Ballade Sports Double Carbon OEM Style Hardtop Review
01-26-2016, 08:53 AM
#12
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Yup, the Ballade top is clearly made by Karbon Haus. If you go to Karbon Haus' facebook page and look at the OEM replica top, it's the exact same thing. 99% of replica parts are garbage whereas 99% of authentic/OEM parts are great. Sure there is the 1% on each side but which would you rather gamble with?
01-26-2016, 09:17 AM
#13
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I've always thought Karbon Haus' hardtops were good. I picked up a Mugen replica FRP from them about a year ago and have been 100% satisfied. There was no damage to my top as it was in primer and I was able to inspect it in person before purchasing. In my experience, fitment was one of the best when I compared to many of my friend's forbidden or RSG tops. No creaking, rattles, or windnoise to report. I hope ballade fixes this as they are or were a reputable company.
01-26-2016, 11:15 AM
#14
I am going to have to chime in and say a few things that I did not like about the transaction I had with Ballade a few months back. I purchased their OEM rep fiberglass top and had them paint it black. Since I decided to make the drive to So. Cal to purchase it, I figured I'd pay the extra to have it installed there. Makes sense, right? I arrived around the time they opened just like we had agreed to. But Alex was very late. I'm guessing he's the only one who is allowed to install the top, but not any of his crew(?). He apologized, saying he had to help a customer on the way to work, or something of the nature. Understood, whatever, no worry.
He does the install and the top looks great. We inspect together and turns out the passenger window hits the top when the door closes. He goes on to say that usually he would have to charge customers to adjust the window, but would "hook me up." Wait, you actually charge customers to make adjustments to have the top actually fit without issues? I understand you have to pull the door panel off to do the adjust, but c'mon dude - seriously? As others have said, he is definitely savvy when trying to sell parts. I cannot talk down on the other items he sells since I have never tried them, but I did not really like the sales-pitches he was throwing.
The top itself was very noisy at the sides. And coming from having previously owned an OEM top, I knew what to expect. The seals that come with the top are absolute garbage. Wind noise and water are definite issues. But I'm sure this applies to most aftermarket tops. I decided to retrofit the OEM seal retainers and seals to help alleviate the issue and am happy I did so.
Almost forgot to mention - he decided to install the rear window seal ON THE ACTUAL REAR SEAL OF THE CAR and not the hardtop itself. I found this out when I went to remove the top and do the retainer/seal retrofit. The adhesive on the backside of the Ballade supplied seal is super sticky and turned out to be a nightmare to remove. Had to purchase a replacement seal to install on the hardtop itself, where it should have been installed in the first place.
Overall satisfaction with Ballade as a retailer = 6
Overall satisfaction with the top prior to my retainer/seal retrofit = 6
YMMV
Also, I wonder if they will respond to this thread.
He does the install and the top looks great. We inspect together and turns out the passenger window hits the top when the door closes. He goes on to say that usually he would have to charge customers to adjust the window, but would "hook me up." Wait, you actually charge customers to make adjustments to have the top actually fit without issues? I understand you have to pull the door panel off to do the adjust, but c'mon dude - seriously? As others have said, he is definitely savvy when trying to sell parts. I cannot talk down on the other items he sells since I have never tried them, but I did not really like the sales-pitches he was throwing.
The top itself was very noisy at the sides. And coming from having previously owned an OEM top, I knew what to expect. The seals that come with the top are absolute garbage. Wind noise and water are definite issues. But I'm sure this applies to most aftermarket tops. I decided to retrofit the OEM seal retainers and seals to help alleviate the issue and am happy I did so.
Almost forgot to mention - he decided to install the rear window seal ON THE ACTUAL REAR SEAL OF THE CAR and not the hardtop itself. I found this out when I went to remove the top and do the retainer/seal retrofit. The adhesive on the backside of the Ballade supplied seal is super sticky and turned out to be a nightmare to remove. Had to purchase a replacement seal to install on the hardtop itself, where it should have been installed in the first place.
Overall satisfaction with Ballade as a retailer = 6
Overall satisfaction with the top prior to my retainer/seal retrofit = 6
YMMV
Also, I wonder if they will respond to this thread.
01-26-2016, 12:24 PM
#15
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I'm not a big fan of rep top sellers adjusting windows to make hardtops fit better. I've seen RSG Justin say he had to do that many times for his tops and that it's "normal."
The fact of the matter is, the replica tops usually sit too low in the rear due to the crappy/thin rear seal, so the window hits the top. And the crappy hardware that's included doesn't allow up and down adjustment. Or in some cases, the hardware does allow up and down adjustment but because the rear seal is so thin, if the top is adjusted up to where it should sit, then the rear won't seal. To me, the window adjustment is just a Band-Aid fix and a sign of an improperly made part.
The fact of the matter is, the replica tops usually sit too low in the rear due to the crappy/thin rear seal, so the window hits the top. And the crappy hardware that's included doesn't allow up and down adjustment. Or in some cases, the hardware does allow up and down adjustment but because the rear seal is so thin, if the top is adjusted up to where it should sit, then the rear won't seal. To me, the window adjustment is just a Band-Aid fix and a sign of an improperly made part.
