Replica body Kit?
 

Hey guys. I just want to ask your opinions about replica kits. I'm planning to get a replica body kit. What do you think about it? The ori is way too expensive for me. What is the difference between the replica and the ori?

Thanks in advanced

There's two point of view

1. Save money until I can afford it and buy the authentic to support the mfr.

2. Save money in my pocket and buy the replicas. I don't care about the mfr.

if the replica is nice quality which is tested as Amuse then go ahead for it, I am really happy with the savings I made and spent those on performance modss

Support the industry and the companies that are innovating new parts and ideas.

Don't support the companies that find new ways of copying stuff.

^^ this.

:iagree:

You guys can buy the originals as loosing one sale on replica wont hurt anything for these companies. And IMO in the end of the day its a Nissan so not worth spending 10% of car value on a bodykit, rest performance parts I agree should be ok good quality which are aleast on mine

The problem is they don't just lose profit from one sale, it's more like 20, 30, 40 or even more in some cases; it all starts with just 1.

Regarding the 10% of value comment, does that logic extend to other parts as well because Work Wheels aren't cheap!

If you can't afford to buy nice parts(*regardless of what type of car you drive*) then you shouldn't buy anything. (in my opinion, of course)

I know guys with Honda Civic's that save their money and spend it on a $1500 front bumper, just because they want high quality, nice stuff.

Quality is quality, regardless of what you are buying for. I bought a $50 iPhone case yesterday because the $10 case was a cheap piece of china crap. (even though they looked the same)

Selling or buying fake, copied parts will only HURT our industry. Obviously some companies get offended when this fact is brought up because they try to make it seem ok.

The argument "hey, who needs to pay all this money for the same parts" isn't going to work. You pay for so much more when you buy an authentic part.

If you (and not you personally) have a successful company selling knock offs, why don't you try to be original and let other people copy you? Tell me how that goes.

:ugh2:

:iagree: Also, I think manufacturers should meet the consumers half way and make these parts more affordable. Some of these kits for example, don't need to be priced so high, even if its of a higher quality. It might deter replicas if the price difference was a lot less significant. Most people would likely pay a little more for the real thing. Its a different story when the real thing cost double the replica.

yah, it's difficult cause you take a JDM bit worth say 50,000yen... (basically should be $500 or less) but with the f-ked up yen right now at 78yen/$, that's already $641.

add 30% margin for the store in the US to cover their operation cost and profit =$833..

then add freight $50-150 can be up to $980+.

the japanese government is killing their own manufacturers right now... and making opportunities for copycats to take its place. and shops and people supporting these copycats just makes it that much worse. like pouring tabasco over a wound... :icon14: if you want to see cool parts for your cars in the future, have to support the JDM tuners.

like i said, copycat's cant make shitt without the original..

we just need someone in North America to step up and manufacter original kits. dont understand why we need to wait for the japanese to create products.

yep, i support original designs US or Japan.. but we've seen fitment from stillen with their original bits so far... :icon14:

Sure... but that would be a case by case basis.

You know, a lot of people don't realize how and what it takes to actually MAKE a very high quality part.

For example, in order to design and aero part, (I'm sure a few companies processes are different) but for the most part it follows:

1. Determine what the main focus of the part would be (visually, funtional,ect)
2. Determine who to sell the part to (consumer base, cars, regions, ect)
3. Determine a target MSRP and profit margin (make it worth it to sell and make money to FUND OTHER innovative products)
4. Design and draw rough sketches / ideas (pay an artist)
5. Review and narrow down ideas (pay employees)
6. Take remaining ideas and model them on the car (pay engineers / artists / employees)
7. Determine if the models can be manufactured easily and within steps (1&3)
8. Develop a working prototype for testing (pay employees / engineers / manufacturers)
9. Address any issues / possible redesign
10. Produce a limited number of parts for testing with production quality fitment
11. Check fitment and if the product meets company standards
12..ect ect

Those are just a few main steps that companies have to go through to determine what and how to make a part. It's actually much more complicated than that if you are coming up with innovative and original ideas.

Just as an example, someone had to take ALL of those steps to bring a new product to market... With a large company, think about all of the resources and people it takes to do that. I can promise you it isn't one or two people.

With that being said, because of the amount of time that those people spent doing all of those things to create something, it must be WORTH it for them to sell. Simply spending all of that time making it and selling it to make $100 isn't going to help them, nor anyone else trying to buy and resell those parts. (ie, dealers and markups,ect)

Paying for something nice is going to be expensive. And while I understand that spending $500 on a shift knob made of the same stuff the $80 one is made from, just because of the name is a little ridiculous, paying for something that has value is important to some..

Just think about it...

10-15 years ago, you didn't see knock off companies selling HKS, Blitz, Amuse, Nismo sh*t for cheap.. because they didn't exist.

Put your money in the places that have experience, the ones that started and have supported the industry. Everyone supported them then... now that you can buy cheap crap, it's cool to tell them to get lost?

:shakes head:

*EDIT*

I just wanted to point out... in addition to what I said above, but companies that base their businesses OFF of copying other stuff doesn't have all of that overhead, they don't have to go through all of those steps to copy something. They merely get a part (in this case is a bumper) and send it off to a comapny in Tawian or China, they make a mold of it, and then have people pop them out of a cheap mold for 1/100th of the original MSRP.

They buy a ton of them, and sell them to people all over the world. End of story.


:shakes head: again...

im tired, and dont feel like reading all that, so ill assume it is dilligent.

....well said, rep for you!