Here's my experience with TAG/KMA (and now Blue Lake Offroad?): I bought a rear bumper from them - looked good on the web, and was only about a thousand dollars for a spare tire carrier, gas can holder, hi-lift jack mount, etc. (with shipping). I figured I would save a few hundred $ vs. buying from the competition. Well, you get what you pay for.
Back on the 1st of June I asked what the wait was, and he (Kyle) said 8 or 9 weeks. So, the next week, on the 9th, I ordered one. When I would check on it he had various “stories” he would tell me. On July 24th he said 3 or 4 weeks. Just about ready to ship, they said... A month later: “pretty darn soon, only 8 in front of you”. 9/12: only three in front... 9/25, it’s done, it’s curing, two days to cure, then 5 days shipping. That would get it here just a couple of days before our expedition trip to Hole in the Rock, Utah. No biggie, I’ll take a day off rather than drag my stock receiver hitch all over southeastern Utah.
9/28 I get a call – they can get it on the road that day if I give them my Visa # to pay for shipping, they’ll give me the tracking #, everything is cool. Okay, still would be in a couple of days before the trip. No tracking number comes. I call on Monday – “oh, it’s not going to ship for another week, that’s what I told you (No, you told me it would ship Friday, which was actually 3 days after it was done and curing. I tell him it won’t make it in time for the trip. He says: “It always works that way. Without fail. <sigh>” like that’s the way his life is. Pretty lame, if you ask me.
It came in on October 10th, right about double the time he said.
We go to put it on, and it’s missing some brackets. More wait. Yesterday I tackle it again.
Bearing parts for the swing out don’t fit. He says the manufacturer messed up, he says he could ship it but he doesn't know what it needs to be. Go to find the right stuff, takes 5 stops. Finally get it on today.
All good? Hardly. The paint is messed up because despite it apparently had over a week to cure, the plastic left wrinkle marks all over it. No primer either, all the scratches are down to bare metal, will be a rust problem.
The Hi-lift bracket doesn’t fit – the tire is in the way (WTF?)
The tire carrier won’t close because the gas can bracket is in the way (more WTF?). Cut it off.
The spare tire mount is crooked, looks like caca (yet more WTF?)
Pretty shoddy, overall. I give it not even one star.
