potatoBBQ

iTrader: (3)

I think it's different for parts that are mostly aesthetic and parts that have some functional value. In the context of aero kits which are primarily aesthetic, people who would have otherwise previously bought the original may not buy either the original or even the knock off because now they see so many cars w/ that style kit. It's true that the majority of people buying the knock offs were never in the market for the originals in the first place, but what small market there was for the originals to begin with shrinks even smaller. An aesthetic part's only real value is how its looks and most people want to have rare, hard to find parts so their cars stand out. When knock offs are available, it decreases and dilutes the value of the originals. Aero kits are sort of like clothes for cars and you see this all the time with clothes... once you see a large number of knock offs, that pretty much means the originals will soon cease to be popular. Personally, I know this was the case for me with the Vertex kit. The Vertex kit is a great looking, high quality kit, but the fact that like so many of the SCs in SoCal have knock offs made me not really want one anymore.

UpInTheLex

iTrader: (5)

Yeah when you flex the parts like that it creates spiderweb cracks through the resin which shows up after you paint the parts.

From first hand experience... The shine kits really aren't that flexible in all directions. It is still fiberglass after all, they use primer instead of gel coat.

Also the shine kit as a knockoff doesn't give the full detail in the highbeam regions and the fit isn't as good in the fog light regions as the real Auto Couture kit. Remember the mold was made from an AC bumper, not from the AC bumper mold. Anytime you do a mold you will loose some detail as compared to the original. It's like making a copy of a copy, you loose refinement and detail.

xknowonex

iTrader: (2)

Very valid point but you have to take into consideration that 99.9% of the Vertex replicas out there fit like crap AND many of the owners are on a budget and settle for a crappy Maaco paint jobs on them.

I know I don't have a real authentic kit and not have much ground for an argument but I would be really irked if some company started mass producing crappy copies of the AutoCouture kit and ***** them out the cost of next to nothing.

Overall, I don't think replica kits do much harm for the enthusiasts here as long as people don't settle for poor-fitting kits looking like crap. There are plenty of other replica kit markets out there for other high-end cars such as the BMW or G35/37 community that has high standards on quality since the owners would not settle for crap fitting kits.




Really? Maybe I have not noticed it yet but my kit was the one twisted in the pictures as it was the first one out of the mold

The twisting of the kit is pretty much for demonstration purposes only and does not yield any real benefits in the real world as it should not undergo such abuse in the real world. If your bumper gets twisted as such, you have much worst things to worry.

What matters is that the bumper is flexible and strong enough to dissipate energy should you hit the pavement really hard.

I have the same kit as you (Shine) one and had the same problems as I have documented both the problems and the solution in my thread.

- The highbeam on one has a minor gap at the lower half and the tabs for the highbeams are way too short.

I did some research and looked at other cars authentic kits and asked if the owners had the same issues. Apparently they did as well. I have seen an authentic kit installed without the correction and it had the same gap on the high beams. Another member confirmed me that the tabs for the fogs were too short.

So the bottom line is had I spent a little more on the authentic kit would it have saved me some of the work, headache, or labor at any body shop? Answer is no.

UpInTheLex

iTrader: (5)

Jerry,

They do flex a bunch which is great and why I went with it over the real AC kit, just saying in certain directions it's not as great as you are lead to believe.

It flexes over long distances and flexes in twisting motions, but it will crack if the radius of the bend is too tight.

potatoBBQ

iTrader: (3)

That's a good point also. Part of the reason I didn't want the Vertex kit is that so many of the cars out there have poor fitting, poorly painted kits and that image ruins it even more, but even if all those kits fit great and were painted well, I still wouldn't want one simply because now almost everyone has one. I guess with the cost of the Shine AC kit though, it's not likely we'll see all those cars with fake Vertex kits suddenly sporting a Shine AC kit so it won't have the same effect to that extent.

xknowonex

iTrader: (2)

Mike,

I would not doubt it at all if it would have small cracks if it is twisted to the extreme. What I was saying is that in the real world, there is no need for any kit - OEM urethane or complete crap eBay kit - to flex like that. Any paint would crack if flexed to a certain point.

In this exact order, I have owned the 1997+ OEM urethane bumper, AIT Auto Couture replica, and then the Shine Auto Project Auto Couture Replica and I must admit that Shine's bumper is the closest to the urethane bumper by a huge margin. Even at one of the body shops that is highly regarded on this forum, they swear that my bumper is urethane and not fiberglass.

There were stuff that I was pissed off about and even if I spent a little more on the authentic one, it would not have solved the problem anyways.

I am sure that you know more about body work that I will ever know and we all know that our kit isn't perfect like the OEM kit but in reality almost no aftermarket kit will ever be perfect for any car. Some are just alot worse than others.

I am not really trying to defend the Shine replica or bash on the authentic ones but I am just trying to show that imperfections will exist with aftermarket parts and it will be beyond the control of most. In this case, the authentic one will have the exact problem,

Last but not least, I know that you have properly installed the Shine kit. So you mind showing pictures of your project?

Had the authentic one fitted perfectly like the OEM bumper while the replica ones look like crap, I would have went with a used authentic one should there be one for sale but that was not the case.

potatoBBQ

iTrader: (3)

This is true... when I first got the AC kit, I wasn't perfectly happy with it either. Aside from the same high beam & fog light issues, there's definitely some variation even between original AC kits. I have one of the black gel coated versions and there were a few minor imperfections in the finish, but I've also seen a white gel coated version (a long, long time ago), which had a nearly perfect finish. It's probably regular variation in their manufacturing process... minor, but there are definitely imperfections. It's not that it's impossible to make nearly perfect fiberglass parts, but it would come at a much higher cost.

//LRD

Wow these are all really good points .And the end of it all, it is about personal preference.The truth is the Shine kit fits really well with little mods.And that's impressive for price .I mean I have the original AC kit and boy did I pay for it .But seriously my buddy Steve did less modification to his AC Shine then I did so go fig. Give credit where credit is due...I'm not cheering on copies just simply stated the facts on this particular kit ..

UpInTheLex

iTrader: (5)

Sorry it's not the best pic, I finished the car on saturday in Maryland and I just landed in California like 30 mins ago. The car's going to sit on the lift for the winter until I can get back there.


LRD, since yours is a white real AC kit, post up a pic or two of yours.

rpx13

iTrader: (3)

^^^ talk about a tight fit...

TrackMonky

iTrader: (1)

i agree with most people....i think it personal preference and your budget!!!

but i rather have the real deal then getting knock off.....i mean if u buy knock off stuff ur going end up hating it(most likely) and you'll end up getting the real ***** anyway...why waste the money to buy the knock off...unless u get it for free.....thats a different story!!!!