Soon2beBad91Z28

I've bought several products from hawksthirdgen and half of them were poor quality. I've called and emailed them numerous times to try and return/notify them of their sub-quality products. They have yet to call back or respond. It seems to me that they have little to no customer service. I am done with this company. If you can go to another company for a part, by all means that is the wisest choice.

sean88iroc

what is the best company for third gen parts then do u think? I personally wont order from youngs f-body or formally f-body motorsports they are a joke!

UnderCover89TBI

iTrader: (25)

I have had no problems with Hawks thirdgen. sorry.

W.E.G.

OP would have more credibility (or not) if he gave more details.

plum92_camaro

Blue1990camaro

iTrader: (1)

what did you order that wasnt good quality?

Blue 90 RS

I have ordered quite a few things from Hawk's with good results. I can't even get anyone at Young's to answer the phone.

Soon2beBad91Z28

Ok so I ordered a front ground effect piece for a 1991 Camaro z28. The part was more rubber than plastic, and it hardly held paint. My painter is a reputable guy who does work for insurance companies as well. He has twenty-plus years of experience and he had a terrible time. He painted twice and it still got fisheyed. Then I bought OEM replacement emblems for my car and the adhesive wasn't sticking. I prepared and clean the surface before applying and it still has a hard time staying on. I hand wash my car so a high-powered car wash isn't the reason they're coming off. So I decided to contact HawksThirdgen and they havent picked up once out of the 5 times I have called. I have left voicemails and my number. I even have sent emails. Needless to say they lost my support. It's too bad because I have received some good parts, but they need to get their customer service together.

KYLE87

iTrader: (5)

I've never had a quality issue with Hawks, I always receive what I ordered but the times I have ordered the shipping/processing has been pretty slow. I only get something from them if I cant find it somewhere else, I find the prices and shipping kinda steep.

lonestar7

iTrader: (1)

I've bought a few things from Hawk's also, never had any problems. Like others have posted, I'd like to know more about what items were the cause of the complaint, and what was wrong with them.

Joe Tag

iTrader: (4)

The fisheye thing is either moisture or bad surface prep (oils on parts) there is a fisheye eliminator additive for paint. You can't blame that on hawks. I always use 3M double stick tape on everything, even if a part comes with it's own.
I also have to go with most posts here. I have bought from them and had no issues.

Soon2beBad91Z28

My painter is well-qualified and he said he's never had trouble with a part like that. The material the piece was made out of was more like rubber than plastic. He said the paint he was using wouldn't stick to it. Also, I shouldn't have to buy tape for the emblems if they are supposed to stick on with the adhesive they're sent with!! If they had tried to contact me I wouldn't be so fired up about this. In the past I had good luck with them, but this is frustrating that they won't pick up the phone.

Joe Tag

iTrader: (4)

The material the chin spoiler and both front and rear bumpers are made of a rubber like material, if it wasn't, there would be none left used. Look around at these chin spoilers. They are all scratched from bottoming out. Plastic would shatter at the first impact. Once again, surface prep is key to good adhesion of paint and emblems with DS tape. A good scuff with 320, cleaning with lacquer thinner, fisheye preventer, and an adhesion promoter like bulldog and you will never have any problems with paint. I'm not playing down the fact you had problems, but I think you may be laying blame where it does not belong. Qualified or not, people make mistakes. Sometimes they will blame others for them because its easier than eating the work put in already, and they can get paid again for their mistake. Just saying, Hawks is known for pretty good stuff. I have seen people unhappy with their customer service, but not their products.

1991sleeper

iTrader: (-3)

Ditto ! Same here with my 600$ ram air 2 hood fits like ****

beths91camaro

iTrader: (35)

Anyone can say anything about not having trouble.
Most of the cars on the road nowadays have those more rubber than plastic bumpers, and paint adheres to them fine.
My OH has almost 30 years into body and repair. Honestly does sound like oils on the parts more than anything.
And just because they sent adhesive, doesn't mean it's the best- just sayin.....

Joe Tag

iTrader: (4)

AS for 1991sleeper, if you think you will buy a new glass hood and it will bolt right up with no mods or bodywork, you are mistaken. Look at all the ads for them on ebay. All have disclaimers that they were heavily modified and bodywork done to make a proper fit. On a $500 hood you can expect as much in fitting at a body shop most of the time.

