[RAIV55]

As I understand there were three founderies doing the castings. Are all the bad blocks documented so far from tri-city?

[Tom Vaught]

No

Tom V.

[Steve C.]

There is some confusion as to exactly how many foundries were involved. There may have been only two foundries involved with the blocks, a talk of a third foundry might be the one used for their cylinder heads only.

[RAIV55]

Who owns the patterns? Were the same ones used at each foundry? Seems strange that both (or all) foundries would miss the material composition if specified 35kpsi.

[Ron H]

There is 2 foundries with bad blocks or it is unknown right now?

[Tom Vaught]

Right now all most know is that there are bad blocks out there. Good blocks may be out there (possibly) but no one knows that at this point. IF the blocks were documented with Serial Numbers then you could do a finer sieve of the blocks.

Tom V.

[ponchospidel]

that is the reason i came forward in the first place. my dad did not want me to mention our name because the indeviduals that sold us the blocks still owed us a large amount of credit, do to some livestock(and adjective) trading, to say. they have fulfilled most of their obligation and apear to be,honest,--maybee---------- confused.we are going to return, just the blocks in question for thier testing. we hope that something positive results from all of this. i will try to remane calm and objective from now on(that's hard for me at this point). but if i get out of hand i know that the board will moderate my posts, thank you PY board in more ways than one. again i don't want to see anyone get hurt or thier vehicle get damaged in anyway. as for now i am done, will let you know the outcome of our return.

[Tim Corcoran]

Saw this on the internet and thought it was interesting.

The new MR-1 Pontiac Blocks
$2,695.00
FOB Glenmont, Ohio
and
MR-1A aluminum blocks are now available!
$3995.00
FOB Glenmont, Ohio

