yungone501

iTrader: (4)

I picked up a set of Private Label Manufacturing (PLM) PCD's and received them in the mail today. Before I purchased them, I noticed I didn't (or couldn't) find any threads here on Azine on PLM PCD's so decided to create one to help anyone out that may be looking for info on this manufacturer and/or their products. I took a few photos of them to show their quality and I must say they are surprisingly identical to those produced by RV6. The upper and lower portions are both also cast and appear to be of thick material/design. The cast pieces look to be TIG welded and from what I can see are nicely penetrated with the proper level of heat. The upper bell mouth and lower flange are said to be cast from stainless steel as well as the center tube that connects the two cast pieces.

In comparison between PLM and RV6 PCD's, here's a few points to outline* :


Cost-
PLM $350.00 + shipping
RV6 $375.00 + shipping

Price is an obvious $25.00 difference and depending on the distance between you and each company (or supplier) will determine the shipping costs. RV6 is located in Illinois whereas PLM ONLY works through dealers which means you would probably have much more luck finding a cheaper shipping price if the dealer you select is local to your shipping address. Personally, I went through an eBay seller StreetRays of whom is located in Austin (I'm in Plano 12 miles North of Dallas) and happened to get free shipping BUT had to pay $24.00 in taxes since the seller was located in my state. Lastly, the eBay seller I went through accepted my $325.00 offer over the $350.00 Buy It Now price so that was pretty cool. In all, I ended up getting the package at my door for right at $350.00. Though it's been a while since Ive dealt with Rich at RV6, he will (not always) negotiate on pricing but it's generally not very much.

Included with packaging-
PLM includes ALL necessary hardware and gaskets
RV6 includes ALL necessary hardware, gaskets and tube of thread lock

PLM uses aftermarket gaskets that appear to be of very poor quality whereas RV6 uses oem gaskets that come in sealed Honda packaging. Also, the hardware provided by PLM does not APPEAR to be near the same quality as hardware provided by RV6. RV6 hardware is black in color which generally indicates some sort of hardened steel such as black oxide or carbon steel. Lastly, the thread lock provided by RV6 is Loc-Tite brand so it's obviously a quality product as well.

Warranty-
PLM one year warranty against workmanship and/or material defects
RV6 two year warranty against workmanship and/or material defects

Since this is my first run with PLM, I cannot comment much here on their warranty but they seem to have a very good reputation online from what a quick Google search showed. Like many performance parts manufacturers, their warranty is pretty cut point at ONLY covering manufacturing defects and issues but only gives a one year coverage. This is where RV6 really trumps PLM because Rich hands out 2 year coverage on his products. I myself have dealt with him (as well as numerous others here on the forum) and he is extremely friendly, quick to respond/reply and most importantly is genuinely concerned about the reputation of his business. I cannot say this about PLM but then again, I've never had to deal with them on this level....yet.

*Comparing uncoated PCD's


The PCD's have not been installed yet but once they are, I will make sure I come back and give an update on their fitment, further comment on their quality as well as their performance. Though I do not own a 4g TL, my 98 Accord is swapped with a j35z engine (from an 08 Accord 3.5) and uses j37a4 heads (from an 09 TL 3.7) so I should be able to provide usable feedback for those who may be considering the PLM PCD's or anyone just looking for information on them for comparison purposes.

And now, the pictures:

CerberusKy

iTrader: (1)

Great review!

TeamAcura

I appreciate the review but you could of just spent the extra 25 and get a proven quality product instead of a blatant knockoff which is what all their products are. The extra 1 year warranty alone is worth the 25 extra you would pay.

yungone501

iTrader: (4)

^^^
True.

However, there are many people (like myself) that prefer a quality product at a great price.

I personally prefer this option at the moment because the car will soon have the turbo setup reinstalled so the PCD's are only temporary. Being there are many people out there that may have a similar situation as mine is the exact reason I decided on making a review for this product.

Appreciate the feedback nevertheless.

Richie v6

We at RV6™ have invested a great amount of time and money to develop and fine tune our products by constantly getting feedback and improving our processes. Everything from the selection of materials and welding processes are documented and specified per component. For example, when we purchase tubing for PCDs™. We specify to our vendors exactly what US mill we want our material from. We have seen drastic difference in quality from one US manufacture to another.

The knock offs might look the same however they are built for as cheap possible overseas to maximize profits. There is very little technical thought that goes into the manufacturing the knock offs. Since these factories will copy basically anything on appearance. I doubt they have invested the same amount in engineering, machining and quality control.

As the others have mentioned we stand behind our products. If you need something fixed even after the warranty period is up we’re glad to help. Since we fabricate and weld everything in house it is no big deal for us.

I would thank everyone for their support.

Components and fixtures are designed and built in house at RV6™ using our ROMER CMM system and Solidworks.


