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      02-11-2012, 11:56 AM   #1
PutterMcGavin
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Well, I bought one of those $100 DDM VS Style CF lips...

After taking what felt like a couple years to receive (3 weeks...) I finally got the lip. Total cost $100 "clearance", $46 shipping. It came in a HUGE box with decent packaging but nothing like stuff I've received from IND. Pulled it out and everything looks good. Not blow you away quality like others that cost 10x or 20x the price but I guarantee 98.9% of people wouldn't know the difference.

It didn't come with any mounting hardware so a trip to Lowes was in order. Instead of just using tape I bought various SS hardware pieces to make the install as good as possible. Bolts, washers, rubber washers, lock nuts, etc. Yes I had to drill the bottom of my bumper but you would NEVER notice unless you crawl under the car. Install was easy and straight forward, just had to remove the front wheels and front wheel well linings (EASY). Sorry no picks of that stuff, was too excited!

Fitment I will admit was NOT perfect but better than most reps out there. Some small gaps and the ends are a hair short (I could have pulled them more but didn't want to put undue stress on the lip). After some black silicone though it looks perfect though! Tip, when using the silicone, FIRST put masking tape on both the bumper AND the lip around the crease. Fill the crease with the silicone and then remove the tape, clean professional line!

Overall I'm incredibly excited about it and it looks FANTASTIC! Questions are welcome as are requests for additional pics!

Anyway time for the pics. Sorry the car is dirty so ignore some of the light dust!











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      02-11-2012, 12:23 PM   #2
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Now that looks like a good $100 investment........and good job on the silicone ............Phil
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      02-11-2012, 12:40 PM   #3
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For the price, it looks great!
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      02-11-2012, 12:44 PM   #4
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      02-11-2012, 01:23 PM   #5
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Looks great and I agree 100% on going the cheap route as I consider this a "consumable" item. Can you PM a link? Cheapest I can find on eBay is $200 shipped.
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      02-11-2012, 01:28 PM   #6
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Not worth it for those gaps.
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      02-11-2012, 01:35 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ec_E92 View Post
Looks great and I agree 100% on going the cheap route as I consider this a "consumable" item. Can you PM a link? Cheapest I can find on eBay is $200 shipped.
Pm link also. With lowered car these lips get hammered. Feel a lot less frustrated damaging a $100 lip vs $900+ lips.
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      02-11-2012, 01:42 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ///M Ryder View Post
Now that looks like a good $100 investment........and good job on the silicone ............Phil

Quote:
Originally Posted by schnell325 View Post
For the price, it looks great!


Quote:
Originally Posted by rjd598 View Post
Good stuff
Thanks!

Quote:
Originally Posted by ec_E92 View Post
Looks great and I agree 100% on going the cheap route as I consider this a "consumable" item. Can you PM a link? Cheapest I can find on eBay is $200 shipped.
I tried finding them on DDM's website but it doesn't look like they have them listed anymore. They were in the "clearance" section when I found them. Maybe call?

Quote:
Originally Posted by USC2000 View Post
Not worth it for those gaps.
I understand your sentiment but the ONLY place there were minor gaps were in the typical places (curve right before sides). I've seen that with nearly all reps and even some with the authentic ones. It was nothing more than maybe 1/4" and easily corrected with a small bead of silicone. I put silicone the whole length of the lip as I wanted it to look consistent and "flush." So if you see silicone it wasn't necessarily because there was a gap. 95% of it fit very nicely.

Quote:
Originally Posted by nsanbyker View Post
Pm link also. With lowered car these lips get hammered. Feel a lot less frustrated damaging a $100 lip vs $900+ lips.
Sorry couldn't find the them on DDM's site Like I mentioned above, call or email them maybe?
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      02-11-2012, 01:50 PM   #9
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For those say looking great...it looks "ok" for what it is ....a rep at a good price..the fitment is defintly not "great"..having used OEM stuff..the fit is seamless with NO gaps

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      02-11-2012, 01:57 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tibra1 View Post
For those say looking great...it looks "ok" for what it is ....a rep at a good price..the fitment is defintly not "great"..having used OEM stuff..the fit is seamless with NO gaps

Attachment 643335
I absolutely agree and I wasn't trying to compare this to anything that is OEM or of higher quality like Challenge, Arkym, etc. I was simply stating this relative to other reps and how they're in general horrible quality. I may have just gotten lucky but wanted to share my experience and one way to make something that isn't 100% acceptable.

