cakM3
08-31-2014, 02:25 PM
I figured I would write up a short review for this product for all the E46 M3 owners or people considering on getting one of these cars ;)
Thread link: http://www.m3forum.net/m3forum/showthread.php?t=525761 (http://www.m3forum.net/m3forum/showthread.php?t=525761)
Allow me to stress to "some people" here that this review is all about my initial impression of this product, the ordering process, and how the product arrived to my door. As for longevity and how well this product stands the test of time, there will be additional posts detailing how well this item holds up..... If you're willing to take the risk to have this for yourself, this product seems to be of good quality. It's not perfect but more than good enough to have mounted on your car :thumbsup You will get complements, trust me. :thumbsup
I started communicating with Steve @ 365Autosports when I learned about his group buy on M3 Forum and had asked him a few questions regarding this product. I saw in his thread that he had asked for a chance for his company to prove themselves on that forum so I figured it wouldn't hurt to ask him a few questions. After about 8 PM's from Steve (with relatively quick responses) I felt comfortable enough and went ahead and made the purchase.
I have received close to 30 PMs in total from Steve and he had somewhat addressed most of my questions and concerns regarding shipping, quality, and order status on this product.
Edit: This product was manufactured in Taiwan, which in itself is not really a bad thing...but it is something I feel worth noting in my review...
I sent Steve my payment on the 6th of August and the product I ordered, a 1x1 carbon fiber lip spoiler which shipped out on the 20th of August, exactly 2 weeks as Steve had advertised. All I cared for was that I received a quality part within the time frame that was advertised in the group buy.
I can honestly say that Steve's communication throughout has been straight-forward and that I had a good first impression of 365Autosports so I felt comfortable with my purchase so I went for it...
--------------------------------------------------
Conclusion....
Edit: Throughout this period I kept thinking of what Steve had posted throughout his intro thread for this group buy and decided to take Steve at his word. To be completely honest, looking back at the whole experience I feel it was a little on risky side for me to spend almost $400 only because there were a few M3Forum members talking serious trash on Steve's group buy thread. You have to ask yourself this question whenever dealing with an unknown vendor who does not have any reputation on any forum... "am I willing to lose $XXX for this product?" I will admit that this is not the best way to get a product but I had to have this lip and took the risk to have this. I have seen this lip on a friend's M3 and had to have this for mine so I went for it.
Looking at the whole experience.... would I do this again? it depends... In my case, there were some issues that fellow forum members @ M3Forum were posting in Steve's for-sale thread and two forum members even sent me a PM warning me not to participate in Steve's group buy thread. Even though Steve was quick to respond to all of my emails and gave me a good impression, everything Steve was doing was compromised by all the negative exposure, which I found were unfounded. Sometimes it's hard to weed out the BS from the truth when there are a few forum members causing so much discontent towards a vendor. Steve showed a lot of patience regarding the negative posts on his group buy thread and took the time to explain those issues to me although he was not required to do so. Props to Steve for doing that! :thumbsup
Am I glad I took the chance? I would have to say honestly that with my strong desire to get this product, I am glad I took the risk. I now have a lip spoiler that I have been searching for ever since seeing this on my friend's M3. I can say that Steve has his second group buy going right now at M3Forum and so far everything has been going positive… looks like Steve is doing well - good to see positive things going...
--------------------------------------------------
My Review:
With that said, I have found this product to be amazing (luckily enough), especially after I had polished it some more. There's nothing that needs to be done other than what is currently being done prior to shipping. The scores below are given based on my expectations for this product. These scores do not reflect what your expectations are but should give you an idea that you're not getting a substandard product...
Edit:
- Packaging is a solid 9.0 out of 10. Although my product did not suffer any damage, Gary's arrived with a nasty scratch on his. Packaging should be improved so that the product won't suffer any damages during shipment. It's bad enough that someone has to wait a few weeks for the product, let's not make the situation worse for them by having the product arrive damaged from shipment...
