Authentic all the way! Good work with the comparison.

Rocking fake stuff keeps me up at night.

 

I had a referral from a friend who just did a ton of work by Makito at Seven Apple body works. Charged me about 400-450 around there. I thought he did great work ESPECIALLY for the price. Most places charge just that for paint. It wasn't 100%, but I'm not sure if that was limited by realistic time constraints ( he's pretty busy), or just it was a replica. I'm pretty picky. I can find tiny specs of dust and bubbles in paint lol. (probably something from building/painting car models) Having told you that, I'd rate the fitment about 92% where it probably started around 75% before. His paint work I'd also rate around 90%. Some dust, waviness that I never see unless I detail my car lol.

I would say even the worst, the most poorly fitted authentic would probably fit 85% (some J's stuff I've seen), and can fit 95-100% as good or better than OEM with minimal/no body work. A replica I would say would range from unusable trash to the best I'd say is 85%. I've never seen a replica fit out of the box any better than 85%. People who claim higher usually aren't very picky. With body work though I'd say it gets up to high 90's but I can't vouch for anything as nice as OEM or authentic.

 

I have a Shine that's taken quite a few scrapes on the bottom and touched a parking block once without any cracking or anything. I'd love to have a real one but my car is a DD and if I did I'm pretty sure I'd back into every parking space and be extremely paranoid all the time

 

I think backing into spaces is what got me into all this trouble in the first place. Some dbag probably hit it while parked facing out.

 

no lie.... its pretty scary watching my gf back out of the driveway despite having raised the car in anticipation for this new bumper lol...

 

Great thread! There are a few things that I would like to add to your points:
1) The replica stuff will see a lot more inconsistent work. It's just the QC that goes into the product. Shine, Extreme Dimensions, VIS, etc. are in the business to sell LOTS of product at a lower price. The JDM companies will price higher, but the consistency in the QC is there a lot more. Which leads me into thing #2...

2) I have personally installed replica parts that when compared to the authentic were better. It's pure luck of the draw though. Fiberglass parts (for the most part) are hand made. If they were made by machine you would never see inconsistencies or imperfections. You will have inconsistencies (more noticed in the replica stuff, but also apparent in the authentics). With that being said it can swing in your favor. Sometimes you get that replica part that is spot on. Sometimes you will get it from a shipment a month later and it will be completely different. The larger replica companies (E.D., VIS) will have 'less' inconsistency, but it will still be there. This isn't just JDM Honda stuff either. I've given a helping hand in installing a VERY expensive Techart body kit on a Porsche that was WAY off. Worse than the things that some replica companies have punched out.

3) The holes not being drilled is a time saver for manufacturing. It costs less if they don't have to measure out exact hole locations and punch the hole for you. It's time that they are spending working on the next part. Most replica companies won't do this and they will tell you it's because they don't know if your car has been in an accident. What does it matter? If they pre-drill and the body of your car is tweaked then the hole wont line up and you'll complain anyway. I can actually appreciate the holes not being there. Is it more work? Sure. Is it a bit of a pain? Yes. Is it the end of the world? Not by a long shot. Just take a few minutes, measure twice and drill once.

I've seen Shine's work many times. I've been to their facility and spoken with the owner in great detail about their work. I've personally worked with and am friends with one of their old prototypers. Shine makes a good product. Among the best when side-by-side compared to the other big replica names. Shine is A LOT smaller of a business though when compared to E.D. or VIS. It shows in their detail (a lot of the time).

I'll personally support authentic. Not because it's just that much better, but simply because I can. If you don't have the money for the authentic then work the replica. If you have the money then support the industry and buy authentic. This coming from the former Marketing Manager of Extreme Dimensions.

 

Thanks for your input NoBottleJustThrottle. I never knew about about the whole pre-drilled holes.

 

this entire thread has been incredibly informative, especially with this post

good stuff

 

Quick update, the bumper I think was made for an AP1. The holes on the bottom that attach to the fender liner doesn't line up for one of the bolts. A little annoying since it rattles a bit there against the bumper.

The shine bumper shaves these holes. Not sure why that one never rattled.

 

If you don't have the money for the authentic then work the replica save up or buy something of quality that you can afford, or don't buy anything at all. If you have the money then support the industry and buy authentic.

People's attitudes towards replicas is just depressing..

Thanks to the OP for a thread full of excellent info!