Hi,

I just wanted to let other members of the club know about a product that I purchased recently that I am extremely unhappy with.

Recently I purchased an aftermarket fibreglass grille from Driven Performance, who advertise on this forum. The product is brand new and is advertised on their website at:

http://www.drivenperformance.co.nz/scripts...p?idproduct=948

The purchase itself went smoothly, I paid the $200, and the product was delivered to my door within a day or two.

Unfortunately, I found to my surprise that the product was not what I had expected. I was expecting it to be a direct replacement for the grille that I took out, however I found it most difficult to fit, and I think virtually impossible to get it to become the same shape as the original. Even with my best efforts, I could not obtain an even gap between the top of the grille and the bonnet. I feel that to make it look okay, this area would have to be filled with some rubber packing, which would detract from the look of the car. As most of us in the club are very fussy about the look of our cars, I cannot recommend this product at all.
If you are a would-be purchaser, don't expect this product to be of the same quality as the original, as you will be disappointed.


I contacted the Managing Director of the company and this was his response:


Hi,

Sorry to hear you were not pleased with the product, and thanks for your feedback.

These grills are a fiberglass product, which of course are nowhere near the precise fit of the OEM plastic items (they are of course also a fraction of the price). As with all F/G aftermarket body kit items some customization is generally always required when installing. I run the same grill in my own altezza with no problems and a reasonable fit.

Once again sorry that you did not find it suitable.


He sounds like a nice guy to deal with, but this does not detract from the fact that the product did not come up to my expectations. Hope this has been helpful to would-be purchasers. Enclosed are explanatory pictures.

Note the uneven gap between the top of the grille and the bonnet. That finger is being used to hold the bottom of the grille down flush with the bumper.


Centre lug at top of the grille rubbed on the bracket attached to the bonnet release catch. In my attempt to get the grille to sit nicely, I removed the centre lug, but it still didn't fit properly.


Lower locating lugs canted at odd angles.

Check with Toyota NZ and see if they have any TRD units left.

Then consider returning the grill for money back.

TRD unit is more expensive but you'll sleep ok.


You may find that the grill mesh is to tight and needs refitting, allowing the grille surrounds to grow and full the gaps correctly.

Cheers

That's fit is rather ordinary to say in the least.

One of my rubber thongs would fit better then that F/B grille...

Original grille for comparison. I have lined up the bottom edges. Note that the top edges do not line up.

Looks like its sagging,

For a fraction of the price you could have cut the factory grill out of the shroud, sanded it a little, painted it, and fitted some mesh from repco.

He's already modified the grill unfortunately, I don't think they'll give him his money back...

I thought that might be the case so I removed the mesh and tried again. Unfortunately, I was no better off.

I would request a refund. I suggest to all to go with genuine parts. ;) It's worth the extra cost.

or quality aftermarket part from japan, e.g. wald etc.