- The product as advertised is a solid 8.5 out of 10. I rated it 8.5 because the fitting is not 100%. Being aftermarket, it's not going to be perfect but it's close! It took a lot of work to get it to where I now have it. Would have been easier using two people. I mounted this by myself because I was impatient…
- Finish of the carbon fiber is a 10 out of 10. :thumbsup I will say that when polished, this carbon fiber lip is a piece of art!! :drool
- Customer Service is a solid 9.0 out of 10. There was some serious misunderstandings between Steve and I as a result which is why I gave him a rating of 9 but he took the time to explain those issues when he realized I was upset. He showed me that he is a vendor who's willing to work out issues with his customers (past and present) when they come up. :thumbsup Dealing with customers, especially forum customers can be quite a challenging thing...
As good as this product is... I still feel it is not 100% perfect and people who are thinking about buying this product should know everything about this product both good and bad :thumbsup For some, looks and perfect fitment is an absolute requirement and in the end, it's their money. Give them the right information on the product from the start and allow them to make their final decisions. Like I have said, I'm happy I got this product. One last thing to add is that I will give Steve credit for his follow up with his customers. He does a good job on his group buy and showed me he really was sincere and cared when I had my issues.
--------------------------------------------------
Here are the finished, well almost finished, pictures of my installed lip spoiler. Still have a few things to do but I wanted to get the lip mounted :biggrin
It's kinda dark and cloudy today so pics didn't come out nearly as good as I had wanted but everyone should have a good idea as to how good this product really is... :eeps
The first three pics were from my iPhone. I wanted to show how the box looked and how well wrapped the lip was for transport :)
http://i395.photobucket.com/albums/pp37/macdctr/M3/_DSC6178_zpsc45c06d7.jpg
http://i395.photobucket.com/albums/pp37/macdctr/M3/_DSC6176_zps496efc70.jpg
The lip was wrapped up very nice for transport...
http://i395.photobucket.com/albums/pp37/macdctr/M3/_DSC6187_zpsc97b195a.jpg
Pics of the installed lip spoiler :drool :drool :drool
http://i395.photobucket.com/albums/pp37/macdctr/M3/ICONZ%20Lip/_DSC6319_zpse7fab3d0.jpg
Love this pic....I think this is my next sig pic ;)
http://i395.photobucket.com/albums/pp37/macdctr/M3/ICONZ%20Lip/_DSC6290_zps8cdb1dd9.jpg
http://i395.photobucket.com/albums/pp37/macdctr/M3/ICONZ%20Lip/_DSC6299_zps744825db.jpg
http://i395.photobucket.com/albums/pp37/macdctr/M3/ICONZ%20Lip/_DSC6301_zps086c7dca.jpg
http://i395.photobucket.com/albums/pp37/macdctr/M3/ICONZ%20Lip/_DSC6302_zpsd1d43817.jpg
http://i395.photobucket.com/albums/pp37/macdctr/M3/ICONZ%20Lip/_DSC6304_zps06f3a5f6.jpg
http://i395.photobucket.com/albums/pp37/macdctr/M3/ICONZ%20Lip/_DSC6306_zps5de9aa79.jpg
http://i395.photobucket.com/albums/pp37/macdctr/M3/ICONZ%20Lip/_DSC6308_zpsb4a8e77b.jpg
http://i395.photobucket.com/albums/pp37/macdctr/M3/ICONZ%20Lip/_DSC6310_zpsd2a3fe25.jpg
http://i395.photobucket.com/albums/pp37/macdctr/M3/ICONZ%20Lip/_DSC6337_zpsef5c835c.jpg
http://i395.photobucket.com/albums/pp37/macdctr/M3/ICONZ%20Lip/_DSC6311_zpsdf66ee86.jpg
Close up view of the carbon fiber weave on the lip
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/09/02/gurebyzy.jpg
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/09/02/raha3yva.jpg
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/09/02/6yna8uny.jpg
--------------------------------------------------
Wrap UP
Based on everything I have posted above, it is my intention to have a completely honest review/experience of this purchase and after reflecting on everything from when I first purchased this product to today. My conclusion: There are two products for a one-piece CSL lip spoiler. One offered by 365AutoSports and one offered by Status Gruppe Tuning (SGT). Both products are excellent. The lip spoiler offered by 365AutoSports has a longer lip that extends out whereas the lip offered by SGT has a shorter lip which does not extend out as far. Depending on which route you want to go, I have found that buying from SGT is relatively straight-forward process and they have their own web page which makes sourcing parts much easier. :thumbsup For some this is all the difference they need :thumbsup Either way you will end up with an excellent product! :thumbsup I'm very happy with what I now have ;) :thumbsup
Thread link: http://www.m3forum.net/m3forum/showthread.php?t=525761 (http://www.m3forum.net/m3forum/showthread.php?t=525761)
Allow me to stress to "some people" here that this review is all about my initial impression of this product, the ordering process, and how the product arrived to my door. As for longevity and how well this product stands the test of time, there will be additional posts detailing how well this item holds up..... If you're willing to take the risk to have this for yourself, this product seems to be of good quality. It's not perfect but more than good enough to have mounted on your car :thumbsup You will get complements, trust me. :thumbsup
I started communicating with Steve @ 365Autosports when I learned about his group buy on M3 Forum and had asked him a few questions regarding this product. I saw in his thread that he had asked for a chance for his company to prove themselves on that forum so I figured it wouldn't hurt to ask him a few questions. After about 8 PM's from Steve (with relatively quick responses) I felt comfortable enough and went ahead and made the purchase.