K & M Performance Parts is dedicated to manufacturing the highest quality aftermarket Pontiac engine blocks available. Our extensive research and product development, which ranges from street engines to some of the highest horsepower Pontiac race engines in the country, has given us the knowledge few if any others in the Pontiac racing industry possess. We have made corrections to yield a superior aftermarket Pontiac engine block.
To help insure that you the customer get the highest quality parts available, we perform all of the machine work in house on our K&M, company owned, CNC milling center. What this means to you is the Pontiac block you get from K&M Performance Parts is of the same quality and strength as the blocks we use in our own Pro Mod race cars. You may never need a Pontiac block capable of withstanding well over 2000 horsepower but if you do, that quality and strength is there.
The MR-1 Pontiac blocks are cast from high quality SAE J-431, G3500 gray iron. The block features many improvements over the stock block. It has Siamese cylinder walls that allow up to 4.375" bores without grouting the block. The deck has a 5/8 " nominal thickness for stability. The lifter galley has a 1" nominal thickness with the addition of 3 reinforcement ribs. The block also features 3" main bearing saddles (3.25" option is available at no extra charge) and is capable of making up to 555 cubic inches. This block accepts all standard Pontiac parts except for the original Pontiac Valley Pan. Below are links to details of all of the improvements we have incorporated into our aftermarket Pontiac block.
During our development of the MR-1 Pontiac block we started from ground zero. The first priority was to establish a quality standard for the gray iron material used in the casting of the block. In order to accomplish this, we contacted several foundries and met with their quality control departments to determine several things. First, the grade of gray iron used by Pontiac for stock blocks. Second, the best grade of gray iron material available to manufacture an engine block which is SAE J-431, G3500 Gray Iron with other alloys added. After spectrum analysis of a Pontiac block it was determined that we could improve the the strength of the MR-1 block with the most current technology.
Through this painstaking effort we were, with the help of the foundry, able to obtain this blend of precise alloys to yield a Pontiac block with the characteristics to be durable and dependable.
Who is K&M Performance Parts?
Steve Kauffman and Bill Mellott, the owners, along with Mark and Jeff Kauffman, confidants of K&M Performance Parts, would like to welcome you. Steve Kauffman is the father of Mark and Jeff and a long time friend and business associate of Bill Mellott. Steve and Bill have been buying, building and racing Pontiacs since the late 1960's. Mark and Jeff with the aid of Steve caught the Pontiac bug in the 1980's (when they were of driving age). With the help of Steve in the late 1990's, they opened a Pontiac performance engine shop, known as Kauffman Racing Equipment. The knowledge of Pontiac engines shared by these men comes from over 37 years of experience associated with building and running all types of Pontiac engines from stock street to supercharged alcohol and everything in between. After several years of drought, when aftermarket Pontiac blocks were not available, we decided not to allow others to dictate our future. It was this shortage and our dedication to Pontiacs and traditional Pontiac racing that caused us to manufacture the MR-1 engine Pontiac block. We do all of our machine work in house on our K&M owned CNC machining center and our quality control is second to none. We are committed to manufacturing the highest quality parts possible for a fair and reasonable cost to our customers. Through these efforts we hope to assist in the advancement of traditional Pontiac performance.
Shipping: K&M Performance uses United Parcel Service or USPS on all items under 150 lbs., unless otherwise requested. Items over 150 lbs. will be sent truck freight. All K&M Performance products are sold F.O.B. K&M Performance and shipped the fastest, most economical method, unless otherwise specified. F.O.B. means TRANSFER OF OWNERSHIP; when K&M Performance releases products to a common carrier any claims for loss or damage should be filed with the carrier and NOT K&M Performance All expenses resulting from refused shipments will be the responsibility of the customer and NOT K&M Performance
Damaged Goods - K&M Performance is not responsible for any damage from shipping / delivery, “in transit”. Freight Claims for damage, shortage or loss MUST be made immediately WITH THE CARRIER. You must note any substantial damage to a package upon receipt of the shipment with the carrier. All shipments are insured with the carrier / freight company and all claims for damaged goods must be made through the carrier / freight company. K&M Performance ships items F.O.B. and cannot make these freight claims for you. We will, however, provide any assistance possible to help you with your recovery efforts.
Missing Items - If Anything is missing from your shipment, contact us immediately. You must check each package as soon as you receive it; any missing component must be reported within 5 days of receipt of the product. Claims made after 5 days will not be honored.
Returned Goods - All returned goods must be pre-approved and accompanied by the original sales receipt. All returns must receive a “return authorization” from K&M Performance either by phone or email. This number must be presented on the return for processing. Returns are NOT accepted on ANY custom parts. All returns will be inspected for damage and or modification / alteration. ANY PART MODIFIED FROM ITS ORIGINAL FORM WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED AS A RETURN. All returns must be sent to K&M Performance freight pre-paid and insured. A restocking fee of up to 20% may be applied. No refunds are given for shipping charges. ALL SALES ARE FINAL AFTER 10 DAYS.
Warranty - Due to the extreme demand placed on racing and performance products, they are sold "as is" and without any express warranty or implied warrant of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. K&M Performance shall not be liable for any loss, damage, or injury.
Choice of Law/Arbitration - Any controversy or claim arising out of or relating to this contract, shipping or non conforming goods, or the breach thereof, shall be settled by arbitration administered by the American Arbitration Association in Franklin County, Ohio under its Arbitration Rules in Franklin County, Ohio, and judgment on the award rendered by the arbitrator(s) may be entered in any court having jurisdiction thereof.
The K&M Performance website www.kmperformanceparts.com and www.mr-1.com are protected by copyright under United States Copyright laws. Any trademarks, logos, slogans, pictures and/or other distinctive designs are owned by K&M Performance, and are protected by applicable law and may not be copied, used, or disseminated without the express written consent of K&M Performance This includes all materials contained within the K&M Performance website, www.kmperformanceparts.com and www.mr-1.com, as well as any product flyers, event flyers, and/or catalogs prepared by K&M Performance. All are protected by copyright and are owned and/or controlled by K&M Performance and/or its licensors and/or assigns.
K&M Performance has not reviewed all of the websites linked to the website and is not responsible for the content of any off-website pages or any other websites linked to the website. Your linking to any other off-website pages or other websites is at your own risk.
Your misuse of any information and or Trademarks displayed on the website, or any other content on the website, except as provided in these Terms and Conditions, is strictly prohibited. You are also advised that K&M Performance will aggressively enforce its intellectual property rights to the fullest extent of the law, including the seeking of criminal prosecution.
K&M Performance reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to change, modify, add or remove any portion of this Agreement, in whole or in part, at any time. Amendments and or changes to the Agreement will take effect immediately upon being posted to the website.

Tim C

[drunk'n Injun]

Originally Posted by ponchospidel

. as for now i am done, will let you know the outcome of our return.

I will find it hard to believe they will refund your money on your blocks. If they did this ,then they are admitting that there is an issue with the strenght off all their blocks. I hope it works out for you!
Scott

[Steve C.]

For those that have not read the material prior, the SAE J-431 / G3500 Gray Iron specification mentioned within the info Tim posted above states it should have a Brinell hardness of 207-255

[Ron]

The bottom line here is this...."Buyer Beware" and stay away from the KRE, K&M, et all.

T

[Tom Vaught]

The specs mean nothing Steve, They will not stand behind their products or "mistakes" (when selling to racers) so it is a mute point.

Really sad.

Tom V.

[Brian Baker]

Moot point, Tom.

