Not Happy w/6LE McNord Overlays

**SuperSport346** · 05-04-2010, 07:28 PM

Sorry, this is LONG!
I know I'm a bit of a perfectionist, especially when it comes to my car. But when I make an order for $380 ($320 for overlays alone), I expect to be happy with my purchase. That's not pocket change!

Everybody talked highly of Mark and the overlays he offers. I had just purchased vinyl overlays on eBay when I discovered 6LE, and his overlays looked so nice I decided to not install my vinyl overlays and order from him. I have been looking forward to receiving these for months.

I'm going to leave out some of my small complaints (no rear defrost light, 5 fan control dots when my knob only has 4 positions, etc.). This is why I'm not very happy:

I ordered the SS/ABS bezel. It's been over 2 months since I placed my order, I have yet to receive my ABS bezel. That's nearly 2 months I've been driving around without my gauge cluster properly installed.

I ordered the gradient shadow effect, in bright red. On Mark's site, there is a picture of this effect (he now tells me this is in DIRECT SUNLIGHT! I don't know about you, but my gauge cluster is not in direct sunlight very often). I asked him if he had a picture of the effect on HVAC controls, and he told me Sommer had ordered that effect. I contacted Sommer, and he sent me pics.

I decided to order drop shadows (this fades the color BETWEEN gauges). My overlays in person have very little color to them, significantly less than the pictures of example Mark and Sommer showed me. The color fades well before the numbers on the gauges. See the pics.

I contacted Mark, and even told him I'd make a deal with him since he probably doesn't want to remake them for nothing. He tells me they made no errors, and I can pay $150 (on top of $320) to have them remade. His website says, "IF THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH THE FINISHED ORDER ONCE YOU RECEIVE IT WE WILL REPLACE IT FREE OF CHARGE so no need to worry regardless."

I'm not too hard to please. I installed the overlays in my car hoping I could live with them, but after driving around with them for a week or so, I'm just not happy with the color. I love the idea of McNord's gauges, and appreciate what Mark and McNord have done. I'm not happy with the coloring on my overlays, or even their renowned customer service. I just want to be happy, especially since Mark has said he is going to stop offering the overlays soon.

This is what is on their website (apparently in direct sun):

My overlays with a 400W light shining on them (it's a lot darker in the car):

The HVAC overlays Sommer ordered:

The HVAC overlays I received:

**SuperSport346** · 05-04-2010, 07:29 PM

As you can see, my color fades before it reaches the numbers on the gauges. There is very little red, and looking into the car it's very hard to notice I have custom gauges.

Also, on Sommer's HVAC controls the color runs along the entire overlay, unlike mine where the color only comes from the very center.

**1fastcamarosss11** · 05-05-2010, 05:08 AM

the color does look different. did you contact them?

**SuperSport346** · 05-05-2010, 07:52 AM

Yes I did. Mark keeps telling me they did not make any errors.

At first I told him I'd make some kind of deal because I'm sure they don't want to reprint them for nothing, and he still wanted me to pay the base price of overlays (over 75% of what I originally paid, and these things are not cheap!). He's now telling me he'll let me reorder for less, but it's still a pretty significant amount on top of what I've already paid.

**SuperSport346** · 05-07-2010, 12:01 AM

Mark has shown nothing but very poor customer service. I offered to work with him in one of my first emails, but he was not willing to work out something with me. I was nice about the problems he made and told him that nothing was a big deal.

He has posted on his website that he will replace overlays if there are any problems with them, free of charge...

**TRANS-DAD** · 05-07-2010, 03:55 AM

Dude I know that's gotta suck!!..............If your a perfectionist then it's prob.drive-n ya
crazy just have-n the dash still apart!!!.......... Hope ya work it out!

**1fastcamarosss11** · 05-07-2010, 05:40 AM

i'm surprised he hasn't responded to this yet.

maybe he doesn't care?

**SuperSport346** · 05-07-2010, 09:05 AM

Originally Posted by 1fastcamarosss11

i'm surprised he hasn't responded to this yet.

maybe he doesn't care?

He responded (not very nicely) to the thread I made on LS1tech.

I really had no worries when I ordered these. Everybody said they experienced great customer service. I know Mark is working 3 jobs, and I know if I were that stressed and had a customer complaining I wouldn't be all that happy about it either. I just feel like he has been unwilling to work with me. After a few emails he did make me a pretty decent offer, and I was considering taking it. After his rude reply on the other forums I just don't want to work with the guy anymore.

**SuperSport346** · 05-07-2010, 09:12 AM

Originally Posted by TRANS-DAD

Dude I know that's gotta suck!!..............If your a perfectionist then it's prob.drive-n ya
crazy just have-n the dash still apart!!!.......... Hope ya work it out!

Well I took the dash apart to install LED bulbs right about the time I placed my order. It takes about a month to make the overlays, so I drove around all that time with it apart. I've driven around a couple more weeks with the overlays in (I installed them because I was hoping they would grow on me), but the dash still apart.

On top of it, I admittedly screwed up the needles reinstalling them, so a couple of my gauges had been messed up for a couple of weeks as well. I went out and spent $150 on a ScanGauge II to make sure I reset them accurately.

**02transamce** · 05-07-2010, 05:38 PM

i understand and feel you pain. could be worse though,see my 12 bolt nightmare thread in aag.

**666ws6** · 05-07-2010, 07:00 PM

I noticed the difference in your overlays immediately! The ones on the website look so much better and have much more even fade. Sucks that customer service means nothing now-a-days. I guess I'll cross that mod off my list and live with the stock gauges.

**SuperSport346** · 05-07-2010, 07:29 PM

Originally Posted by 666ws6

I noticed the difference in your overlays immediately! The ones on the website look so much better and have much more even fade. Sucks that customer service means nothing now-a-days. I guess I'll cross that mod off my list and live with the stock gauges.

Thank you! Mark tells me now that picture of the overlays on his site was taken in direct sunlight, which is very misleading. Granted, I ordered drop shadows, but that should only make the color darker between gauges. It also turns out that Sommer custom ordered the coloring on his, which I was not informed of.

Other than the coloring, I have no problems with the gauge overlays. It's the HVAC and headlight overlays that I have most of my problems with.

Mark has offered me a pretty good deal, but he refuses to accept the fact there is a problem with my order. On his website he even says that if there is a problem he will replace them for free...

**0rion** · 05-07-2010, 08:18 PM

Those look nothing alike....hopefully they will take care of this.

**1fastcamarosss11** · 05-14-2010, 10:47 AM

anything new on this?

**SuperSport346** · 05-15-2010, 06:46 AM

Update...

Mark was hard to work with at first, but he has since apologized and has tried to make things right. He didn't offer to remake my gauges for free, but he did make me a pretty good deal and he and McNord are helping me make sure I am happy with my next set of overlays.