[TacosRule!]

This one. It was deleted? Was looking to get a couple of links from it.

[thestimp]

I believe vendors cried about competition and mods deleted it. I also inquired and was told to "drop it". I have all the links.

[TacosRule!]

Originally Posted by thestimp

I believe vendors cried about competition and mods deleted it. I also inquired and was told to "drop it". I have all the links.

Figures...


PM Sent

[bad430benz]

Originally Posted by saabster2010

This one. It was deleted? Was looking to get a couple of links from it.

First off , I would like to thank you for posting my reply on the "tiger sounding" exhaust

Originally Posted by thestimp

I believe vendors cried about competition and mods deleted it. I also inquired and was told to "drop it". I have all the links.

Do you guys really think that vendors actually cried about competition and that's the reason it was deleted ? If that was the case , there would only be a couple of vendors on here . I'm sure there is more to that story than anyone knows .

[thestimp]

Originally Posted by bad430benz

First off , I would like to thank you for posting my reply on the "tiger sounding" exhaust


Do you guys really think that vendors actually cried about competition and that's the reason it was deleted ? If that was the case , there would only be a couple of vendors on here . I'm sure there is more to that story than anyone knows .

I got no responses when asking about it to mods, and its one of the few deleted posts ever.

[Strick]

lol

[Potatohead-M2]

Originally Posted by bad430benz

First off , I would like to thank you for posting my reply on the "tiger sounding" exhaust


Do you guys really think that vendors actually cried about competition and that's the reason it was deleted ? If that was the case , there would only be a couple of vendors on here . I'm sure there is more to that story than anyone knows .

Almost certainly.

About five years ago I tried to start a group buy with one of the sponsors on Audizine for some wheels. Thread was black holed and the sponsor was told by the wheel manufacturer that they wouldn't allow it to happen, because other dealers for that wheel brand bitched to the wheel company about it.

[TacosRule!]

Originally Posted by bad430benz

First off , I would like to thank you for posting my reply on the "tiger sounding" exhaust

Curiously enough thats the only page that was cached, so... the tiger has been immortalized LOL

Originally Posted by bad430benz

Do you guys really think that vendors actually cried about competition and that's the reason it was deleted ? If that was the case , there would only be a couple of vendors on here . I'm sure there is more to that story than anyone knows .

Yes I believe it. There are very similar threads on other bmw forums (part of bimmers.com) that have pages and pages of the same comments and vendors trying to justify their business models.

Quite entertaining to read actually

[hybridel]

Originally Posted by bad430benz

First off , I would like to thank you for posting my reply on the "tiger sounding" exhaust


Do you guys really think that vendors actually cried about competition and that's the reason it was deleted ? If that was the case , there would only be a couple of vendors on here . I'm sure there is more to that story than anyone knows .

That is 100% why the thread was removed.

Like it or not, these forums are a business with the sole purpose of making $.

Advertising on these forums is expensive, and sponsors pay top dollar to advertise with the expectation that competition will be limited.

[thestimp]

Originally Posted by hybridel

That is 100% why the thread was removed.

Like it or not, these forums are a business with the sole purpose of making $.

Advertising on these forums is expensive, and sponsors pay top dollar to advertise with the expectation that competition will be limited.

I'm all for it, but I shop where I shop, sadly in the exhaust categories American companies just want too much for welded metal. Everywhere else I buy via Kies or forum vendors.

[e30 4 life!]

Yup, same reason my friend got banned. Commercially, this is a pay or we give you the boot with no warning forum.

[bad430benz]

Originally Posted by thestimp

I got no responses when asking about it to mods, and its one of the few deleted posts ever.

You know they aren't going to tell you why they deleted it .

Originally Posted by Potatohead-M2

Almost certainly.

About five years ago I tried to start a group buy with one of the sponsors on Audizine for some wheels. Thread was black holed and the sponsor was told by the wheel manufacturer that they wouldn't allow it to happen, because other dealers for that wheel brand bitched to the wheel company about it.

You are talking about something completely different . This example is multiple companies selling the same product and 1 of them trying to undercut the rest . Now that would make sense on why that was shut down .

