Altered Customs FMIC kit

T

tfresh2003msp

Member
:
2003 Mazdaspeed Protege
I am looking at buying this kit for sale, i dont have like a grand to spend on a front mount so just looking at this. Is this a good buy or just a hunk of crap? I want to know if this is going to be a good upgrade from the oem side mount.

Thanks(cool)
 
Anyone have an opinion on this? I'm looking at it as well, but the fact that it's so much cheaper than anything else seems too good to be true.
 
27x5x2.5 is the perfect size! the altered customs kit is good but you have to cut a few pipes.
 
what pipes would you have to cut and for what reasons? i also went ahead and ordered a hks ssqv bov and 2.5" flange for it.. would i have to cut the pipes to put the bov in?
 
You have to cut the angled pipe comming from the intake if you're going to relocate the maf ( highly suggest you do that).
Youll see it's a pain in the ass if you don't cut any pipes I tryed it!
 
I'm certain allot of people will have varying results on this. I've posted about this before, don't have the link to my discrepancies off-hand, but more than happy to share my experience. The shipping was quick, the kit is very cheap price-wise compared to many other 'kits' as well. The seller was very courteous and everything was great until I went to install the kit. Man I wish I had taken a picture straight out of the box. The intake pipe seems to be only pipe that was either a) matched to fit this specific application, or b) made specifically for this car. The intake pipe was also stamped with 'CXRacing'. If your not familiar with them, they make a wide variety of universal FMIC kits of fairly decent quality, also quite cheap. Be warned, it seems all the other pipes had to be cut in some shape or fashion. This kit in my opinion, is a CX Racing kit pieced together. If your looking for a kit that 'will work' for this car. Yes, this kit will work. All the pipes come bead-rolled which is great, unfortunately you have to cut 95.7% of the pipes, so you either a) bead-roll the edges again, or b) go without the nice, bead-rolled edges. Fortunately, I had access to a bead-roller. I'm a mechanic in the military, and ironically enough, one of the systems I work on is otherwise known as 'Bleed Air' for aircraft. Air ducting/pipes is what we do. A/C? Yes, that's on the list; but no, I'm speaking of 200psi air being drawn off Pratt & Whitney F100-220 jet engines, ducted through quite a handful of helical bends, turns, twists, connectors, etc. and making it work reliably in any kind of environment- In short, I put these kinds of pipes together for a living, and this project net me right around 12 hours. I wanted a kit that required little additional fabrication, I do that at work; that is not what this kit is. -1 Ease of Maintenance/Installation. In addition, if your not happy with your purchase, do not look for any kind of refund whatsoever. I sent an e-mail, and received an "I'm trying to run a business", "this is not a CXRacing kit." (-1 Customer Service) e-mail when it is so clearly stamped still, to this day on the intake pipe. My buddy ordered a universal FMIC kit for his R33 GTS-T Skyline, his intercooler came in the *exact* same box, without the logo cut off the front like the one I had received. -1 Lying to a fellow MSP owner, as the seller is indeed on Mazdas24/7 with their very own MSP. My overall opinion? 2/5. The 2 comes from the price, quick shipment, tracking, and initial attitude of the seller. I will not say do not buy this kit, but I will say, to make certain you explore all of your options prior to purchasing.
 
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"The Altered Customs FMIC kit includes the FMIC core, all piping, couplers, and clamps. (1)This kit has been specifically designed for the Mazdaspeed Protege.(1) The kit design allows for the MAF sensor to be relocated to the cold pipe to allow for the use of a vent-to-atmosphere blow off valve. By relocating the MAF sensor, you will eliminate any stalling problems and provide your MAF sensor with a more consistent air flow.(2)Some basic cutting is required.(2) Also requires a short ram intake, available here on our website. BOV flange pipe is sold separately, information is below."
Click to expand...
- @Squire0311; This is quoted directly from their now changed site, as it was different since I had last visited. Still doesn't mention anywhere on it that the kit is a DIY kit. Some basic cutting I suppose could be taken as such; but it all depends how you would interpret that. In no way is this a stab at you or anything Squire, just explaining the reasons of my claims, and my experience with them.

Note 1: "This kit has been specifically designed for the Mazdaspeed Protege."; This is false, and there are many reasons why I choose to label it as such. Many (Yes, not just one.) pipes are stamped with CXRacing somewhere on it. CXRacing does not make a kit for any year Mazda Protege or Mazdaspeed Protege. 'Well, some kits may have the bends necessary to be so close to correct as to piece a kit together, so it may have well been made for the Mazdaspeed Protege.' - No. As I stated above, I had to cut 7 of the 8 pipes to get them to fit. There are many arguments that could be made against this, but also as stated previously, I do this for a living, professionally, in much tighter spaces, and much bigger consequences if any piece of it fails. In any case, this kit was not specifically designed for the 2003.5 Mazdaspeed Proteges.

