd

I think I'd pay the lawyer first.

Lary, he was probably hoping that by paying you, threads like this one would go *poof* like they do elsewhere.


What does it cost to run an ad on some other sites? Maybe someone could put up an ad and have the link come straight to these discussions, if someone were so inclined?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ee1qFJyUeLg

chaikwa

My experience EXACTLY!

bz2500

Wow, i wouldnt be surprized now to see DTT go from a C rating to a A++

Sorry to hear about your troubles. Wow! six monts wating for parts.. I would definetly be looking into a different vendor, and to get your money back..

JoeCanuck

I never had any dealings with the BBB but I spoke to some people who have and they all said it was a scam. As long as you're a paid up member, you're gold.