Originally Posted by saabster2010

Curiously enough thats the only page that was cached, so... the tiger has been immortalized LOL






Yes I believe it. There are very similar threads on other bmw forums (part of bimmers.com) that have pages and pages of the same comments and vendors trying to justify their business models.

Quite entertaining to read actually

For someone to pay for being a sponsor and others come in and try to take that business without paying ???? I understand that also .

Originally Posted by hybridel

That is 100% why the thread was removed.

Like it or not, these forums are a business with the sole purpose of making $.

Advertising on these forums is expensive, and sponsors pay top dollar to advertise with the expectation that competition will be limited.

Exactly....if you pay to play then others should have to do the same thing .

Originally Posted by thestimp

I'm all for it, but I shop where I shop, sadly in the exhaust categories American companies just want too much for welded metal. Everywhere else I buy via Kies or forum vendors.

You think it's just American companies that want too much for welded metal ? I have no skin in this game but why do you choose to buy from Kies or other forum vendors when you can probably find those items elsewhere for cheaper ? I only ask because this is the main reason the Alibaba exhaust thread was taken down .

In no way shape or form am I against you on this topic because I would rather buy from known names for items than spend less from some overseas company . Everyone talked about the Alibaba exhaust and why it was the same as the Valvetronic but I could look at 2 different pictures and see that they are not the same . They may be similar but all exhausts for a certain vehicle will be similar .

[Potatohead-M2]

Originally Posted by bad430benz

You are talking about something completely different . This example is multiple companies selling the same product and 1 of them trying to undercut the rest . Now that would make sense on why that was shut down .

How is it different than a single can of Coke for $2 at a restaurant or $1 at a convenience store, but a 12 pack at the grocery store is $4? You buy more, and/or at the right place, and it's cheaper.

MAP pricing is another issue and discussion altogether.

[R0ot.Us3r]

I saw the "custom built" AA equal length mid-pipe on Ali the same day AA showcased it. I think A lot of the things we buy come from China. From an effort vs profit standpoint it just makes sense (for the companies). I also believe the "I want it ASAP" attitude of most people is what supports the pricing of relatively simple things. I wouldn't say the prices are inflated, the company has to deal with a lot of overhead, but profits are being made.

I'm ok to wait 2-4weeks to save $1400, patience is a virtue lol

[TacosRule!]

Originally Posted by R0ot.Us3r

I'm ok to wait 2-4weeks to save $1400, patience is a virtue lol

Agreed 100%

[joebie3]

I know a lot of people are insinuating that the AA EL = the Ali EL, but that's likely not the case. There are some nuanced differences in the AA EL Midpipe vs the Ali express one. For instance the Ali EL has a single V band connection, instead of the band clamp at, the "squigle". The clamp connections are also closer to the squigle on the Ali EL. The hanger styles are different as well. The welded connections at the dp flanges are also different.

That being said, do they perform the same? Probably. But to say AA is getting these from China is likely incorrect.

[kidxin]

Originally Posted by joebie3

I know a lot of people are insinuating that the AA EL = the Ali EL, but that's likely not the case. There are some nuanced differences in the AA EL Midpipe vs the Ali express one. For instance the Ali EL has a single V band connection, instead of the band clamp at, the "squigle". The clamp connections are also closer to the squigle on the Ali EL. The hanger styles are different as well. The welded connections at the dp flanges are also different.

That being said, do they perform the same? Probably. But to say AA is getting these from China is likely incorrect.

AA makes their exhaust in the house. Armytrix, FI, and IPE, are made in Taiwan. Valvetronics dropsship from Alibaba. They have their own chinese manufacture which you can’t find the 1:1 on Alibaba.

[TacosRule!]

Originally Posted by kidxin

AA makes their exhaust in the house. Armytrix, FI, and IPE, are made in Taiwan. Valvetronics dropsship from Alibaba. They have their own chinese manufacture which you can’t find the 1:1 on Alibaba.

People seem to forget that china's entire manufacturing industry, all of it including defense and aerospace, exists because they steal IP from everyone else.

They're incapable of creating their own designs, so they steal everyone else's stuff. Their entire economy is based on theft. Plenty of examples to illustrate this.

So it makes sense they steal some design like Valvetronics et al, make a slight variation to avoid infringement lawsuits (which doesnt matter as chinese laws are corrupt to always favor chinese industry) and then sell it as their own.

