He's a kid in school doing this on the side; contracting another company to fab up his designs. He is on top of his shit, but when the fabricators are not living up to their end of the bargain, its out of his control. I would give him a break. He's not out here to screw us over. If its any consolation, I waited about 3 months for my J Pipe. I got it, installed it, and happy as hell i waited.

 

i havent ordered the atlp and dont plan on it just yet...buuuuttt i have to admit im pretty impatient myself when it comes to certain things....but id wait for a long time for this exhaust system... its just sick looking and sounding, i wouldnt want any problems or mistakes to occur with it when being made or after its installed.

 

ordering tmrw

 

lol niceee!!!!!!

 

Just to chime in, I've been waiting since about the 2nd week of May--that's when I put down my $200 deposit. I can feel your pain, but like the other guys said on this board, Mike relies on the people he contracts to do his work (Stromung) to be able to individually make these custom exhausts one by one. Even though your car isn't there, they have a jig and straight up make it from scratch, and they surprisingly come out spot on.

It takes a while to do, especially since the standards for the quality need to be the best. Also, the laser etching takes time too. Like you, I've been emailing him every week. He lives in West Hills, and he drives to Westminster to pick these up...that's crazy.

Hopefully, I receive mine this week or the next week since I'm part of the select few (I saw that SoCal meet thread and saw others) who's rolling around with a TL-S Aspec lip with my base exhausts. It looks pretty retarded. But then again, I went to Planet Acura a few weeks ago, and I actually saw the exhaust on a NBP TL-S with ATLP quads, and I was simply impressed with the whole thing, so it's so worth the wait.

If you want therapy, just get on YouTube and check out all the ATLP videos and just think about how awesome it will be when you have yours. That's what I do...lol!

 

Wow, this exhaust sounded awesome in the video....

6 weeks isnt much of a wait....I waited 3 months for my turbo upgrade in my last vehicle....

 

ING direct isn't exactly a bricks and mortar bank. So should they be held to a lesser standard? I don't see how your "not equal brick and mortar" defense works.

D

 

+2 I'm just kind of curious, you guys who have put your deposit down. Have you paid in full yet? Why would he ship you an exhaust if you only paid the deposit and not even the whole thing, or the rest of it before he shipped it out.

 

will the j pipe make good power on the 08 type s even if i keep the stock exhaust

 

It'll make power, but the stock exhaust will create a bottleneck in the airflow. You will realize maximum power if you purchase an aftermarket catback along with the J-Pipe.

 

You're comparing ING Direct, as in the NATIONAL BANK, to a kid's basement based sales web-site of exhaust systems that he has outsourced...

I fail to see how your analogy is relevant.

... and what "lesser standard" is Mike being held to? When I ordered my TL, i was told 90 days too...

Look, you don't want to wait the few months it takes to get one... Don't put down a deposit, and go buy an inferior product now, if that's what you gotta do.

but here's a lesson. Search ATLP in the Black market. I've never seen one there... ever. Wonder why?

 

only one of you guys remarked on the 20 inch wheel thing. do alot of you guys have that size or smaller,just curious because here in n.c none of the acura tl owners seem to have aftermarket rims

 

most aftermarkets here are 18" or 19", 20"s tend to rub and they make the TL look look a 4x4. plus the weight issue...

 

Can someone give me Mikes contact info or for those that have ordered should I just send him a PM? I'll front him the funds for exhaust and J-Pipe and i'm not worried about the wait. Like someone previously said "Good things come to those who wait"

 

He'll answer PM's. Here's the link to his contact info from his webpage as well: http://www.acuratlparts.com/contact/

 

Prince... Thanks, I didn't realize that was actually his site. I saw the reference up top but wasn't sure.

 

Just in case anyone is wondering "gee how come mike hasn't posted in this thread"... just to let you know... he has a devoted following here, and his products to market have been nothing short of excellent... so when I linked him to this thread the first day the op posted it, he simply said, "I won't post a reply"

It is real simple, a PM is a PM... you don't have to make a thread to bash someone over waiting time...

 

Mike doesn't need to post here... His products speak for themselves.

... and yes, if you want them, you'll have to take your turn in the waiting que... just like the rest of us.

 

I know Mike wouldnt post here... he doesnt need to....

If you ever hear the ATLP exhaust in person, be ready to get blown away.... its unbelievable, and yea, i dont think there has ever been a single one for sale in the Black Market...

I love ATLP products.. the j-pipe has some of the most amazing welds you've ever seen...

