CZ-97B Warped Plastic Recoil Spring Guide Rod ??

I've had a brand new CZ-97B sitting in the box for a while. It is the old model 97-B with wood grips. Today I decided to field strip it, lube it up, and get it ready for the range next week. When I disassembled it I found the factory stock plastic recoil spring guide rod to be badly warped in a bowed position.

The slide racked OK out of the box. But after I field stripped it to lube everything up, (the gun was filthy and dry as a bone from the factory), and reassembled it, I couldn't get the slide to rack. It was binding up after it went back an inch or so. I had to take off the slide and rotate the recoil spring and guide rod so the "bow" in the guide rod went up into the slide, instead of down toward the dust cover like I had it. With the bow in the rod pointing down it seemed to be causing an interference issue. The slide then racked as it should.

The bottom line here is that I'm not at all satisfied with the cheap, warped, flimsy plastic guide rod supplied with this pistol. I'm almost afraid to shoot it, for fear the guide rod will rotate 180 degrees through firing, and tie up the gun. Or possibly even damage something. I can't be the only guy that has had this condition develop with this gun, and it's factory stock, flimsy plastic guide rod. So I'm considering purchasing a Stainless Steel Guide Rod like this one from Cajun Gun Works.

https://cajungunworks.com/product/stainless-steel-guide-rod-97bbd-tactical-sport/

Has anyone else had this issue with their CZ-97-B? And have you gone to a Stainless Steel Guide Rod as a solution? Is there a downside to going to a steel guide rod? I'm thinking this is nothing but an easy parts swap. There isn't any "fitting" so to speak. And the Stainless Steel Guide Rod will not warp and deform like the cheap plastic factory model has. I can't believe a premier gun company like CZ would supply a pistol like this with such a cheap, flimsy part from the factory. Thoughts?