what's wrong with fibreglass kits?

[SAV_117]

anyway like the thread title says what is wrong with fibreglass bodykits ive heard alot of bad things and none good lol so i was just wondering why

[cxcxcxvcvcvc]

What bad things have you heard?
My only concern with fiberglass kits is that they can ripple over time with heat, but that's about it!

[235rwkw]

they crack easily when knocked, they chip easier with stones, they are heavier than plastic

[vsl67]

I traked dowm mostly genuine plastic kit for my vp ,5 years on all of the plastic parts were in perfgect condition , but the two fiberglass pieces rear spoiler and bonnet scoop had chips and were starting to fall apart
In short fiber glass is crap,it looks crappy and cheap ,and often bad fitting

[SAV_117]

What bad things have you heard?
My only concern with fiberglass kits is that they can ripple over time with heat, but that's about it!

ive heard pretty much what these guys have just said ppl mainly say DONT GET THEM lol so bad idea than??? just go genuine??

[cxcxcxvcvcvc]

Wonder where you can get aftermarket plastic kits?
Would hate to think how much it would be to get a VL Walky kit in plastic or an Aero kit or any other kit wich requires alot of fabrication work, wich i spose is why its all done in fibreglass.

[SAV_117]

yeah it would be good to know ey plenty of fibre glass ones on ebay but i think i should just wait for a cheap genunine one

[cxcxcxvcvcvc]

yeah it would be good to know ey plenty of fibre glass ones on ebay but i think i should just wait for a cheap genunine one

Are you chasing a kit for the lumina?
I would give holden spare parts a buzz, im sure they would have something somewhere!

[Grennan]

If your going for a kit, get plastic. Fibreglass tends to be to stiff and hard so it doesnt flex. If you hit a hard bump or something, they tend to crack at the weaker points very easily.

Not to mention majority of the kits dont bolt up properlly in the first place so it takes a bit of messing about to get them right, by the time youve done that youve probally cracked it yourself.

[PhantomVE]

Grennan is spot on.

I bought a fibreglass bodykit for my VS last year, spent weeks just trying to get it to fit, drilling holes, making brackets, filling imperfecions in the mould. once painted and clear-coated i found that the 'flat' areas were mostly slightly warped and reflected in every direction - completly contrasting with the rest of the car. (even if you finally manage to fit the thing properly)

Once fitted, cracks can appear in the weaker sections, and a slight knock will cause more cracks to develop and spread until you take them off to repair and repaint them. - then, oops, one of your drill holes won't line up anymore..

In short, fiberglass kits will keep you busy and constantly repairing them. I would not dream of putting a fiberglass kit on my car now and I laugh when i see them on other cars.

I would save yourself the labour and costs and stick with genuine parts. - even if you need to spend more, you will save in the long run.

[James_yo7]

fibreglass kits should come with a free bag of cable ties

[cxcxcxvcvcvc]

just rang up a Holden spare parts dealer in my area for a price on Genuine SS kit (been thinking about getting one for the calais) and they only had the front lip still available and the 2 side bits for the rear bumper ect and price was:
Front skirt $395 (then add gst on top of that he said)
rear apron sides are $160 Each and also add gst
and your still less the rear apron center and the 4 piece side skirts and god only knows how much they would have cost!
Witch unfortuneatly only leaves the option of finding a wreck and getting any salvageable parts, trying to find a gen kit on ebay (wich usually pops up when you don't have the cash spare lol) or going the fibreglass route!
I personally, from what ive read here today will just have to wait for a genuine kit to pop up when i have the cash!

[SAV_117]

i was thinkin more the ss kit lol yeah there is a gen kit on there now for like 400

[Cobez]

just rang up a Holden spare parts dealer in my area for a price on Genuine SS kit (been thinking about getting one for the calais) and they only had the front lip still available and the 2 side bits for the rear bumper ect and price was:
Front skirt $395 (then add gst on top of that he said)
rear apron sides are $160 Each and also add gst
and your still less the rear apron center and the 4 piece side skirts and god only knows how much they would have cost!
Witch unfortuneatly only leaves the option of finding a wreck and getting any salvageable parts, trying to find a gen kit on ebay (wich usually pops up when you don't have the cash spare lol) or going the fibreglass route!
I personally, from what ive read here today will just have to wait for a genuine kit to pop up when i have the cash!

Try ringing them back and pricing a full VP Senator kit. I almost had a heart attack when they told me lol.

If you are rich and willing to spend the cash, buy genuine kits direct from Holden spare parts, they still have VP Senator kits in stock (not heaps, but a few from the old days), as has been said, fibreglass kits rarely sit flush with your panels, they are rarely smooth and ripple free, they split easily and over a couple of years, they develop hairline cracks through them which get bigger as fibreglass is somewhat weak and day to day driving (small road bumps and vibrations) will cause it all to crack over time.

