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View Full Version : 365Autosport carbon fiber CSL one piece lip spoiler review



cakM3
08-31-2014, 02:25 PM
I figured I would write up a short review for this product for all the E46 M3 owners or people considering on getting one of these cars ;)

Thread link: http://www.m3forum.net/m3forum/showthread.php?t=525761 (http://www.m3forum.net/m3forum/showthread.php?t=525761)

Allow me to stress to "some people" here that this review is all about my initial impression of this product, the ordering process, and how the product arrived to my door. As for longevity and how well this product stands the test of time, there will be additional posts detailing how well this item holds up..... If you're willing to take the risk to have this for yourself, this product seems to be of good quality. It's not perfect but more than good enough to have mounted on your car :thumbsup You will get complements, trust me. :thumbsup

I started communicating with Steve @ 365Autosports when I learned about his group buy on M3 Forum and had asked him a few questions regarding this product. I saw in his thread that he had asked for a chance for his company to prove themselves on that forum so I figured it wouldn't hurt to ask him a few questions. After about 8 PM's from Steve (with relatively quick responses) I felt comfortable enough and went ahead and made the purchase.

I have received close to 30 PMs in total from Steve and he had somewhat addressed most of my questions and concerns regarding shipping, quality, and order status on this product.

Edit: This product was manufactured in Taiwan, which in itself is not really a bad thing...but it is something I feel worth noting in my review...

I sent Steve my payment on the 6th of August and the product I ordered, a 1x1 carbon fiber lip spoiler which shipped out on the 20th of August, exactly 2 weeks as Steve had advertised. All I cared for was that I received a quality part within the time frame that was advertised in the group buy.


I can honestly say that Steve's communication throughout has been straight-forward and that I had a good first impression of 365Autosports so I felt comfortable with my purchase so I went for it...




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Conclusion....

Edit: Throughout this period I kept thinking of what Steve had posted throughout his intro thread for this group buy and decided to take Steve at his word. To be completely honest, looking back at the whole experience I feel it was a little on risky side for me to spend almost $400 only because there were a few M3Forum members talking serious trash on Steve's group buy thread. You have to ask yourself this question whenever dealing with an unknown vendor who does not have any reputation on any forum... "am I willing to lose $XXX for this product?" I will admit that this is not the best way to get a product but I had to have this lip and took the risk to have this. I have seen this lip on a friend's M3 and had to have this for mine so I went for it.

Looking at the whole experience.... would I do this again? it depends... In my case, there were some issues that fellow forum members @ M3Forum were posting in Steve's for-sale thread and two forum members even sent me a PM warning me not to participate in Steve's group buy thread. Even though Steve was quick to respond to all of my emails and gave me a good impression, everything Steve was doing was compromised by all the negative exposure, which I found were unfounded. Sometimes it's hard to weed out the BS from the truth when there are a few forum members causing so much discontent towards a vendor. Steve showed a lot of patience regarding the negative posts on his group buy thread and took the time to explain those issues to me although he was not required to do so. Props to Steve for doing that! :thumbsup

Am I glad I took the chance? I would have to say honestly that with my strong desire to get this product, I am glad I took the risk. I now have a lip spoiler that I have been searching for ever since seeing this on my friend's M3. I can say that Steve has his second group buy going right now at M3Forum and so far everything has been going positive… looks like Steve is doing well - good to see positive things going...



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My Review:

With that said, I have found this product to be amazing (luckily enough), especially after I had polished it some more. There's nothing that needs to be done other than what is currently being done prior to shipping. The scores below are given based on my expectations for this product. These scores do not reflect what your expectations are but should give you an idea that you're not getting a substandard product...

Edit:
- Packaging is a solid 9.0 out of 10. Although my product did not suffer any damage, Gary's arrived with a nasty scratch on his. Packaging should be improved so that the product won't suffer any damages during shipment. It's bad enough that someone has to wait a few weeks for the product, let's not make the situation worse for them by having the product arrive damaged from shipment...

- The product as advertised is a solid 8.5 out of 10. I rated it 8.5 because the fitting is not 100%. Being aftermarket, it's not going to be perfect but it's close! It took a lot of work to get it to where I now have it. Would have been easier using two people. I mounted this by myself because I was impatient…

- Finish of the carbon fiber is a 10 out of 10. :thumbsup I will say that when polished, this carbon fiber lip is a piece of art!! :drool

- Customer Service is a solid 9.0 out of 10. There was some serious misunderstandings between Steve and I as a result which is why I gave him a rating of 9 but he took the time to explain those issues when he realized I was upset. He showed me that he is a vendor who's willing to work out issues with his customers (past and present) when they come up. :thumbsup Dealing with customers, especially forum customers can be quite a challenging thing...

