Alex's Lightning Red 2008 STi

Discussion in 'Member Journals & Project Build Stories' started by Alex, Feb 7, 2011.

  1. Alex

    Alex Community Founder Staff Member

    I sent a PM over the RSD to ask them if they've ever seen that. Kirill, the awesomeness that he is, forwarded my message over to RallyArmor. They're suggesting that I overtightened the flaps and that I clearly have driven for an extended period of time with the flaps overtightened. I'm not entirely sure I agree with that considering I drove 29 miles today since installing the flaps last night. At any rate, I will say that I am pleased, once again, with RSD's customer service and that I am also pleased with how quickly RallyArmor addressed my problem.

    I will loosen the flaps before I leave our shop tonight and see what happens.
     
  2. superdoughboy4

    superdoughboy4 Active Member

    A ton of Mazda3s have the VG shark fin. There has to be a cheaper alternative for a functioning replacement antenna though. 100$ is a little much.
     
  3. Alex

    Alex Community Founder Staff Member

    Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_2_6 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/533.17.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.0.2 Mobile/8E200 Safari/6533.18.5)

    $75 I thought? At any rate it's that or the $33 cusco one because I refuse to buy Perrin :eek:
     
  4. superdoughboy4

    superdoughboy4 Active Member

    Oh you're right. It's 69$. My bad.
    I probably rounded it up to around 100$ last I checked.
    Now that I think about it, that's not too bad.
     
  5. Dr.Chris

    Dr.Chris Member

    And that includes custom painting. I'll have to put this on my list of tado's.
     
  6. FTZ

    FTZ ^.^

    You need to do something about those hideous taillights!!!

    [​IMG]

    Either tint them or go the Face route and paint some transparent red to make them look better. That is the only thing I don't like on your new STI.
     
  7. Alex

    Alex Community Founder Staff Member

  8. Sparta

    Sparta Active Member

    Bad blood with Perrin? Did I miss something?
     
  9. Matt

    Matt Think before you post Staff Member Supporting Member

    oh yes.
     
  10. superdoughboy4

    superdoughboy4 Active Member

    Story time.
     
  11. Sparta

    Sparta Active Member

    Don't want to threadjack Alexs journal so pm links or details please.
     
  12. Alex

    Alex Community Founder Staff Member

    Oh, I forgot to add that I placed my pre-order this morning with Chris @ WC Lathe Werks for his new burnt 2" titanium shift knob that he is bringing to market soon. I cannot wait! Interested in one? Shoot him an email and let him know Alex from JPM sent ya -- sales [at] lathewerks [dot] com. Never heard of him? Check out his site to see some of his amazing hand-crafted shift knobs, Lathewerks.com - WC Lathe Werks - Home of the customizable, hand-crafted shift knob! :)
     
  13. Alex

    Alex Community Founder Staff Member

    It's cool. I am not impressed with the build quality of their products nor the quality of their customer support. My TMIC failing was the bigger straw that broke the camel's back so to speak. Maybe this has changed, but I know that I won't be trying them again. Just ask me at the AllPro meet this weekend if you want a longer version that is equally as boring as the above :)

    Anyways, back to the journal!
     
  14. Alex

    Alex Community Founder Staff Member

    Well, had a chance to actually polish and wax her over the weekend. I figured it was as good of a chance as any to debadge her derriere as well. Still waiting on the shark fin!

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]
     
  15. AtlxPat

    AtlxPat Active Member

    rear tails need vinyl overlays!
     
  16. Alex

    Alex Community Founder Staff Member

    And some white wheels!








    Wait, what? :)
     
  17. blaster

    blaster my other ride is your mom Supporting Member

    Do eet.
     
  18. slade1274

    slade1274 Member

    Have film... ;)
     
  19. Alex

    Alex Community Founder Staff Member

    Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_2_6 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/533.17.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.0.2 Mobile/8E200 Safari/6533.18.5)

    Will cover? We need to talk anyhow - I'd like to enter the car at the gt autoshow maybe complete with sound ;)
     
  20. Trancetto

    Trancetto Active Member

    looking good bro.
     