Also the gap you pointed out actually was NOT a gap at all. The lip sat 100% flush at that line. It was only at the bottom where there was the gap. The top of the lip has a somewhat "rounded" top end. I put the masking tape when I did the silicone with some overlap with the lip and bumper so it would feather in and be more flush than having a completely recessed filled gap; so it was more of a "cap" than just gap filler if that makes sense. In person it actually looks MUCH better. Keep in mind that was taken from 3". If i see anyone looking at my lip from 3" away I'll just need to

So again, not saying replicas over oem/higher quality pieces AT ALL! Was actually looking to go the Arkym route, but reps can be made to work for those who can't/won't swing something 10x the price.

Thanks for all the feedback!
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      02-11-2012, 02:19 PM   #11
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You can't beat that for a measly $100.
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      02-11-2012, 02:23 PM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by USC2000 View Post
Not worth it for those gaps.
I think he did a great job for the money he spent. Below is my thread when I installed my Arkym......gaps are going to happen because the tape may not hold correctly or the design is just bad. Either way the silicone is a major win...............Phil

http://www.m3post.com/forums/showthr...ighlight=arkym
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      02-11-2012, 11:06 PM   #13
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That fitment is pretty bad to be honest. I'm not anal about aftermarket parts by any means, I have reasonable expectations of aftermarket stuff, and I wouldn't put that on my car if it was free.
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      02-12-2012, 12:59 AM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by M3PO
That fitment is pretty bad to be honest. I'm not anal about aftermarket parts by any means, I have reasonable expectations of aftermarket stuff, and I wouldn't put that on my car if it was free.
Not trying to be a d*ck but I wonder how different some of these comments would be if OP's title post was "just put on a brand new $1000 vorsteiner lip!" even with same pics
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      02-12-2012, 01:43 AM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ///M Ryder View Post
I think he did a great job for the money he spent. Below is my thread when I installed my Arkym......gaps are going to happen because the tape may not hold correctly or the design is just bad. Either way the silicone is a major win...............Phil

http://www.m3post.com/forums/showthr...ighlight=arkym
Thanks Phil. Like I said before not 100% but with a little work and hands on it had no problem garnering praise from fellow Cars and Coffee members this morning

Quote:
Originally Posted by M3PO View Post
That fitment is pretty bad to be honest. I'm not anal about aftermarket parts by any means, I have reasonable expectations of aftermarket stuff, and I wouldn't put that on my car if it was free.
Thanks for the replay. Would you mind commenting on why you feel the fitment is incorrect? I'm curious why you feel that way and what I may be able to improve upon. Keep in mind as well that the pictures are extremely intimate in detail, more than I've seen of ANY lip before.

Quote:
Originally Posted by ec_E92 View Post
Not trying to be a d*ck but I wonder how different some of these comments would be if OP's title post was "just put on a brand new $1000 vorsteiner lip!" even with same pics
I'm curious as well. I NEVER claimed it ot be comparable to the more expensive/better options just putting my experience out there. True, it isn't a "high dollar" piece but does that make it "wrong?"

...also for those that feel I'm making a OEM or Arkym/Challenge/Reinvora VS. Rep comparison please don't view this thread as that type of argument. This isn't about who can afford what, etc. I could easily buy any part out there but that doesn't mean I should. Yes it is a 72k car and some would argue to put ridiculously priced parts on it. Partly, I would agree. It doesn't hurt to try other things so I did.
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      02-12-2012, 01:33 PM   #16
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not to bad for only $100
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      02-12-2012, 04:36 PM   #17
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$100! that is cheap. you can get like a few and swap out whenever you want!
get like 3 others so you can have.

1. Carbon Fiber
2. Painted Body Color
3. Matte Black
4. Glossed Black
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      02-12-2012, 06:56 PM   #18
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For the price its not bad at all. Trust me I have won entire HIN car shows and my cars were featured in nationally recognized magazines, although I used all authentic parts I honestly can say I bet nobody would know the difference in everyday passing by. If you like it so be it. Its your car after all. Some parts on this car I would skimp on, lips hell yes..