As good as this product is... I still feel it is not 100% perfect and people who are thinking about buying this product should know everything about this product both good and bad :thumbsup For some, looks and perfect fitment is an absolute requirement and in the end, it's their money. Give them the right information on the product from the start and allow them to make their final decisions. Like I have said, I'm happy I got this product. One last thing to add is that I will give Steve credit for his follow up with his customers. He does a good job on his group buy and showed me he really was sincere and cared when I had my issues.




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Here are the finished, well almost finished, pictures of my installed lip spoiler. Still have a few things to do but I wanted to get the lip mounted :biggrin

It's kinda dark and cloudy today so pics didn't come out nearly as good as I had wanted but everyone should have a good idea as to how good this product really is... :eeps

The first three pics were from my iPhone. I wanted to show how the box looked and how well wrapped the lip was for transport :)
http://i395.photobucket.com/albums/pp37/macdctr/M3/_DSC6178_zpsc45c06d7.jpg

http://i395.photobucket.com/albums/pp37/macdctr/M3/_DSC6176_zps496efc70.jpg

The lip was wrapped up very nice for transport...
http://i395.photobucket.com/albums/pp37/macdctr/M3/_DSC6187_zpsc97b195a.jpg

Pics of the installed lip spoiler :drool :drool :drool
http://i395.photobucket.com/albums/pp37/macdctr/M3/ICONZ%20Lip/_DSC6319_zpse7fab3d0.jpg

Love this pic....I think this is my next sig pic ;)
http://i395.photobucket.com/albums/pp37/macdctr/M3/ICONZ%20Lip/_DSC6290_zps8cdb1dd9.jpg

http://i395.photobucket.com/albums/pp37/macdctr/M3/ICONZ%20Lip/_DSC6299_zps744825db.jpg

http://i395.photobucket.com/albums/pp37/macdctr/M3/ICONZ%20Lip/_DSC6301_zps086c7dca.jpg

http://i395.photobucket.com/albums/pp37/macdctr/M3/ICONZ%20Lip/_DSC6302_zpsd1d43817.jpg

http://i395.photobucket.com/albums/pp37/macdctr/M3/ICONZ%20Lip/_DSC6304_zps06f3a5f6.jpg

http://i395.photobucket.com/albums/pp37/macdctr/M3/ICONZ%20Lip/_DSC6306_zps5de9aa79.jpg

http://i395.photobucket.com/albums/pp37/macdctr/M3/ICONZ%20Lip/_DSC6308_zpsb4a8e77b.jpg

http://i395.photobucket.com/albums/pp37/macdctr/M3/ICONZ%20Lip/_DSC6310_zpsd2a3fe25.jpg

http://i395.photobucket.com/albums/pp37/macdctr/M3/ICONZ%20Lip/_DSC6337_zpsef5c835c.jpg

http://i395.photobucket.com/albums/pp37/macdctr/M3/ICONZ%20Lip/_DSC6311_zpsdf66ee86.jpg

Close up view of the carbon fiber weave on the lip
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/09/02/gurebyzy.jpg

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/09/02/raha3yva.jpg

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/09/02/6yna8uny.jpg



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Wrap UP

Based on everything I have posted above, it is my intention to have a completely honest review/experience of this purchase and after reflecting on everything from when I first purchased this product to today. My conclusion: There are two products for a one-piece CSL lip spoiler. One offered by 365AutoSports and one offered by Status Gruppe Tuning (SGT). Both products are excellent. The lip spoiler offered by 365AutoSports has a longer lip that extends out whereas the lip offered by SGT has a shorter lip which does not extend out as far. Depending on which route you want to go, I have found that buying from SGT is relatively straight-forward process and they have their own web page which makes sourcing parts much easier. :thumbsup For some this is all the difference they need :thumbsup Either way you will end up with an excellent product! :thumbsup I'm very happy with what I now have ;) :thumbsup

mbeckel
08-31-2014, 02:52 PM
That.....looks.......incredible!!! :drool

Johnmadd
08-31-2014, 03:28 PM
Looks awesome!

cakM3
08-31-2014, 03:30 PM
Thanks Matt and John! :)

zhpnsnv
08-31-2014, 04:22 PM
Looks great. At first I couldn't tell where the fitment issues were, but is it that slight gap in the center there? Or am I seeing things? Either way, it's probably only people like us who would ever notice.

cakM3
08-31-2014, 04:32 PM
Looks great. At first I couldn't tell where the fitment issues were, but is it that slight gap in the center there? Or am I seeing things? Either way, it's probably only people like us who would ever notice.

