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-   -   Bodykits for 986S, recommendations and advice (http://986forum.com/forums/boxster-general-discussions/25830-bodykits-986s-recommendations-advice.html)

wtf 08-18-2010 06:05 PM

Bodykits for 986S, recommendations and advice
 
Hi guys,

Ive only had my 986S for a week so far, so I am only new here :P

I am presently buying a bodykit for it, but the only place I have been able to find them is in the USA (im in Australia). I am looking for the GT2 style front, GT3 rear and Techart Side skirts.

I have found a couple of suppliers and have some questions as for the expense, I am worried they will get here and then just simply not fit, have a lot of ripples through them, or require massive amounts of modification to get them to sit flush.

I have two questions:

1) Flex fibreglass and deterioration:
I was originally going to go with the flex resin fibreglass & plastic style bars (such as duraflex asa seen on ebay) but then another supplier of kits suggested that the duraflex stuff looks good for the first few months but then deteriorates and looks ripply and wavey. He said he used to resell this product and stopped due to the cars looking poor after 6 months or so. Does anyone else here have flexi duraflex style kit, so can give any first hand experience?

2) Who is a decent supplier?
I have found two ebay sellers who both reply promptly.

First one is: www.MichaelsAutoAccessories.com
The do not seem to have a whole lot of first hand experience with the kits they are selling (but if you have 100s of kits, thats not too much of a flaw). I also found their photos all seem to be either computer generated or 'stock' photos. Most arent actually of customer vehicles, and in most cases the GT2 kit im looking at, is actually pictured on a GT2 - not on a 986 boxster, which seems to defeat the purpose. Shipping is via sea and will take up to 45 days (to port). They sell all 'duraflex' kits, and are comparitively cheap. Around USD$2700 delivered to Australia

The second seller is: "xtrememotorcars". Their ads all state the kits are made by '999-Design'. I have found reference to these ads also on the vividracing website which seems to mainly carry high quality items. The seller is very helpful and has sent me a multitude of pics of the kits installed on actual customers cars, not stock pics or computer generated ones, and actual Boxsters not real GT2s. This guy only sells straight fibreglass and said he wont trade in flex resin anymore due to deterioration over time. Shipping from this place is air freight, and only going to take 15 days (to door). They must have a deal with fedex as their air freight is cheaper than the other places sea freight. Total price is USD$4000 delivered for the kit.

Here is a pic of the kit I am getting, that the second supplier says was a customers car:

http://firesport.com/cars/silverpors...al/kitted1.JPG

http://firesport.com/cars/silverpors...l/131_3181.jpg


Has anyone had experience with either of these places, and can give any insight into the quality of the parts for both fitment and being non-wavey? Bottom line is if the kits need a lot of smoothing/sanding etc i might as well get cheap ones and adapt them to fit. For the $4k id want something that was near-perfect.


I hope to get a bit of advice as I am -this- close to hitting the 'send money' button and hoping to get a bit of final research in :)


If anyone has any other recommendations I am open to them!

Kind regards

Mark

Johnny Danger 08-18-2010 07:27 PM

Most of the sellers on Ebay are simply "middlemen" who are retailing body kits and aero parts from various and sundry sources. Companies here in the US like Precision Porsche (www.precisionporsche.com), MA Shaw (www.mashaw.net), NR Auto (www.nrauto.com),
Fiberwerks (www.fiberwerks.com) just to mention a few, are names more closely associated with the actually manufacturing of these kits. I can tell you from experience, if you are a perfectionist who has exacting standards, regardless of price or brand recognition, a tremendous amount of "craft work" is required in order to make any of these body kits look outstanding. And don't let anyone tell you otherwise ! About a year and half ago, my '02 S underwent a full Hamann body kit conversion. Given their reputation as a top European "tuner", along with the cost of the kit, one would have thought that Hamann themselves would have "miracled" these parts onto my vehicle. Well, I can tell you firsthand, that the project was very labor intensive and an extreme amount of detail had to go into the project in order to achieved the level of excellence they did.

