Can't wait to see this response.....

 

forgot to mention what ducati said about the solder wiring on the inside to hold the grill, i agree with him on that, the mesh on mine came out while driving. its very frail wiring to hold the grill at high speeds. and btw topsecret, i never received the whole license plate and swivel set up when i picked up the top secret bumper from you guys in carson, whats up with that??? all in all, i was completely satisfied with the front, of course, anyone with fiberglass experience will tell you that no fiberglass piece will come out perfect, so expect small nicks here and there on any bumper. ducati, i dunno if you got a bad bumper or what, mines was pretty much prime, wet sand and shoot. did you get it from bulletproof too>?

 

I've worked on cars most of my life and my favorite part has always been the body/paint end of it.
I've painted, done bodywork, fiberglass work etc etc..
My 240
http://zdriver.com/gallery/showgallery.php?cat=2

My old 300
http://zdriver.com/gallery/showgallery.php?cat=502


Almost all body kits made with fiberglass will require some sort of prep-work before having them painted. Some major and some not so major. I've always noticed that ones that are copies require a lot more work than what they are worth..

Knockoffs or replicas are just that. They usually take a bumper that has been made by a manufacture and make a mold from that bumper rather than using the plug mold like the manufactures original does.

Its been awhile so dont quote me on this and some of this depends on how its being made.

Plugs for making the bumpers usually do not last long. Usually maybe 10-20 kits per plug. Then the plug would either need to be remade or cleaned up. Hense some of the stuff you see in Ducatiguys post. Like the image below.


The photos Ducati guy posted show most of that would be blocked or sanded out durring the prep work.

Now a replica or knockoff on the other hand you usually end up with items like this where fitment is off and it would require a heck of a lot more work to make it look as if it was made for the car.



Yes you could possibly end up with some of the later with an origional manufactured part. (But most of the time I'm sure they would work with you)

A big misconception Fiberglass is fiberglass its all the same This is wrong. Although the end product might be similar they are definitly not the same. Just as all paints are not the same even though the way to paint a car
may be the same..

As far as pricing goes IMHO you get what you pay for.
Some people say the Real TS bumper is too exspensive. In all honesty I dont think its that exspensive since it has to come from Japan.. If they had a MFG Facility in the States then I'm sure the price would be more affordable for some.

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BTW Ducatiguy did you look around before getting it cleaned up because that shouldnt have cost you a grand (maybe a grand to prep-primer-paint-install..)
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Just my 2 cents
BTW If I see anymore name calling or what not in thread I will close it.

 

Amen! It's always a toss up and almost any kit out there that is made out of Fiberglass is going to have some work needed to it. I haven't ran into one yet that was 100% perfect, regardless if it was a replica or the real thing. Now, some will have less defects than others but you never really can tell till you get it. I guess I was one of the lucky few. I know it isn't perfect but I think it's not too shabby. Especially for how much I paid for it.

 

I forgot to mention that I know I took a much bigger risk going with the replica over the original. Just was a choice I made and of course it differs for everyone. I am not here to knock anyone either way because I can see the arguement on both sides. Just wanted to share my experience.

Also, on a personal note.... I just don't like the way TopSecret has been handling himself on the boards. It just gets to be annoying and I have read post after post where he pops up and just goes about things (in my humble opinion) the wrong way.

 

I could be wrong but is there a huge gap here?

 

There is a gap but I wouldn't say it's a HUGE one... the gap on that side was due to me bottoming out from a driveway and knocked the front off a bit. As I stated before, it's not "perfect" by everyone's standards but I don't think it's that off. Only "perfect" fit without doing any work is going to be from the factory.

Also, I am not here to argue with anyone. Just showing people different perspectives. Believe me, I have been in the car show industry for many years and have seen horrible workmanship in both original and replica parts. And, I have also seen superb workmanship but it usually boiled down to the bodyshop and how they went about doing it. Yes, some payed more than others but it wasn't always because they bought a replica.

I see both sides to the coin and you may think what you want but I am just here to share my experiences.

 

There is more to the fitment that you dont see. On the sides its about a inch short. It was as wavy as a ****! Overall for the price he paid he got a great deal BUT he bought in the GB and with the new price I dunno why anyone would pay it! Rob also paid twice to have it painted and skimed. The first shop didnt prep it very well. With the real TS you wouldnt have to go to the extreme. You might have to add a LITTLE glaze in spots but not to the whole bumper!

 

Oh yeah Rob did you ever get new pads? If not I got a set of fronts for ya for 50.00 if you want em.

 

Your right Steve and that's why I went with the gamble because I got it for soo cheap. I don't know too many body shops out here in the Sac area since I just moved here and unfortunately had a bad experience with the first one. I'm sure if I went to the one Steve recommended first, I probably still wouldn't have paid as much and that was my mistake.

Once again, it is a gamble and is going to be work. I'm not arguing with that at all.

If the bumper was only a couple hundred off from the real thing, then ya, I would have gone with the real thing cuz it would be less of a gamble.
I just didn't feel like spending that much money on it at present time. I don't plan on making it a big show car at this point like I did with my previous vehicle. I am just in it for the fun and I don't think it came out that bad. I know that Randy had a different experience.
All depends, I just know that it takes work either way...replica or not.
Some more than others....

I still ended up at a much lower cost than if I had gone with the real one. And who knows, knowing me (just like Steve) I'll probably change it later down the road. lol

 

Yup me too..

 

Yes sir, still want them.
Thanks Steve

 

Can I have a group hug now?? lol

All good GodZilla


K, back to watching Football!

 

-----------------
BTW Ducatiguy did you look around before getting it cleaned up because that shouldnt have cost you a grand (maybe a grand to prep-primer-paint-install..)
-----------------

Just my 2 cents
BTW If I see anymore name calling or what not in thread I will close it.[/QUOTE]

1 - I dont know who's name calling, and yes I agree, that's never a good thing....

2 - The price of nine hundred and change was what a friend of mine paid for the bumper not too long ago. I did the prep and install FREE of charge for him, because well - he's a friend of mine. We got the bumper sprayed by another one of my friends for a very reasonable amount. My point was, for the amount of money the bumper cost, it should have arrived in better condition. Simply put! The thick edges, shotty surface, scratches, corners that didnt fit, really didn't "live up to the high quality and standards TS brags about" and when confronted with these issues, he ever rarely gives a straight up answer other than something like "we'll look into it"....

It's great that TS believes strongly in what he sells, but at the same time, he does have a habbit on ragging on others for their opinions on TS (without actually pointing the finger, like some forum members do) and that's not cool!

The biggest problem I see here is the bragging and boasting and the fact that TS always wants to be on top of a pedetal. The fact that you yourself took the time to chime in on this post is example of that. If he doesnt get his way, its the highway for the rest of us. Why is that? Because he pays top $$$ to be a sponsor?

You know the saying, if you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen... Well TS in a sense has been on the burner for a while now, but hasn't been able to cool the situation at hand and its gotten to this "name calling"...

My 2 cents - TS needs to do less talking and more listening to the problems, needs, and concerns of the forum members. Not everyone is perfect....

 

Im going to the bodyshop tomorrow to shoot my speaker pods. Ill drop them by Chucks. Whenever you want them they will be there. Just give Chuck the cash I owe him anyway,lol.