New roof rack damage - how to fix?

So you recommend bed liner spray over paint? It seems like it would be a lot more durable but may stand out more. You don’t find that to be the case?

 

I can imagine how pissed off you are, I got about a 12% taste of what you're getting. Bought an AVS bug shield from real truck, got no shipping info...arrived 10 days later than promised via fed ex re-route. Box was torn, item was hanging out and end was deformed. I tried calling real truck, but the number posted on their website said 'number not in service' later had a different number...same thing.

I figured I was f'd, left the shield in the sun for hours...and was able to bend it into shape. Still scuffed, but it works.

The “Heavy duty black textured powdercoat finish comes standard, plus we take it a step further and coat all racks with an epoxy primer for an exponentially more durable finish” statement is like a poke in the eye, now we all know what RCI considers 'exceptional' and glad I didn't decide on their sliders.

Don't let the 'random internet strangers' get you down, in 1994, in the .alt news groups via prodigy dialup internet...I was cyber bullied by a random internet stranger, but now after 30 years of intense therapy, meditation, and devout prayer...
I am cyber violence survivor and don't care what random internet strangers think

Did you call Fed-Ex?

 

I believe I used Duplicator spray bed liner:

$17 Dupli-Color TR250 Truck Bed Coating Spray Paint - Black - 16.5 oz. Aerosol Can

https://www.amazon.com/Dupli-Color-...f91161bd20e2494f1b4b9be&qid=1721183842&sr=8-2

as I had discovered it matched the black powder coat on a previous bumper I had on a Jeep, and successfully used it for a touch up. Black textured paint is also acceptable.

 

Yes, you definitely understand my frustration!

To be honest, it’s the lack of communication that bothers me more than anything. They’re supposed to be a reputable company that stands behind their products but they can’t give me an email response?

I’m used to people being like that online. Par for the course. It doesn’t really bother me except when I’m already irritated about something else.

 

Send your photos to RCI and see what they say. Maybe they'll send you a replacement? Wouldn't hurt.

 

https://rcimetalworks.com/shipping-policy/

They explain how responsibility changes to you the customer & carrier once fedex or whoever picks it up. Sucks but companies claim if you accepted it, it’s on you now. I'll be honest, RCI has it poorly written on their shipping policy page.

Just look @ Relentless Fabs policy page. It’s written like this company has experience with this exact situation!
https://www.relentlessfabrication.com/pages/policies

 

A few years ago I outfitted my truck with C4 products. I pressed them on why they didn’t powder coat their stuff. C4s response? They felt that powder coating heavy steel bumpers etc will not ship well and customers will be disappointed.

Sorry for your ordeal but now I see the logic of C4s policy.

Good luck in getting a resolution.

 

Which, I believe, is the more responsible way to go about it.

If RCI is going to have powder coating standard and brag about how their process is exponentially better than others, they should put more thought and consideration into packing it in such a way that it doesn’t sustain damage.

Just a couple end cap things would have prevented the edges from coming out and some foam between the touching metal pieces inside would prevent damage in the package.

 

I remember ordering some powder coated cross bars from LFD. Those things were stout and heavy. They arrived in pristine condition because they figured out how to ship stuff. They have bags of expanding foam that set up hard within the box being used for shipping. I’ve seen the same type of expanding foam bags used to ship prebuilt computers. Kind of ingenious and works very well to protect even very heavy, oddly shaped items.

 

My C4 ladder came inside a spray foam insert molded around it if my memory serves correctly. Probably the best shipping I had ever received.

 

I’m waiting to see the response time on this. I panicked when my Crestone Roof rack came with a couple pieces missing as I had already scheduled an install date. I sent multiple emails, left tons of messages, etc.. So I decided to call the Tech support/ sales #…. I got a hold of an extremely laid back (Boulder Colorado sounding) guy that as promised had the parts in my hand the next day.

I know that’s not going to be possible in your case but don’t panic. I think the course I’d be prepared for is a discount because the powder coats are generally not readily available for replacement. As far as recourse you always have the credit card company because you didn’t receive what you paid for.