You got it Marc. Once I get the black silicone, I can seal the gap and it will look okay. The silicone that came with the kit is clear....not something I want to use when there are some gaps to seal off. As I said the fitment is not a full 100% but it is very close....:thumbsup We'll see how this lip holds up over time ;)

Johnmadd
08-31-2014, 05:22 PM
You got it Marc. Once I get the black silicone, I can seal the gap and it will look okay. The silicone that came with the kit is clear....not something I want to use when there are some gaps to seal off. As I said the fitment is not a full 100% but it is very close....:thumbsup We'll see how this lip holds up over time ;)

I find that almost everything I put on my car is "close enough" lol

Smilez
08-31-2014, 08:25 PM
looks awesome

cakM3
09-01-2014, 06:54 AM
looks awesome

Thanks Ray! :thumbsup

johnrando
09-01-2014, 09:48 AM
Thanks for the review. That's an awesome lip, beauty!

cakM3
09-01-2014, 01:54 PM
Thanks for the review. That's an awesome lip, beauty!

Thanks John! Yeah, I was out in the garage again today applying another coat of wax on my new lip :biggrin

bullfrogs_M3
09-22-2014, 12:41 PM
mmmmmm carbon fiber front lip!! Then again i have a soft spot for carbon fiber front lips :)

cakM3
09-22-2014, 12:46 PM
mmmmmm carbon fiber front lip!! Then again i have a soft spot for carbon fiber front lips :)

I love this lip but I will have to add that it is not entirely 100% fitment. There is a slight gap that is easily filled with black silicone. From my experience, all aftermarket lips don't fit entirely 100% and for those who expect this, they will always be disappointed.

mbeckel
09-22-2014, 01:25 PM
I love this lip but I will have to add that it is not entirely 100% fitment. There is a slight gap that is easily filled with black silicone. From my experience, all aftermarket lips don't fit entirely 100% and for those who expect this, they will always be disappointed.
Black silicone is a fitments best friend

bullfrogs_M3
09-22-2014, 02:51 PM
I love this lip but I will have to add that it is not entirely 100% fitment. There is a slight gap that is easily filled with black silicone. From my experience, all aftermarket lips don't fit entirely 100% and for those who expect this, they will always be disappointed.

I wonder if I can use black silicone for the gap in my aftermarket diffuser.....hmm thanks for passing that tip along

LobsterTail
09-22-2014, 06:45 PM
Too bad this lip won't fit my ZHP. I would love to have something like this.

Fenrir
09-23-2014, 09:37 PM
^^^ Soooo CSL front bumper upgrade? I love the OEM bumper but the CSL Front bumper.... :drool

cakM3
01-16-2015, 10:37 AM
Updated link to the Group Buy going on at this time for this lip :)

http://www.m3forum.net/m3forum/showthread.php?t=496306 (http://www.m3forum.net/m3forum/showthread.php?t=496306)

WOLFN8TR
01-16-2015, 11:23 AM
Thanks for this review Charlie, I'm going with one of these lips. Group Buy here I come! :headbang

BADCLOWN
01-16-2015, 11:41 AM
pure sex. looks GREAT on the front of your car. carbon fiber weave gives me chubbs for days.

cakM3
01-16-2015, 11:41 AM
Thanks for this review Charlie, I'm going with one of these lips. Group Buy here I come! :headbang

Communication is very important in any group buy :thumbsup Glad you found my review informative Gary! I've had this lip on my ///M since August and can say that I'm still very happy I got it. I love how the lip sticks out just a little bit and never get tired of looking at it. I also notice other people staring at my car when I do take it out on the highway for it's shakedown runs...;)

I would check with Steve to see what he has in regarding either the 1x1 or 2x2 weave. In my case, I had to wait a little longer to get the 1x1 lip but it was well worth the wait :thumbsup



pure sex. looks GREAT on the front of your car. carbon fiber weave gives me chubbs for days.

Thanks! :) Then you'll love my ///M! I have carbon fiber treats all over inside and out ;) I feel the same way...:biggrin

BADCLOWN
01-16-2015, 12:40 PM
link to pictures? daddy wants a taste......


im a big fan of those StatusGruppe CF center consoles.......they look amazing.

cakM3
01-16-2015, 03:01 PM
link to pictures? daddy wants a taste......


im a big fan of those StatusGruppe CF center consoles.......they look amazing.

just click on the post#'s :thumbsup "Daddy" will get his pictures! ;) ;) ;)

Carbon fiber seat backs @ post#24 (http://www.zhpmafia.com/forums/showthread.php?8058-Charlie-s-M-Project-Thread&p=214983#post214983)

How my ///M was set up @ post#30 (http://www.zhpmafia.com/forums/showthread.php?8058-Charlie-s-M-Project-Thread&p=215391#post215391) - Strass style cf lip and Scorza CSL bootlid (now on Sean's ///M), CSL rep wheels on Static667's ride - lots of carbon fiber goodness there!!