I have received close to 30 PMs in total from Steve and he had somewhat addressed most of my questions and concerns regarding shipping, quality, and order status on this product.
Edit: This product was manufactured in Taiwan, which in itself is not really a bad thing...but it is something I feel worth noting in my review...
I sent Steve my payment on the 6th of August and the product I ordered, a 1x1 carbon fiber lip spoiler which shipped out on the 20th of August, exactly 2 weeks as Steve had advertised. All I cared for was that I received a quality part within the time frame that was advertised in the group buy.
I can honestly say that Steve's communication throughout has been straight-forward and that I had a good first impression of 365Autosports so I felt comfortable with my purchase so I went for it...
--------------------------------------------------
Conclusion....
Edit: Throughout this period I kept thinking of what Steve had posted throughout his intro thread for this group buy and decided to take Steve at his word. To be completely honest, looking back at the whole experience I feel it was a little on risky side for me to spend almost $400 only because there were a few M3Forum members talking serious trash on Steve's group buy thread. You have to ask yourself this question whenever dealing with an unknown vendor who does not have any reputation on any forum... "am I willing to lose $XXX for this product?" I will admit that this is not the best way to get a product but I had to have this lip and took the risk to have this. I have seen this lip on a friend's M3 and had to have this for mine so I went for it.
Looking at the whole experience.... would I do this again? it depends... In my case, there were some issues that fellow forum members @ M3Forum were posting in Steve's for-sale thread and two forum members even sent me a PM warning me not to participate in Steve's group buy thread. Even though Steve was quick to respond to all of my emails and gave me a good impression, everything Steve was doing was compromised by all the negative exposure, which I found were unfounded. Sometimes it's hard to weed out the BS from the truth when there are a few forum members causing so much discontent towards a vendor. Steve showed a lot of patience regarding the negative posts on his group buy thread and took the time to explain those issues to me although he was not required to do so. Props to Steve for doing that! :thumbsup
Am I glad I took the chance? I would have to say honestly that with my strong desire to get this product, I am glad I took the risk. I now have a lip spoiler that I have been searching for ever since seeing this on my friend's M3. I can say that Steve has his second group buy going right now at M3Forum and so far everything has been going positive… looks like Steve is doing well - good to see positive things going...
--------------------------------------------------
My Review:
With that said, I have found this product to be amazing (luckily enough), especially after I had polished it some more. There's nothing that needs to be done other than what is currently being done prior to shipping. The scores below are given based on my expectations for this product. These scores do not reflect what your expectations are but should give you an idea that you're not getting a substandard product...
Edit:
- Packaging is a solid 9.0 out of 10. Although my product did not suffer any damage, Gary's arrived with a nasty scratch on his. Packaging should be improved so that the product won't suffer any damages during shipment. It's bad enough that someone has to wait a few weeks for the product, let's not make the situation worse for them by having the product arrive damaged from shipment...
- The product as advertised is a solid 8.5 out of 10. I rated it 8.5 because the fitting is not 100%. Being aftermarket, it's not going to be perfect but it's close! It took a lot of work to get it to where I now have it. Would have been easier using two people. I mounted this by myself because I was impatient…
- Finish of the carbon fiber is a 10 out of 10. :thumbsup I will say that when polished, this carbon fiber lip is a piece of art!! :drool
- Customer Service is a solid 9.0 out of 10. There was some serious misunderstandings between Steve and I as a result which is why I gave him a rating of 9 but he took the time to explain those issues when he realized I was upset. He showed me that he is a vendor who's willing to work out issues with his customers (past and present) when they come up. :thumbsup Dealing with customers, especially forum customers can be quite a challenging thing...