[bad430benz]

Originally Posted by Potatohead-M2

How is it different than a single can of Coke for $2 at a restaurant or $1 at a convenience store, but a 12 pack at the grocery store is $4? You buy more, and/or at the right place, and it's cheaper.

MAP pricing is another issue and discussion altogether.

You said it ! MAP pricing is the exact reason for eliminating undercutting on the same item . A set of wheels is a huge difference from a can of Coke . If you buy a set of wheels , the price is probably similar across the board from all vendors . I bet if you buy 10 sets of wheels , as an individual , you could probably negotiate on the pricing . It also comes down to the ability of being able to purchase direct from the manufacturer . Group buy from a vendor might not work but a group buy from the manufacturer direct , if allowed , is another story .

Originally Posted by TacosRule!

People seem to forget that china's entire manufacturing industry, all of it including defense and aerospace, exists because they steal IP from everyone else.

They're incapable of creating their own designs, so they steal everyone else's stuff. Their entire economy is based on theft. Plenty of examples to illustrate this.

So it makes sense they steal some design like Valvetronics et al, make a slight variation to avoid infringement lawsuits (which doesnt matter as chinese laws are corrupt to always favor chinese industry) and then sell it as their own.

That is the exact problem US manufacturers have with Chinese competition . The main issue I have with this is that you then have people that think the US manufacturer is gouging the consumer .

Originally Posted by joebie3

I know a lot of people are insinuating that the AA EL = the Ali EL, but that's likely not the case. There are some nuanced differences in the AA EL Midpipe vs the Ali express one. For instance the Ali EL has a single V band connection, instead of the band clamp at, the "squigle". The clamp connections are also closer to the squigle on the Ali EL. The hanger styles are different as well. The welded connections at the dp flanges are also different.

That being said, do they perform the same? Probably. But to say AA is getting these from China is likely incorrect.

This is the exact comparison between the Valvetronic and the Alibaba . Do the two items look similar , yes , but there are still a lot of differences between the two . The gripe that people made were that they were the same item but just branded different and that is not the case .

[lagunablue1]

Valvetronics/Austin started out back in the day by drop shipping the EXACT same stuff from Alibaba and lying about it being developed and manufactured in the USA. Plenty of reading to support this on the E9X M3 forum here & on the facebook groups. Their products were 100% identical to Bomiz or any of the other alibaba crap. I wouldn't support a company with business ethics like that.

It's definitely possible that they have changed their approach today but their stuff generally looks identical to IPE/FI/etc. I would not support any of these "brand name" Aliexpress re-packaging companies, either buy it directly from aliexpress or support a company like AA, Remus, Akrap, Eisenmann, Dinan, etc that actually develops their own products.

[kidxin]

Originally Posted by lagunablue1

Valvetronics/Austin started out back in the day by drop shipping the EXACT same stuff from Alibaba and lying about it being developed and manufactured in the USA. Plenty of reading to support this on the E9X M3 forum here & on the facebook groups. Their products were 100% identical to Bomiz or any of the other alibaba crap. I wouldn't support a company with business ethics like that.

It's definitely possible that they have changed their approach today but their stuff generally looks identical to IPE/FI/etc. I would not support any of these "brand name" Aliexpress re-packaging companies, either buy it directly from aliexpress or support a company like AA, Remus, Akrap, Eisenmann, Dinan, etc that actually develops their own products.

They did, the first batch of the X3m valvetronic design exhaust is the exact one as Alibaba. Until they modified.

IPE, FI, armytrix are insane quality systems. Which is why supercars use them, however they’re not cheap. They’re definitely not cheap cause it’s shipped from Asia/Taiwan.

[TacosRule!]

Originally Posted by kidxin

They did, the first batch of the X3m valvetronic design exhaust is the exact one as Alibaba. Until they modified.

IPE, FI, armytrix are insane quality systems. Which is why supercars use them, however they’re not cheap. They’re definitely not cheap cause it’s shipped from Asia/Taiwan.

I read the e9x thread end to end and it was entertaining. Which brought me to this thread, I wanted to ask the guy that said his company did tons of biz in china and was having his team bring him a complete exhaust. I also wanted to ask the original guy from Canada that ordered his what he thinks about it after several months of use.