This topic has been coming up alot lately and I know that there are a lot of people on both sides of the issue. So ... how do you feel about replica kits?

Personally, I don't like them ... I feel you get an inferior product. The quality of materials is cheaper, fiberglass is thin and brittle, they never fit correctly and you will, 9 times out of 10, end up making up that 'savings' in installation cost.

Not to mention that the replica makers are stealing from the original manufacturers; months of resarch, design, testing, etc. If the replica business continues to grow, what incentive do the top tuners have for producing new aero parts? Especially if they know it will be knocked off and thier ideas copied and profits continue to shrink b/c of replicas?

 

og members know i hate knock offs, overall ive gotten 3 strikes in attacking fake bodykits, and i refuse to carry them with the company i am apart of.

 

if done correctly, you can't tell the difference between the original and replica. If done poorly, you can DEFINATELY tell the difference.

I suppose you have a valid moral argument of producing counterfeit parts, or replicas...or whatever you want to call them.

If it is in fact, illegal to copy the originals, they why don't the originals sue the copies?

 

That's a lot of assumptions. Not every areo part (original) is a quality product, and likewise not every replica is inferior. The quality fo the original could be cheaper, the piece thin, and it might not fit correctly. The replica may, nor may not, share the same qualities.

The quote above implies that original pieces are always superior, made of better materials, and always fit correctly. This is not an accurate statement.

I don't have a knock-off, but from what I've seen on the boards, the replicas are often pretty good, if not as good. There are examples of poor fitting, crappy replica and original pieces.

 

hehe, yea..i dislike the whole replica kit deal. no offense to anyone that has one, im just saying that it is total bullsh*t to copy a kit and sell it under a new name. thats just plain f*cked up to me.

i mean, look, what if u make such a great product, do the r&d work, and sell your product to someone who will just copy it and have you do all the hard work. i hate these people who do this, plus they de-value the original maker of the kit. also, if they are poorly made, people will think the real ones are no better..blah...

end my emotional rant there...

o, btw that was just my .0000000000015 cents

 

thats actually been discussed before, for the most part the companies are in japan and its just not worth it to them to become involved in a legal battle.

 

exactly, its not worth it for them ... its our job as the consumer to help them fight for it ... if people stop buying knocked off (replica) products they might stop doing it IMO ... so spread the word ...

 

the ratio from good originals to good copys is alot greater then bad originals to bag copies though. and since 95% of the time they just mold them after the original, a bad kit isnt going to make a better copy.

 

I like knock-offs, they save me money

My Ings Replica looks great so far on my car...but its not painted yet. Fitment looks fine to me.

 

Do any of you guys download MP3's?

 

actually i do the i-tunes thing...works great

 

DOH...you ruined the point I was hoping to make when someone would reply "yeah, so"...i would then have replied with "then you're a hypocrite for saying replica kits are stealing from original manufactures...when in fact you are stealing from the artist when dl'ing an mp3"....but there goes that..lol.

 

I go back on forth with this one. I guess it depends on the quality of the knockoff.

Overall, more parts in the marketplace is a good thing, but why can't these knock companies change them to make them unique? I can't believe it is that hard. And if it is, why be in the business in the first place? It is commoditizing the parts, plunging profits, and dramatically reducing the creativity and quality of the parts available.

However, if good quality workmanship or materials are used that aren't available from the original (i.e. CF instead of fiberglass), then you are adding choices and I am okay with that. Plus, if quality is indeed up to par with the originals, then why should I, as a consumer, pay the extra cost?

In reality, though, I usually always find the original product to be worth the extra money.

However, what really gets my blood boiling is when bad quality ripoff parts are taken the extra mile to make you think it is the original (like "real" stickers or getting Volk center caps on a knockoff wheel for example).

Anyone who does everything they can to hide the fact it is a knockoff is nothing more than a poser trying to be something they're not. And that is pretty pathetic in my book.

Can't afford the original, but really want the knockoff? Fine, go for it. Just don't try to hide the fact it is a knockoff or, we may have to reopen the twins thread.

Sidenote about music: As I understand it, the Greatful Dead and Dave Matthews have been praised for their "business sense" in promoting people to "rip off" their music (illegal concert records, etc.). What ended ip happening is word of mouth spread so quickly, it skyrocketed their popularity and sales.

Also, just because I download a song from the Internet (which I don't BTW), doesn't mean I would buy it in the store. So, that is not impacting the artist's (or record label to be more precise) income.

 

i have about 20 mp3s on my computer at any given time, and they get deleted when i go by the cd a couple days later.
i useto have a bunch of live stuff you cant find CD's.
i also dont have any burned CDs in my colection because i like the books.(besides the car's cd player doesnt like burned CDs to begin with)

 

oops haha, my bad
i woulda brought up the same point also if i was arguing the other side.

 

Replica kit's made the owner with the Original one left out into, what we called Ordinary and nothing special. Those kind of feeling became a common thing now. Just like the Nismo Z before the Replica release. The car would looks absolutely amazing and special. Until the replica was release.

The car with nismo kit now looks absolutely wasted and nothing special, as there are too many of them already. Thanks to the Replica.

Just my 0.02 Cents

 

I think morally it's very wrong. Your last paragraph in first post explains it perfectly.

 

Having installed a Nismo replica wing I have the following comments:

1. Quality is inferior. Even with professional installation and painting, heat warped out the fiberglass wing resulting in imperfection. Additionally, a minor defect existed from the get go.

2. Copying is tolorable when kits are not available in the US. For example, the Nismo wing was unavailable at the time of the replica release. And, the new Nismo wing ends up being different making the wing further unavailable short of specific container shipping.

Additionally, where a kit is remarkably expensive and the replica is substantially cheaper, I compare the knock-off to a mp3 download.

Legally, both examples above are unlawful. But, practically, both examples are understandable.

3. Having considered buying replica Esprit sideskirts, I concluded the imperfections didn't make the deal worthwhile. After seeing what happens over time, that conclusion is reinforced. I will not buy any replica parts again.

Kudos to the youths, Brandon and Anthony for displaying correct moral fiber. I'm not buying replicas because they aren't as good quality. These young men aren't buying replicas because they recognize it's illegal and wrong. Something I didn't give much consideration at time of purchase. Respectful regards gentlemen.

 

thanks dan, we need to get together before JGTC, its been a while.

 

Where's the JDMKousikaawa dude...he'd love to weigh in on this.