Post#57 (http://www.zhpmafia.com/forums/showthread.php?8058-Charlie-s-M-Project-Thread&p=218207#post218207)more of the old setup (you will love these pics!) ;)

Took delivery of my OEM CSL door panels at Post#996 (http://www.zhpmafia.com/forums/showthread.php?8058-Charlie-s-M-Project-Thread&p=308105#post308105)

Epic interior transformation at Post#1102 (http://www.zhpmafia.com/forums/showthread.php?8058-Charlie-s-M-Project-Thread&p=316830#post316830), BP assisted and watched me do the entire interior swap literally from memory.

My CSL center console is at Post#1124 (http://www.zhpmafia.com/forums/showthread.php?8058-Charlie-s-M-Project-Thread&p=316976#post316976)

Original pics of my M3 (stock) and now shown at Post#1138 (http://www.zhpmafia.com/forums/showthread.php?8058-Charlie-s-M-Project-Thread&p=317224#post317224). This will give you an idea just how much work has been put into my ///M and it still continues to this day ;)


I'll leave you with this pic ;)
https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8601/15673837414_2b4b2ec164.jpg

WOLFN8TR
01-21-2015, 07:19 PM
Add me to the Cool Guy CF front lip crew!!!

:happyspidey

UdubBadger
01-21-2015, 08:41 PM
Cool


GoingHAM mobile

johnrando
01-22-2015, 06:17 AM
Very.

cakM3
01-22-2015, 06:34 AM
Add me to the Cool Guy CF front lip crew!!!

:happyspidey

:thumbsup

cakM3
01-30-2015, 02:09 PM
Add me to the Cool Guy CF front lip crew!!!

:happyspidey

Hey Gary, did you get your carbon fiber lip spoiler yet? If not what's the ETA???

WOLFN8TR
01-30-2015, 02:54 PM
Hey Gary, did you get your carbon fiber lip spoiler yet? If not what's the ETA???

Just shipped today and will be here on Monday! It's coming from Taiwan. I thought these were US made??

cakM3
01-30-2015, 03:16 PM
Just shipped today and will be here on Monday! It's coming from Taiwan. I thought these were US made??

Shipped from Taiwan...good quality Gary :thumbsup

WOLFN8TR
01-30-2015, 07:33 PM
Roger that...[emoji106]

cakM3
02-06-2015, 02:47 PM
For those of you who have an E46 M3 or are planning to get one... I have updated my product review. If you're interested in this lip then I strongly recommend you read my review in full since I have edited it with updated information I recently discovered regarding the vendor Gary and I purchased this lip spoiler from....

WOLFN8TR
02-06-2015, 03:03 PM
Good Review Charlie! It's Honest and to the point.

This is a quality CF lip as stated but certain things transpired like the actual price Steve pays for these and the marked up price we paid for these which really pissed me off. I know there is a mark up but 67%! Come On! I was also told by Steve after inquiriing if the lip had shipped beings I was told I had the last 1x1 weave lip that was in stock. He said they were polishing it up one more time, if so why was there a scratch on it and it didn't even appear to be detail polished as stated. I the end it's a nice CF lip and I will install it this weekend so thats all the matter to me at this point.

I could post my receipt showing what the actual cost is compared to what we paid. :eeps

cakM3
02-06-2015, 03:34 PM
Like Gary said, it's the actual price of this product and the severe mark-up in pricing Steve (365Autosports) put on this part that pissed me off as well.... the fact that Steve did not divulge what his group buy price was in his group buy thread and that pricing was not consistent across the board (as stated in the group buy I was a part of by several M3Forum members in that group buy). Steve was very elusive when asked about pricing in his thread and stated that he would respond to everyone via PM only.... anyway I feel it is best to write up a thorough review so others who may be interested can weigh in all the risks of going with this or any vendor...


Edit: Steve contacted me and explained the price difference which I did not consider. What he told me made perfect sense although posting a group buy price would have sorted out any other misunderstandings from the first group buy in my opinion. Steve has his reasons and it is his group buy so I will respect his decisions. I learned a lot from his group buy which helped me to set up my recent group buy. :thumbsup

cakM3
10-06-2015, 06:07 AM
It's been over a year since I have purchased my carbon fiber lip from 365Autosports at M3Forum. I have to say that my lip spoiler looks just as good as the first day I mounted it on my M3 although I find that I'm more careful whenever pulling the M3 onto a entry/egress area from any road since I'm lowered. I wouldn't have it any other way... this lip just adds to the look that I have always wanted on my M3 and it's good to see Steve's company is still there on M3Forum and that if I ever need to get another lip I know where to go :thumbsup

These were taken back in August
https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8894/17486873792_07d54113f7_b.jpg

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/323/20193117030_7a7726039d_b.jpg

https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8692/17505315052_b959f124ff_b.jpg

BADCLOWN
10-06-2015, 03:41 PM
would be nice if they did something for the mtech2 bumper............such a nice piece.

rguti153
10-13-2015, 10:30 AM
Yep , a shame they never created something similar to this