SOTTY Posted November 6, 2012 Report Share Posted November 6, 2012 Can't see a reproduction airdam made of the proper flexible material being $200 or under , you cheapass SQ owners are all dreaming yet again , Lex Tex has got to make it worth his while for all the effort he will have to put in if he decides to go ahead with this and remember he is flying the stars n strips and not supporting the Chinese economy , and no splitters etc , o.e.m 88-89 airdam repro is all you will need , that and avoiding hitting things with it , ultimatly the pricing is up to Nick , it's his baby and he'll be the one to decide , i have two good used spares and never a week goes by without someone asking if they are for sale , it's a part if not THEE part everyone wants . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BC_99 Posted November 6, 2012 Report Share Posted November 6, 2012 Can't see a reproduction airdam made of the proper flexible material being $200 or under , you cheapass SQ owners are all dreaming yet again , Lex Tex has got to make it worth his while for all the effort he will have to put in if he decides to go ahead with this and remember he is flying the stars n strips and not supporting the Chinese economy , and no splitters etc , o.e.m 88-89 airdam repro is all you will need , that and avoiding hitting things with it , ultimatly the pricing is up to Nick , it's his baby and he'll be the one to decide , i have two good used spares and never a week goes by without someone asking if they are for sale , it's a part if not THEE part everyone wants . ^^^Amen Brother Sotty^^^ The FRP ones are that cheap because the materials are that cheap, and they break the first time you bottom them out going across a speed bump or bump a parking curb. And yes, $249 for a factory appearing, aftermarket part of that size is CHEAP! I have 2 brand new oem units and one good used one, (NO everyone, they arent for sale) but I did pay a good bit more than $249 plus shipping for each of them. If you can even match MK1's price and make them good and flexible like the oem part, they will sell like crazy. Good luck with it. I was hoping to have the 83 taillight lenses made by an outside source, but at 8-10K$ per mold it wasnt even an option. Perhaps you will find someone easier than I did. BC_99 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MotoCam360 Posted November 6, 2012 Report Share Posted November 6, 2012 Can't see a reproduction airdam made of the proper flexible material being $200 or under , you cheapass SQ owners are all dreaming yet again , Lex Tex has got to make it worth his while for all the effort he will have to put in if he decides to go ahead with this and remember he is flying the stars n strips and not supporting the Chinese economy , and no splitters etc , o.e.m 88-89 airdam repro is all you will need , that and avoiding hitting things with it , ultimatly the pricing is up to Nick , it's his baby and he'll be the one to decide , i have two good used spares and never a week goes by without someone asking if they are for sale , it's a part if not THEE part everyone wants . Impossible in urethane under $300 and probably still impossible under $400 SQ'ers need a reality check Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SOTTY Posted November 6, 2012 Report Share Posted November 6, 2012 And i was going to add in my original post Motocam Tim makes ^ one helluva "tough as nails" airdam/splitter/protecter for those wanting the splitter look , another first class and well made product. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SOTTY Posted November 6, 2012 Report Share Posted November 6, 2012 Impossible in urethane under $300 and probably still impossible under $400 SQ'ers need a reality checkx2 Tim , i was thinking $400 plus is a "real world" price , i would pay it . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NikoFab Posted November 6, 2012 Author Report Share Posted November 6, 2012 Urethane or nothing. Cost, less than current prices. $249 was the price for the MK1 FRP. But that really depends on what kind of hook up you can get. $200 could be a possible target price. Looks, factory one piece... no "splitters". -Robert I agree...this will have to be urethane or nothing. The other media have been tried and just aren't resilient enough. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NikoFab Posted November 6, 2012 Author Report Share Posted November 6, 2012 (edited) IF the price was $200 us dollars id buy 4 of them. Even with shipping everyone on the forum would buy one. there would be no reason not to. i agree with robert for once......Urethane or nothing.....Looks, factory one piece... no "splitters". Again I agree...urethane or nothing. But I'll tell you here and now...there is absolutely no way to produce this for $200 or even $250...not even remotely close. But it is good to hear what people would spend or not spend...helps me in deciding on if I should even touch this project or not. Nick Edit: Just making myself clear when I say it can't be done for this price with the material of choice (urethane), and for the low volume we're talking about. Edited November 7, 2012 by NikoFab Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NikoFab Posted November 6, 2012 Author Report Share Posted November 6, 2012 well im kinda broke since my steering is done for so this might just be a cheap mans opinion but the 240+s&h from starionpartsfactory is a bit high i would like it at 175-200 + s&h would be ideal if you can still make enough money from that to make it worth while and then i have to buy paint on top of that to. I understand that cost is a concern...but you also have to consider what you're getting for what you're spending. In my humble opinion...$240 + shipping is a spot-on price for an item of this size and of the material he uses (FRP). Urethane is not going to come anywhere near that price point...just being honest. Nick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
