ground_assault

i'm going to be trading in my scion for another car and i'm planning to use the new one as a test vehicle for manufacturers to make parts (obviously to get free parts lols) i'm wondering what else manufacturers are in san diego and riverside area. these are the ones i know of so far:

fujita 5
rotora
magnaflow
TakedaUSA
skunk2
K&N Engineering, Inc.
TOKICO Performance Shocks


I know there are more in LA but if i have to go down 3 times for research and developement it's a little too far especially since i don't have a buddy to go down with me (they all live pretty far from me)

ESEMRFOZZ13

it's not that easy. 1).the newer the car, the better your chances the part has not been developed yet. 2). the platform has to have a promising following. 3). what kind of company are you looking for? 4). the expensive parts most likely will be sold to you at a discount only.

ground_assault

i'm going to get the genesis coupe since it is a new platform 2010 i know for a fact a lot of manufacturers are looking for this car to make parts on...infact a whole bunch of people from the genesis forums are getting free intakes, exhausts, carbon fiber parts, headers, suspension upgrades you name it they got it but most of the stuff is up in LA or different state. i was just wondering where in san diego area or riverside area would be a good place to hit up

SEXB909

Dude you're buying a new car. dont let someone else rip on your ride for a few hundred dollars worth of parts and void your warranty over it. Its not worth it. Pls some commitments have to be made too. Nothing in this world is completely free. And sometimes too, they just give you a huge discount on the product tested and after they rev the crap out of your car or rip body panels off and on to fit something. Its a gamble man

XBBOY

wow high expectation there huh ?

well first have a plan..make a full proposal and tell these companies what you can do for them, you're gonna need to stand out from the rest for them to give u anything..be ready to spend some cash first to build the car up first..most companies will not just give u parts for a stock car. Be ready to be committed to those companies for at least 1 or 2 years....ur gonna need to go to alot of meets and shows to promote all the products u have been given.

Like most of these guys said, it's not that easy..u better have the time, commitment and dedication before asking for anything with any company..ur basically an unpaid worker for that company and ur car a rolling billboard..good luck !

AcidDrop

iTrader: (4)

Well said.

ground_assault

i'm not talking about sponsorship...many companies out there look for stock cars so they can develop intakes exhausts etc take a look at injens website or any other aftermarket performance manufacturers website and you'll see that they are looking for stock cars..otherwise if you had a modified car how will they bench mark it against a stock car? how will they claim that a stock car once you put on their performance product gains this much?

ground_assault

sponsorship vs test vehicle two different things

SEXB909

Gottcha there Cat. LOL. Now what about my statement?

ground_assault

well i'm not planning to pus*yfoot this car at all...this will be my daily driver/track/showcar car but i do have another vehicle if anything goes wrong...and besides all they do is dyno the stock car and a dyno it again with the new parts to see gains. i've been on genesis coupe forums for a while and let me tell you an exhaust system alone for a cat back is close to the $1000 and and some of them even over parts for this car are still pretty expensive due to parts being in korea have to be shipped here...the more stuff you can get free on the car the better...if i'm worried about warranties i wouldn't be into modifying cars

ground_assault

also about the warranty issue the parts i'm talking about are simple to remove and put back to stock if ever any warranty issues arise besides i've never heard of cars falling apart because of a intake or an exhaust

XBBOY

But all u talk about is intakes..and ur trying to get a catback too ? nd u still think they're just gonna give it to you for free ? Spme us have gone though it already and it just does'nt always come out like u think..

but i guess u've thought of everything, so good luck..vroom vroom...

ground_assault

i'm basing it on facts...i know a bunch of people who have loaned their car for development purposes and have gotten free stuff out of it. i mean how else are you going to get compensated for loaning your car out for 2-3 days? there are several gencoupe owners who have received headers (for v6 version), intercooler, intakes, exhausts, coilovers, springs, sway bars, strut bars, ecu reflashes, etc etc etc some of them have managed to get multiple stuff for free as long as the mods don't affect each other like intake, suspension, body kits, carbon fiber parts.

oldasdirt78

borla is in that area as well as AEM and flowmaster

ground_assault

thanks for the info just what i was looking for so there are non that are located in SD?

AcidDrop

iTrader: (4)

he didn't get me there Kirby as i've had my car R&D'd and some where free and others asked for me to rock their sticker on my windows for a partial sponsor and just hand out flyers and show off the part i got. it seems like he hasn't done any of it because like Nilo said, some will take your car in to test the part but then remove it before giving it to you for free if not for a small fee and others want you to rock their stickers to promote for them. as for full or partial sponsorships it all depends on which company it is and what he is willing to do for them if they keep making more parts for that car and he keeps being the R&D car for them. seems like the OP expecting to walk into a few companies asking for free parts expecting to get them just because they either haven't been made yet or aren't released yet. we're not here to bash on you but to let you know what's up and that all of them aren't the same that just give you free parts, you have to pay for some but not for much.

AcidDrop

iTrader: (4)

exactly Nilo for intakes they usually give away but for an exhaust that costes about 1k they sell for about half if not abit less to the R&D car. heck turbonetics a while back needed a 07 tc for R&D and the car had to be left for 2 whole months for them to drive around as their daily driver to see how the kit worked on the car. their kits alone cost about 5k and for leaving the car for 2 months they wanted 3k for it and if anything went wrong with the car it wouldn't be on them. so OP we're not on here to bash on you but you let you know what's up and if you do the R&D then make sure they make/give you a copy of what your getting done to your car and that in the end you'll be getting that part for either free or for a small cost.

ground_assault

i understand your point but so far from all the people i have spoken to and read threads about it was all free. sure some of them did have to lend their car out during sema to show off the new parts but it's still worth it. check out teins website. they are looking for a genesis coupe v6 model to make coilovers and what does their website say? they are going to give the product free of charge to whoever lends them a car. now coilovers are over the $1000 price range..how could they give it up for free? because it's cheaper to have someone donate the car and have them work on it then them having to actually purchase the car. turbo kits is another thing..i would expect that the owner of the car would have to shell out some money because that's a very expensive upgrade

SEXB909

Here's are the questions you ask yourself.

1. Can you afford the car?
2. If free stuff can't be given, can you afford the mods to that car.

I bought a Scion knowing that I can afford the car as well as the mods I have in it and the cost is very affordable and not breaking the wallet and go hungry doing it.

I can also afford a BMW 330, but cant pay to mod it.

Dont depend on the free stuff based on other peoples experiences. My friend Cliff got lucky with his Genesis because he was one of the 1st people to get it. Pls, he had the insight already with the companies prior to getting his parts. Pls its about who you know that can get you these mods.

I'm not trying to down you in purchasing a Genesis coupe. Just make sure you do your homework and dont get stuck with a car you cant afford mods on.

staypuft

Here is my 2 cents.

I have sent a tC up for a new intake and had a good experience with and a quick turnaround. I have also sent my 08 xB and 05 xA out for work and wish I had not done so in both cases… I got my parts totally free but there was more to it than that. Install, Return visits… Not everything said to me was 100% true. If you’re really looking to do this I will be honest and say it sounds better then it normally turns out.

Best of luck to you in your adventures