Joe Tag

iTrader: (4)

A quote of Hawks disclaimer.
"Please note all aftermarket hoods are designed and molded to fit cars that have not endured damage at any point. However these hoods can be adjusted along with other body panel to fit correctly but you may need to adjust fenders or front bumpers to install properly "
From their ebay auction.
"This hood is ready to be fitted, finished, sanded, primed & painted"

Soon2beBad91Z28

That's what I'm trying to say, their adhesive should be good quality, I shouldn't have to go out and buy a different adhesive.

Soon2beBad91Z28

Either way at the very least I'm beyond disappointed at their customer service. I know they have many good products but their service department is seriously lagging behind. Until they change that, I'm going to another company.

Jeffs82TA

iTrader: (1)

I've seen one of their taller iroc spoilers and it was junk. I would wait and wait and try and find nos parts before repro's.

Anti-Venom

I still stand behind Hawks. I've dealt with them on many occassions and have never had any issues. Sounds like your "experienced" painter is actually to fault here. As others have stated, those parts are originally "more rubber than plastic."

As for the emblem, was it an NOS piece? If so, I wouldn't expect it to still be sticky after
22 years or so.

Soon2beBad91Z28

The emblem was brand new OEM replacement. It should stick perfectly fine. I also stand behind my painter, and I can see someone who is experienced making a mistake once, but not twice in a row. Either way, like I previously stated, they should at least pay attention to their customers whether or not anyone believes the products are good or bad.

LX_SS

I don't understand your logic, you are whinging about an emblem over some adhesive cause you should have too, for the $2 worth of 3m adhesive you could just attach to it and fix the problem.

As for the front ground effects, if its oem and the style is meant to be the rubbery type so it has some flex if it bottoms out, Now your insurance painter friend here should know what to use on such items, unless his a typical insurance painter who paints only new panels. The product isn't too blame the preperation is. Sometimes things are a little more difficult and take a bit more, seems to be what was lacking here.

Both points honestly are pretty weak for going off at hawks, sure customer service could use a notch perhaps, but to call them crap over a bit of adhesive and failed preparation. Maybe you could post pictures and show the details as well to help explain the story.

My point also is come across as a dick/all fiery like and you won't get support you want, be nice kiss a little *** and the world performs miracles like you've never seen.

Joe Tag

iTrader: (4)

I'm interested to see these emblems too. If they're the rocker or nose emblems they are supposed to be mounted by speed nuts. They are most likely the same ones I have seen everywhere else that have both DS tape and the studs. Not sure which company it was but they said you should mount it with the speed nuts and not rely on the DS tape.

Johnny Blaze

iTrader: (15)

Fisheye is due to surface or paint contamination!
Bottom line!

It's not the parts fault.

I can understand your complaint about the adhesive.

I have bought from hawks many times, and have never had a complaint.

Mirror Image

iTrader: (2)

If your part is raw rubber? I have found that if you use the right cleaner and apply a flexible primer then you shouldnt have any problems the problem is when they make the part they use a mold release coating that will work its way into the pores of the rubber and if you use a wax and grease remover to clean it then you may have a peeling problem you need a plastic cleaner and plastic primer good luck

Joe Tag

iTrader: (4)

http://pc.dupont.com/dpc/en/US/html/..._Fisheyes.html
Don't take our word for it. Directly from DuPont.

Mirror Image

iTrader: (2)

Man I've never seen fisheyes as bad as the ones on that red hood looks like someone sprayed armor all before they sprayed it

Joe Tag

iTrader: (4)

Thought that myself. Must be intentional for demonstration.

UnderCover89TBI

iTrader: (25)

yeah your paint guy not knowing how to prep is what is causing fisheyes. but anyway lets move along this is not legit

The Project

iTrader: (6)

Bought from Hawk's before ...will do so again.

Saving up for their 6" spoiler which I know (from reading TGO threads ) will need to be adjusted and "massaged" a little.

Is "fisheye" a new faux paint look

UnderCover89TBI

iTrader: (25)

5 " I spent about an hour and it fits pretty good. more time and you can get it perfect. make sure your hatch struts are good and have equal tension on both sides. that was 70% of why it didnt fit right at first.