natallica Posted November 6, 2012 Report Share Posted November 6, 2012 Great Idea Nick! (contemplating how to design decals for it! ) Just kidding, that may be tacky! -N8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NikoFab Posted November 6, 2012 Author Report Share Posted November 6, 2012 Can't see a reproduction airdam made of the proper flexible material being $200 or under , you cheapass SQ owners are all dreaming yet again , Lex Tex has got to make it worth his while for all the effort he will have to put in if he decides to go ahead with this and remember he is flying the stars n strips and not supporting the Chinese economy , and no splitters etc , o.e.m 88-89 airdam repro is all you will need , that and avoiding hitting things with it , ultimatly the pricing is up to Nick , it's his baby and he'll be the one to decide , i have two good used spares and never a week goes by without someone asking if they are for sale , it's a part if not THEE part everyone wants . Scotty speaks the truth...there's no way we're talking about a $200 piece. The stock 20-year-old 1-piece units are selling anywhere from $400 to $600 right here on this very site. To expect to get one of these brand new/never used for $200-$250 is not realistic...not by a long shot. There has to be some grounding in the reality of economics here. I know we're not all made of money...and that's one of the things I'm trying to gauge here. Of course that's why I'm putting this feeler out...and the general feeling I'm getting is that not enough people would buy these at a legitimate price point. But I'll keep listening...things might change. Cheers,Nick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NikoFab Posted November 6, 2012 Author Report Share Posted November 6, 2012 ^^^Amen Brother Sotty^^^ The FRP ones are that cheap because the materials are that cheap, and they break the first time you bottom them out going across a speed bump or bump a parking curb. And yes, $249 for a factory appearing, aftermarket part of that size is CHEAP! I have 2 brand new oem units and one good used one, (NO everyone, they arent for sale) but I did pay a good bit more than $249 plus shipping for each of them. If you can even match MK1's price and make them good and flexible like the oem part, they will sell like crazy. Good luck with it. I was hoping to have the 83 taillight lenses made by an outside source, but at 8-10K$ per mold it wasnt even an option. Perhaps you will find someone easier than I did. BC_99 Good observation Britt. I don't see a urethane unit coming remotely close to the FRP cost. And you also make a good point about the mold cost...most people don't realize that this is the bulk of the fabricator's expense...not the media used. Nick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NikoFab Posted November 6, 2012 Author Report Share Posted November 6, 2012 (edited) Impossible in urethane under $300 and probably still impossible under $400 SQ'ers need a reality check I'm forced to agree with Tim here...in fact I will go one further and eliminate the "probably" from his statement. That's the reality we're dealing with here guys. Nick Edit: The reality we're dealing with is that we as a consumer group don't have leverage against the materials market. There are very few of our cars...hence very few of us. It makes it very difficult to bolster purchasing and negotiating power. As we say in the bar industry...volume fixes everything. We just don't have that volume here. Edited November 7, 2012 by NikoFab Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NikoFab Posted November 6, 2012 Author Report Share Posted November 6, 2012 x2 Tim , i was thinking $400 plus is a "real world" price , i would pay it . When I thought about taking this on, I had a pre-conceived idea of $400 to $450...but I would still need to lock this down with some research and a little luck. Nick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NikoFab Posted November 6, 2012 Author Report Share Posted November 6, 2012 Great Idea Nick! (contemplating how to design decals for it! ) Just kidding, that may be tacky! -N8 I dont' know...I like Burton's decal on the bottom of his! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
88-cnqst-tsi Posted November 7, 2012 Report Share Posted November 7, 2012 I understand that cost is a concern...but you also have to consider what you're getting for what you're spending. In my humble opinion...$240 + shipping is a spot-on price for an item of this size and of the material he uses (FRP). Urethane is not going to come anywhere near that price point...just being honest. Nicki understand but if you make them in good quality material for like 250 and dont charge 200 for s&h then ill buy it knowing for the little extra money it will last for ever Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SOTTY Posted November 7, 2012 Report Share Posted November 7, 2012 (edited) Even the tight arsed on here will pay $400 to $700 for 30 year old metal hood with scoops yet grumble about forking out the dough for a new air dam and nothing looks WORSE than a SQ without one ! , this is a different animal from your excellent roof spoiler project and without doubt way more costly however there are owners out there who will willingly pay your asking price, i'm one of them but sadly i doubt there are enough of us to make this a feasible and financially viable project for you to undertake at this time. . Edited November 7, 2012 by SOTTY Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Komeuppance Posted November 7, 2012 Report Share Posted November 7, 2012 Cost is dependent on how many are produced... lol. Of course small runs would be expensive!! Larger runs would bring the cost down considerably, and would be more economic. That's the idea of the "group buy". So reality check(lol), if it's more than an OEM unit, why should someone choose your product over OEM?? If a small run makes the cost higher, then it would make more sense to increase number of parts made and pass those savings onto buyers. Go for a target price and that will be the deciding factor on how many you should make. You know for sure they'll sell better at $200/$300, than at $400. You asked why after market pieces aren't selling, it's because of cost. If you look at other vehicles with aftermarket urethane bumpers they are able to get the costs down to $180-$300 for the consumer. Don't let others get you down, you seem like you have the drive to get it done... let's see what you can do!! -Robert Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quikconq