Golf R Observations and Questions

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Originally Posted by ravun

Another one:

Downpipe mit Sportkat laute Version - FTS-Tuning Onlineshop

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Ok, so that one is finally significantly cheaper. At 799 Euro, generously assuming only 100 Euro shipping, it'd come to ~AUD$1400 (again, assuming no other fees incurred). They also don't mention anything about an ECU update... but that's not a surprise since there is literally NO information AT ALL.
HOWEVER. And let me say that again because this is a BIG HOWEVER! This companies site is so bad that not only do they not have ANY information on that downpipe, even their "Shipping & Returns" page says:

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Put here your Shipping & Returns information.

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So not sure I'd risk using this company to maybe possibly save $1000 (if it even received the product...)

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Originally Posted by ravun

Another:

f-town Streetmachines


Thank god for google translate :P

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Wow - that's one ugly-arsed exhaust. It's more exxy than the APR one too though.

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Originally Posted by dave-

Leave the Ferrari/Lambo analogys out of it. If I spent $400k on a car, I wouldn't let just anyone touch it. This type of justification is crazy.

So you're saying that as we get older, we get stupider and just hand over cash because its the done thing?

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My point with the fez/lambo was that even if you didnt let JUST ANYONE touch it, the parts and labour will still COST more RELATIVE to the Golf R, no matter what it is (mods, servicing, etc).

And no, im not saying the older u get the dumber you are. You could, however, generalise by saying that those buying the Golf R is in the age bracket as I mentioned. And as such, because the Golf R isn't really considered a cheap car (it costs the good part of 50K!), you could hypothesise that people who buy it have stable jobs with a steady income stream and have the capacity to purchase such a car. Thus, parts etc might be set at a price where they MAY NOT WANT to pay for it, BUT HAVE THE CAPACITY to pay for it. Aftermarket places all know this and set prices accordingly.

Therefore, aftermarket suppliers and mechanics KNOW this and can charge whatever they want and SET THE PRICE. As for paying for it, thats entirely up to you like I mentioned before. Its just like comparing servicing with a Honda and a VW. A Honda Accord's 60,000km service is NO WHERE CLOSE to, say, what a MK5 R32 costs, which from memory costs almost a grand! So why are they charging this amount if they are, going by your analogy, doing the same thing (changing oil, checking for problems etc etc). Apart from specific things like checking mechatronic units on the VW and so on, theyre basically doing exactly the same thing. You said that you couldn't believe the downpipe cost 2.5K, when its just the same metal used in a custom job? Then why charge more for the APR unit? It's because they can.

And you'd have to expect to a certain degree that mods or anything were gonna cost a little bit more than it's cheaper JDM counterparts surely? I mean, its common knowledge that the more expensive the car is to buy, the more it will cost for servicing, and to a lesser extent, mods

Here's a thought.
If you own a GTI, and you want to upgrade your brakes, a "low cost" option is to spend around $1,500 on upgrading to the Golf R32 brakes. But if you own a Golf R, and you want to upgrade your brakes, you've already got those better brakes, so to get something better you need to go to the next step up, which is a Brembo or Alcon brake kit for around $4500.

This isn't a case of companies thinking you're dumb, or you've spent more on a better car so you can "afford to pay more". Maybe it's just a case of your more expensive/better car already comes with better components and therefore to improve on what you already have you need to spend more than what it costs to improve on lesser parts/cars.

I mean, as someone else has already pointed out, the APR exhaust "only" gives you an increase of 12kw (at the wheels, in combination with the Stage II software), so this means that the stock exhaust is already performing pretty well. Maybe it just takes more "whatever" (sorry, I'm not mechnical enough) to get additional performance out of the R's exhaust systems, and this is why APR, and Remus, and Milltek, and BN Pipes, and Super Sprint and so far all other companies Golf R exhausts cost $4k or more for a complete system, except for that one which is so dodgy they can't even fill in their contact and shipping information properly on their website.

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Originally Posted by stephen8512

And as such, because the Golf R isn't really considered a cheap car (it costs the good part of 50K!), you could hypothesise that people who buy it have stable jobs with a steady income stream and have the capacity to purchase such a car. Thus, parts etc might be set at a price where they MAY NOT WANT to pay for it, BUT HAVE THE CAPACITY to pay for it.