01-27-2016, 07:00 AM
#16
I'm not a big fan of rep top sellers adjusting windows to make hardtops fit better. I've seen RSG Justin say he had to do that many times for his tops and that it's "normal."
The fact of the matter is, the replica tops usually sit too low in the rear due to the crappy/thin rear seal, so the window hits the top. And the crappy hardware that's included doesn't allow up and down adjustment. Or in some cases, the hardware does allow up and down adjustment but because the rear seal is so thin, if the top is adjusted up to where it should sit, then the rear won't seal. To me, the window adjustment is just a Band-Aid fix and a sign of an improperly made part.
The fact of the matter is, the replica tops usually sit too low in the rear due to the crappy/thin rear seal, so the window hits the top. And the crappy hardware that's included doesn't allow up and down adjustment. Or in some cases, the hardware does allow up and down adjustment but because the rear seal is so thin, if the top is adjusted up to where it should sit, then the rear won't seal. To me, the window adjustment is just a Band-Aid fix and a sign of an improperly made part.
01-27-2016, 08:01 AM
#17
Damn dude, sorry to hear man. I was considering their CF OEM top in the future, guess not.
Should have gone with Forbidden if you were going with OEM rep. Talk to Alberto, and he takes care of you all the way. When my top arrived, there was a defect and I asked if I could take it to a shop and have them fix and he fronted the bill. 2 years later, I had something wrong with my hardtop, called him and talked to him about it, he took care of it. Great customer service from Forbidden and overall fitment is decent and doesn't leak, in the rain.
Edit:
I am also across the country from him, so we did everything over the phone and email (emailed photos). Wasn't even local and provided me with excellent customer service.
Should have gone with Forbidden if you were going with OEM rep. Talk to Alberto, and he takes care of you all the way. When my top arrived, there was a defect and I asked if I could take it to a shop and have them fix and he fronted the bill. 2 years later, I had something wrong with my hardtop, called him and talked to him about it, he took care of it. Great customer service from Forbidden and overall fitment is decent and doesn't leak, in the rain.
Edit:
I am also across the country from him, so we did everything over the phone and email (emailed photos). Wasn't even local and provided me with excellent customer service.
01-27-2016, 01:37 PM
#18
Registered User
I had a somewhat similar experience with both the hardtop and Alex.
Fitment looked great after installation but after washing the car and soaking my interior, I discovered the passenger window didn't even come close to making a watertight seal. I called up Alex who got kind of standoffish and defensive when I told him the hardtop was leaking, and pretty much just said that all aftermarket hardtops leak, that OEM seals would be $1000+, and that I should buy some weather stripping and figure out a solution myself.
I was pretty surprised that he didn't offer to even look at the car, instead saying that he'd have to schedule me and charge labor.
I ended up going to home depot and got some rubber foam weather stripping as a temporary fix until my Forbidden hardtop seals come in, but I think I'm done with Ballade for now.
Fitment looked great after installation but after washing the car and soaking my interior, I discovered the passenger window didn't even come close to making a watertight seal. I called up Alex who got kind of standoffish and defensive when I told him the hardtop was leaking, and pretty much just said that all aftermarket hardtops leak, that OEM seals would be $1000+, and that I should buy some weather stripping and figure out a solution myself.
I was pretty surprised that he didn't offer to even look at the car, instead saying that he'd have to schedule me and charge labor.
I ended up going to home depot and got some rubber foam weather stripping as a temporary fix until my Forbidden hardtop seals come in, but I think I'm done with Ballade for now.
01-27-2016, 03:39 PM
#20
OP,
Thank you for writing this. We value all customer feedback. As a young company we are constantly learning and improving both our art and our business. You were one of our earlier customers as stated in your original post and we learned from our interaction with you on how we could become a better company. I apologize for not having taken better care of you then but from your bad experience we've built a better company that (1) stands by the quality of our products, (2) communicates with customers and (3) continues to push the brand. Again, I'm sorry for letting you down and if you decide to give us another shot, we'll take care of you.
As far as our hardtop goes, our earliest options were not perfect. We did indeed experience issues with manufacturing that impacted fitment and finish. However, with the feedback we have received, improvements have been made to the tops which address nearly every issue you have listed. Our revised hardtops now sit evenly in the rear, mate to the front and rear brackets with zero modification needed along and come pre-clear coated to prevent hazing down the road (as is common with carbon fiber panels). Anyone with concerns or questions can feel more than welcome to send us a PM.
Thank you for writing this. We value all customer feedback. As a young company we are constantly learning and improving both our art and our business. You were one of our earlier customers as stated in your original post and we learned from our interaction with you on how we could become a better company. I apologize for not having taken better care of you then but from your bad experience we've built a better company that (1) stands by the quality of our products, (2) communicates with customers and (3) continues to push the brand. Again, I'm sorry for letting you down and if you decide to give us another shot, we'll take care of you.
As far as our hardtop goes, our earliest options were not perfect. We did indeed experience issues with manufacturing that impacted fitment and finish. However, with the feedback we have received, improvements have been made to the tops which address nearly every issue you have listed. Our revised hardtops now sit evenly in the rear, mate to the front and rear brackets with zero modification needed along and come pre-clear coated to prevent hazing down the road (as is common with carbon fiber panels). Anyone with concerns or questions can feel more than welcome to send us a PM.
