I'm Not Happy with SPC (the Company)

I originally posted this "upgrade" to the Tacoma about 5 weeks after installing the new SPC UCAs on my truck. When I did, the feedback was swift - many people with the new X-Axis based UCAs were having lots of trouble with them, and the X-Axis joints were lasting shorter periods of time than the previous SpecRide Polyurethane bushings had lasted me.

Here is a bit of the feedback I received (note, each comment links to the original for more context/replies):

The overwhelming negativity of the feedback concerned me, so I started up an email thread with SPC.

Hi,

So, I recently posted about my (great) experience installing the new SPC UCAs with the X-Axis joints (that you helped me with): Replacing my SPC Upper Control Arms …with SPC UCAs

As part of that, I shared the experience on my various channels, and I’ve gotten some “interesting” responses that worry me a bit. Lots of folks are saying that they’ve gone through the X-Axis joints much more quickly than the Poly bushings that I was previously running (where I got 120K miles on a lot of dirt). That surprised/worried me, because I was under the impression that these were no-maintenance, lifetime joints per our previous conversation.

Cheers,
Dan

The response I got was not ideal (Note: I've removed names of SPC employees, as I understand that they are just doing their job.)

Dan,

Sorry for the misunderstanding about the warranty on bushings or ball joints. They are 3 years or 36k. Are you having issues with them already?

-SPC

Shocked, I sent a follow-up email - what would be the first of many - and finally had a phone call with SPC, where I shared that:

Hi,

Wow, I’m very disappointed to hear that the service life on these is 36K miles, given that I got 120K miles out of the poly bushings. Add to the fact that the poly bushings are replaceable for $50, and the X-Axis require an entirely new UCA purchase, and I feel like I’ve been swindled a bit here.

In fact, at 36K miles, these arms will last me only a single year - I put 40K miles/year on my Tacoma - which is ridiculous. I think I’d like to go back to the original arms (or, a poly version of the arms) and get my $250 for the X-axis arms refunded.

Can you help me make that happen?

Thanks,
Dan

The answer - perhaps to be expected - was that there was no way to "go back" since my original arms had been thrown away on receipt, and SPC only makes the new-style UCAs now. Not only that, but they are completely discontinuing the SpecRide bushings, so whatever is left in stock... is it.

Through all of this, they did say that they want to stand behind the new X-Axis joints, and that I should keep an eye on them over the next few years. If there's a problem, they (say they) will swap them out under warranty. That's a good thing (assuming it is true), but of course, part of the reason I made this switch in the first place was so that I'd have less maintenance over time. It appears that in reality, I'll have more.

I can't say that I'm happy with how this all worked out. Personally, I think I'd have preferred to buy a few of the (now discontinued) SpecRide bushing sets to keep on hand, replacing them as necessary over the next 5-10 years, rather than gambling on the longevity of the X-Axis joints. But, given that that is no longer an option, I'm going to be keeping a close eye on these, to ensure that if they fail, I'm able to catch it early and (hopefully) get them warrantied out.