As good as this product is... I still feel it is not 100% perfect and people who are thinking about buying this product should know everything about this product both good and bad :thumbsup For some, looks and perfect fitment is an absolute requirement and in the end, it's their money. Give them the right information on the product from the start and allow them to make their final decisions. Like I have said, I'm happy I got this product. One last thing to add is that I will give Steve credit for his follow up with his customers. He does a good job on his group buy and showed me he really was sincere and cared when I had my issues.
--------------------------------------------------
Here are the finished, well almost finished, pictures of my installed lip spoiler. Still have a few things to do but I wanted to get the lip mounted :biggrin
It's kinda dark and cloudy today so pics didn't come out nearly as good as I had wanted but everyone should have a good idea as to how good this product really is... :eeps
The first three pics were from my iPhone. I wanted to show how the box looked and how well wrapped the lip was for transport :)
http://i395.photobucket.com/albums/pp37/macdctr/M3/_DSC6178_zpsc45c06d7.jpg
http://i395.photobucket.com/albums/pp37/macdctr/M3/_DSC6176_zps496efc70.jpg
The lip was wrapped up very nice for transport...
http://i395.photobucket.com/albums/pp37/macdctr/M3/_DSC6187_zpsc97b195a.jpg
Pics of the installed lip spoiler :drool :drool :drool
http://i395.photobucket.com/albums/pp37/macdctr/M3/ICONZ%20Lip/_DSC6319_zpse7fab3d0.jpg
Love this pic....I think this is my next sig pic ;)
http://i395.photobucket.com/albums/pp37/macdctr/M3/ICONZ%20Lip/_DSC6290_zps8cdb1dd9.jpg
http://i395.photobucket.com/albums/pp37/macdctr/M3/ICONZ%20Lip/_DSC6299_zps744825db.jpg
http://i395.photobucket.com/albums/pp37/macdctr/M3/ICONZ%20Lip/_DSC6301_zps086c7dca.jpg
http://i395.photobucket.com/albums/pp37/macdctr/M3/ICONZ%20Lip/_DSC6302_zpsd1d43817.jpg
http://i395.photobucket.com/albums/pp37/macdctr/M3/ICONZ%20Lip/_DSC6304_zps06f3a5f6.jpg
http://i395.photobucket.com/albums/pp37/macdctr/M3/ICONZ%20Lip/_DSC6306_zps5de9aa79.jpg
http://i395.photobucket.com/albums/pp37/macdctr/M3/ICONZ%20Lip/_DSC6308_zpsb4a8e77b.jpg
http://i395.photobucket.com/albums/pp37/macdctr/M3/ICONZ%20Lip/_DSC6310_zpsd2a3fe25.jpg
http://i395.photobucket.com/albums/pp37/macdctr/M3/ICONZ%20Lip/_DSC6337_zpsef5c835c.jpg
http://i395.photobucket.com/albums/pp37/macdctr/M3/ICONZ%20Lip/_DSC6311_zpsdf66ee86.jpg
Close up view of the carbon fiber weave on the lip
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/09/02/gurebyzy.jpg
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/09/02/raha3yva.jpg
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/09/02/6yna8uny.jpg
--------------------------------------------------
Wrap UP
Based on everything I have posted above, it is my intention to have a completely honest review/experience of this purchase and after reflecting on everything from when I first purchased this product to today. My conclusion: There are two products for a one-piece CSL lip spoiler. One offered by 365AutoSports and one offered by Status Gruppe Tuning (SGT). Both products are excellent. The lip spoiler offered by 365AutoSports has a longer lip that extends out whereas the lip offered by SGT has a shorter lip which does not extend out as far. Depending on which route you want to go, I have found that buying from SGT is relatively straight-forward process and they have their own web page which makes sourcing parts much easier. :thumbsup For some this is all the difference they need :thumbsup Either way you will end up with an excellent product! :thumbsup I'm very happy with what I now have ;) :thumbsup