Note 2: "Some basic cutting is required."; If basic cutting consists of cutting in a straight line, then yes, this is true. I suppose this could be interpreted in a few different ways. Basic in terms of, shave a little off the end, then no. If basic in the sense of cutting in a straight line, sure; I can see that.

Po-tay-toe, Po-tah-toe. These are my experiences, it is up to you to judge my experiences, and to take the chance on the kit or not. Being a fellow MSP Enthusiast to all of you; If you were to come to me and say, "Hey, I've got 500 binkers and I want a FMIC, what do you think?", I would send you to somewhere like CXRacing. Aluminum 2mm wall is Aluminum 2mm wall. You will be cutting regardless, why not help out some of the dying population of MSP owners so you have a few hundred bucks to put towards *another* part you want? Whether your choice is this kit, or one from CXRacing, your still getting a CXRacing kit. :)
 
Hen I called them the guy I talked to said it was a DIY kit because cutting is involved.just telling you all what I was told on the phone.
 
Two sides to every story, and unfortunately I can't say much since I'm not a current vendor. I would like to say that all of my business is from word of mouth, and I strive to provide fast and excellent customer service, should any customers have questions, I'm almost always at my computer and try to respond asap to any questions in a very thorough manner. Needless to say there are a few statements that are not true, as I did explain to UKtheGreat my reasoning to him through email. I do not wish to be misunderstood or misrepresented on here and welcome any questions via email or pm regarding that situation should it be of any concern. I am hoping to renew my vendor status on here, working on that right now. I haven't been on here in quite some time since selling my MSP in Dec 2009, but recently got a Mazda6 to have some fun with, so I'll be on here more often now.
 
UKtheGREAT said:
I'm certain allot of people will have varying results on this. I've posted about this before, don't have the link to my discrepancies off-hand, but more than happy to share my experience. The shipping was quick, the kit is very cheap price-wise compared to many other 'kits' as well. The seller was very courteous and everything was great until I went to install the kit. Man I wish I had taken a picture straight out of the box. The intake pipe seems to be only pipe that was either a) matched to fit this specific application, or b) made specifically for this car. The intake pipe was also stamped with 'CXRacing'. If your not familiar with them, they make a wide variety of universal FMIC kits of fairly decent quality, also quite cheap. Be warned, it seems all the other pipes had to be cut in some shape or fashion. This kit in my opinion, is a CX Racing kit pieced together. If your looking for a kit that 'will work' for this car. Yes, this kit will work. All the pipes come bead-rolled which is great, unfortunately you have to cut 95.7% of the pipes, so you either a) bead-roll the edges again, or b) go without the nice, bead-rolled edges. Fortunately, I had access to a bead-roller. I'm a mechanic in the military, and ironically enough, one of the systems I work on is otherwise known as 'Bleed Air' for aircraft. Air ducting/pipes is what we do. A/C? Yes, that's on the list; but no, I'm speaking of 200psi air being drawn off Pratt & Whitney F100-220 jet engines, ducted through quite a handful of helical bends, turns, twists, connectors, etc. and making it work reliably in any kind of environment- In short, I put these kinds of pipes together for a living, and this project net me right around 12 hours. I wanted a kit that required little additional fabrication, I do that at work; that is not what this kit is. -1 Ease of Maintenance/Installation. In addition, if your not happy with your purchase, do not look for any kind of refund whatsoever. I sent an e-mail, and received an "I'm trying to run a business", "this is not a CXRacing kit." (-1 Customer Service) e-mail when it is so clearly stamped still, to this day on the intake pipe. My buddy ordered a universal FMIC kit for his R33 GTS-T Skyline, his intercooler came in the *exact* same box, without the logo cut off the front like the one I had received. -1 Lying to a fellow MSP owner, as the seller is indeed on Mazdas24/7 with their very own MSP. My overall opinion? 2/5. The 2 comes from the price, quick shipment, tracking, and initial attitude of the seller. I will not say do not buy this kit, but I will say, to make certain you explore all of your options prior to purchasing.
Click to expand...

"95.7%" - Note: This percentage was made up. The politically correct insertion of vocabulary would be, "majority".
"MSP" - Note: To my knowledge, and by the statement's owner, this is no longer true. The politically correct insertion of vocabulary would be, "Mazda6".

UKtheGREAT said:
- @Squire0311; This is quoted directly from their now changed site, as it was different since I had last visited. Still doesn't mention anywhere on it that the kit is a DIY kit. Some basic cutting I suppose could be taken as such; but it all depends how you would interpret that. In no way is this a stab at you or anything Squire, just explaining the reasons of my claims, and my experience with them.

