Page 3 - Chinese Go Kart QualityActually, I Should Have Written "
Lack of Chinese Go Kart Quality"
(PLEASE NOTE: Below, I have copied and pasted some of what I wrote to the company from which I bought this go kart. Just be aware that it is written from that perspective, and that will help to explain why it is written the way that it is.)
UPDATE: FRONT A-ARM MOUNT FAILURE. Today, I drove the kart for maybe 30 minutes in a big grass field. When I returned to the shop, I noticed that there were some cracks on the floor pan near the pedals. I looked underneath, and there I saw one of the lower A-Arm mounts tearing away from the kart! Even as I type this, it makes me feel sick to my stomach. I feel sick to my stomach thinking about how much work I have done on this kart. It makes me sick to my stomach thinking about all the time I've wasted on this thing! I talked with my wife about this and when she heard me say that I have probably spent 30+hours working on this kart, she said: "Much more". This is a nightmare. I have NEVER seen anything like this. I have tried and tried and tried to make this work, but I can already see what the future holds for me with this kart. It is truly a lemon. I've fixed and improved so many things on it, and yet I've only been able to drive it maybe 1 hour while working on it for 30+ hours. I've carefully driven it in a big grassy field for approximately 1 hour TOTAL, and now the front suspension mounts are beginning to tear off! As I studied this, I can see the flaw is much deeper than just welding. The flaw is not only poor fabrication but a flawed design. The front A-Arm mounts are just welded to the thin sheet metal floor!! They should have designed the frame so the suspension mounts weld directly to structural frame members... not flimsy sheet metal!
I have tried and tried and tried to make this kart adequate, but it is so flawed in it's workmanship and design, that I can not waste anymore time on this. The fix for this latest problem is not just welding the crack (like putting a band-aid on a gunshot wound to the head)! If this sort of failure happened because someone jumped off a huge jump and landed really hard, or if someone ran into a tree, then damage like this would be expected. BUT, I've been carefully driving around in a big grass field and the suspension is starting to tear away from the kart! This is a major defect! The solution is to cut off all the existing lower front suspension mounts and adding structural reinforcements that are welded to the frame and become a part of the frame structure. Then new mounts would have to be made and welded to that new structure. This is NOT a simple repair.
I have reached my limit. From Day 1, this kart has been nothing but trouble - LITERALLY! I do not know how all the other karts were assembled or built, but this one was terrible. The very sad thing to me is that I've fixed nearly all of the problems, so the kart is MUCH, MUCH BETTER THAN WHEN I GOT IT. Not only have I been fixing problems but also making improvements trying to make this a better kart. Yet, as soon as I fix things, new problems develop. I do not trust this kart. It is a lemon. I would not trust taking it anywhere for fear that it would strand me or cause me to get injured (or worse). It's bad enough how much time and money I've already invested in this kart (and taken away from my family), but I can NOT continue to waste anymore. I can not afford to get injured or maimed (or worse) because of some major failure on this kart. It is defective. I've had all these many problems, have worked on it for probably 30+ hours and I only had chance to drive it around for maybe 1 hour!! It scares me to think all the trouble I would have in the future!
I will be shipping the kart back to you. I have been trying to put myself in your shoes all throughout this, and I still do put myself in your shoes. I hate doing this. I hate all of this. I've tried and tried to make this whole deal work, but I can not waste any more of my life on this defective kart. This kart needs to be returned. You also need to try to put yourself in my shoes through this whole nightmare. It makes me sick to my stomach to think of all the time, energy, and work I've already wasted on this kart, and now I face the time and work involved in preparing for shipment and having to drive a long distance to a truck freight terminal. This has truly been a nightmare to me. I wish I could just wake up and find out it was all just a bad dream, but unfortunately that is just not possible. Chinese go kart quality like this gives a bad name to all go karts manufactured in China. I know that there are some Chinese go karts of decent quality; however, the phrase "Chinese go kart" and "quality" do not go together in this case! TOTAL JUNK! This is the end of my saga dealing with poor Chinese go kart quality with this particular machine.
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