i agree, seen it happen one too many times since i joined the forum 3 years ago.

 

So true in so many ways

 

Absolutly, there's a fine difference between someone suggesting a product they don't know isn't the best and someone trying to sell something they know is incomplete or otherwise not as advertised.

Some people just don't have the experience or knowlege to give an informed opinion. Others have had various experiences and can give a very well informed argument why one product is better than the other.

One thing I talk to new RX8 owners about is the knee jerk reaction to change out intake/headers/exhaust like every other modified car owner in the world. Had I done my research when I first bought my RX8 I would have saved myself lots of cash by spending my money wiser. Instead I was in such a hurry to modify the car I bought whatever I could get my hands on.

What I ended up with was an exhaust I wasn't totally happy with and an intake that sucks more hot air than anything else. My mid-pipe was the only intelligent purchase I made right away.

I laughed at a guy who told me suspension and brakes were the areas I should upgrade first. Luckily the RX8's brakes and suspension are already fantastic, but again I could have had more fun with the car earlier had I listened.

 

Also keep in mind that some people/products come and go....remember CanZoomer?? I admit I spent money and it's gathering dust in my garage as I type this. Admittedly, I didn't research the product enought and lost some money out of the whole deal.

 

^Yes but dont feel that bad. People where still buying that even when the interx was out and everyone was talking about how good the x was over the zoomer.

 

Some stuff just can't be helped. I'm sure 100 years from now people will look back and think "Wow, they used to WATCH their food cook in the Microwave? What were they thinking?"

 

I think I really need to make something clear here. My 2 part comment was about the new website i was suggesting...not about these forums. This site has a lot of policing that needs to be done and I commend all of you for the work that you do.

However...if what mysql said was true...I am a little disappointed. I understand this site costs money to run. However, those costs should not outweigh the user base. If a user has documented proof that a site trusted vendor has done something to screw a user over then the admins have an obligation to protect the rest of the users. I am not suggesting that vendors should only be able to make one mistake...but some guidelines need to be designed around punishment and removal. You as a site can not continue to recommend us going somewhere where you know we are about to get screwed. If you do the site looses respect not only with other car people but with the community.

 

the rx8club.com is my 4th home...

 

There was a time that CanZoomer was state of the art. Things change. More information comes out. They will stop bring more advanced things out for the once it isn't popular anymore.

 

I agree with you but before buying anything searchign and asking questions on here is a must.

I use the search and check updated posts.

 

I would like to see old subjects brought up again in a fresh thread. The search engine on this forum is horrible and sometimes a fresh start on an old subject can shed a different light on things.


I also feel that several vendors throw products out that are still in beta stages of development and many don't realize it.

 

very interesting.......looking very forward to hearing things......

 

Well, to be honest, the site is itself the ultimate fanboy of the RX8. How many threads are there where individuals have moved on to other cars only to get flamed rather heavily by quite a few people. Automatically, to more than a few folks here, the RX-8 is the best car ever (exaggeration), until inevitably, they move on themselves.

Point being, I take any review from most people with a grain of salt, no matter how steadfastly they stand behind it. People feel a need to justify their financial decisions, and are rarely objective. XYZ coilovers are the best! ABC sways are the way to go! Etc, etc, etc. People will complain if something is obviously defective, but rarely will speak up if the results aren't what they really expect. Maybe I'm not giving the community enough credit, but I don't think there are many members that can even provide a useful critique of any product, myself included. So many mods end up being subjective to the person who bought them, "my car feels..." "it's a driveability thing"... "this looks great!". Someone's definition of their car handling great is different than mine. And butt dynos vary all across the board. Ha! That's my long winded way for saying, reviews here may provide some useful feedback, but I don't necessarily base my purchasing decisions on them.

Vendor feedback is a completely different story, and to some extent, that's addressed in the good guy/bad guy section. I heed warnings as to where to place my orders, and what vendors are shady at best. If a vendor also happens to produce the products they sell, that muddies the water a little bit, as now it's a product and the service that's being purchased.

 

Personally I find it grotesque that anyone would obfuscate responsibility for something just because it isn’t easy. As someone mentioned, saying that the Ad Dept is completely separate from the columnist section is absurd. If it’s under your name you should want to take pride in ALL of your product/service. Understand what I am saying is not that it is your responsibility to test out every product from every vendor to ensure quality. What I am saying is that if you have people bitching at the site/admins constantly for a vendor that isn’t doing business properly (i.e. some of the things mysql mentioned earlier, like shipping problems) then it is your responsibility to tell that vendor to get their act together or to they lose their site privileges.

