I got the ShineAuto "Varis-replica" CF Air Duct yesterday.. Took a risk because it's the first time I ever bought a replica part.. Ordered it off ebay.. Quality was not that great unfortunately. It was real carbon fiber and the weave looked OK but the clearcoat was noticibly hazy and scratched all around.. There were also a lot of nicks on the edges and near the screw holes. Almost like it was the first one they made or something????? I expected a lot better..



I managed to get a Varis template from member "Boneout JZA80" .. and I found some 3/16 flat black self tapping screws in my junk box.. because it came with neither(but i knew that)

I used this online tutorial by ZEALOUS:
350z - tech

and i ended up with this hole.. I cut away part of the the styrofoam bumper cover but the Air Duct didn't fit exactly in the hole.. either the template was too small or the ShineAuto Air Duct was too big (side to side):


I had to expand the the left edge about 3/8 inches to compensate.. Then it fit and I ended up with this:


So, I'm thinking of taking it off and re-clearing the duct using Krylon clear coat or something off the shelf.. the finish is really bad in certain areas.. for $100 I expected a little bit more..

--mike

 

That sucks man, for $40 more you could have had the real thing (prolly would have waited but worth it). Can you take another shot of the duct, it seems like you mounted a tad low....

 

looks good man, I think when you clean it up it will be perfect.

 

Yeah.. I should have spend it on the real Varis .. I was not impressed..

Here's another (not so great) pic.. but the height looks fine to me.. it seems right on line with the bottom cut-out of the headlight..



compare it to ZEALOUS' pic..
http://206.225.86.5/zwiki/Image:Varis_duct_006.jpg

--mike

 

It doesn't look all that bad. What front lip do you have on your car?

 

Top Secret CF

 

Hey there,

We will buff the mold and I'm sure that will take care of the hazyness. When I saw the parts we made, I thought they were ok. But if it has to be shinier, then we can do that. I personally dont think anyone can tell the difference between ours and the varis. I can take a pic of both side by side. Our mold is a reflection of the surface of what was on the Varis . As for the cracks around the drill holes, it's vey possible to damage that area. We'll just have to drill more carefully. Also, keep in mind that we do have a full refund policy. We would be glad to send you another one. All you have to do is ask

Ken

 

Hi Ken,

Thanks for the response.. It almost looks like someone tried to sand 50% of the air duct.. the right side of it was very shiny and nice.. the left side was scratched and hazy.. It didn't look to me like the mold but then again I don't really know the process for making these..

I knew you guys were active here and just wanted to see what you had to say incase someone else came across the same problem..

I'll send you a PM

--mike

 

Wow, you have more pics of your car? That looks pretty sick.

 

Kewl! Mikey gets a replacement! Kudos to Shine for service.

 

Nice. I was going to order two, one for each side, then I realized that it is a paralelagram or something and you would need a mirror image not flip one over.

 

meh looks just fine to me, remember this is like their first batch so or course its not gonna be as refined as varis one. Still looks great imo tho.

-b-

 

my authentic varis one looks exactly the same as that one...




it was a bit more hazy than i thought it should be.. but oh well. im happy with it.

 

Looks good on your car though! Do you have a CF or fiberglass hood too?

 

^^ thanks it's a Red "CF" hood (probably kevlar and not CF tho )..

Z33Benny... thanks for the pics man!!! you are right.. mine does look sorta hazy like that on one side..at almost the exact same locations lol and now when i take a closer look at Zealous' authentic duct.. his is hazy too.. well i'll be damned!!

http://206.225.86.5/zwiki/Image:Varis_duct_006.jpg

I'm beginning to think i might be too picky haha.. Instead of bothering Ken, I think I might try and re-clear it myself..

 

the mold is actually from a Varis one which i have on my car so it should be identical and my Varis one i paid over $160 like almost 2 years ago and it took 3 months to get but i thought it was ok i mean it probably could have been better-better though. [Also, keep in mind that we do have a full refund policy. We would be glad to send you another one. All you have to do is ask

Ken]

but props on ur car BTW its really clean like really really clean

 

That hood looks great, 1st one like that I've seen.

 

Looks awesome. And I didnt notice the hood. That is awesome. I just installed my Varis duct. I love the look and the HP gain!!! (J/k) Mine is a little Hazey (is that a word) also.

Your car is amazing Mike. Keep it up man. What part of Mass??

 

Thanks guys.. I'm south of Boston.. I'm gonna try and reclear it myself this weekend.. here's a better pic of the duct installed

 

Very nice. Makes the front look alot more aggressive. BTW, your ride looks lower than mine, is your front tire rubbing against the inner fender when you hit dips or potholes?