"Choice of Law/Arbitration - Any controversy or claim arising out of or relating to this contract, shipping or non conforming goods, or the breach thereof, shall be settled by arbitration administered by the American Arbitration Association in Franklin County, Ohio under its Arbitration Rules in Franklin County, Ohio, and judgment on the award rendered by the arbitrator(s) may be entered in any court having jurisdiction thereof."

I find it interesting that a vendor would post on their website such meticulous directions on how to handle product issues, involving local government in such a manner. The way I'm interpretting this is as such:

They're no longer going to address any product or service issues directly, that the customer must take the issue directly to the A.A.A. in Franklin County OH for resolution. In other words, they're washing their hands of any situation that would arise, and placing the onus of "customer service" directly on the customer, by forcing them to seek a third party resolution.

Sad indeed.

[Doug Christie]

Was this caveat just put up on their website, or was it there before? If it was just put up there then those that bought before should be exempt.

[Tom Vaught]

I would think that the Franklin County people might be a little bit biased toward "their own" in the rulings, you think?

Tom V.

[Brian Baker]

Originally Posted by Tom Vaught

I would think that the Franklin County people might be a little bit biased toward "their own" in the rulings, you think?

Tom V.

Maybe, maybe not...but one can be 100% certain that the Ohio State Attorney Generals office won't be biased.

http://www.ag.state.oh.us/citizen/co...complaints.asp

[Sprocket]

I thought this thread was going to stick to facts and first hand knowledge, but that didn't last long. Some of the statements made above about forum selection clauses and/or alternate dispute resolution are just plain ignorant. When you sell goods on a national or international basis (particularly internet sales), it is always a good business practice to have a proper forum selection clause in your sales agreement/contract/invoice to prevent from being sued from all the way across the country or having to defend yourself all over the place. Having a dispute resolution clause to cut off a direct or any path to litigation can also be advantageous to the seller. Most vendors (such as KRE) don't expect to have any claims, but you should always contract around the possibilities, otherwise why ever bother having any written agreements or terms? Picking apart fairly boilerplate-type language in a form contract in an effort to look for bad faith business practices is just ridiculous, especially when you are unfamiliar with their nature and purpose. However, as a hint, arbitration in this case may actually benefit the buyer.

Tom, playing on your home turf is far more important economically than hoping to have a "local bias" advantage.

[Brian Baker]

Originally Posted by Sprocket

I thought this thread was going to stick to facts and first hand knowledge, but that didn't last long. Some of the statements made above about forum selection clauses and/or alternate dispute resolution are just plain ignorant. When you sell goods on a national or international basis (particularly internet sales), it is always a good business practice to have a proper forum selection clause in your sales agreement/contract/invoice to prevent from being sued from all the way across the country or having to defend yourself all over the place. Having a dispute resolution clause to cut off a direct or any path to litigation can also be advantageous to the seller. Most vendors (such as KRE) don't expect to have any claims, but you should always contract around the possibilities, otherwise why ever bother having any written agreements or terms? Picking apart fairly boilerplate-type language in a form contract in an effort to look for bad faith business practices is just ridiculous, especially when you are unfamiliar with their nature and purpose. However, as a hint, arbitration in this case may actually benefit the buyer.

Tom, playing on your home turf is far more important economically than hoping to have a "local bias" advantage.

Everything I have posted is factual and/or firsthand.

The notion of "having to defend oneself all over the place" doesn't wash, because if the customer were to attempt at filing a claim in a state outside of the vendor's state, they would be denied, and directed to file a claim within the state of the vendor.

As a consumer, the only "nature" or "purpose" of a vendor I am interested in is that they sell me a product free of defects that meets or exceeds my expectations based on their advertising of said product. As a consumer, I would also expect said vendor to address any grievance I may have about the product after the sale prior to directing me to a third party mediator. The way the disclaimer above is worded, in my interpretation, tells me that the vendor is skipping the part of addressing my grievance and laying resolution in the hands of a third party mediator. I don't care what which way you spin it, slice it, disect, or whatever...to direct the customer to a third party mediator without first trying to resolve the issue is poor business practice.

[Doug Christie]

Sproket. What if the "forum selection clauses and/or alternate dispute resolution "was added after the fact? Was it on their website when the customers with the boat anchors made their purchases? If it was added in later, after they purchased the boat anchors, would it be retro-active?

[Brian Baker]

Doug, a vendor can reserve the right to change their policy at any time, that's their right. Provided the vendor is not in violation of any law, there's nothing the customer can do legally if a vendor tells them they will no longer address their grievances directly and instead directs the customer to a third party mediator. In other words, you can consider the policy "retroactive".