hey guys.

got my gruppe-s wing yesterday and took it to a body shop today. they were not very impressed and told me it needed to be sanded, reprimed, and then paint. i have to agree with them. there are several places on the wing that need help.

anyway...i was quoted $400 to fix, paint, and install. not sure how to feel about this. they assured me i will not be able to tell the difference between it and the rest of the body afterwards.

have others experienced this or should i tell them to kiss it???

thanks in advance for any input you can offer.

sean

 

$400 to repair and paint a wing? HECK NO. I know good shops in s.cali that can do it half the cost or maybe less. IMHO, keep shopping around.

 

Thing is the NISMO replica wings are very rough when the come over.

I know hfm paid 550 for paint and fixing for his wing from a reputable place in Los Angeles.

Good luck... BTW don't take it to JT autostyles or MAACO. you will have orange peel. BAD!!

 

i had mine painted for $150 and installed for $65

 

Bigdaddy - I"m sorry to hear the body shop is giving you a hard time over our spoiler! We would recommed you taking your spoiler to a body shop that has experience working with fiberglass wings! Many body shops who do not have experience working with fiberglass tend to take to wrong approach to prepping and installing these wings. We 100% stand behind the quality of our wings, and an installation price of around $150-$250 should be the norm (including painting) for our wings, depending on body shop rates, etc. You can do a search on this forum, I beileve many of our customers have had there replica wings installed for less than $250. HOwever $400+ for "refinishing" is definately not the norm. We have had expereiences where body shops not familiar with fiberglass have asked high premiums for refinishing due to lack of experience (this has happened not only to replica parts, but for GENUINE parts such as Nismo, Cusco, etc.) which clearly do not require such extensive refinishing. If your wing was in fact damaged due to shipping please let us know and we will begin a claim with the shipper immediately. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact us. Thanks!!

Gary
Gary@gruppe-s.com
Gruppe-S
510-498-8400
510-498-8882 fax

 

Any details as to what prep work the body shops had to do?

Was it actual damage or bad mold cuts?

 

This sounds correct. Sanding, repriming, painting, multiple clear coats, installation. Done properly it cost me $550.00.

I'm sure it can be done for less but, the question is whether you will be satisfied by the end product.

 

yeah that sounds about right...these replica wings are crappy, i paid 475$ to fix up, paint and install mine....because the wing looked like it hadnt even been touched after it was taken out of the mold....it still doesnt fit right, it doesnt fit flush with the edge of the trunk, and if you look at the back of the spoiler closest to the rear window, there is a huge gap. Be sure to dry fit it first to make sure its totally flush....if not send it back and get the real one, i wish i had done that.

 

I can't speak for the Barvaria wing but, I wouldn't call the Gruppe-S wing crappy, just not perfect. There is one blemish, a notch area on the rear base that looks like filled wax left over that wasn't corrected even after prep.

Had I gotten the actual Nismo wing, I'm sure the prep time would have been cut by at least two hours. I estimate the actual Nismo wing at $800 plus an estimate of $250 paint and installation for about $1,050.

For $850, including a 1st rate prep/paint/installation, the Gruppe-S wing is a reasonable alternative. Also, and importantly, I thought Gruppe-S service and shipping was excellent.

 

i want to let everyone know that i am in no way unhappy with the gruppe-s wing. i think its pretty good and they got it here quick. it does have some spots that could use some work, but i kinda assumed all the replicas do. and look at it this way...$300 for the wing plus the quoted $400 for refinish, paint, install...totals $700...still $100 less than just buying the original nismo wing. add paint and install to that, and i am still making out like a bandit.

after seeing your replies, i am going to continue shopping around. while dry fitting my wing today i decided i can intstall it myself, so that will save a little. i just don't want to pay less for the sake of paying less and end up with something i am not satisfied with. if i knew for sure that this $400 would give me exactly what i want, i would gladly pay it. however, i do think it can be done cheaper.

gary...i noticed that hfm and i have the same problem. the notch on the right rear side of the base still had some fiberglass in it that had been painted over. you might want to check the other ones just to make sure this isn't a common thing. i can get you a pic if you need it.

keep the info coming...especially any of you North Carolina guys. i will have more to add when i take it by some more shops on monday.

thanks.

sean

 

What shop did you take it to? I am having Performance Auto off off Capitol paint and install the Ings 1/2 kit and Veilside 1 wing for $1300.00. I thought that was a little high, but the paint and materials were $340.00.

 

Just for info purposes, I had a NISMO wing side/rear skirts and veilside front lip (all fiberglass) painted/installed for less than $740.

VG

 

the quote i mentioned is from kenny hawkins auto. they come very highly reccommended and do a lot of high-end work. lots of 911's and m3's, etc in the parking lot.

i will talk to some other shops on monday and tuesday and see what they have to say.