 

RCI offers one of cheaper racks out there. They are considered a budget rack. Just because you think $1,000 is a lot it's all relative. Their rack is $800 shipped. That is fairly inexpensive compared to most others.

But also the damage is minimal. You could have touched it up in 30 seconds and moved on with life but here we are.

 

I bought Greenlane sliders, shipped from Canada to Ohio (via fedex) and made it to me in perfect condition. Their packing was absolutely incredible and took a good 10-15 minutes to cut it all away.

So yes, its entirely possible to ship large/bulky/heavy items and have them arrive undamaged.

OP hopefully RCI will get back to you in a day or two and refund you some of your $. I probably wouldnt send any more emails though.

 

If you paid with a credit card, the fast way to get their attention (I did this with another vendor who ignored my phone calls & emails) is to dispute the charge.

When I did that, the vendor called me within 6 hours of me disputing the charge and my CC company placing a hold on the charge.

 

Lol, congratulations! You’re the first to make it on my ignore list!

I’m certainly going to miss your ignorant condescending posts. Have a nice life! Bye!

 

My RCI rack was not packaged all that well but it didn’t have any damage. I guess the FedEx guys handling mine cared more. With that said, the UpTop Bravo was packaged way better and was only $640. Ironman bumper came via freight, strapped down to a pallet and it still had plastic bumpers on the parts that could potentially put a hole through the cardboard and the expanding foam around it. I recall being surprised at how little packaging was in the RCI box and even more surprised it didn’t get damaged. The sliders and pike bumper I got from RCI were packaged well though so not sure what’s up with their roof racks specifically

 

I wouldn't waste my time asking for thoughts on something if you have made your mind up already.

 

lol dude it’s a wear n tear item… not a luxury good, to be put away between uses. $1000 for a bunch of metal is not premium. Touch it up and be done. It doesn’t change the utility of the rack

 

The only time wasted is on irrelevant replies that aren’t helping answer my question.

If you take the time to read the title, I’m clearly asking how to fix it. Posts such as “well, sometimes things get damaged in transit” aren’t helpful. I’m aware of that.

When people say “touch it up” that’s also not helpful. With what? Paint? What kind works best for this? Bed liner spray? Bed liner roll-on? Is there a different option specifically for powder coating?

The annoyance with RCI isn’t that it got damaged (although they could have packaged it better), it’s the lack of communication after the fact.

I’m aware that these things happen sometimes. I’m asking the community if they can help me identify the best way to fix it specifically for roof racks and the exposure they have to weather and wear and tear.

I don’t need people hopping in stating the obvious.

 

See post above.

 

I use Rustoleum spray paint for my touch-ups. Black semi-gloss for my rooftop basket, sliders and skid plates, primer first if there's bare metal exposed. I used gloss on skids at first because it matches better, but since they're not visible, I decided to just keep one kind of paint going.

 

The guy doesn't seem to know what black paint is even after multiple people told him what to use

 

I use Rustoleum textured black to touch up my bumpers and sliders. Matches the powdered coat pretty well IMO

 

Yeah, which one matches best depends on how coarse the powder coating texture is.

 

Lol. Literally asking for helping in fixing the problem and then proceeding to shit on people offering a solution is crazy. Good luck dude.

 

lol what is there to fix? rack is not broken into pieces. 100% functional..

other than the fact it’s RCI.. they are cheap for a reason.. less well thought out than other brands

 

Eh my Sherpa which is a great company got dinged up in shipment. Even good powder coating will chip if say the shipping company damages the box exposing the product and drops it or something.

The sensible thing to do is to reach out to RCI and see if they will take some money off ( a reasonable amount ) if they respond and take some off fantastic if they don't hit it with black paint and be done with it. Some people just want to complain to complain.

 

I’m complaining because my brand new item was damaged in transit and the company ghosted me. Not really sure how that’s complaining just to complain.

I guess some people just like to post nonsense to post nonsense.

 

Thank you! This guy gets it!

 

Cool, thanks