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HeelToe... assuming they still have any. I don't think they'd make anymore for us, considering how the community responded to the finished product back in the day.
The fitment was not that bad. There were definitely areas that were not oe quality and we would have liked it to be better. But I don't know if it is fair to say it was "pretty bad." That's a relatively subjective statement to me.
But no, we were not really proud. Plus we got raked over the coals for it. Ultimately the grille became not very profitable as the volume of sales was low, the amount of labor was quite high, and Acura got pissed at us for selling a part with their logo on it. So we killed it.
Sorry all. I know people ask about the grille and many with 2011-14 models have asked about fitment. We may revisit the grille in the future but for now it did not make sense to continue producing it.
It wasn't that bad to be honest, and it looked pretty damn good on Ed's car from what I recall in his build thread, albeit he had to massage it a bit. It wasn't OEM-fit, but it's certainly above eBay standard.
I joined this forum a year ago so I wasn't part of that thread. But from what I recall, there was a lot of unnecessary hate. HeelToe worked on something the community wanted, and eventually delivered. It's not always the case that things will turn out perfect. There aren't many vendors out there will actively listen to the community and try and give them what they want.
OP, FWIW you can do a WTB thread in the black market, and check eBay and tsx club's black market. It's going to be hard to find as there was limited production.
I wasn't trying to hate on it. I just remember Mr. NC who said he wasn't happy with the fitment and had to do a lot of massaging. For what it's worth I am appreciative on how much work you guys put into it. Here are his pictures:
Last edited by opboarding; 01-09-2015 at 04:26 PM.
I can see why he might have been displeased with that result but I can see in the image it was not seated well enough in the bumper. The gap between the grille and the bumper is supposed to be very tight...actually the part of the grille we were most stoked on! But yes it did need massaging to get right.
It really wasn't the great fitment we are used to giving people so it just needed to go. People aren't well equipped enough to do body-work in their driveway.
I didn't think you were hating...I think many people here have a bitter feeling about how it turned out, including myself. One of my stellar failures.
I never understood the hate lol I think the grille looks pretty damn good. So what if there is a small gap, every aftermarket part fits like that.
Half the community has that ebay type s lip that has gaps all over the place and everyone still likes those. Nothing is as good as a $1million dollar R&D piece from the factory. I wish it(backlash from the community) didn't turn out the way it did because I really wanted one, but the price point wasn't right for me at the time.
I can see why he might have been displeased with that result but I can see in the image it was not seated well enough in the bumper. The gap between the grille and the bumper is supposed to be very tight...actually the part of the grille we were most stoked on! But yes it did need massaging to get right.
It really wasn't the great fitment we are used to giving people so it just needed to go. People aren't well equipped enough to do body-work in their driveway.
I didn't think you were hating...I think many people here have a bitter feeling about how it turned out, including myself. One of my stellar failures.
The fitment was not that bad. There were definitely areas that were not oe quality and we would have liked it to be better. But I don't know if it is fair to say it was "pretty bad." That's a relatively subjective statement to me.
But no, we were not really proud. Plus we got raked over the coals for it. Ultimately the grille became not very profitable as the volume of sales was low, the amount of labor was quite high, and Acura got pissed at us for selling a part with their logo on it. So we killed it.
Sorry all. I know people ask about the grille and many with 2011-14 models have asked about fitment. We may revisit the grille in the future but for now it did not make sense to continue producing it.
Originally Posted by opboarding
I wasn't trying to hate on it. I just remember Mr. NC who said he wasn't happy with the fitment and had to do a lot of massaging. For what it's worth I am appreciative on how much work you guys put into it. Here are his pictures:
Originally Posted by MrHeeltoe
I can see why he might have been displeased with that result but I can see in the image it was not seated well enough in the bumper. The gap between the grille and the bumper is supposed to be very tight...actually the part of the grille we were most stoked on! But yes it did need massaging to get right.
It really wasn't the great fitment we are used to giving people so it just needed to go. People aren't well equipped enough to do body-work in their driveway.
I didn't think you were hating...I think many people here have a bitter feeling about how it turned out, including myself. One of my stellar failures.
But we do lots of other stuff really well
The pictures speak for themselves. The fitment is awful. You'd be best off owning up to your failures but you ALWAYS try to sugarcoat your mistakes - that's what separates a good company from you guys.
The pictures speak for themselves. The fitment is awful. You'd be best off owning up to your failures but you ALWAYS try to sugarcoat your mistakes - that's what separates a good company from you guys.
Originally Posted by MrHeeltoe
I can see why he might have been displeased with that result but I can see in the image it was not seated well enough in the bumper. The gap between the grille and the bumper is supposed to be very tight...actually the part of the grille we were most stoked on! But yes it did need massaging to get right.
It really wasn't the great fitment we are used to giving people so it just needed to go. People aren't well equipped enough to do body-work in their driveway.
I didn't think you were hating...I think many people here have a bitter feeling about how it turned out, including myself. One of my stellar failures.
CEB.. go look at at an OEM Ford Focus and see how many gaps are on the interior cabin. 100% of those cars come with misaligned glove boxes and panels that overlap trim pieces. The gaps that are seen in Marcus' grille are not that bad... Even FORD (one of the big three can't get it right)
Your talking about 3~5mm on a reversed engineered plastic grille.. the fitment is pretty decent for the amount of money spent on that project. People really don't understand how much money it takes to adjust those 3~5mm down to 0.5mm gap. You want a grille that fits perfectly like an OEM grille?? Then you better be willing to pay $700 a grille for the amount of time it took for his people to get the fitment exactly right.. It doesn't make sense for his company to spend that kind of money when the customers aren't willing to pay that much for the product.
Especially for an aftermarket company, I think you guys gave a product WELL within the price range and bounds of your industry. Marcus was disappointed with the final outcome, but by no means would I consider that a failure... It's simply a cost/benefit decision.. the benefit of a perfectly fitting grille will never yield profit because of the amount of time/resources necessary to perfect the product. Why doesn't anyone seem to understand this?
CEB.. go look at at an OEM Ford Focus and see how many gaps are on the interior cabin. 100% of those cars come with misaligned glove boxes and panels that overlap trim pieces. The gaps that are seen in Marcus' grille are not that bad... Even FORD (one of the big three can't get it right)
Your talking about 3~5mm on a reversed engineered plastic grille.. the fitment is pretty decent for the amount of money spent on that project. People really don't understand how much money it takes to adjust those 3~5mm down to 0.5mm gap. You want a grille that fits perfectly like an OEM grille?? Then you better be willing to pay $700 a grille for the amount of time it took for his people to get the fitment exactly right.. It doesn't make sense for his company to spend that kind of money when the customers aren't willing to pay that much for the product.
Especially for an aftermarket company, I think you guys gave a product WELL within the price range and bounds of your industry. Marcus was disappointed with the final outcome, but by no means would I consider that a failure... It's simply a cost/benefit decision.. the benefit of a perfectly fitting grille will never yield profit because of the amount of time/resources necessary to perfect the product. Why doesn't anyone seem to understand this?
i was gonna read that, but it has paragraphs and punctuation, and thats just too much for me to handle.
Ive said it before though, while the grille may not be perfect, it didn't deserve the grilling it received(pun intended, cause im a douche).
MCAT's thursday, been working less and studying more. Hate wearing a ballistic vest at work, but gotta do what ya gotta do. Paid $450 for this crap out of my own pocket but it'll stop most slash/spike and up to a .44 magnum. though i'm sure it'll hurt like a bitch. how you been gramps
01-09-2015, 08:56 AM