I think EVERYBODY who owns the ATLP exhaust or j-pipe, had some serious waiting time... i know some folks were getting impatient, but if you've noticed, not one person complained in the end, after recieving their product... my

 

yea there are some youtube videos (atleast 3 w/ my car) that you can hear it.. and dont forget... youtubes bullsht 12kbps stream rate will NEVER EVER give you the same sound as hearing it in person


everytime i go under an overpass or in a tunnel, i purposely downshit, turn the radio down, and mash the throttle.. just to hear it.. and i never get sick of that sound

 

i met mike at the all cali meet seems like a cool guy to me and there were a few guys running his atlp exhaust and it sounded great! so no worries when you get the exhaust you wont be disapointed but for now you're just going to have to wait like everyone else..

 

ATLP FTW!

 

As many of you have already said, Mike seems like a stand up guy and responds to his customers via email or pm. I just ordered the ATLP J-Pipe and can't wait. He did tell me he didn't have many left and I may have ordered the last one in stock. If your considering ordering one, you might want to contact him and see what his inventory looks like.

 

I understand all this. I paid in full, up front for my J and test pipe and happily waited also. I was never concerned, nor did I ever post impatiently in any of the ongoing threads. I think Mike is a great business man and markets top notch products. I couldn't be happier.

What I was doing here was playing devil's advocate and challenging those who came to his defense and put him on a pedestal, stating he's "just a kid who does this on the side", or "he doesn't own a race shop". This is totally irrelevant and shouldn't absolve one from having to meet the buyer's expectations. When one offers a product or service in exchange for money, whether it be cash in hand or electronically sent, the end result is the same. The buyer shouldn't have to lower his expectations in any situation, especially when paying top dollar. The internet has truly warped some peoples' perception of what sound business practice is all about.

 

i think this thread should be closed outta respect to ATLP

im sick of clicking "my account" and seeing this thread title.... mods?

the product will come eventually, and you'll never be happier.....

 

i think this thread should be closed outta respect to ATLP

im sick of clicking "my account" and seeing this thread title.... mods?

the product will come eventually, and you'll never be happier.....

 

Well the question was kinda off... but yeah getting back on track... my 20s took about 10 weeks to make. THAT WAS weak... but once you get whatever you ordered... shit.. it's like the wait wasn't even that long! ha... The only thing I could say is just be patient, 200 dollar deposit isn't bad. I had to pay HALF up front. Hey anyone have an ATLP exhaust on a 06 Aspec rear lip? All I keep seeing on Youtube are the type S rear lips... wanna know if I should take the plunge!

 

seems to me this entire gripe session from the OP should have been addressed thru PM with ATLP. I understand being anxious about a product. But it seems to me that there is more than enough ATLP specific information on this site that would adequately explain the reasons behind the turnaround for these exhaust components. Now the OP kinda looks like a customer who didnt get the answers he was lookin for, so he tried to rally the troops against the Vendor. Problem is, most of the "troops" are satisfied either with their product or waiting for their product....

x2

 

and my pointed response above to your Devil's Advocacy is what buyer's expectation isn't being met here... ? you have to pay in advance for these products (rather it be a deposit or full payment), and you have to WAIT while they are custom fabricated "made to order".

This business principle applies the Subway sandwich Jerrod orders fro lunch every day, the WDP on Ebony 6MT w/Nav TL noone on the east coast has, and you have to dealer order, or the custom home you contract to have built... and all those situations are subject to schedule slips...
Whether it be you gotta wait for the meat to cook, the train broke down shipping your TL to the dealer, or weather prevent the foundation from being laid. Schedule slips are fact of life.

Mike fully discloses it may take weeks to months to get your order... noone has been suripticous here... and noone is rallying the troops. I think this thread was started on a juvenile premise which wrongfully discredits one the best vendors to come 3G.

Don't like the wait? Don't enter the contract and make a down payment, and buy what's on the shelf elsewhere.

Lock this thread...

 

the I's have it!!

MODS PLEEEESE



THIS

 

um... lock and ... yarn? twine? lol....

 

Well dur I was using the "bricks and mortor" part that stillhere was. Stillhere's defense for ATLP or whoever is that they should be held to a lesser standard because they are not a bricks and mortor business. I was interjecting that so what neither is ING direct when it comes to banks. They are not a bricks are mortar bank like BOA.

Neither are brick and mortor but some of you expect them to be held to different standards. Amazing. I don't care if they have acutal buildings or not. A busines is a business. It doesn't matter if it is a 2nd 3rd of umpteenth business this person has going on. If they don't have the ability to run it professionally they shouldn't be doing it. But some of you guys nut swing so hard on these vendors it amazes me. Also remind me to never do business with any of you who do think this way. Because it is obvious some of you have no idea how to run a business.