Cale Sahl

iTrader: (2)

OP would you be kind enough to share your correspondence with Hawk's? As mentioned before in this thread, the way you present your case could be a reason for lack of communication. Also, this may or may not hold much weight, but remember it is the end of the year and it is possible they are shorthanded with vacations, increased sales volume, etc. so answering the phone may not be a high priority with them. I also doubt they look at the phone when you call and say, 'Crap! It must be _______, let's ignore him!'

But seriously, I understand things aren't going your way with a part you bought. Remember there are more links in the chain to investigate (such as the painter and products used for paint), but to squarely blame Hawk's is ridiculous. Sure it's possible Hawk's messed up but let's look at *all* of the pieces of the puzzle. I know I've seen some good advice in this thread alone about paint prep, so I walk away learning something. What are you learning from this thread?

Best of luck to you and I do hope it gets resolved to everyone's satisfaction.

1991z285speed

I have purchased from Hawkins, and I have to say it isn't too bad. What I have found is people are trying to get the best bang for the buck and don't truly know what they are buying (quality wise). I purchased a set of new emblems for my z28, which were sent promptly after ordering and I had them a day or two later. I can honestly say no complaints. I think if you are trying to order something that has to come off a car in their yard or something that is big-it may take time. Remember, Hawkins thirdgen has new, manufactured aftermarket, and used parts for sale-do not skimp on something that you are expecting high quality. So, the take away point is to know when to save a dollar and when to bite the bullet and just buy new. An example of this would be door handles. You can buy used and have what you buy (hit or miss) or you can bite the bullet. They are a good source and know what they are selling. I trust them. Hope those two cents help, and I haven't offended anyone!

Cheers,

Ted

Soon2beBad91Z28

Holy shi*t someone had their panties rustled Sorry if you're a huge fan of hawks third gen haha. Anyways point being they lost my support not through their products but through their failed customer service.

LX_SS

I'm not a fan of hawks like you say, i do think their customer service could use a touch of 'rainbow sparkles'.

My point is with your issues, the badge adhesive : nothing here to contact customer service about.My Genuine M3 badge from bmw did the exact same thing(i imagine 15 years + on a shelf does that). Fisheye's in paint : painter issue, another non hawks problem, lack of prep.

So in review you shouldn't need to have contacted hawks to complain at all. Get some adhesive and badged fixed then do more prep work on the painted part. Problems solved.

You haven't posted any photos of the issues, numerous people have suggested also prep work for fisheye's and why it could be caused.

Anyway GL with the issue.

Ramair21

iTrader: (3)

i always order from Hawks! Never had a single problem. I think you paint guy doesnt know how to paint. Sorry bro, you argument is not valid

hawksthirdgen

Hi,
I apologize to anyone who has trouble with something they have received , I find it hard to believe that we would not answer the phone when I have three FULL TIME associates on the phones. That being said if you have any problems that are with the quality of our product I will do all I can to make it right . To all of our happy customers thanks for all of your support. To any customers that have issues please email me direct bruce@hawksthirdgenparts.com.
Sincerely, Bruce
www.hawksthirdgenparts.com

Please keep in mind our business plan is to take care of our customers and grow our market and our business not to take advantage of anyone or take there money. I look forward to helping many customers in the future.

racerx520

iTrader: (1)

I had an issue when i put my 4th gen spoiler on that i bought from them. when they packaged it, in a box using staples, they inadvertently stapled right through the spoiler in quite a few spots. Oh, i had changed up my order to not include some body molding pieces, so they cut open the box in the center of the spoiler, and removed the moldings, and when closing it, used more staples to shut it which went into the spoiler in more spots. when i removed it from the box, a straggling staple put a nice gouge right down the spoiler. I was in a rush to fit and install the spoiler and it already took me 2 weeks to receive it so i wasn't going to wait another 2-3 weeks for it to be returned and shipped back. I had to do A LOT of work to it to smooth it out and get it ready for paint. I put a new coat of primer on it, and when i got it ready to paint, it fish eyed twice. took me a few times trying to paint and sanding to finally get it done nicely (yes i used fish eye reducer)
I was mad at hawks, i order sometimes from them still, but i do find their prices somewhat high, so i usually shop around (no offense to hawks, summit can be high- although better than hawks-so i usually shop around often)
That was about 5 years ago now, I almost forgot! when they shipped me the spoiler, they never included the mounting template, so i had to just figure it out on my own.

zbird90

Just want to share that back in early November I tried calling Hawks at least 5 times in one day because I had intentions of ordering a headliner kit, but unfortunately, no one picked up the phone. So evidently this does happen on occasion. However, on my last attempt I was finally able to leave a voice mail. I did so and asked them to please return my call and it never happened. Hence I ordered my headliner kit from Classic Industries as a result. Was not impressed at all with lack of contact, and ultimately, no response. Maybe one way for me to look at this is that maybe this is a good sign they are that busy-meaning lots of demand from us folks to keep these 3rd gens on the road

92 BBC Z

Bruce, talk is cheap, and wishful thinking is a useless. I never received anything other than bs promise to 'make it right' for the crap you sold me. Fact.