I for one think it looks fine and for daily driving and commuting you are 100% correct, rather damage this lip over a $900 lip.
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      02-12-2012, 07:03 PM   #19
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ec_E92 View Post
Not trying to be a d*ck but I wonder how different some of these comments would be if OP's title post was "just put on a brand new $1000 vorsteiner lip!" even with same pics
I think that people would find it 10 times more unacceptable. When you pay that kind of money, you expect a certain level of quality. For me that's not 100% but close, maybe 95%. In my experience with authentic parts, this has not been an issue. Especially in the M3 market, authentic parts seem to be of particularly good quality. There is a point though where the fitment is so poor that I don't want it on my vehicle regardless of price. This part is beyond that point for me.

Quote:
Originally Posted by PutterMcGavin View Post
Thanks for the replay. Would you mind commenting on why you feel the fitment is incorrect? I'm curious why you feel that way and what I may be able to improve upon. Keep in mind as well that the pictures are extremely intimate in detail, more than I've seen of ANY lip before.

I'm curious as well. I NEVER claimed it ot be comparable to the more expensive/better options just putting my experience out there. True, it isn't a "high dollar" piece but does that make it "wrong?"

...also for those that feel I'm making a OEM or Arkym/Challenge/Reinvora VS. Rep comparison please don't view this thread as that type of argument. This isn't about who can afford what, etc. I could easily buy any part out there but that doesn't mean I should. Yes it is a 72k car and some would argue to put ridiculously priced parts on it. Partly, I would agree. It doesn't hurt to try other things so I did.
I'm not suggesting that the your installation is poor. The fitment of the part is poor IMO and I don't think it's your fault or even correctable. The area near the ducts has a lot of issues. The lip is too short in general. The part that goes under the "swoop" seems to have a rather large gap that you filled with silicone. I use silicone on gaps also but that one looks big, at least in the pics.

I understand that you aren't comparing it to a high dollar part and if you like it that's all that matters. I'm not an advocate of expensive parts just because the car is expensive. But for me, parts need to meet certain quality requirements to go on my car. Unfortunately, that generally means that I find myself forking over a lot of cash for authentic parts. I'm a frugal guy though so I usually buy used so I respect that fact that you gave this a shot. I did the same with my rear diffuser and I actually have a $75 eBay rear diffuser on my car now and it just so happens to fit great. It was so cheap i said why not and gave it a shot. However, this part just has too many issues in my opinion and does not meet my standards I have for aftermarket parts.
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      02-12-2012, 09:47 PM   #20
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Quote:
Originally Posted by M3PO View Post
I think that people would find it 10 times more unacceptable. When you pay that kind of money, you expect a certain level of quality. For me that's not 100% but close, maybe 95%. In my experience with authentic parts, this has not been an issue. Especially in the M3 market, authentic parts seem to be of particularly good quality. There is a point though where the fitment is so poor that I don't want it on my vehicle regardless of price. This part is beyond that point for me.
I agree that with higher cost you should expect higher quality and anything related to brakes/suspension/drivetrain I would never skimp on or go with an eBay vendor without actual R&D backing it up. That said, for me, I can't justify spending more than $250-300 on a lip this is purely cosmetic and will inevitably get destroyed. I also live in the midwest, we have potholes you could fall into, roads that buckle, driveways into parking lots that the Duke boys would love to launch a General Lee off of... you get my drift.

There is a lot of money spent on mods on this board and I love seeing these threads and the DIY threads that buck the trend of dropping G's on our cars. Doesn't mean I also don't drool over the cars with all the name brand parts!

That said... the big boys charging the big bucks for these cosmetic upgrades are the ones developing them and I'm thankful for that. I'll never be the cool kid on the block as the first one with a VS aero part, I'll always be a few years behind, and I'm ok with that
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      02-13-2012, 07:34 AM   #21
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For 100 bucks it doesnt look that bad, better than some other reps I've seen. As stated earlier to the casual observer they dont know whether its authentic or a rep
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      02-13-2012, 09:53 AM   #22
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For $100, not bad at all. Definitely some noticeable gaps, but only because I can sit and look at the pics. I doubt I'd really notice if you drove by me. Good investment if you're worried about damage, as it can be replaced. Also good if this was your first lip, so you get an idea about the DIY install and fitment, as well as how to drive so you dont completely destroy the bottom.
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