  21. Alex

    Alex Community Founder Staff Member

    Thanks dude!
     
  22. wagunz_pwn

    wagunz_pwn Active Member

    Looks like every other 2008 STi in red...with Rally Armors.

    ;)
     
  23. C_wagginz

    C_wagginz Member

    ...shiny Rally Armors :rofl:
     
  24. Alex

    Alex Community Founder Staff Member

    Yep! :wiggle:
     
  25. Alex

    Alex Community Founder Staff Member

    Well some goodies arrived this week. I am still awaiting the delivery of #4 on my list below. I'm excited for this one as I've been asking him to make these for the last two years. It's a 2" burnt 100% titanium knob and it should be a welcomed upgrade over my burnt factory STI Ti knob. I’ll finish up my review on the Prova once it is installed.
    1. VG “SharkFin” Antenna
    2. RallyArmor Mudflaps
    3. Prova D-Shape 358mm Steering Wheel
    4. WC Lathe Werks 2” Titan Sphere, Burnt

    ---

    The VG SharkFin
    http://www.visualgarage.com

    Pricing: $80ish including the part, shipping and custom painting.

    Customer Service Impressions: Dang! They're doing something right. They not only kept me informed throughout the entire order, but the product shipped almost a full week earlier than expected. Awesome!

    Initial Impressions: Shipped quickly from America's "hat" and for $81 it is a hell of a deal. You simply cannot find a shop to paint a piece this size for that price, let alone include the actual product in this price.

    Installation Impressions: I haven't had a chance to install this and I dont anticipate being able to do so anytime soon -- maybe at the install day? :) I will need to do some light polishing on the piece as there are some rough edges on the back curve. All in all, hard to complain a this price.

    Antenna Reception: I've heard it's awful and it very well could be. I won't know till I install it. Ultimately, I could care less. Atlanta radio is not even remotely tolerable by any stretch of the imagination.

    [​IMG]

    ---

    RallyArmor V2 UR Mudflaps (Black with Red RA Logo)
    http://www.rallyarmor.com

    Pricing: $160. I ordered mine from RallySportDirect and included a link in the product name.

    Customer Service Impressions: The guys over at RSD really know how to treat a customer. The customer "experience" is great. They're website is extremely easy to use, giving you all the information you need on one page, ranging from stock levels to photos to pricing. Yeah, I'll admit it; I'm a geek and am always interested in the wide variety of e-commerce software out there. RSD built theirs in house and designed the interface around the customer. Love it!

    Initial Impressions: They arrived well packaged with a "MADE IN USA" sticker clearly present on the packaging. I'm a sucker for that and this was one of the major influences in making this purchase. My first thought was woah, these things are shiny. C_wagginz called them a distraction when he was driving behind me. I called him jealous. Additionally, RA includes a handful of new hardware for the installation as well as four new press-break brackets. The price tag more than likely went to support the production of these brackets as the flaps themselves leave a bit to be desired. The edging is un-finished.

    Installation Impressions: The installation is a bit of pain if you chose not to jack up the car and remove the wheels. Other than that, they really need to create some sort of torque-spec. My suggestion is to go hand-tight + 1/4 turn.

    Other Thoughts: If you handed me a $160 for these I think I would just give it back to you. The value just is not there at this price point for these flaps. I'd like to see a de-bossed logo (not a silk screen or similar) and finished edges. I'd also like to see improved instructions. Yes, I watched the video, but I don't think it is asking too much to include some form of a torque-spec.

    [​IMG]
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Mar 31, 2011
  26. nygiant

    nygiant Member

    wanna take a run down the track? i bet you 10 bucks my car is faster :D
     
  27. nygiant

    nygiant Member

    oh btw...are you 3gwrx.com? TONS of info on the 3g's
     
  28. nygiant

    nygiant Member

    [​IMG]
     
  29. Matto357

    Matto357 Crazyazn likes Naps Staff Member

    I dunno. When I saw those at allpro I thought they were pretty damn shiny as well. Nice, but shiny.
     
