RIP-STI

I have been speaking with a gentleman named Stuart in the UAE (Dubai). He works for Ralliart UAE and sent me some quotes on the FQ-400 Kit. His first email response is pasted below...oh and he even attached some photos:



"Hi Barry

Thanks for the email .

We could organise the body kit unpainted to you for $8,875
Please add $1000 for prep and painting
I would suggest to organise the painting in the USA .

Please advise me what is your nearest major airport ,and we will get the best rate from DHL or Fedex for air freight door to airport for you

Thanks and regards

Stuart"










.......I then responed back with:


"Hey Stuart,

Thank you for the quick response. I apologize for taking so long to reply. A couple more questions though:

1. How much would it be for only the: Hood, Front Bumber with carbon fiber lip.

2. How much would it be for the front bumber and hood painted "Octane Blue" like the stock blue evo?

3. Why is this total bodykit sooo expensive?

4. Is this a OEM product that has perfect fitment?...I am assuming it is.

5. Is there any other Ralliart/Mitsubishi Parts distributor that I can get this FQ-400 bodykit from? or any other FQ-400 parts for that matter...e.g. badges, emblems, interior part...etc??

6. Why would you advise me to get it painted here?...Wouldnt your company have the official "Color Codes" for Octane blue?..I am a little confused....or is it because your worried about potential damage while in transit?

Thanks again Stuart, and please feel free to call me at my number below if it is easier for you to explain the process.

Best,

ps. More photos are welcomed."



.....and his final response was:



"Hi Barry

No problem on the delay

Aero hood -$1385
Front bumper /carbon lip assy - $2325

The kit is made in the UK for Mitsubishi UK ,for their FQ400 conversion ,which are all done in the UK ,so no it’s no an OEM product ,but the car is sold through the MMUK dealer network ,so has to be up to scratch
Price is high due to low nos ,tooling costs etc ,as this kit is limited .

They will not provide emblems and badges

Get it painted in the US ,standard Mitsubishi paint code which I can provide ,I recommend this idea like you say ,to eliminate any potential damage in transit to the paintwork

Thanks a lot

Stuart"


.....I think that I will buy the hood, front bumper and everything else a bit later....I think it is only wise to take baby steps. All in all, I would say $8+k is a lot of money for a kit.....BUT......anything else would only be "a bodykit"....and I personally would not buy the Valdi (test and service) Kit. It looks like a let down....plus fitment issues are the worse.


If anyone knows of a better source then please let me know.

ElectrIX Blue

iTrader: (6)

http://www.body-kit.com/lancer_gt400_body_kit.html

ACCOLADE 2008 EvoX Competition Body Kit

KevinD

iTrader: (56)

so what exactly are you looking for? there are plenty of carbon hoods available for the X that you can paint blue and will still be half the price of the FQ hood...

there are some carbon front bumpers you can get too, but they are difficult to find (i had one on order from driveline for a very long time, never came). they are still significantly cheaper then that FQ piece.

and i don't even want to know what its going to cost to ship that stuff here from bahrain or abu dhabi...

laramie_05MR

iTrader: (20)

I was hoping this was going to be for a VIII. I so want my FQ badges.

ak47m203

for 9000 just for a body kit.

mrMTB

iTrader: (13)

That hood is just sexy. I also love the front fascia on that car. But damn that's a pretty penny to spend on show.

RIP-STI

I've read nothing but bad reviews about Accolade's kit.....I almost purchased it....I contacted them and it took about 2-3 weeks to get a quote. It wasnt nearly as expensive as this one from Ralliart but I backed out because of all the fitment issues I read online. I believe he quoted me around $2600.00

RIP-STI

I'm looking for the BEST fq-400 kit on the market...so far I've I've seen one from Valdi and Accolade....but I've read fitment issues for both. Plus both of those kits come in either plain Polyurethane or Fiber glass..............BOTH of which will crack easilly and weigh more.....PLUS I want the front lip, assy, and rear diffuser to be carbon fiber like the real FQ-400....so far I am going with this one....it is pricey but too sexy and....like"Stuart" said it's pricey because it come directly from Ralliart and doesnt require any custom fitting....its practically bolt on....but Yes again.....to ship it from dubai may be another $2k....iono.....If I dont find this kit soon in the states....then I guess it will be time to resort to the ol' AMEX.

Dave@Accolade

iTrader: (96)

The FQ-400 also known on our site as GT version has not been made for direct purchase globally for the Evo yet especially in North America. So I do not see how you have listed fitment issues with it. Accolade kits on average are some of the best fitting parts out on the market. The one thing we do need improvement on is shipping and service due to cut-backs. So I just want to put that out there as it is not fair to us for you to reference fitment on this kit and attribute bad reviews to our version when its not even out there..

RIP-STI

*sigh*.....Dave, I simply said that "I have read fitment issues with both kits"....

Besides that, WHAT are you saying Dave??....That I cant freely type what I have read.....I didnt say that what I have read is factual......ITS WHAT I READ..... on the internet....Heck, I dont know if the people that type their opinions/experiences are true....for all I know they could be 16 without a license.