I hate fibreglass, my old VP had a fibreglass VP Senator kit on it from the previous owner, look at it up close and you can see small cracks through it.

I'm glad my panel beater fixed my Senator with genuine plastic gear straight from Holden. Plastic FTW!

[ScoHar]

my old VR had fibreglass kit, had all the symptoms as above, also it faded faster than the car, so after 2 years I had a red VR with orange kit LOL

[vsl67]

The sad thing about the plastic kits are the price if you find them,but the up side is the are pretty much indestructable,unless you have had a major prang or fire and but even then I seen bits that are still salgvable ,
but Fiberglass no chance

[SAV_117]

no fibre glass for me

[Growler88]

Not a real fan of fibre glass kits either. i do have one on my car (GTO repro one i think) and yeah, even the slightest knock has cracked it, from several little bumps and scrapes (damn bumper goes LOOOWWWW even with std springs.. or FE2 or w/e they are in my car) the rear needs has a couple cracks too, sideskirts have held up so far..

But yeah.. it will all be getting changed to plastics when the more important things are sorted, better longevity, strength, fitment and well... basically in all areas its better, only areas it might not be is cost, but meh, you get what u pay for.

[naf33n]

fibreglass in actaully very strong, the problem is all you complainers buy the cheapest possible kit, no wonder its crap, no effort has gone into making the mould, it is made out of a thin a possible glass.

if you spend the money and get it from someone that know what they are doin, you wont have a problem.

vw transporter have a fibreglass roof(high roof model) my over weight apprentice (120kg)can stand and roll around on the roof as much as he wants,
but he cant get on a mercedes sprinter metal roof cause it buckles.

boat hulls are fibreglass, dont see too many of them falling apart.



all comes down to the quality of the work, you wanna be a tight arse, your gonna get shit quality

[SAV_117]

thanks for that naf lol over weight apprenitce do u know how to tell the difference in quality are there ways of telling is there diff kinds of fibre glass

[naf33n]

cant help you on that one, comes down to the type of resin used, the way its laid etc,
the problem is there are too many people out there that want it cheap, so comapnies make it cheap.


if your after a replica of a genuine part, i would just save the hassle and spend the money on the genuine part, but if you want something a bit different like the front bar i had on my car, well its a bit of a lucky dip, i never had any dramas with my fibreglaas front, but then agian, i might of got the one made on a monday, not the friday arvo one

[danja]

I hate fibreglass, for reasons pretty well covered above - but just to keep things balanced, the PROS for fibreglass kits are:

- They are cheap
- You can repair them yourself (or even build/modify them yourself if you really wanted to!) without any special equipment, just a fibreglass repair kit

...and thats about all I can think of!

I've had one, never again! They crack and warp, damage very easily from scrapes/bumps/stone chips, they very rarely look smooth compared to metal/plastic panels. It's just a pain to own.

Do the right thing, buy plastic!

[FusionX]

Fibreglass kits all depends on the guy building them.

Use the right resin, cloth and vacuum bag system, there is nothing wrong with them. We've built a few a lot lighter then factory gear, could stand a beating to with speed bumps and ripple strips on the race track. Although as we built our own gear, I'd hate to have seen the cost if it wasn't done after hours.

[wrx884]

fibreglass in actaully very strong, the problem is all you complainers buy the cheapest possible kit, no wonder its crap, no effort has gone into making the mould, it is made out of a thin a possible glass.

if you spend the money and get it from someone that know what they are doin, you wont have a problem.

vw transporter have a fibreglass roof(high roof model) my over weight apprentice (120kg)can stand and roll around on the roof as much as he wants,
but he cant get on a mercedes sprinter metal roof cause it buckles.

boat hulls are fibreglass, dont see too many of them falling apart.



all comes down to the quality of the work, you wanna be a tight arse, your gonna get shit quality

Fibreglass kits all depends on the guy building them.

Use the right resin, cloth and vacuum bag system, there is nothing wrong with them. We've built a few a lot lighter then factory gear, could stand a beating to with speed bumps and ripple strips on the race track. Although as we built our own gear, I'd hate to have seen the cost if it wasn't done after hours.

+ 1, 2, 3, 4

glad a few have said it already i have already explained this b4 ina another thread so no point repeating it lol :P

all comes down 2 PREP WORK.

[danja]

Sure, there are kits better than others, but the biggest attraction of fibreglass is that it's cheap. If you were paying the same as stock, you'd be better of getting plastic.

And in a minor bingle, plastic is 100 times better off than fibreglass at absorbing the damage.