philodox

Has anyone had a chance to see the MS replica front bumper made in urethane? I am debating on buying the one that carbon creations has. Any fitment issues? How is the finish of the bumper? Does is come ready for paint or does it need work first? Any kind of review of it would be a great help. Thanks guys/gals

mikeb

I have the autowerks ms replica in utherthane on my 8
I have had it for six months
I didn't see it until it was on my car and painted

only problem is it chips alot

EZZY

urethane is generally more flexable than fibreglass, so it wont crack as easily. it all depends on if you are willing to pay extra for it.


change the routes and see if it improves
otherwise, im sure you can get hold of one of those clear film for protect the front bar

Riccio

I have the same one installed, and Mike is right - it really chips a lot!

I am planning on having it redone for the new year - will try and let the car sit for 2 or 3 weeks and have a clear bra installed - problem is that it is a totally custom install since I am not aware of any company who has it pre-cut for the MS front - do you Mike?

Kel Rx8

the guys at clear guard were willing to custom cut out a ms front for me
when i get the bumper.try them

philodox

I wonder if Armor Glove has a MS front bumper clear bra made yet.. I'll try to find out tomorrow.

mikeb

riccio
I am not aware of a custom clear front for our ms fronts
however I have had fiberglass fronts on my last car and they didn't chip as much

it could have alot to do with who paints your front bumper and the paint they use
the better the paint probably will be less chips
but I have used almost a half bottle of touch up on my front

I am not a fan of the clear bra
I would rather just paint the front again.

philodox

I have the clear bra made by ArmorGlove on my stock bumper now. Once I get a MS front bumper the stock one will only be on my car for winter.. so at least I have another 3 months or so to either find a high quality MS replica front bumper, or get the real thing

Riccio

Mike - what don't you like about the clear bra? The look?

I think it's probably worth it in any case to protect the headlights.

Not installed on my car at present - bumper or lights.

And, Jon, sorry for the minor thread hi-jack

philodox

Amen! The headlights are over 1k each!


No worries Jill, it's a good discussion.. I'm always game for those

Outlaws eXtreme

It's the paint, Aerowerks didn't blend the paint correctly so that it would allow some flexes, and chips. Most likely they didn't put enough coats, and not even, thus would have some weak spots which allow for chips.

Try a paint shop that will guarantee their work, and tell them to have multiple coats of clearcoat to cushion the debris.

Urethane is better than fiberglass, but original is still the original

Riccio

Urethane is better than fiberglass, but original is still the original [/QUOTE]

So True - but with the money I saved over "original", I was able to do almost ALL of my other cool stuff to my 8 - And, I still think it looks pretty d**m nice, if I do say so myself!

I'm going to call Autowerks about the repaint, and see what they have to say. I do plan to have the front re-painted in January or Feb.

mikeb

riccio
keep us posted
I may be due for a repaint on my front also

sohcpunk

please lets not talk bad about autowerks, i have seen their paint and they do excellent job on all their cars, even though I got my kit painted there, you dont have to trust my opinion, ask anyone in the show scene, team illmatic, autobots, hell, the wide body scion from Tein was recently painted by autowerks. i personally think its chipping because the urethane material is softer than the oem bumpers so it is more prone to flex when hit by a rock causing chips

Riccio

I don't think I said anything about Autowerks, other than I was going to call them about repainting the front. I intend to pay for it - just want to talk to them about how much the Urethane seems to chip and now that we know that, what do the PROS at Autowerks think? (More layers needed, a different paint blend, etc., that might help the Urethane chip less) As you say - they are very good, and maybe now that we know more about these Urethane kits, maybe there is a better wait to paint them. What's so bad about that?

They also re-painted my 95 RX-7, it it looks great.

Outlaws Extreme suggested that the chipping could be a paint problem, but I dont think he talked bad about anyone specifically.

As for me - I would call myself a satisfied Autowerks customer.

flip

True that! No chips.. No probs w/ my OEM.. BUT, i think if Aeroworks came out w/ their kit sooner.. i prob would've got it from them too... :p

sohcpunk

Sorry for the misunderstanding, I was refering my comment towards outlaw

sohcpunk

addition from my comments above, it is procedure to put on the flex, then paint over it, so that comment about mixing the paint incorrectly makes no sense