I have tried contacting you all at Accolade.....to be honest when I first saw the kit on your website I got excited....because I was under the impression that if I ordered it, then I would receive exactly what is depicted in the photos you have up of the real fq-400 in red and the quote I received from Chris Peterson wasnt too bad to me. Unfortunately I never really got answers to my questions so I forced to believe the blogs.....but please prove me wrong because I'm not in a rush to cough up $8k on a kit alone.

Please let me know what the real deal is on this kit...better yet let us all know....and if you can also let me know what Accolade's capabilities/limitations are in regards to this kit.

Kracka

iTrader: (49)

Rather than stating info that you are unsure is factual stop the train and try to get the info first hand. It seems like most the time one person makes a post stating bad quality or a problem and next thing we know there are thousands of people running around saying its crap when it was nothing more than a minor mishap in the first place. Get the info and make sure what you're posting is true for everyone's sake.

RIP-STI

Well at this point only Dave can state what is supposedly factual....but again....is this not a forum/blog?....The "bad" reviews/comments I read were regarding Accolades kits in general and then there were a few that were specifically about this kit....again....I READ....I never stated these threads or comments were factual or true.....BUT ....when a person reads something along these lines and then has a difficult time trying to get a hold of this company for a quote or even a more in-depth description.......then one would start to think that maybe there is something to these negative comments....

Also, Dave from accolade will tell you and if he doesnt admit it then I will really be inclined to think negatively about them.....So Dave, why dont you mention how Accolade has changed the layout of the webpage for the GT-400 kit....please explain why the photos have went from 1st: The pics of the real FQ-400 (only), 2nd: the FQ-400 pics along with a regular white Lancer with this kit attached (in all white)....to now 3rd: what we currently see of a red Evo X with this kit attached...painted red...and some more pics of the kit by itself below in white.

So Kracka, wouldnt you find these description changes a little odd.....and please be fair..... I dont know about you but if you read these negative threads and are constantly checking accolades website and notice these changes, I shouldnt start to think that maybe there is something to all of this negative info....But....again....I never said that they were true/factual info....I just said I read....I didnt bash Accolade or Valdi....I only stated what I read...for this post to take the direction it is taking was never my intent.....I was actually trying to help people who are looking to buy this kit....as well as get help from anyone that knew something I didnt.

So can we please get back to the original topic?

Update: I called Stuart in Dubai and got the scoop on this whole FQ-400 process that the UK started to bring this idea to life (once again). He stated that these kits above are manufactured by a company in the UK....and then of course shipped to his location in the UAE to be distributed by Ralliart....or Ralliart in the UK to be fitted to stock evos that are ordered to "FQ-400 Spec".....just like here in the US with the GSR and MR (SSS package, Aero Kit, etc)....he then began to explain that if I or anyone else really wanted to save money when purchasing this kit then it would be best to contact a Ralliart Distributor in the UK....or perhaps the Manufacturer. He even suggested finding 4 to 5 buyers that could commit to buying this kit then the manufacturer can give us a significant discount...because we're buying in bulk.....PLUS since it will be coming strait from the OEM the markup wont be as high and the freight is cheaper coming from the UK. Also, he told me that we dont have buy the entire kit....we can pick and choose....


So lets say 5 of us commit to buying the hood and front bumber with carbon fiber lip. Originally we would pay $1385 for the hood and $2325 for the front bumper and carbon lip (unpainted/non-preped coming from UAE)....NOW....that isnt that bad considering these kits have the lowest chance of fitment problems, because they have to be up to snuff for Mitsubishi resale standards.....and...well its the real deal.....

But if we buy together (in bulk) and gaurantee them 5 sales as opposed to one then we can get a sweet discount.....I would imagine 15-20% on both. Plus freight will be cheaper....cuz they're coming from the UK....and not Backa-lacka-dacka street in Dubai.

Now the smart thing to do would be to find out the average cost of what the kit is made out of (eg. fiber glass, ployurathane, TFF) and then find out the average cost of production for a kit like this. Then propose to them a price with at least a 20-30% gross profit margin and hope that they find the sale to be fair.


LAST: Stuart mentionded that for the complete conversion, from top to bottom to the FQ-400 (interior, exterior, susp, you name it) it would run about $28,000 USD but again the same rule applies....you can pick and choose the parts and take baby steps. .....

KevinD

iTrader: (56)

let me know when you want to do some performance mods i can't help you with the body stuff, but for performance i can assure you that i can achieve better results for half the price of the FQ stuff.

(and for the 4500-5000 your looking to spend on a hood and bumper you can easily hit 400whp, which is like 20% more then the FQ)

RIP-STI

Thanks Kev, I can assure you that I am only interested in the FQ-400 kit and will be calling you shortly to let you know what I would like to achieve performance wise.....I have been dragging my feet because my Evo still only has 700 miles on it so Im just dickin around with cosmetics while I kill some time....unfortunately I dont drive it much because I use another vehicle for work....but perhaps I can stop by your guys operation this weekend to have a little meet and greet...and see what your company is all about??

I'll text or call you....

Best

KevinD

iTrader: (56)

sounds good! i'll be there!