Bodykits are they a PITA?

Just wondering,

my opinion on buying new things for the car always seems to dramatically change when I go to meets and see products that I had planned on buying on other peoples cars and finding out all the hassel involved with making the parts fit right and having to worry about damaging the parts on kerbs and stuff, now I don't like hassel so would it be best for me to avoid fitting skirts/bumpers all together?

I do like the stock look and may just fit a facelift front bumper and nice wheels in the future and keep it this way to save hassel, so I guess i'm asking if people have regretted changing bodywork to their car due to new problems arising?

I had a Supra with Bomex skirts and front lip on which was lowered and it was a PITA. I was always very concious of it and kept scraping it on stuff. Multistory car parks were the worst! I prefer OEM too for this reason..that and fibreglass doesn't take knocks well.

Until I had my 'incident' last year I had no plans for a body kit (well apart from OEM spats and skirts). After the accident I decided to fit a do-luck front as its pretty much the only aftermarket front I like the look of. Since fitting almost every car enthusiast I meet say they love it - well maybe they're just being polite but overall people prefer it to stock.

However it catches all the time and makes me very paranoid whenever trying to negotiate parking, camber changes (inc junctions!!) and of course speed humps. It catches on something every few days and already has some paint scraped off the sides. Though its 'rubbed' the tarmac 100+ times now its only a matter of time until the fibreglass on the runner gets so thin it starts to crack. Minf you its been on for 9 months and still has a huge amount left on the runners underneath!

With hindsight I would have chosen the stillen front, though now I'm skint it might have to go stock if the do-luck one dies.

BTW: Biggest mistake anyone could make is to buy kits from ebay type suppliers. IMO Miami-GT is the only supplier worth dealing with for aftermarket kits.

I clipped my Veilside front three times, it's very annoying ! It is a PITA and not recommended if you have to negotiate car parks, bumpy roads etc.

Yes, utterly and completely. Most fit where they touch, have no proper attachment points for undertrays et cetera, side skirts often rub the door bottoms and take the paint off, finish is often appalling, too. I see the odd nicely made, fitted and painted one, most are dire. Copies of copies of copies abound. The ones held on by self tapping screws or rivets are just creating the rust holes of the future. As for the looks of most of them, well, I won't go there

The ones held on by self tapping screws or rivets are just creating the rust holes of the future.

Oh this is the worst.. Why do people do this!?

No respect for the car.

Looks like I will stick with stock, although I did think of the front spoiler lip to give the supe some symmettry when viewed from the side

As for the looks of most of them, well, I won't go there

Its a personal thing I guess but most of them certainly aren't to my liking either. I like to be able to drive the car without worrying about if I'm going to pass any speed bumps or need to park etc. I also think again IMO that most of these things are seriously overpriced for what they are.

If I were to do it again I'd go with a nice simple lip added to the stock bumper.

I know its a personal looks thing but IMO I have never seen the point of sticking lots of extra plastic/fibreglass weight to the car that has little or no proven performance benefits.

Our roads are bad enough without having to worry each time you go out whether you are going to encouter potentially damaging obsticles on your journey.

All IMO.

sorry to disagree i think the right bits of kit enhance the shape of the supe i got front lip skirts veilside spats lowered on 18s i get praises for the car where ever i go check out my garage for pics ill put up with the rubbin

some car's look great with a quality body kit fitted,but you have to spend some money i guess...i am sticking to a RM front lip and thats it.if i were to buy anything it would be Do-Luck.they look the part

I think after market bumpers are great if they look like they could have came from the factory. Things like Veilside just scream 'aftermarket', but some of the more subtle ones look great.

Most cars seem to have an aftermarket front only though, you don't see so many rears!

I'm in love with this little number here, and am considering making a purchase!