Anyone brave enough for Aliepress?

First of all, I have no intent of modding my car, I love how it looks stock. But I was curious if anyone had the cajones to actually order something from Aliexpress. I dont mean a $10 sticker or Key Blank, but like an $800 bumper or splitter? If so, how did it go?

https://www.aliexpress.us/w/wholesale-ferrari-f430.html?spm=a2g0o.home.search.0

 

I haven't but I've heard stories, I'm sure like everyone else. To sum up, it's a crapshoot. Sometimes you get backdoor parts from China suppliers that are making items for well known brands here, sometimes they're just straight up cheap copies. You really have to rely on word of mouth as to which vendor might be selling quality parts. The bad parts just don't fit well or are made poorly. Air gaps in carb, cheap clear coat, etc. The pictures don't always represent what you're getting.

 

Don't be like an old-school ricer boy. If you can afford a Ferrari, you can afford name brand parts at name brand prices.

 

Oh, I'm not buying any kind of body kit. I was just curious if anyone here had.

 

On average, if you don't buy things made with carbon (more precisely, with a face layer of carbon on a fiberglass product), everything will be more or less fine.
The bumper, for example, will require a little adjustment, but in general, the usual fiberglass product comes quite acceptable.
It is not worth buying anything from carbon fiber, because the Chinese in order to make parts cheap use not epoxy resin, as it is necessary to work with carbon fiber and fiberglass fabrics, and they use polyester resin, which is not suitable for either.
Polyester resin will yellow and crack very quickly, simply because they don't use it with carbon fiber.
Source - we had a racing aerodynamics manufacturing facility.

 

Great response. Thank you.

 

I just can't bring myself to order from aliexpress.

Sad to say but as pointed out, Reproduction parts from the far east is certainly a crap shoot.

I own a shop and I can tell you it is almost impossible to get aftermarket or unavailable parts (reproduction) that are of any quality. I can't say how many times parts were so ill fitting it made me question if they were even made for the car I ordered it for. Other times I received parts that did not work or function (electrical) --at all --straight out of the box.

But with that said, I have also on rare occasion received a really nice reproduction that functions great and is made well.

For me a liberal return policy is the key but of course shipping back a crap product at my expense grinds on me.

On the flip side I actually believe that these Asian companies are beginning to see that the poor quality is being widely admonished and is hurting sales across the board. I actually believe that these imported products will slowly be improved, so there's that. fingers crossed...

 

spoiler alert. they are all from the same place. (speaking aftermarket)
Buying from one of the popular domestic venders just means that someone else did the vetting for you. Its all hit or miss.

Heck all the OEM carbon on my AMGs is made in china

 

Yup. I had a man call my shop asking about the best hydraulic floor jack he should buy. My answer was the cheapest one you can find that has the rated lifting capability you're looking for. He lamented that they everywhere he went they were all made in China-- and I mean everywhere he went.

I have at least 4 hydraulic floor jacks in the corner of my shop that are no good, leak down, or simply won't even lift a skateboard. Finally several years ago I bought a Werner floor jack from Grainger that is made in the USA. It has been over 10 years now, it still works great, and I suspect it will last 10 more years. Now with that said, it cost about $700. But when I look at those useless jacks in the corner of my shop, I can easily see the value in my $700 Werner. And most importantly, I trust it.

 

My buddy stocks up on Carbon Fiber Splitters for his 488 because he scrapes them so much. He buys them on Aliepress.

Look at reviews on fitment. Some have great fitment. Some not so much.

 

Everything I have bought from AliExpress in Carbon has fitted like sh11t. Sometimes the fit is so far out they must have guessed the fitment. Latest thing I bought was splitters for an M5. I actually said to them, they had made a mistake and sent me splitters for different car! but apparently they where correct and they where appalling, even with some, heat, time, tools, turds, fairy dust and some black magic would never fit!

I have bought nothing for a Ferrari (why would you) but more EVO's, AMG's, M's and RS's. I got to a point whereby "Ill give it another go" because its cheap, but it turned up and it was just sh1te. I have learnt my lesson now.

 

That's precisely the reason I can't