Posted November 7, 2012 Report Share Posted November 7, 2012 I'm not suggesting to put a splitter on a new airdam for strength,,,,,But putting a metal piece above the bottom lip,up under,,,hard to explain,,,,But that reinenforcement will do a lot of good,,,I'm sure of it. Basically trace the bottom of the airdam on a piece of cardboard,,,,then usingThat pattern to transfer to a sheet of 1/8 aluminum,,,and instead of mountingOn the very bottom of the air dam,put above that lip and bolt/screw it on,,,it won'tBe seen,and will stiffen the whole works up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NikoFab Posted November 7, 2012 Author Report Share Posted November 7, 2012 (edited) i understand but if you make them in good quality material for like 250 and dont charge 200 for s&h then ill buy it knowing for the little extra money it will last for ever Good quality material is urethane....not carbon fiber....not fiberglass....not FRP. I see shipping being anywhere between $50.00 and $100.00 (maybe a little more than that to Canada...I don't know). And keep in mind, we fabricators don't charge shipping...the shipping companies do. Even if you take shipping out of the equation...you cannot produce a urethane front air dam for that price (not with the lack of volume we're talking about)...it's that simple. Absolutely no disrespect intended...but I don't believe you understand the costs involved here. Material cost alone for one of these (two-part urethane, accelerator, release agent, etc.) is going to run around $150.00...and that's when it's still in its packaging. This is to say nothing of a mold, which would cost anywhere from $6000.00 to $15000.00 to have produced. So the alternative is to produce it yourself...and if you could do it, it's still going to cost four figures. Then there's scrap and waste cost. Again, I'd love to produce this for you guys...but you're kidding yourselves to think you'd get one for $250.00 shipped for this low a demand volume. If we were talking about a volume order of 100 units or more, now your desired price point is what I would consider feasible. Nick Edited November 7, 2012 by NikoFab Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NikoFab Posted November 7, 2012 Author Report Share Posted November 7, 2012 Even the tight arsed on here will pay $400 to $700 for 30 year old metal hood with scoops yet grumble about forking out the dough for a new air dam and nothing looks WORSE than a SQ without one ! , this is a different animal from your excellent roof spoiler project and without doubt way more costly however there are owners out there who will willingly pay your asking price, i'm one of them but sadly i doubt there are enough of us to make this a feasible and financially viable project for you to undertake at this time. . Well Scotty, I also thought this since before I even posted the thread...but wanted to get a take on it from the membership. If the demand/finances are not there then it is what it is. There's obviously some/several reasons why Tim and Mark haven't done this yet, and I just wanted to see for myself. I'll keep looking into opportunities on this as they present themselves. Who knows? Nick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NikoFab Posted November 7, 2012 Author Report Share Posted November 7, 2012 Cost is dependent on how many are produced... lol. Of course small runs would be expensive!! Larger runs would bring the cost down considerably, and would be more economic. That's the idea of the "group buy". So reality check(lol), if it's more than an OEM unit, why should someone choose your product over OEM?? If a small run makes the cost higher, then it would make more sense to increase number of parts made and pass those savings onto buyers. Go for a target price and that will be the deciding factor on how many you should make. You know for sure they'll sell better at $200/$300, than at $400. You asked why after market pieces aren't selling, it's because of cost. If you look at other vehicles with aftermarket urethane bumpers they are able to get the costs down to $180-$300 for the consumer. Don't let others get you down, you seem like you have the drive to get it done... let's see what you can do!! -Robert Oh absolutely Robert...the more orders, the merrier the price is for everybody. Part of the reason for this thread is to gauge the potential interest so that I can see if it's possible. The problem with our cars isn't that there aren't people interested in making them nice...it's that there are so damn few of our cars, hence so damn few of us. If we all had Honda Civics, this thread would be a non-issue! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NikoFab Posted November 7, 2012 Author Report Share Posted November 7, 2012 I'm not suggesting to put a splitter on a new airdam for strength,,,,,But putting a metal piece above the bottom lip,up under,,,hard to explain,,,,But that reinenforcement will do a lot of good,,,I'm sure of it.Basically trace the bottom of the airdam on a piece of cardboard,,,,then usingThat pattern to transfer to a sheet of 1/8 aluminum,,,and instead of mountingOn the very bottom of the air dam,put above that lip and bolt/screw it on,,,it won'tBe seen,and will stiffen the whole works up. I see what you're saying now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Komeuppance Posted November 7, 2012 Report Share Posted November 7, 2012 Lol there's always guys breaking new ones, you can sell them over and over!! Endless supply of air dams... lol. -Robert Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NikoFab Posted November 7, 2012 Author Report Share Posted November 7, 2012 (edited) Lol there's always guys breaking new ones, you can sell them over and over!! Endless supply of air dams... lol. -Robert LOL I hear you. Going to be researching this really hard...maybe pull out a few very old favors. I never back down without exhausting my options first. I would very much like to make this happen for you guys. Nick Edited November 7, 2012 by NikoFab Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrokenquestTSI Posted November 8, 2012 Report Share Posted November 8, 2012 id be buying one for sure. maybe 2. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.