I recently purchased and installed a new SPEC Stage 3+ w/ light pedal pressure option as well as the $350 billet aluminum pressure plate option. In addition to the clutch I installed an aluminum Fidanza flywheel, a Lethal Performance throwout retainer, a Ford Racing throwout bearing, a Ford Racing pilot bearing, and a NOS T56 pivot ball. I broke the clutch in properly for the first 500-600 miles. After break in I immediately noticed several problems that I thought may be related to improper cable adjustment. In 3rd gear and up, starting around 4k rpm the clutch spun like I had the pedal to the floor. A downshift to 4th at 60 netted the same result. I tried every adjustment I could with the cable from way to tight, to way to loose, and netted the same result. The owner of the shop that installed the clutch called SPEC and described the problem that I was having to them. Before they could even finish explaining the problem they denied that there was anyway possible there was a defect in the clutch, they had less than a 1% return rate and there was simply no way possible that they sold a defective clutch. They offered an RMA if I was willing to ship the clutch to them on my dime as well as pay the return shipping whether the clutch was defective or not. This would not only require me to pay for another R&R of the clutch (6 hours at $80), but also cause my car to be stuck in a shop for at least a week. I called and spoke with them, explained how conveniently impractical their solution was, and suggested several other possible solutions. I asked, if nothing else, would they be willing to upgrade the clutch if it was found to be defective to cover the additional expense and time this problem was presenting. I got a flat "no, thats not something we do" response and got off the phone with them. A short time later I received a call back from one of the techs who advised me that he looked at my order and it was possible that a pressure plate for a Stage 2 clutch had been installed instead of the 3+. Thinking to myself that he didn't just pull this explanation out of the sky after looking at my order I was hoping for some sort of relief. No dice. They gave me the same impractical solution as before, and weren't willing to make any concessions for the giant headache that they created. I was on hand for the installation, I know it was installed properly. The flywheel and pressure plate were degreased and cleaned to the point you could have eaten off them, every bolt was torqued to proper spec, even the bell housing was cleaned spotless, inside and out in a parts washer and pressure washed to remove any possible contaminants, the only grease applied was to the pivot ball and to the cable connection. I'm flat disgusted with their customer service and wouldn't put another one of their clutches in my car if it was the last one on earth available. Has anyone else had this type of experience with them? Better yet, has anyone had their problem/issue corrected in a reasonable manner? I don't want something for nothing, I just want what I paid for, and I want others to know on the front end what they can expect if they have a problem with one of SPEC's products BEFORE they order it.
