People will buy knock off rims all day long, but when it comes to body kits or any other parts, they stand strong and refuse to buy those types of things if they’re not legit?

 

It depends, I have no issue buying replica wheels if they are from a legit company with a good standing. I also have no problems buying replica body kit parts as long as I know that they are indeed replicas, and not advertised as the real deal. The problem lies with certain companies falsely advertising their product, thus leaving the customer thinking they are getting quality parts, but in the end they sometimes do not, depending on the product.



IMO the difference between knock off and replica is all in the quality and advertising. Replicas are alternatives to the originals, but maintain a certain level of quality that most would be happy with. MOST of these replica companies also advertise their products as such, leaving the customer with no doubt that they are replicas.



Knock offs on the other hand are cheap imitations of the original product. They are usually of shoddy construction and claim to be the original or use tricky advertising to dupe a customer into buying these said knock offs.



But thats just the way I see it. I'm going to be buying a set of Varrstoen rims. I know they are replicas, but I have not heard of anyone with this particular brand having issues when it comes to quality. I remember someone back in the day having issues with a certain wheel finish, but never a problem with actual wheel construction. Now if you take the Sequence Sideskirts from Import Sharks website for example, they are knock offs. You do not know the original manufacturer, and nowhere on the IS website does it say they are replicas, but they are indeed knock offs of the original Sequence product. I was even recently able to get IS to admit that they were "variants" or "styled like", but again it does not say that on the website. Thus the customer does not know they are knock offs when they purchase them.



Just my two cents from experience. To each their own.

 

I agree, it really depends.



Cosmetics - body kits, grills, emblems, whatever... they're strictly aesthetic. What's in the quality of a fiberglass bumper or grill? Not much. It's all about fitment. If fitment is good, who cares who it's from? Nobody should sell a bumper or grill that doesn't fit. They're purchased to look good, not for their structural integrity. If it doesn't fit, you shouldn't sell it, because the buyer isn't going to want it.



Wheels are "knock off" because they have a similar design. Someone came out with an original design, others liked it, but laws require it to be changed by 10%. Most companies make changes in the center by the lug nuts where it's less noticeable, or in some other small aspect. Someone having a similar rim style is called a replica.



I urged people NOT to buy Veilside replica body kits because I saw so many that didn't fit. I know Veilside went heavy into the design and fitment - my bumpers fit flawlessly. I had people contact me after my REAL Veilside pictures were used to sell eBay fakes. People didn't REALIZE they were fake knock off kits, and wanted to know why the body shop wanted to charge $1,500 just to make it fit.



If a replica is going to fit as good as the real thing, go for it. If not, stay clear. A company shouldn't be supported if the fitment is poor - cosmetic upgrades are to look good. Nobody buys a grill for the weight savings, they buy it because it looks good. At the same time, a vendor shouldn't be supporting, promoting, or encouraging a part that isn't reputable.

 

Certain parts im fine with buying no-name or replicas. Body kits, never again. Bought a veilside kit for my RD2 Tiburon from carbodykits.com for like $500ish and it was junk. The front bumper didnt fit quite right but I made it work, the rear bumper was actually decent, just with some gaps near the tail lights. The side skirts were so far off they were impossible to make fit and would've been an insane amount of work to cut them up and reform them to fit.



So things like a cold air intake. Ill buy off ebay if I feel like it. Same with an exhaust. Body parts, I would never ever buy fake again. Huge regret.