Note 1: "This kit has been specifically designed for the Mazdaspeed Protege."; This is false, and there are many reasons why I choose to label it as such. Many (Yes, not just one.) pipes are stamped with CXRacing somewhere on it. CXRacing does not make a kit for any year Mazda Protege or Mazdaspeed Protege. 'Well, some kits may have the bends necessary to be so close to correct as to piece a kit together, so it may have well been made for the Mazdaspeed Protege.' - No. As I stated above, I had to cut 7 of the 8 pipes to get them to fit. There are many arguments that could be made against this, but also as stated previously, I do this for a living, professionally, in much tighter spaces, and much bigger consequences if any piece of it fails. In any case, this kit was not specifically designed for the 2003.5 Mazdaspeed Proteges.

Note 2: "Some basic cutting is required."; If basic cutting consists of cutting in a straight line, then yes, this is true. I suppose this could be interpreted in a few different ways. Basic in terms of, shave a little off the end, then no. If basic in the sense of cutting in a straight line, sure; I can see that.

Po-tay-toe, Po-tah-toe. These are my experiences, it is up to you to judge my experiences, and to take the chance on the kit or not. Being a fellow MSP Enthusiast to all of you; If you were to come to me and say, "Hey, I've got 500 binkers and I want a FMIC, what do you think?", I would send you to somewhere like CXRacing. Aluminum 2mm wall is Aluminum 2mm wall. You will be cutting regardless, why not help out some of the dying population of MSP owners so you have a few hundred bucks to put towards *another* part you want? Whether your choice is this kit, or one from CXRacing, your still getting a CXRacing kit. :)
Click to expand...

"your still getting a CXRacing kit" - Note: I will add that, you may *not* receive an entire kit directly from CXRacing, but you will in fact, receive a few pipes that have CXRacing stamped/etched on the pipe itself.

@Metallic36-
I'm uncertain as to which statement your referring to. The opinions expressed above are indeed that, opinions; as stated. I took the liberty of underlining said opinions to ensure proper visibility, as well as coloring the facts in red. My smart, stubborn ass aside, I understand it can get confusing or difficult to parse facts, opinions, and randomness in my paragraphs. Opinions and prior experiences is what the OP had asked for. If you wish to discuss the details regarding our transaction or this conversation further feel free to PM me or e-mail me. I've no wish to 'slander' your business, ethics or otherwise. Thus, I don't see what your trying to defend. I gave credit where credit was due, "price, quick shipment, tracking, initial attitude". Not sure what else you expect. Furthermore, I went on to say specifically, "I will not say do not buy this kit". Given our prior situation, I would think you would appreciate me sharing both sides of my experiences, rather than just the bad. You must be trying to save face and / or future profits. If that's the case, change your website to say, "DIY kit". Either way, I don't feel it's appropriate to argue our own points over a public board, let alone one where the OP requests opinions from consumers of your product. I apologize for having done so with you, but I refuse to have someone say I said something incorrect, false or wrong; when I have stated facts and opinions. You are welcome to disagree with my opinions, but facts are not able to be disputed. If you feel the facts aforementioned are not facts, please e-mail me and I am more than happy to provide every nook and cranny detail as to why they are. On a side note, I would think if they had any questions for you, they could just as easily e-mail you, the same. And last, but not least. Yes, you are dedicated to getting your products to sell, offering help and support for your product. Always available for any questions, with responses coming back in minutes, not hours and certainly not days. I really did appreciate that. It was comforting to feel backed by the seller when making the decision to purchase your product. But, everything I have stated stands as facts. Anyways, removing my subscription to this thread, as I trust the OP gathered the information he was looking for. Questions, comments, concerns? PM Me. :)
 
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No problem, I will pm you back with more details. :)

The areas that I had mentioned needed a little clarification would be where you stated "In addition, if your not happy with your purchase, do not look for any kind of refund whatsoever." To clear this one up for all that read this thread, I do offer a return policy on my website. You had contacted me for a refund after you had installed the kit and after you had problems with the install that I never knew about until after the fact. In your email you sent me a link to a universal kit claiming it was the same as what I sold you which it was not, and you were demanding a refund for the price difference between the two. In my email response, I added up the cost from CXRacing vs. my price to show you that my price is still lower than buying everything outright from CXRacing. As far as fitment, if you were having any type of problems, I always encourage customers to contact me regarding any issues, before and during the install is always best. I'm usually quick enough with my email responses to help asap. I wanted to clear up the facts, opinions are just that, but I did want to clarify the facts in more detail.
 
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