*CLOSED* Body Kit (V&C F-Lip + Evo Bump/Fender) Group

[JazzyB]

I don't think it's us man...
I'm having a lot of trouble fitting the chrome strip back on my lip and it's all because it isn't actually flush to the bodywork...

How is that us? I'm almost CERTAIN that airdams from shadows would HUG the body... like, actually be moulded to the car body... not "sorta" moulded to the car body...

I have no beef... I half expected it, it was a really cheap price for a body kit part... but my lip is quite obviously fibreglass, or at LEAST not a rubber-based plastic material... I'm an engineer, I work with all sorts of materials on a daily basis... it's not rubber, or semi-flexible plastic... it's a rigid fibre-glassy material... which is the sort of body kit part you get for <$200...

Still, we were misled... people need to admit when they're selling a cheap part for a cheap price... If they loose the sale because people want a better fitted, better quality product, that's life...

I can see how people just wanting to paint-and-bolt-on would be annoyed at this. Mine's really not too bad, I'm just fussy, comes with the trade... but from pics I'm surprised, it does seem we were misled... I say again tho - <$200 for the EVO look? I had my suspicions...

What we need is a way to keep them honest... there's no way of 'getting your money back' - so much for shipping etc. - so if they're going to deal, they need to accurately describe the product....... no one wants to say "it's an ok fit, not perfect tho" - but if that's the fact.... we should know if we're paying $200 a piece and getting them shipped half way across the globe.....

</End>

[tadz0rz]

+1 jazzy, you make some good points there.

[Speedie]

Installed
I have to agree with most people being Poly PU it shouldn't need to be finished, I've ordered Poly PU mudflaps with logos on them and they don't need finishing

[JazzyB]

looks nice on there speedie
Watch those concrete-parking-lip-scrapers!

[tadz0rz]

Looks good speedie. POst up more pics on different angles.

[Dummer]

By saying there's a bulge which over time is causing cracks to appear seems to indicate that it was mounted improperly and the strain on it is causing it to bend. Surely if the part arrived bent, you should have reported it and told us there was a problem.
The scratches seem to be there on all parts including my lip and that's just their QC.

I apologise for the delay but I suspect he's trying to wrap his head around how we (here in Australia) are the only people who've complained incessantly about the quality of his products. Perhaps you should also know that Rick, VOX and Scorpion are taking all their products from the same factory. If you know of his ebay account, read the reviews. No one has complained as much about his products as we have and I too feel it very strange.

1) I know I've cut the holes out properly, now the rest of the fit then relies solely on the bumper piece. The bumper piece simply is too rigid and with the huge lip it had on the top there was no way the top was even going to sit flush. It may have came from the same factory as Ozie's but that doesn't mean it was made by the same person on the same mould and as we've seen their QC is crap. On his eBay listings he even lists it as being self-adhesive but can use silicon for extra security...

2) The lips weren't finished, the 'finish' they had was basically the same as what the Evo X nose piece looked like after I stripped off the rubberised paint. Which I might add I shaved some of it off with a razor and left it on the ground, earlier this week I picked it up and after only a few days in the weather it had gone from being soft and rubbery to hard and brittle, so it will be interesting to see how well the paint lasts on Ozie's one...

3) How do we know he hasn't short changed us with inferior parts from another supplier as opposed to the eBay customers??? Quite frankly I think he'd have had lots of negative feedback if he'd shipped out products of this quality on eBay. Also on his eBay they are pictured as being painted and they lips specially say the are black/matte black finish, whilst ours came unfinished.

4)Is Scorpion and Vox the same according to Rick, or can anyone else actually verify this? In which case this goes against his claims earlier on of his products be the same or better than Vox as this would imply they were from different places.

5) I'm with Speedie, Shadows makes a product that fits 100% perfectly and there is no having to make it fit of getting out g clamps to bend it into shape whilst the glue sets. They bolt up with no f***ing around at all, if Rick says his parts are made for the Lancer then they should fit up perfectly. i've shown a friend who has done a tafe course on spray painting and has done a fair bit of spraying, bodywork,etc on his car and he agrees the problem is that the piece isn't shaped right and that fibre glass isn't designed to be bent into shape.

I think in the future before we deal with these dodgey/small time overseas dealers we should be asking for a sample of the product before we cough up any dough.

[ofey]

The situation now is simple. I take it that Ryan_C and alot of others are unhappy with their parts. It seems only myself, Ozie and the_bandit have mounted our parts without much problem. No one who bought their V-Lips seem to have mounted them either.

