DEZLPWR

I bought my Mag Hytec diff cover for my front Dana 60 when it first came out back in April of 2002. Fast forward to about a month ago...
I went to change my diff fluid and I could not budge the drain plug. In the process of trying to break it loose, we ended up twisting two different allen wrenches like pretzels. (Both were high quality, and one was a Craftsman on a socket)
Long story short, we ended up having to remove the whole front cover which required also removing the tie rod. What a PITA! I paid big money (over $240) for this cover, in large part, because of the drain plug/ease of service, and I ended up having to remove it like the stock cover. Not good.
Also, the drain plug was already installed in the cover when I purchased it new, so it was never removed until I tried to.

I had heard about the excellent customer provided by the owner Jerry @ Mag Hytec, so I figured I'd give him a call, and he would take care of me. Not!

I told him all that we went
through with the stuck plug, and he just
matter-of-factly stated that it must have been put on
a little tight from the factory. He said try breaking
it loose with a centerpunch & maybe some heat. I
mentioned using an impact, and he said that may work
as well. Never an apology, and he even said that I
may want to order a new drain plug in case I damage
the existing one, and that they cost $20!
Needless to say, I was not very happy with his response. At the BARE MINIMUM, he should have offered to send me a new drain plug FOR FREE.

Just thought that I'd pass on my dissapointing experience in dealing with Mag Hytec, and warn you that if you order a new Mag Hytec, make sure that you check the drain plug BEFORE you install the cover. Apparently they use Ivan the Gorilla to tighten them sometimes, (WAY beyond the 30 inch/lbs. spec!)and you don't want to go through what I have had to....

DEZLPWR

Piers will be taking care of me, because he is AWESOME!!!
Thanks, Piers! First class, all the way....

MLR1

The same thing with my trans pan. The plug came out with an inpact gun but way more than spec from the factory. You may also want to use a little oil on the o ring (just like an oil filter) to help keep it from sticking.

Wilson

You would think that spending that kind of money for something as simple as a diff cover would warrant some kind of service. That is really unfortunate but I am glad that Piers is taking care of you. I think its good that people post about experiences, good and bad, with vendors. I would say that your experience would be enough to lead me away from mag-hytec but I think the $240 is info enough. I cant believe that it would cost that much to manufacture.

Scotty

I had a Dana 80 Rear diff cover from Mag Hytec...super high quality and in my opinion worth the money.
A buddy of mine got a DANA 60 for his front and had the same problem. He called the folks at Mag Hytec before he tried twisting the wrenches...LOL Then he bent them anyway while trying to heat that cover and do as suggested above. He then got a new cover shipped to him after they could not get the thing open for service.

I paid 51K [canuck bucks] for my truck, it was high but I bought it for its function fun and the Cummins. I did the same for lots of other products.

Don't take this wrong...cheaper ain't always better and sometimes a glitch happens.

Now if I can only remember that when I go to the dealer with my exhaust leak it might resolve better. I fixed it myself and they want me to come by and show the fix so that they can do it...plus they said I can get a nice gift for helping out and not getting really riled with them like I felt doing.

Mag Hytec is a good product. Sorry to read of the issue...Piers did good as usual. Another Canuck eh

Commatoze

DEZLPWR, I remember you posting a few weeks back about the problem with your cover. I don't want to take anything away from your troubles, but I needed customer service from them back in September, and they bent over backwards to help me. My problem isn't solved yet, but I've got 2 dipsticks and 4 quarts of Redline gear lube that were FedEx'd from CA in an attempt to correct it; all gratis. As I understand it, Jerry the owner has been layed up since the summer with knee trouble, operations, and a nasty infection. Maybe you got him on a bad day, I don't know. It's good to hear someone is stepping up to the plate for you; possibly the shop you purchased it from?

Tom

Robert Rausch

I have 2 Mag-Hytecs on my Truck, 1 Tranny pan, 1 Read Dif Cover. I Love 'em, and YES if you tighten the drain plugs too much you WILL be sorry. It doesn't take much to tighten them.

I've been to Mag-Hytec 3 times, they are just a few miles from me, and I've gotten great customer service from them. Once I asked for and offered to buy an extra tranny gasket, and they gave it to me. 2nd time I went to buy an extra Tranny drain plug--(Yup I got Torque happy!) and they gave me a replacement at no charge. 3rd time I had lost a couple of allen bolts and washers from the tranny pan and wanted to replace them. (I had to pay for those.) FYI the allen bolts are common size, but those little stainless washers!!! I had to go to M-H to get them.

Dieseldude4x4

I went to go and remove the fill plug on mine and it was so tight, the allen wrench fitting in the cover broke. Tried the vise grip thing and it still would not come out. I think it is corrosion from dissimilar metals. I hope to be able to get the plug out sooner or later and then I'll use some anti seize on it.

DEZLPWR

Funny, that is exactly what Piers said. I'd like to think that maybe his pain meds were clouding his business sense/customer service skills or something... If he were smart, he'd use that as an excuse anyway.... Not a good way to treat a customer that has both front and rear Mag Hytec covers. (Close to $500) You know what they say about 1st impressions, and this was not a good one.

Oh well.... Thankfully, Piers came to the rescue!

infidel

If I'm not mistaken the inventor and founder of Mag-Hytec died last year, perhaps the new management is the reason for your service problem.

Robert Rausch

Bill! It's good to see you over here! Your presence is much missed over at you-know-where.

Roy Rothlisberger, the founder of Mag Hytec did die earlier this year, and I believe his son who had been active in the business is still managing it, but I may be wrong. He seemed like a good guy to me the times I've talked to him.