We use only the best heavy wall US made tubing for our PCDs™


Every component is checked before the parts are welded here in our facility, in the US. Any component that does not meet spec is marked for destruction and scraped. We do not leave anything to chance. All my employees know if something doesn't fit or fails its coming back and we are figuring out why. I truly believe in the concept of "Do it once. Do it right"

ffmjst

I think I'll RV6's PCD's over any other brands. He clearly cares about his products and customers and his products all look great. All I've heard is great reviews about Richie and RV6

yungone501

iTrader: (4)

Thanks for dropping in on the thread Rich.

In all fairness to PLM, I'd like to inform you that through my research in their products that they are said to use a reputable shop that does nearly all of their fabrication/welding on thier exhaust products. I even read a few things from the owner of the said shop and seems to be a very knowledgable person whom of which is involved in numerous social sites (includes forums). As for their source of materials, I cannot comment. Though through my limited knowledge and experience with exhaust components it does appear to be obtained through a source with cost in mind over quality IMO.

I admit there was some very slight flange distortion found on both bell mouths but did straighten out very easily once they were fastened to a test fit cylinder head at the shop. I went ahead and brought them back to true anyhow since I prefer not to have this small issue riding my mind.

Again, I will give more updates on their product quality onc they are actually installed. This was preliminary findings gathered from test fitment.

Rich, thanks again for commenting in the thread and please don't take my intention of this thread offensively. I still stand under the firm belief you have (IMO) the highest quality in aftermarket exhaust components and systems for Honda/Acura hands down.

Edward'TLS

Thanks, Yungone501.

We really need people like you, who is willing to try out and review different available options and/or new products.

Only this way, we can all gain knowledge in how these other options compare with the main stream products, and find out what's good and what's bad about them.

But if everyone all buy the same expensive version, then we would never know how the cheap ones will compare.

JDMCRX

Notice the gaskets are junk on the PLM . the fit of the mid pipe is not good. The RV6 is flush in the castings.

RV6 gets my vote hands down.

yungone501

iTrader: (4)

Here're the PLM PCD's bolted up to the RV6 j-pipe. Getting them ready for install.

yungone501

iTrader: (4)

Disappointing update:

After spending over an hour removing my old j-pipe and stock converters, I made a rather upsetting discovery on PLM PCD's...they don't fit.

Luckily I only installed the fasteners on the PCD's to enable me to mock up my RV6 j-pipe and ensure proper fitment so I didn't lose too much time here. Once the PCD's were on the heads, I pickup up the j-pipe to see that the lower flange bolt mounting holes didn't align properly with the RV6 flanges. Then I tried hanging the stock j-pipe back up on the PLM PCD's but had the same alignment issue with the bolt holes. To further confirm it was the PLM PCD's that were the fault here, I then removed them and installed the stock cats so that I could do the same test over again. With the stock cats installed, the RV6 j-pipe mounted up perfectly and obviously the stock one did too. Some of you may be questioning the picture above where the PLM PCD's are bolted to the RV6 j-pipe but I ony used 1-2 bolts per flange to mount them and things looked like they would line up but it was a matter of a few millimeters that prevented me from attaching all 3 bolts in each flange. Without further ado, I cleaned up the PLM PCD's, rewrapped them neatly in their packaging, and boxed them back up for return shipment.

To conclude my review on Private Label Manufacturing pre-cat deletes, I'll end by simply saying I DO NOT recommend them. Seems they still have some issues to work out before selling/distributing j-series exhaust components. Its not hard to see that the products were not test fitted after making them for quality control purposes and ultimately will cost them to lose customers. Right after I finish typing this review, I'm getting on RV6's website and am doing what I should've done from the get go, order Richie's proven, high quality PCD's. Thanks for reading and hopefully I've saved some of you the hassle and trouble of buying a shitty product.

arpypat

An extra $25 for the tried and true part from the get-go should've been a no-brainer... But regardless, thank you for the review! We have emissions testing in my state (MA) so no PCD for me. But RV6 HFPCs are on the way!

Richie v6

Thank you for taking the time and posting a honest review. These bootleg parts have been issue for us since people will call us for support. When we request the part to be sent back or request pictures there is usually a awkward "Well I didn't buy your part exactly" or even a few panicked hang ups.

ggesq

iTrader: (1)

+1

HeartTLs

iTrader: (5)

I like how this story ended.

VanyDotK

iTrader: (6)

I know everyone is rooting for RV6, which I am, too! But I don't think competition is a bad thing. It's too bad this company didn't work out. Competition can help improve customer service and bring more products to market. That being said, I think this is a good thread to show us that RV6 is doing something right because people are willing to defend him and his products. Imagine if this thread was about switching over from Comcast to another company.

freeurmind69

Thank You Yungone for taking the time to post this review, we need more honest reviews like this. it sure saved me and will save lots of other people the hassle.

Thanks Again!!

yungone501

iTrader: (4)

And to follow up on my follow up, here's some pics of Richies PCD's.


All wrapped and shielded, ready to go