Tribute SWB 250 Kits – An Outsider’s View…

[Mitchelkitman]

Originally Posted by Lucky@LeMans

The fit and finish issues are indeed relatively small which is why they should have been addressed early on. The price of the kit isn't an insignificant amount. If I spend a couple of months worth of my hard earned wages on a GRP panel set I would expect said parts to go together without getting the angle grinder and P60 out because of manufacturing errors! If you bought a £500 bath tub from B&Q and the plug hole was in the side rather than on the bottom would you really be happy to put it right or would you be a little narked ?

An interesting analogy (as I'm a plumber, and can spot issues with baths that others may not), so given that you've built a few kits and classics did you not expect some issues? I'm not trying to be confrontational, just interested to know. If I saw the hole in the side of a B&Q bath I'd not buy it, if I saw it was rather too thin (as they can be from lots of suppliers) I'd not go for it, but others may not see the problem.

[Lucky@LeMans]

Originally Posted by Mitchelkitman

An interesting analogy (as I'm a plumber, and can spot issues with baths that others may not), so given that you've built a few kits and classics did you not expect some issues? I'm not trying to be confrontational, just interested to know. If I saw the hole in the side of a B&Q bath I'd not buy it, if I saw it was rather too thin (as they can be from lots of suppliers) I'd not go for it, but others may not see the problem.

So taking this to its conclusion and before I get accused of being sarcastic;

Turns out there is a helpful B&Q forum where quite a few people have had the same problem so you don't feel quite so bad. Having read all the threads there is an easy fix to the plug hole being in the wrong place. All you need to do is drill a hole in the bottom of the tub and glass over the hole in the side, a quick skim of filler and you're all done. Its a shame that having skimmed over the hole you have lost the integrity of the avocado gel coat so you now have got to paint the complete bath tub. The consensus is that you only spent £500 on the bath and in the grand scheme of redoing your entire bathroom that's a drop in the ocean. Your bathroom is now finished and the neighbours are really impressed. You now return to the forum and thank everyone for their help and advice.

[retro200]

Originally Posted by Lucky@LeMans

So taking this to its conclusion and before I get accused of being sarcastic;

Turns out there is a helpful B&Q forum where quite a few people have had the same problem so you don't feel quite so bad. Having read all the threads there is an easy fix to the plug hole being in the wrong place. All you need to do is drill a hole in the bottom of the tub and glass over the hole in the side, a quick skim of filler and you're all done. Its a shame that having skimmed over the hole you have lost the integrity of the avocado gel coat so you now have got to paint the complete bath tub. The consensus is that you only spent £500 on the bath and in the grand scheme of redoing your entire bathroom that's a drop in the ocean. Your bathroom is now finished and the neighbours are really impressed. You now return to the forum and thank everyone for their help and advice.

just make sure you drill the hole in the bottom at the right end or it wont empty

[Mitchelkitman]

Originally Posted by Lucky@LeMans

So taking this to its conclusion and before I get accused of being sarcastic;

Turns out there is a helpful B&Q forum where quite a few people have had the same problem so you don't feel quite so bad. Having read all the threads there is an easy fix to the plug hole being in the wrong place. All you need to do is drill a hole in the bottom of the tub and glass over the hole in the side, a quick skim of filler and you're all done. Its a shame that having skimmed over the hole you have lost the integrity of the avocado gel coat so you now have got to paint the complete bath tub. The consensus is that you only spent £500 on the bath and in the grand scheme of redoing your entire bathroom that's a drop in the ocean. Your bathroom is now finished and the neighbours are really impressed. You now return to the forum and thank everyone for their help and advice.

We clearly view things differently. I'll not comment any more on this one.

[Lucky@LeMans]

Originally Posted by Mitchelkitman

We clearly view things differently. I'll not comment any more on this one.

No, I won't either, but you get where I'm coming from.

[DaveP]

Having never owned or built a kit car my opinion is probably worth eff all with regard to the products ceaselessly argued over on here.

What is will say is this though.

If we constantly discuss the pros and cons of the SWB in particular there will be no point in manufacturers, such as, Tribute linking to the forum as a point of information or interest.

I don't know Chris or Dan but am not surprised that they don't contribute as much as once they did. Making ends meet will always come first so if their busy - good!

I for one want to see more interesting cars on the road. Mine included one day.

I'll also stop arguing now - wish this one could be put to bed once and for all though. Right where is the rest of that bottle ......