99olo

Thirdgen seems to like to tear vendor's a new one...

hawksthirdgen

Are you serious !!why don't you try calling me or even post a # and I will call you to resolve instead of posting vague negativity I'm trying to make sure things are handled and this is the type of responses I get instead of getting chance to fix a issue and we wonder why we can't get more third gen support in the industry ??

Sincerely , Bruce Hawkins

MMroc86

Are YOU serious?

Don't think that's the way you should handle an upset customer(s). He puts money in your pocket. He can get mad & call you out on anything he wants & you sir are to remain cordial. That attitude is the reason why you are having incidents with customers & most importantly why your employees are not picking up the phones & when they do they are giving poor service. They are a reflection of YOU.

I wanted to buy a part off a salvage vehicle, a third brake light assembly off an 86' I asked for a picture to be sent to my e-mail & my request to have a picture sent was refused. So I didn't buy it & further-more I take my thirdgen parts needs elsewhere.

Hawks can keep their poor quality replicas but first & foremost you guys can keep your sub-par customer-service.

Sincerely, an unsatisfied hawks third-gen parts customer.

86_irocz-28

99olo

I mean, come on. I'm sure he tries very hard to satisfy all his customers- he has no reason not to- but he can't magically have everything work out perfectly. He runs a business, he has employees that may mess up orders or may talk on the phone while they're having a "bad day", whatever- but that's not all his fault. Stuff happens, and if you're gonna base something off of one little experience, maybe being unable to reach him, you're too quick to judge. You have his attention, work it out with him in private- I guaruntee he's open to it. He'd be crazy not to.

Johnny Blaze

iTrader: (15)

I want to give a Big THANK YOU to Bruce for actually putting forth the effort to provide a small customer base with dedicated parts and avalability at great prices.

To think in this day a guy can start up a business to provide products for such a Niche market and compete with the box box stores is amazing.

Without guys like Bruce the Third Gen crowd would have little hope.

The fact of the matter as seen here is people always want to point the blame somewhere. Its easy to get on the net and talk smack, but the truth is, Bruce is not to blame here.

If you are not happy with the business, don't shop there.

I have seen several threads where they person bashes the supplier, and never gives them the chance or even asks for a chance to make it right.

The fact is, Fish eye is due to POOR SURFACE PREPERATION.

Its not bruces fault you aren't cleaning your parts properly.

If you still think Bruce is a crappy business man and is doing a disservice to the Third Gen crowd, then start your own shop and run him out of business!

Thanks again Bruce, for all the parts I have ordered from you to help keep this third gen rocking!

chevyowner02

iTrader: (3)

I have ordered tons of stuff from them never had any problems at all sure some of the stuff seems a little high, but I know where to go get it and don't have to fish around the net to find it.

The Project

iTrader: (6)

Much easier for people to armchair quarterback than to put money where their mouth is.

Oh yea...thanks Bruce for supporting the 3rd gen crowd.

green92

One Thing EVERYONE driving a vehicle (especially older) should understand is reproduction items are not perfect. I've worked in Body shops and parts houses 20 years one thing about it all the vendor cannot control the quality of the item. They aren't able to open every box and inspect each part. That's why the manufacturer of said item should have some type of quality control. That being said humans and machines are not perfect. This is an imperfect world accept it. As far as some folk bashing hawks for their parts quality your bashing the messenger basically. Their customer service issues can only be handled if you do as Bruce asked. I have had excellent service from them. Even had the pleasure of dropping by a couple times. Great place and great people but I have also had a hard time getting people on the phone. Like Bruce sai he has three people there to answer phones. The few times I visited they were slammed. So my question to the op the customer may be right but do you stay past your time to get off work to answer every email or phone all you missed or go home to your family? Little patience and understanding would benefit you and them.