As far as the lesser standards umm like informing him of delays and returning phone calls. Not only is not doing that unprofessional its down right rude. But its ok if they dont' return calls or keep him updated because they are not a bricks and mortor company right?

And you are right I don't have to wait for anything. That is why I haven't order one so why are you bringing this up to me? I don't intend to buy one either. See what the problem is yall are willing to accept subpar service but some of us are not. But I assure you a business is a business doesn't matter how big or small they are. Both are subject to the same standards as far as I am concerned.

And so what if you have never seen one in the Black Market. Do you know what that means? Only that one has never been sold on the Black market. Other than that you can only assume on why its never been there. Please don't get correllation and causation confused.

D

 

Also how are you going to say if the OP's expectations were met or not? Who are you to decide that? If anyone I would have to say the OP. The simple fact that he made a thread about it should tell you that his expectations were not met. The OP didn't say anything about the quality or the product itself but only mentioned that the service he received after they has his deposit/payment was subpar.

But after rereading what the OP wrote it seems that communication response time wasn't the issue either. But the issue seems to be the vendor not living up to their word. They informed him that it would be completed and shipped out by a certain time and they did not deliver. But instead of putting the onus on the vendor for not keeping their word yall want to jump on the OP. BRILLIANT!

D

 

Mods please close this thread. It really isn't helping the Acura community and has turned into a pissing contest. This is getting to be just as bad as the, "my intake is better than your intake" threads that keep popping up.

 

 

ugh...

mike worked hard for the 3rd genners... now he's working hard for acura as a whole... soooo

 

Don... you're wrong. Completely wrong.

If you think ING direct, a FIDC insured and SIPC monitored business is the same as "Acurazine Mike's" basement custom exhaust sales, you clearly have no base in reality.

You're questioning Mike's proffessionalism without hearing his side of the story, there's your first error. I advocate for Mike (as the others here) in this siuation because there are over 100 satisfied customers here on AZ alone, and there's never been a peep of trouble. Please reread my post above concerning the nature of ordering custom made to order anything... delays happen, and if you don't want to deal with delays, then YOU must buy what's on the shelf... period.

As for your comment concerning not doing business with Mike... I am sure he is glad to NOT have someone with completely unmanageable expectations as a customer. No tolerance for supbar service...? Who's given subpar service? The OP is impatient, and has no tolerance for delays, that's unfortunate, but he did nothing to compensate the manufacturer to ensure a specific delivery. That's why Mike ask for a DEPOSIT instead of paid in full. If the OP wanted his exhaust on an exact date, he should have fronted the full cost of the system, and paid any extra required charges to move his job to the front of the priority que... That's how made to order business is done.

and I have no confusion in the definition of correlation and causation. The ATLP exhaust system is a virtually an Acurazine exclusive. All comments, reviews, and info are published here. It's a SAFE assumption that almost all ATLP systems have been bought through Acurazine, and even safer to assume if one would be sold, it would be sold here... The ebay community has no idea what an ATLP is. That said, both ATLP and Greddy have put out cat-backs for the 3rd gen.... and through both GB's, sold near equivalent systems. iI've seen 6 or 7 Greddy's in the BM, and never have i seen an ATLP. Sure my statement is an assumption based on correlation... but that's what i do for a living, and I'm pretty god damn competent at it.

As for your second post... Reread my second paragraph. One side of the story contrasted against over 100 satisfied customers here. Sorry the OP wants his stuff now and feels like he's getting the runaround... things change, schedules slip. has the OP paind in full? nope? Has the OP paid extar to accelerate a faster service? nope. He'll get the same service we all got. It'll get done in a reasonable time 6-10 weeks... just like the rest of us.

 

try ordering some Work Wheels...... 12-14 week wait...

 

Ok obviously we'll just have to agree to disagree and you can keep on with your assumptions. Because we all know how well assumptions normally go over. But maybe you should take a lesson from Socrate when he said "The only thing I know is that I know nothing."

But lets not try and say that he is infallible. Even the largest of companies who have very good track records makes mistakes so I can certainly see that happening with a smaller business. But what do I know I just manage 30 locations here in Atlanta within the cellular industry. One thing I have always learned is that it is better to under promise and over deliver than to over promise and under deliver.

I am certainly not trying to tell him how to run his business but that has worked well for my family and I. So much so we have roughly 25 locations in LA 15 in the DFW area in Texas and have a hand full of other stores in San Diego, Kansas City and soon to be NYC on top of the 30 locations we started with here in GA. So yea I know a thing or two about business and running one also.

But I will end with this. It considered completely unmanageable expections to have him keep his word?

D

 

Enough! Mods, it's been requested multiple times by multiple people: Please lock this. It's doing no good.