Dave

[Paul L]

Originally Posted by DaveP

… wish this one could be put to bed once and for all though…

Dave – My apologies, as it was your previous post on the ericholm thread that prompted me to start this thread.
( In an attempt to prevent the arguments hi-jacking someone else’s build thread and keep the forum a more positive place. )

However, clearly, I have failed.

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Originally Posted by smash

… Just because someone didn't build a car - or even own one - doesn't mean they don't have an eye for detail (sometimes a lot better than the owner/builders) or the ability to suggest improvements…

Scott – Personally, I don’t think anyone is disagreeing with you on this.

The point I was trying to make is that we shouldn’t confuse how the car could be improved with how good it is to begin with.

In addition, it seems somewhat unfair to apply very high standards to a product that is not priced to achieve those standards.

Call it ‘swooning’ if you must, but I still think Chris and Dan deserve credit for creating a SWB 250 kit for a Z3 from scratch.

Whilst it isn’t perfect, it is still a great starting point to build something special that holds its own compared to the more expensive alternatives.

Bob’s Tribute 250 – A great example - £24k



Mirage 250 – Turnkey price - £120k



Ross Brawn’s 250 – £8m, but it is a real one.



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Originally Posted by Lucky@LeMans

… I'm holding out for the 275 convertible kit, I only hope these same issues are dealt with and not replicated onto the new car.

Lucky – Can I just ask how much you would be willing to pay for a 275 kit with no issues?

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Sorry for keeping this debate rumbling on.

Cheers, Paul.

[DaveP]

Paul,

No need to apologise to me. I'm just a forum watcher/member.

All,
I just think it's a shame that this media is used in a negative way. We need a balanced view but outsiders to the forum may find the limited number of contributions here not necessarily welcoming.

I for one stopped by when I first found the Kobra images on a google search. I've been addicted ever since. Less so recently though. Lack of build or development threads has an influence over this.

I do often how many other builds are in progress but others do not want to share their experience for reasons that, as a group, we could influence.

I won't win friends with my comments but, for a change, have voiced a view.

I'm off my soapbox and will make a cup of tea now.

Have a good weekend all.

Dave

[Lucky@LeMans]

Originally Posted by Paul L

Dave – My apologies, as it was your previous post on the ericholm thread that prompted me to start this thread.
( In an attempt to prevent the arguments hi-jacking someone else’s build thread and keep the forum a more positive place. )

However, clearly, I have failed.

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Scott – Personally, I don’t think anyone is disagreeing with you on this.

The point I was trying to make is that we shouldn’t confuse how the car could be improved with how good it is to begin with.

In addition, it seems somewhat unfair to apply very high standards to a product that is not priced to achieve those standards.

Call it ‘swooning’ if you must, but I still think Chris and Dan deserve credit for creating a SWB 250 kit for a Z3 from scratch.

Whilst it isn’t perfect, it is still a great starting point to build something special that holds its own compared to the more expensive alternatives.

Bob’s Tribute 250 – A great example - £24k



Mirage 250 – Turnkey price - £120k



Ross Brawn’s 250 – £8m, but it is a real one.



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Lucky – Can I just ask how much you would be willing to pay for a 275 kit with no issues?

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Sorry for keeping this debate rumbling on.

Cheers, Paul.

About £3995, same as the convertible 250SWB. There would be no reason to expect the new kit to have the same little issues that are known to exist in current models ie door and bonnet fit.

Jeff's post above backs up these thoughts and I know Richard at Nubodi is pushing the quality aspect. Only to be expected as he is the main build agent he wants a straight forward build.

My first kit build was a Viper Cobra back in the late 80's. It was a comprehensive body and chassis kit in gel coat. The GRP work was excellent, the panels all fitted without issue and the gel coat polished up really nicely. Its a long time ago but the kit was only £995 !!

[obr]

Thanks for posting this Paul, I totally agree with what you have said.

I've seen so many negative comments on this forum and always been put off responding to them because I'd get drawn into arguing with the type of people who I would make every effort to avoid in everyday life.

For me it is very simple though, they have ruined this section of the forum and tainted the whole ethos of Tribute. If by any chance Chris is reading this then please accept my apologies on behalf of them, they just dont have the intelligence to understand your brilliance.

Should my comments be deemed so offensive that I have to be removed from the forum then it would be sad, however while the people I refer to are around I don't want to be here anyway.