Johnny Danger 08-19-2010 07:39 AM

Mark,

Without sounding immodest, I have extensive experience in this area. During my exhaustive search for the "ultimate" kit for my vehicle, I was able to see a vast number of these products firsthand. And I can attest to the quality and fitment (or, as the case maybe, lack there of) of many of these brands. Before you "pull the trigger" on any body kit, I strongly suggest that you consult with me first. I would be more than happy to help guide you toward the best quality product for your vehicle. I am familiar with the kit that you are looking at. And judging by the price, it appears as though the retailer is charging far more than what the manufacturer would be if you were to purchase it directly from them.

Kirk 08-19-2010 09:02 AM

Duraflex... you mean kits like these:

http://www.duraflexbodykits.com/search_porsche_boxster_2000.html

I wouldn't trust them personally. My car is featured in some of their advertisements. Problem is that I don't have a single Duraflex part on my car! :rolleyes: Bottom line, I would not trust this company and I would not buy from them. They sell under other names on eBay.

Extreme Motorcars seems better, but their eBay ads often have pictures of several body kits in one ad. It's very confusing. I would want to make 100% sure that I knew exactly what I was getting.

I agree with Johnny that you can expect to do some molding and smoothing regardless of what you get. I've got genuine Gemballa stuff on my car and despite the high cost there was still work that needed to be done to make them fit and look perfect. The good thing is that my more expensive parts though are thick, heavy, and well made. Ever see cheap Japanese body kits just flapping in the wind because the fiberglass is so thin? I've seen some complete crap at the low end of the price scale. There's no question that the more expensive stuff I got is worlds better than this. So you do get what you pay for to an extent. Having a good, strong base will certainly help to keep your body kit looking better over the long run. But regardless of source, that finishing and fitting will be required during the install.

Kirk

Lobo1186 08-19-2010 09:27 AM

i have seen extreme's work around the net and they do great work from what I can tell

Johnny Danger 08-19-2010 09:50 AM

Kirk is correct about Extreme Motorcars. If you go to their web-site or view their Ebay auctions, its a confusing patchwork of different brands and styles strewn along various P-cars. Again, in most cases all of these products can be sourced directly from the company who is manufacturing them. Thus, cutting out the "middleman"; which in this case is Extreme Motorcars.

Perfectlap 08-19-2010 10:08 AM

I ordered the GT3 MK2 (2002-2004 Carrera look) skirting from precision porsche.
It was when they first started so I paid like $350 delivered. Unfortunately the mid range shop charged me over $600 to paint it. The quality was pretty good. One side was a little longer than the other with left a tiny gap that I've long forgotten about but would surely have driven a perfectionist nuts to see every time.
I would have gone for the factory skirting but Porsche doesn't make that style for the Boxster. A little edge of has chipped off but that's just how it goes with fiberglass instead of poly urethane.

Johnny Danger 08-19-2010 05:28 PM

All of these fiberglass kits require an awful of "tweaking" to get them to fit right. On a positive note, the beauty of fiberglass is that it can be easily manipulated in order to achieve the right shape and/or fit. Whereas, polyurethane cannot. Therein lies the problem. With the exception of most of the oem parts, I've seen several after market kits that were manufactured in polyurethane or PURIM, wherein the fit was atrocious. Now you have a real problem, because there's really nothing you can do to alter the material to make it fit properly.

wtf 08-20-2010 02:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Johnny Danger
All of these fiberglass kits require an awful of "tweaking" to get them to fit right. On a positive note, the beauty of fiberglass is that it can be easily manipulated in order to achieve the right shape and/or fit. Whereas, polyurethane cannot. Therein lies the problem. With the exception of most of the oem parts, I've seen several after market kits that were manufactured in polyurethane or PURIM, wherein the fit was atrocious. Now you have a real problem, because there's really nothing you can do to alter the material to make it fit properly.


thanks very much guys, this is great information.

I have also spoken to precision porsche, and waiting on a shipping quote - i believe they may be the supplier.

That said, extreme motorcars seemed very knowledgeable so I wouldnt hesitate buying from them for the extra service.

Johnny Danger, have you seen precision's work in person?

regards

Mark


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