DFW Lounge (NSFW)
party whenever... I need to do my bushings before I get an alignment.
suspension did help in the wreck by keeping the car stable during the incident, but the brakes were what really helped from keeping my car from being totaled.
suspension did help in the wreck by keeping the car stable during the incident, but the brakes were what really helped from keeping my car from being totaled.
Let's plan on doin ur bushings this wknd rob. Mayb we can atleast knock out the transgo kit.
James I prob won't b back it town til thurs. My helper will b workin at shop I believe just need to know what day u wanna come so he can b there
James I prob won't b back it town til thurs. My helper will b workin at shop I believe just need to know what day u wanna come so he can b there
anyone needs a Double din? my cousin is trading in his charger for a challenger..he will be taking it out tomorrow..he still has the box..and i can probably get you a good price.
http://www.crutchfield.com/S-LifQ8cB...IC-Z130BT.html
http://www.crutchfield.com/S-LifQ8cB...IC-Z130BT.html
Was thinking some mdu's. I'm content with the drop in the rear but not the front...just was wanting more firmness probably only go down another inch...definitely not as low as you guys. I need body work bad, was hoping to get to that last. In a perfect world i'd like to be more go than show
Excellent excellent movie.. did I mention excellent?
Last edited by twalls; Jun 13, 2011 at 11:12 PM.
Aye JaE35.. I was reflecting on our conversation that you, me and Deemo had at Chris about the China MDUs vs. Topspeed and you justifying getting them direct from China to save 200 bucks..
I was reading an article about how China does this same scheme w/ photography equipment and I thought about that convo.. Check this out.. Might enlighten you a bit..
yes, I know they're talking about flashes, but the theory and methodology relate to all scenarios.. While some might think Topspeed coils aren't as quality as say BC Racing, Tien, etc, they DO STAND BEHIND THEIR PRODUCT.. I have had to have a coil replaced, and have gotten one for Brit as well.. That in itself is worth the money rather than being w/ stuck w/ a set that has no warranty.. Because truthfully, what kind of customer service do you expect from China directly?
Just something to think about..
I was reading an article about how China does this same scheme w/ photography equipment and I thought about that convo.. Check this out.. Might enlighten you a bit..
Generally, a manufacturer designs a product, fronts some R&D and then makes a few thousand copies of it. They sell it to distributors at a reasonable profit, who in turn wholesale it to retailers who sell it to you. All along the way, the price goes up.
Unpleasant tho this may sound, it is necessary. The manufacturers need to make a decent profit to survive to create the next generation of product. The distributors get the product out all over the world in sufficient diversity to ensure availability and fair pricing. That takes resources, and they need a profit, too.
And the retailers are at the front lines in this food chain, selling to you and at the same time standing behind the product in terms of returns, etc.
In some cases, manufacturers will also sell their products directly. But to preserve the profitability for the distributor/retailer system, any direct seller worth his or her salt will not undercut the end retailer when pricing their direct sales.
The Real Problem
Most Chinese flash manufacturers, who actually have the ability to create a pretty good product at an amazing price, do not understand this. They will frequently sell direct to the public at only a 2-3% profit margin on top of the actual manufacturing costs.
Obviously, no retailer can compete with this. Some will order the flashes and build in a small margin for themselves in hopes that people will buy from a more convenient source. But there is nowhere near the margin to stand behind the products, let alone test them thoroughly.
And since the whole system is built on as little margin as possible, quality control at the manufacturer is not what it could or should be, thus compounding the problem.
Who is left holding the bag? The customer, with a higher-than-necessary failure rate and poor return options. So every time you roll the dice buying direct from China, you may well have to send it all they way back to China if things do not work out well. Which is slow and expensive.
Trust me, I want to believe. But I have rolled the dice and lost -- every time. And this is such a shame, because if the manufacturers would not compete with their own retailers, it would be better for everyone.
Retailers would have enough margin to stand behind the products. Distributors would have enough margin to make them widely available on a geographic basis. And manufacturers could, by respecting retail pricing, make a substantial profit on each direct unit sold. That would fold back into more R&D and quality control.
Yes, we would pay more than the current too-good-to-be-true prices for flashes that never live up to their promise. But the manufacturers would be more profitable -- which would drive a positive vicious cycle toward better quality and faster innovation.
Unpleasant tho this may sound, it is necessary. The manufacturers need to make a decent profit to survive to create the next generation of product. The distributors get the product out all over the world in sufficient diversity to ensure availability and fair pricing. That takes resources, and they need a profit, too.
And the retailers are at the front lines in this food chain, selling to you and at the same time standing behind the product in terms of returns, etc.
In some cases, manufacturers will also sell their products directly. But to preserve the profitability for the distributor/retailer system, any direct seller worth his or her salt will not undercut the end retailer when pricing their direct sales.
The Real Problem
Most Chinese flash manufacturers, who actually have the ability to create a pretty good product at an amazing price, do not understand this. They will frequently sell direct to the public at only a 2-3% profit margin on top of the actual manufacturing costs.
Obviously, no retailer can compete with this. Some will order the flashes and build in a small margin for themselves in hopes that people will buy from a more convenient source. But there is nowhere near the margin to stand behind the products, let alone test them thoroughly.
And since the whole system is built on as little margin as possible, quality control at the manufacturer is not what it could or should be, thus compounding the problem.
Who is left holding the bag? The customer, with a higher-than-necessary failure rate and poor return options. So every time you roll the dice buying direct from China, you may well have to send it all they way back to China if things do not work out well. Which is slow and expensive.
Trust me, I want to believe. But I have rolled the dice and lost -- every time. And this is such a shame, because if the manufacturers would not compete with their own retailers, it would be better for everyone.
Retailers would have enough margin to stand behind the products. Distributors would have enough margin to make them widely available on a geographic basis. And manufacturers could, by respecting retail pricing, make a substantial profit on each direct unit sold. That would fold back into more R&D and quality control.
Yes, we would pay more than the current too-good-to-be-true prices for flashes that never live up to their promise. But the manufacturers would be more profitable -- which would drive a positive vicious cycle toward better quality and faster innovation.
Just something to think about..