 

This site (and indeed, us Mods) are in the same boat as all other users.....

Those with long memories will remember that there was nobody as deep into the Canzoomer technology as myself - at the time it was ground-breaking and state-of-the-art, .....and still was two years later.

Nobody made people run out and buy one, and the gains were very real - my review was written purely voluntarily, without even a suggestion from the maker, and I reviewed my own (full list price) unit. I don't see how it could get more fair and unbiased than that.

I hate to see bashing of some company's offerings, by people who have never laid eyes on the product - and the most heinous offenders are the whiners who chant "It's WAY overpriced!......."
If it's outside your financial comfort zone, just pass it by - there is no legitimate grounds to criticize something based on your own perceived value judgement.
Never.

Half baked 'beta' mods will always find customers - I was involved, briefly, with the STS (Squires) rear mounted turbo system, which you will not find in their catalog even today - sometimes it is just not a good idea.....


S

( Wow - never thought I'd use the phrase "most heinous' in a post!)

 

Yeah, I know the mods are paid nothing.

It wasn't too long ago that AOL was sued by it's guides. AOL was giving them free internet access for unpaid work. The guides claimed something about minimum wage laws or something. I forget the details.

 

Excellent observation and it goes beyond just the parts. Many on this board think it is sacrilegious to say anything negative about the RX even if it is true and bring it in the open may lead to a fix. The Fan-boys don't like to hear that there investment has any warts even if you rave about the car in 4 previous lines.

 

i seriously almost bought one twice

 

For the CZ situation..... it was the only option we had at the time, and we were still learning about the vehicle. We didn't know the car would figure out what the piggyback was doing then correct it

It was bleeding edge at the time. As people realized that the car would correct any changes made, they offloaded their units. Of course no one mentioned that little detail in their FS threads. So we end up either thread crapping by posting that it may not work properly on someone else's FS thread, or watching noobs pick them up without doing their research. Which do you think is morally correct?

 

Yeah mods usually make nothing.

I dont know if you guys have been to www.vwvortex.com, but it is a great forum.

Not nearly as much low balling, or peoples not mentioning issues with the stuff their selling.

mysql, I could help moderate if you guys need help, this forum has helped me out alot as well as it should others.

Could we possibly get an area where people post reviews of mods along with the problems and issues? I think this would help with having to find old searches, etc.

 

So I shouldn't have poured sand in my air intake to port it?


Damn you all!


Interested in the "other" thread . . .

 

to be honest, this is how businesses are. most seller are not willing to share the bad side of the item that they're selling, thatz just life. or maybe the owners are thinking items they're selling are just affecting them, it might not affect other users who are using different applications!

 

I read a lot of threads. In fact, if it's the aftermarket mod/major hp forum, it's not unusual for me to read 20-30 pages of a thread just to get caught up to speed with the new info. I don't post as much mostly because I generally don't have much to add or any personal desire to influence others. There are a number of things I'd love to see.

1. I'd love to see legit vendor built cars. There are Rx-8 race teams, Rx-8 drift teams, and Rx-8 show cars all over and they seem sadly separate and miles away from this forum.
2. I'd love to see a site either affiliated or not affiliated with this site that is more editorial/magazine like where what is posted/studied has some legitimate thought and effort behind it. I've read some threads on here that were very interesting with a lot of good ideas even if they weren't necessarily product reviews and they generally started with someone laying down a strong post based on facts.

I've bought parts from 4.5 forum vendors now (the .5 being a salesperson on the board with a different vendor now) and had experiences ranging from tolerable to excellent. I've talked to people who have dealt with some of the same vendors and had problems. Sometimes, things seem to degenerate into pure stone throwing where it would probably be more helpful to have something go before a court of law to sort out some facts.

I guess, should I achieve a level of "complete" for a period of time, I'll take sometime to give some feedback to the community.

 

very well put chris.....

 

This doesn't have anything to do with the product called Shamwow!, does it?

I had my heart set on ordering it. It's made in Germany, after all, and the 'Germans make good stuff,' according to the official spokesman on the infomercial.


http://www.shamwow.com/