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An STI or Evo costs more. Just because we all choose not to buy them doesn't make them a cheap jap ****box. They're targeting a similar age buyer if you ask me, they're not going for people earning $30k pa. Some of us prefer subtle and some prefer to be a neon hammer.

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Originally Posted by stephen8512

Aftermarket places all know this and set prices accordingly.

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So after all this, you agree with me that people are being gouged and the prices have nothing to do with the make or model, rather the perception of being prestigious?

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Originally Posted by Corey_R

Maybe it's just a case of your more expensive/better car already comes with better components and therefore to improve on what you already have you need to spend more than what it costs to improve on lesser parts/cars.

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That analogy works fine with brakes or the turbo or the suspension or a whole lot of things. But when you are replacing a part entirely, such as the exhaust, it doesn't matter if the original item was made out of gold. Essentially it is being thrown in the bin.

The more expensive the car, the more you can afford to spend on mods ..

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Originally Posted by dave-

That analogy works fine with brakes or the turbo or the suspension or a whole lot of things. But when you are replacing a part entirely, such as the exhaust, it doesn't matter if the original item was made out of gold. Essentially it is being thrown in the bin.

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Yes, that point is understood. But to improve on something made out of gold, you can't then just go and replace it with something made out of silver for example. You'd have to replace it with something made out of platinum...

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Originally Posted by Corey_R

You'd have to replace it with something made out of platinum...

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Always gotta have the last say hehe

Anyway flogging a dead horse, if I'm the only one that thinks its crazy then so be it. Proceed with the thread!

After reading most of the above, I've come to the conclusion that once the R starts selling in larger volumes particularly in the US we will see alot more aftermarket performance components appear at a more reasonable price, therefore I will be waiting to see what else appears before I outlay several thousand on an exhaust.

The Mazda MPS experienced something similar to this in it's early years ie. $2000+ for a downpipe!!! however recently there are a number of downpipes on the market and several are actually very good and even better than the $2000+ pipes. Anyway my observations only but personally I will wait and see what else appears and even talk to some custom exhaust places for options before I decide on new pipes :)

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Originally Posted by dave-

An STI or Evo costs more. Just because we all choose not to buy them doesn't make them a cheap jap ****box. They're targeting a similar age buyer if you ask me, they're not going for people earning $30k pa. Some of us prefer subtle and some prefer to be a neon hammer.

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cheap jap car might have been a poor choice of words. I meant "jap counterparts".

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Originally Posted by dave-

So after all this, you agree with me that people are being gouged and the prices have nothing to do with the make or model, rather the perception of being prestigious?

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I never disagreed with you and if u read what I wrote again, they charge the prices because they can

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Originally Posted by dave-

That analogy works fine with brakes or the turbo or the suspension or a whole lot of things. But when you are replacing a part entirely, such as the exhaust, it doesn't matter if the original item was made out of gold. Essentially it is being thrown in the bin.

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If you read back on my previous posts, i never disagreed with you. I was just merely stating the fact that the suppliers know that most people will buy due to the "prestige" of the brand and the perception that the item is of high quality. People who buy expensive cars = have money = CAN pay for aftermarket parts even if the price is considered high. As to whether they actually do pay, like i said, thats totally up to you.
But all I'm saying is that even though you might not think its worthwhile to pay such an amount for the the downpipe, fact is, because the suppliers know that most of the pple CAN still afford to pay it even if they dont want to, is why the prices are set the way they are.

I was just pointing out the argument as to why the price might be set for 2.5K for the downpipe as well as other mods by other manufacturers. it had nothing to do with if you'd actually go pay for it because you didnt seem to grasp the idea that people CAN pay for it, not whether people WOULD actually pay for it. As to whether you think they are high, thats your opinion and I respect that. However, like I said (and to re-iterate), its not whether a customer would pay for the item, but rather the suppliers CAN charge this amount because they know all the information about the target market buyer and the supply/demand of the product.

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Originally Posted by stephen8512

However, like I said (and to re-iterate), its not whether a customer would pay for the item, but rather the suppliers CAN charge this amount because they know all the information about the target market buyer and the supply/demand of the product.

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Fair enough mate. Hopefully a few more products hit the scene and buyers start questioning what exactly they are getting for their money so everyone benefits.