Its funny when the attitude towards knock offs are different on other car communities

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=283217

 

euro's have always had a big "replica" market. the only thing different is they own up to being cheap. in the end, someone who looks at it from a stolen property or status standpoint will always say no, and someone who looks at it from an "i don't care as long as i can afford it and it looks good" standpoint will always say yes.

you gonna be so pro-theft when somebody steals your wheels and they pop up on someone else's car a couple days later?

you: "mf, those are my wheels! somebody stole em!"

them: "i know. they were cheap so i bought em. plus i polished the lips so they look a little better."

 

People that defend the knockoff companies...I have a question. Do you tell people I have a knockoff _______ or do you say you have the real deal? When you have your "list" of mods, do you say I have a knockoff _____ or do you describe it as real? just wondering... a friend recently made a comment "if you lie, you'll steal" and I thought about that reading this post.

 

Good point. They usually list them as ______ "styled" to be politically correct.

 

xknowonex;

How much did you pay for your Shine kit? The quality of the Shine kit looks to be good but I can't figure out why you didn't shell out the extra $400 to buy the authentic? To me, it doesn't make any sense to pay $1200 for a Shine kit when the authentic Autocouture is $1600-1800 via Carson Toyota group buy? I got my kit for 1600 + shipping, not sure if the price has changed now.

I could understand the BMW owner's point of view, their body parts are MUCH more expensive than ours, this is especially true on aftermarket aero parts. But why buy a knockoff when the authentic doesn't cost that much more to begin with. It doesn't really make any sense? I'm not knocking you down for buying a replica, just curious to hear from your prespective.

 

yea but to some $400 is alot of money. it could be another mod.

 

$1200 is not a small amount of money for a replica, it is a lot of money.

 

If the knock off companies claim that their kits fit better and claim they're stronger than the authentic ones, why can't they design and make their own kit?

 

Actually, in retrospect, if I had went with the genuine Auto Couture kit a year ago for $1600 (if that pricing is still current), it would have saved me a lot of headache and time.

At first, I bought up 1997+ parts for a simple 1997+ conversion then the mod bug bit me. I bought a 1997+ Vertex front lip for $450?? to differentiate the car from other 1997+ bodied cars but then I ended up not liking how it flowed with the stock side skirts. So I abandoned the Vertex front lip plan and was about to take the car in for a 1997+ conversion then I discovered the AIT/Shine Auto Project replicas.

So I sold off the 1997+ stuff and still have a $450 brand new Vertex lip collecting dust in my garage.

I went with the replicas just because it is a lower cost alternative. $600-700 bucks is $600-700 bucks. The kit + complete repaint is no budget project. Sometimes, when I take a deeper look into it, I wish I can just pick up a newer, better handling car that is relatively affordable such as the early Inifiniti G35sfor $14k as opposed to dumping $4000 into a 17 year old Lexus.

However, in the end, I think it works out for the better because I know I wouldn't be content with the oem 1997+ kit.

 

xknownonex since the other thread got deleted, can you post your opinion about it once mounted? Thanks

 

The biggest deal is If you are rocking a xx kit and Don't let people know its a Shine and everyone and there Mother thinks you are the best thing in the world , Maybe be time to say I let it go to far and let the cat out of the bag ... Most enthus, people know anyways.


I had a styled kit at one point, and ended up getting pretty hit hard in the Mortgage field , and flaked on Mrmark at one point.

None the less the car has a complete make over coming up

 

what about airrunner vs. universal air?

 

reminds me of another time i was having this same debate and someone asked what brand tires i ran.

 

Universal Air have their own design and use bellow bags, airrunner uses sleeved bags...nobody knocked off a design

 

thanks. i'm new in airbag suspensions. didn't know the details.