That may be true, but remember that the fabrication costs just may be too prohibitive to sell below a $150 pricepoint. Just because the raw materials are cheap does not mean it's cheap to build.

The inventor can and should go for a patent. Who knows, he may become independently wealthy selling these, especially if he can branch it out to other vehicles. I can see some prior art issues, as there have been solutions in the past that use the same method (like the Comptech box) but this one has the added "snap on to a stock config" approach that is quite clever.

I am disappointed with the pricing, but if it can't be helped, then it can't be helped.

 

I am not criticizing you, your work, or your costs. All I am saying is that my expectations and reality don't match. In other words, it's my problem, not yours.

 

A bit of cross thread perspective here. A thread about the Mugen Spark Plug Cover was recently locked. That part doesn't even pretend to do anything about performance and is over $300. So, slap on a JDM sticker and you'll have no trouble moving this product at twice the price.

 

I wish the materials were cheap, the sheet of plastic is at $100.00 ea. and I only get 4 finished from it, the adhesive is spendy also @ $100.00 per gallon. And every molder I've talked to has a 30%profit on top of cost built in because of a 50 piece or less run.

 

If you are making 1000's then the price would come down but in our limited market they are going to be pricey to produce but $150 is a bit steep.

 

I don't think it's anybody's place to question your patent, material, production and distribution costs... or your profit margin.

but a fair question for others (and yourself) is: will it be worth the price?

I'm sure you'll be the first to admit that this isn't a "bling" piece, so you won't be able to capitalize on any "sexiness" factor.

I am 110% supportive of the entrepreneurial spirit, and for the sake of argument (and in the spirit of supportedness), I'm going to assume that the performance gains of your piece are... significant. one can only hope that they are significant enough to justify purchase for enough people to pay off your initial cash outlays... and hopefully bring you a profit.

moreover, considering that (per my earlier suggestion) one can simply cut a hole in the side of the airbox (and maybe attach some PVC, as someone else suggested), the benefit of your piece is not having to perform any permanent modification to the airbox -vs- the very cheap and simple solution I suggested. I sincerely hope that enough people find that worthwhile enough to justify paying whatever you sell these for.

in my humble opinion (and I mean this with a great deal of respect and sincerity), I really don't think it's woth it.

but it's not my money+time, it's yours, so to you sir, I wish you the best of luck with your invention. I would happily "eat crow" to find out a year from now that you made buckets of cash above and beyond your initial time+money investment. best of luck!

 

I love the product and think it should be a winner. The thing I don't understand (and I'm guessing it is because I am in a very different market) is applying for a patent for something that has a very limited market (a percentage of S2000 owners) and a short life span. Not only does it add to start up costs, but it delays the start up. And doesn't the fact that the product was publicised prior to patent mean that anyone could claim to have produced it before patent enforcement? Does the patent protect you from foreign (specifically Chinese) manufacturers?

 

Nothing protects you against Chinese manufacturers. They just can't sell them in the US. I hear this from a close friend, his brother works for a large publishing house. Once a year, a rep from china come in and buys one copy of everthing they published that year. He sells them the one copy knowing full well what they will do with it. If he does not, he will just go elsewhere to get them. they take them home, translate them and publish them, royality free. And there is nothing we can do about it. This has been a long standing issue for US foreign policy with china and others countries that do the same.

DIESELPILOT1969, check your e-mail.

 

And on the internet we don't need to be in China to buy it. That is why I wonder why you would spend money to patent something like this. If a Chinese manufacturer thought there was market for it you would've been able to buyone on October 15.

 

Given the cost of model-specific parts at stores and on the web, particularly for cars that don't sell in volume like the S, I'd say that the $150 range is eminently reasonable for this piece, and I'm probably going to get one even if it's somewhat more.

I'm not entirely sure what "heat bog" is (and with the intermittent search, I haven't looked it up), but if it's what I think it is and this fixes it, it would be a useful gadget indeed. Please keep us updated, Pilot. HPH