  30. jchon3

    jchon3 Supporting Member

    Very nice STi. im uber jealous :( i wish i had money to put into mods
     
  31. Alex

    Alex Community Founder Staff Member

    Nope. I've been a handful of times but my hands are full right now with IWSTI and NASIOC. I'm a long time IW and NASIOC member, but I only visit the later nowadays for business.

    I installed the Prova wheel and it is going to take some getting used to. Initial impression? I like it but I dont. Here's a teaser (in case you missed my FB post)...At any rate, we're stoked to see what we can come up with it design wise. The wheel is going to be a great foundation for modification and design.

    [​IMG]
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Mar 31, 2011
  32. Alex

    Alex Community Founder Staff Member

    Thanks dude. Still rocking the N1?
     
  33. superdoughboy4

    superdoughboy4 Active Member

    Interesting... What are the advantages of having an aftermarket steering wheel?
    I always thought it was just for aesthetic purposes.

    Or a place to put your 2 super secret nos buttons.
     
  34. Alex

    Alex Community Founder Staff Member

    Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_2_6 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/533.17.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.0.2 Mobile/8E200 Safari/6533.18.5)

    Why do we do anything? The overall diameter of the wheel is smaller and the shape is different. It retains stock airbag and wheel controls so it's good in my book.
     
  35. nygiant

    nygiant Member

    worth the $600??
     
  36. bixs

    bixs Supporting Member

    You need to post some pictures of it! I looked it up and it was very sexy, the shape/grip and the stock controls. Way too expensive, but to each his own
     
  37. Alex

    Alex Community Founder Staff Member

  38. Alex

    Alex Community Founder Staff Member

    Is it expensive? Yes, relatively speaking for these cars. Comparable wheels exist for the M and higher end Porsche lines that are over $2000. I'm definitely not saying that $760 isn't a chunk of change. My economist friend would say something like this, "It's only worth what you'll pay for it". I believe that if you drove the car with one of these wheels installed it would be on your long list of things to purchase.

    I don't have much time to write a review on it at the moment but I do have some qualms. Here's a copy of my PM that I sent over to RSD after I received the wheel:

     
    Last edited by a moderator: Apr 1, 2011
  39. Alex

    Alex Community Founder Staff Member

    Added some community decals. I want something more, I may try and work out a new logo that we can use to raise a few coin to send over to our friends in Japan.

    [​IMG]
     
  40. talktojin

    talktojin Member

    Wish my "new" interior was as classy as yours.
     
  41. Alex

    Alex Community Founder Staff Member

    TY mail lady :D This knob is the best one yet from Chris @ WC Lathe Werks!

    2" of pure titanium goodness + my two signature lines.
    [​IMG]
     
  42. Alex

    Alex Community Founder Staff Member

    We've all got to start somewhere! I remember the beginning :)

    First Shift Boot & Lathewerks Knob
    [​IMG]

    Original 2004 STI Dash
    [​IMG]
     
  43. Do you remember the bulb size for the dash you did on your 2004 sti to change it to red? or is that led? thanks
     
  44. Alex

    Alex Community Founder Staff Member

    Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_2_6 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/533.17.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.0.2 Mobile/8E200 Safari/6533.18.5)

    Bulb condoms if memory serves.
     
  45. C_wagginz

    C_wagginz Member

    you can also use a #24 LED bulb.

    I got mine from here...reference this thread

    blue hvac
     
  46. bixs

    bixs Supporting Member

    ideas for you/explaining what I was talking about that day working on Matt's car

    The style I'll be aiming for when I paint the silver
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
     
  47. bixs

    bixs Supporting Member

    I guess the painting is right on with the R205 (except for fog lights).

    Unsure of how I feel about the mesh.
     
  48. AtlxPat

    AtlxPat Active Member

    i bet those grilles cost 500+
     
  49. Alex

    Alex Community Founder Staff Member

    I was thinking of purchasing atlantasti.com and starting a blog for the car and its activities. Thoughts?
     

Share This Page