Since this has resulted from a buy I have organised it would seem that I would have to take responsibility for this. The dealer has said that after he sorted out Aussie027's problem, he figured it'd be the end of the matter. I have to offer then to refund each of you, the cost of the product. It's unfortunate but it seems the only way. I'm already A$134.16 out of pocket as I've had to buy a useless iPod cable for myself but I guess it comes with the position.

PM me individually your bank details and I'll sort you guys out. You can keep the parts as well... .

[JazzyB]

excuse me sir... but no...
Why should you have to...
I'm taking responsibility for my part - you may have led us down this path, but it's NOT your responsibility, not in my eyes...

I started to modify mine keeping in mind that if I did I would be unable to return it, I am satisfied enough with what we've got for such a cheap price.

Was just pointing out that it sounded like we were getting a $500 part for $200 but we didn't, we got a $200 part...
Some people would have rather payed $500 for a professional quality fit... therefore it would have been ideal to know that the product was infact sub-OEM quality, so we could make a more informed decision, but with the small amount of info that we had, we ALL made a commitment. not just you...

I'm personally not going to take you up on that ofey - I see this as VERY little your fault.... and given all my previous <ranting> I'd like to still say thanks again for putting in so much effort... a simple transaction's turned into DAYS full of work for you and I KNOW that everyone else here appreciates it.

Don't beat urself up dude!

[JazzyB]

but having said that -
Aussie's NEW lip doesn't even fit as good as the first does it?

It's a better material... but that's it? a worse fit yeah?

I don't think I coulda lived with that new lip - did u end up fixing it somehow aussie?

[blanka]

ofey its not ur fault mate every1 that bought the parts did it at their own will, u didnt not force them to buy it.

[JazzyB]

Hey blanka - ur avatar pic inspired me 2 get the rims I've got now - love the black/stainless look
That's a great avatar pic bro
(Just thought u should know )

[ofey]

Thanks for that Jazzy. Careful before other people may think we're in cahoots!

I want to clarify though that I didn't locate this dealer. This group buy was suggested by leevin. He picked the dealer based on what franchise5star told him. So we work on the recommendations others give us. I took this on since the dealer was from the same country as me originally.

I reported what the dealer told me and nothing more. I didn't sweeten anything. What he said, I reported but still I felt that in my role I should have gone that extra yard to verify.

I will have to offer people some kind of resolve.
The dealer himself refuses to do anything more as he says if anything was faulty, it should have been reported with pictures at the start prior to work starting. Else if people have a go at the part then say it was crap to begin with, he'd be in a difficult situation to begin with.

Since I knew Ryan_C had already worked on the part by painting it I can't ask him for the proof of how crap it was prior. So I didn't. I can't put him into a more difficult situation. I'm a man who works to solve problems, not create more then divert from the original problem. The situation we find ourselves in through this group buy is indeed unfortunate but hey, shit happens right?

The same case exists with the Preston Motors situation. Daveee bought a part which now has taken close to 3mths to deliver. I did warn daveee at the start that this order cannot be withdrawn but now, he says he can't wait any longer and its past reason and he wants his money back. I on the other hand for the sake of the club have to maintain good relations with Preston Motors, that means, I have to take one for the team (A$134.16 out of pocket). As I said, the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few. If we lose Preston as a sponsor or a provider for cheap parts, what next? Find another? Perhaps Frankston Mitsubishi will come on board?

[Bandit]

I guess it comes down to 'Rick' giving more details of what 'PU material' is.

The bloke with 40+yrs experience at the paint and panel shop I went to said he'd never seen anything like it - not fibreglass, but appeared to have been made in a fibreglass mold as the netting could be seen in parts of mine on the underside.

ofey, in your fit post, you referred to the material being similar to fibreglass and needed some heating for sculpting.

I am not making any complaints and I personally don't think you should refund anyone out of your own funds - it's not your fault. We need to know what PU material is for next time though.

[Dummer]

ofey, +1 to what JazzyB said. I'm not taking you up on your offer and I dont think it's fair for you to have to offer that and as I said before I do appreciate how much time you put into the group buys. But yeah as much as I'd like a refund or a part that fits, that is Rick's responsibility not yours. Although no reply after this long would sound like he's done a runner.

It's just we didn't organize the purchase or have direct contact to Rick, so we have to convey our problems to you so that you can pass it onto him.

I also think we shouldn't be buying anything else from him in the future as group buys.

[ofey]

As I said, I've already written to the man. We all await his reply on what he's going to say. I've called his mobile phone as well but he's not picking up. Alot to answer for.

Thanks for all you understanding guys. I'm trying hard to siphon out all the crap buys. Let's hope this is the first and last crap buy we make as a club.

Now surely the GReddy exhaust isn't going to go to shits... .