RE: IML: Budd Rotors

Hello Everyone and Leslie

I know that I was not sent this email but I feel that I should answer your questions anyways. Our company was originally Durametal (from Tualatin, OR) which made two products paper refiner plates and brakes drums and rotors. About 7 years the brake drum and rotor division spun off into the new company DuraBrake.

We do not accept credit cards because we deal mainly with distributors who buy 5-6K worth of product at a time and paying the credit card fees for an amount like that is not feasible. We can accept paypal if members really want but will have to charge 2.9% as that is what they charge for using a credit card. Ken Lang (the IML’er who will be supplying the rotor) is going to be visiting me to give me a sample rotor at the end of this month as he cannot do it this week and I will be at a trade show in Louisville, KY next week. Anyone that would like to visit our company is welcome to. We are located in Mountain View, CA.

The rotor for the Imperial will be designed in the United States by engineers and produced in our factory in Taiwan. We can not feasibly produce a rotor of a quantity of 50 in our American factory. Our company is a major player in the heavy-duty truck market and we are probably the biggest importer of heavy-duty rotors from China into America. Our customers include the biggest heavy-duty axle manufacturer in America and some performance automotive companies.

Please let me know what other questions you have but I wish you had brought up your concerns before as some people have already sent their deposits in and they have been deposited already.

Regards,

Shaun

Hi Gang,

You're receiving this email because you notified me that you wanted two or more rotors. It has come to my attention that Durabrake has had some issues in the past. One of which is they've changed their name and become an LLC. It also bothers me that they won't accept credit cards which gives us no recourse if they don't follow through. I also have reason to believe this job will be outsourced overseas. Not that almost everything isn't these days, I'd just like to know more about the process. This thing kind of got out of hand when the Durabrake guy joined the list, and took the control of the compiling the rotor list.

I also found out that the IML'er that is supplying the specs and the Rotor has not been to visit this company yet. He plans to do that in about a week. Anyway I don't feel comfortable sending my money off to them, until we know more.

Meanwhile another IML'er took the time to call Precision Brakes who originally quoted us a price in 2003, they are still interested in the job and the rotors will be made right here in Oregon, and they accept credit cards. I also think we'll get more people following through if they can charge it, than if they have to produce the cash up front.

So if you haven't sent in a deposit I would like to encourage you to wait until we have more information.

If you have any Questions contact me, or stay tuned to the "Haze Green Wonder" channel for more information :-)

Leslie Kettenhofen - 1967 Sedan Titanic "the haze green wonder"

Central Oregon Coast - imperial67@xxxxxxxxxxx

From: mailing-list-owner@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:mailing-list-owner@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Shaun Shroff
Sent: Wednesday, March 15, 2006 9:40 AM
To: mailing-list@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: RE: IML: Budd Rotors - Durabrake

Dear Dick or anyone else in the group,

Can you or someone please send me what Leslie has sent to the group regarding this project and DuraBrake as I had not received it. Also a note to members, before putting stop payments please come to a conclusion so that we do not waste everyone’s time and money. Thanks and have a great day

Regards,

Shaun

From: mailing-list-owner@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:mailing-list-owner@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Richard Woodside
Sent: Wednesday, March 15, 2006 8:48 AM
To: mailing-list@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Re: IML: Budd Rotors - Durabrake

Leslie, where were you when all this was being broadcast across the IML? You never breathed a word of concern then. Why wait until now, when some of us have already sent our deposits to Durabrake? Or is this simply a smear campaign from your local Precision Brake, there in Oregon?

What makes you think that Durabrake will be outsourcing the production overseas? If you do a Google search on Durabrake, you might find a 2003 letter from the Federal Transit Administration regarding the Buy America policy applicable to municipal transit buses, in which Durabrake was cited as one of four companies that was able to comply with the Buy America criteria. Here's the link: http://www.fta.dot.gov/14335_16819_ENG_HTML.htm for what it's worth.

Leslie, as the coordinator of this project on the IML, are you now telling us to put stop-payments on the deposits that we have already sent to Durabrake? Are you cancelling this project with Durabrake and now starting over again with Precision Brake? Is Precision Brake's quote the same: $179 each, with a minimum of 50 orders? What comparative information can you provide us to support your advice that Durabrake is a fraud but Precision Brake is not?

How many of us have already sent our deposits to Durabrake? If you'll pardon the bad pun, is it already too late to put the brakes on this project? And again, Leslie, could you please give us all the information you have as to why we should put the brakes on this project now?

Dick Woodside