I sure did! Stick it to them bastards!

 

Cliff Notes on it?

 

They basically chose a few items and compared the quality down to the detail. One example they used was a Greddy oil pan for the SR20 and a "Freddy" oil pan Here is a nice little tidbit from the article (Part 3):

Here is also a link I found on the net that has Part 2:

http://www.kmob.com/pdf/Counterfeits...ruary_2006.pdf

 

ive read all three articles and completely agree 100 percent. hell ive seen alot of people on these boards supporting knockoff bodykits. people complain about jdm being so expensive they forget the design and testing that go into these expensive products. its not just in the usa either. its a problem in japan too. u guys should watch jdm insider vol2. they did an interview with mr.ueno (aka- mr.vertex) and he talked about how replicas hurt the industry. more and more small shops go broke cause of inexpinsive replica parts. id rather pay more now, then pay more later. as the saying goes "u get what u pay for" the entertainment industry has battle piracy for years and is still doing good. video games are still selling at high volumes. those japanese shps will be fine. knockoffs suck. my rant ends here

PS-rickdogg will u be at HIN san diego this saturday. would love to chek out your car in-person.

 

Awesome! I am beginning to love Modified Mag and Dsport for their great articles and focus on performance. Anyways, I tried to explain my side of things in this thread:

https://my350z.com/forum/exterior-and-interior/176782-vertex-half-kit-quality-replica.html

PS: Unfortunately it is going to rain and I won't be making it since I have no windows

 

I wouldn't touch replica engine or mechanical parts, but bodykits and to some extent wheels are completely different in my mind. For body parts, there are some quality replicas out there for all makes, including nissan. If a manufacturer makes replica body parts with a good reputation for fitment and quality, I wouldn't have a problem saving some money and purchasing from them. Now I wouldn't put replica wheels on the Z or whatever sports car I'm driving, but if the intended car is just meant for cruising and the main objective is looks, then replica wheels would be a consideration.

Just to note. I have never bought a replica part, but it wouldn't be out of the question.

 

Greddy quailty is bad enough, who would want a knock-off?

 

saw the interview with Mr. Ueno as well.... crazy man, i mean i was lookin into some replica nismo skirts but if it was a huge thing like full bumpers that are more intricate i would save up and get the real thing instead. performance parts i go with straight up original since this is more costly to fix if it ever gets messed up.... seen too many pals use that freddy oil pan in my 240 days, alot of f'ed up SRs.

I LOVE MODIFIED MAG! fav mag right now... best pics and articles

 

90% of the time replica body kits do not fit properly and require lots of work in order to get it to fit right. This can double or tripple the install costs at the bodyshop. I know some bodyshops that will not even install a replica kit because its to hard to get to fit properly and then the owner blames them for the gaps and such...

I remember when I bought a real Mugen Body kit for my 2001 prelude and the bodyshop was amazed that it fit perfect without any additional work.

I only put the real stuff on my cars... anything less and your just a wannabe

 

yeah ive been snoop through the articles but i have yet to read any of the whole articles

 

is it in March or April issue? what pages?

 

April

 

oki..i just got it this morning. Will check out later.

 

and 80% of authentic still need some work for proper fitting. If you want 100%, just buy OEM part.

For engine/performance parts, i'm agree that we shouldn't take any short cut. But for bodykit? there are many quality replica kits that cost at least 1/5 of the price. I don't know about you but i don't intend to keep my bodykit more than a year (regardless of i use authentic or replica). Once you step out of your OEM bumper to aftermarket kit,they will f-up with debris anyway.

My tip for all of you: MAKE FRIEND with bodyshop. A good bodyship WILL not complain if your kit happen not to be prefect. If they do, they just want you to look bad and charge you more.

 

im in the video game industry and we have to deal with the same stuff. and you wonder why xbox 360 games are up to 60 bucks and ps3 games will cost 60 bucks. developers are loosing money cause of mod chips on video game systems and emulators. i think its a slap in the face of the product creator. it shows no respect. IMHO. as far as jdm not being perfect fit. i guess i been lucky cause everything i ever bought from japan has fit perfect. if this trend continues jdm companies are gonna pull their product fom the states makin it harder and more expensive to acquire. i guess i better learn some japanese. domo arigato mr robato

 

the gaming industry are in BILLION dollar market. lots of profit. If they sell game at $30, you will see a big drop down in people download the game.

 

Pirated games are wrong regardless of the price they sell them for.

That said I do beleive if the price was lower less people would priate them. Also figure most people do it as a hobby and don't even play the games, its like collecting cards and saying hey look what I got. So even if they didn't d/led them the odds are they wouldn't buy them either.

The gaming industry are using these guys who pirate games as an excuse to clamp down on the honest guys, they tried awhile back to pass a law that would of made it illegal to loan your game to a friend or resale it.

Gaming industry is as greedy as the music/movie industry anymore.

 

yea, replicas kinda **** me off sometimes too 'cause i got a Top Secret body kit and then now they have a replica of it and totally makes mine less special. haha. one of the main reasons i got the top secret kit was because its so unique and dont see them out there too often but nows theres a few more out there because of replicas

 

they do have Top Secret replica already?