Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General General Aftermarket Support at CEG Lacking, 'Here's Why!'

Another person just not getting it. To start off with, there is such a large market out there with other vehicles! On the contrary it hasn't been that way for the Contour community, and many for good reasons (higher % of older people/people faced with families, bills unlike the younger crowd), but a company (I speak for myself) will not jump into a market if they're already successful, without support (if your company jumped in, that was there descision, and I'm sure they had the money to do it, like we say in Hawaiian, it's your Kuliana, or it's your problem). In the case of my Throttle Body, it's the fact that even supporting the program with personal comments/opinions alone is minimal in a site that boast 1000's of devoted members. I'm willing to take the risk of the support is there. All in all there's a bigger picture here and clearly you aren't getting it!!! A Hui Ho, Malama Pono, Ioane Micah....Mach 2 Motorsports

I can certainly see the points about going outside the Contour community, versus supporting the community. I agree with that, within bounds of reason (the example provided of $30 is within the bounds of reason).

However, I totally agree with being unwilling to pay for goods that don't have a track record and may have substantial problems to be worked out, if the product actually sees the light of day. Most of us are using our Contours for daily drivers that if the Contour doesn't go, we don't go. This is unlike a teenager that could get transportation for parents or other cars that are frequently a second or third car in the family. It's the job of the business to front the costs of making the viable product, not the job of interested parties. If I front you money, I'm then an investor, and I want a share of your company.

I don't even think to consider a modification until it has a track record, so I won't support a project in process with comments, because it's too early for me to even think about it.

If you need to make sure there are buyers, instead of having people prime the pump by fronting you money, have them sign a binding agreement. Basically it states if you make a marketable product that does what you said it would do within a given period of time specified in the contract, that person is required to buy that product at a price stated in the contract (either fixed or cost + %).

Keep in mind that modification money is limited for most of us. We may want a given product, but we may not be able to buy it now, due to other priorities. However, it's on the list for us to buy when money allows. A correlary to this is that a lot of us also have aging cars that we either aren't going to keep long, or know we can't keep long. I fall in the latter, knowing that at 114,000 miles, and using all my modification money on a new brake setup (as it needed replacing anyway), there isn't going to be much more than upgrading what needs replacing as time passes.

I see points on both sides here, but it's truly hard to expect people to spend good money on a product that hasn't been developed yet and not get more than the product to show for it. You talk about your risks, but that's just an outrageous risk for us.

Maybe your making the wrong products. I think everyone one has a general idea for what they want to do. I.E my first year I spent close $6000 dollars just for mods that make the car look good, and yes I dont consider the bassani a performance mod I got it just for the looks. You can accuse me of backing out on a deal with the Hood lifters but that was due to the MVA sending me a nice bill for $350. All I am saying to me it seems "looks" mods sell a hell of alot faster the any good fast performance mod. Man if you were to come out with a Carbon Fiber hood... you would have tons of buyers. Oh by the way if you can put up then dont speak because all your going to is slow the process down. I know unforseen things happen but if you keep backing out on Group Buy maybe you should check your money first.

-Antonio

The worst part about all of this is that the cars are dead. There are no new ones being made so the user base doesn't go up it goes down. How many SVT & other Contiques have we seen totaled in the past 6 months. They are all heading to the junk yard it's just a matter of time.

I personally choose to spend money and time on mine becuase I have them to spare so doing something different with them isn't that big of a deal for me. I can understand that there are others here who have families to support and major bills to pay but if there is ever going to be any new parts for the cars. Then there has to be people to buy them. Each and everyone of us is a consumer, so we are a potential buyer. If you like the car and want to see more availible for it then you have to step up and take a chance.

Vortech is a prime example of what your talking about with proven reliablity but even they aren't sitting on their laurels doing nothing about failing units. They at least are exchanging the failed parts and I'm sure that the same could be said of anything purchased from an aftermarket company supporting our cars. So to me this is a non-issue.

All I can see is not enough people stepping up to buy parts for our cars, so there are parts for our cars. Terry Haines and others aren't going to wait around forever in the hope there will be interest in X amount of months or years. Especially when there are more profitable platforms to invest time and research in.

P-p-posts! T-t-too l-long! I C-c-can't breath!!!

People can't say I haven't modded either, having put over $6000 in modifications on my SVT. However, with driving 30,000 miles a year, I can't risk a part that hasn't been proven reliable in Contours, and won't undermine longevity.

I don't know, maybe these parts that are now available have come too late. I would have considered some of them when I was in my prime modding days, but after $6000, and maybe a one more good year after this one, it's hard to justify putting more money into modifications.

I agree with Lee.

well ill give my 2 cents. being a fulltime college student its hard for others and myself to just go out and spend money on their cars. silva, that would be awesome if i could get a TB from u or an extrude honed intake but for right now i just have to keep saving for the parts that are a higher priorty such as a 3.0L and a turbo. i think the interest is there for most people, but like myself, many of the members on here on young and dont bring in enough money to spend on everything they see such as a carbon fiber hood, ground effects, etc.

however, silva i do think u made a good point about people should spend the few extra bucks to get parts from someone reliable and who can be trusted for installation of parts such as terry.

i do think our aftermarket is pretty good and i think the faith of cegers is good to make things happen. even if companys isnt willing to make aftermarket parts for our car, cegers are even willing to go as far as making and marketing the products themselves (e.g. chris hightower).

Attention span... too short to read.... must go back...

Been thinking about this response for a while ..so FWIW: First, I hope Micah does not think I was refering to the TB when I referred to R&D, I think this has been researched quite well.
I was thinking of the cost any small company encounters when it puts any new product on the market, especially when the demographic is small/limited.
My concern is we rely on several people on this board, aren't we indebted to them in some small way? jj