Just letting the forum know. I still would not buy from them because like most of their products, these are probably cheap crap like their dew wipes and will leak. They are $115.00 plus shipping (which will probably be $40.00) or you can get Will's quality seals here: https://www.fiero.nl/forum/Forum4/HTML/048607.html
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09:22 PM
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jaskispyder Member
Posts: 21510 From: Northern MI Registered: Jun 2002
I will get mine from will as he is a great seller and he is about quallity on all the stuff he does. I would rather give my money to the person instead of the corporation .
I will get mine from will as he is a great seller and he is about quallity on all the stuff he does. I would rather give my money to the person instead of the corporation .
My thoughts exactly. I really have a feeling that the FS seals are vinyl, not rubber.....much like their dew wipes.
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09:49 PM
jreigner Member
Posts: 151 From: Willow Street, PA Registered: May 2010
No disrespect to Will but the Fiero store is about the only corporation out there willing to reproduce long discontinued Fiero Parts and it's in our best interest that they continue to do that. If they don't make a profit and go out of business that doesn't help us.
In other words a reproduced Fiero store trunk seal is better than no trunk seal at all, regardless of what material it is made out of or if it's 100% like the original.
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12:30 AM
Patrick Member
Posts: 38382 From: Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada Registered: Apr 99
In other words a reproduced Fiero store trunk seal is better than no trunk seal at all...
But is it better than Will's?
If there are two similar items to chose from in the same price range, why shouldn't the consumer be selecting the superior product? Isn't that what free enterprise is all about?
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12:40 AM
jscott1 Member
Posts: 21676 From: Houston, TX , USA Registered: Dec 2001
I have no idea. You are right, it's a free country and people can buy from wherever they please.
And again no disrespect to Will and whatever products he sells, but I need the Fiero store to stay in business for the other parts they sell that I can't get anywhere else, and even if their parts cost more than their competitors I tend to prefer doing business with them.
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12:44 AM
Patrick Member
Posts: 38382 From: Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada Registered: Apr 99
I need the Fiero store to stay in business for the other parts they sell that I can't get anywhere else, and even if their parts cost more than their competitors I tend to prefer doing business with them.
Competition is good. It doesn't necessarily mean one vendor or the other has to go out of business. Hopefully what healthy competition does is encourage vendors to upgrade their products so we, the consumer, don't have to settle for second best.
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12:52 AM
jscott1 Member
Posts: 21676 From: Houston, TX , USA Registered: Dec 2001
Competition is good. It doesn't necessarily mean one vendor or the other has to go out of business. Hopefully what healthy competition does is encourage vendors to upgrade their products so we, the consumer, don't have to settle for second best.
I don't disagree with anything you said, and I'm grateful to Will for having the trunk seals made and for a long time that was the only option.
Now having said all that I don't think it's fair to trash the Fiero store seals without even trying them.
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12:58 AM
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Patrick Member
Posts: 38382 From: Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada Registered: Apr 99
Well, in general I've come to be weary of the quality of some of TFS's stuff, but I won't pass judgment till I see a side-by-side comparison like what was done with the dew wipes. That being said, I'd still buy one from Will in KC because its a 2 hour drive and it would be fun to visit
Just gotta get the cash for it first
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03:50 AM
jscott1 Member
Posts: 21676 From: Houston, TX , USA Registered: Dec 2001
I have no idea. You are right, it's a free country and people can buy from wherever they please.
And again no disrespect to Will and whatever products he sells, but I need the Fiero store to stay in business for the other parts they sell that I can't get anywhere else, and even if their parts cost more than their competitors I tend to prefer doing business with them.
While I do agree that TFS should be supported and we NEED them to stay in business, I'm not going to purchase an inferior part just to keep them in business, as I'm sure you would not either. I have had many, many Fiero Store transactions, but some of their parts are just cheaply made. Like their clear front marker/turn signal lenses, for example.
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12:53 PM
jim94 Member
Posts: 1228 From: jacksonville, fl. usa Registered: Jan 2010
after reading the review on the dew wipes, you have a verry good point. a side by side comparison needs to be done by someone. i will hold off bying for now.
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01:12 PM
css9450 Member
Posts: 5533 From: Glen Ellyn, Illinois, USA Registered: Nov 2002
Those of us with 20/20 foresight bought ours from the Fiero Store 5+ years ago when they still had genuine GM trunk seals. I finally installed mine just this summer.
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01:29 PM
jaskispyder Member
Posts: 21510 From: Northern MI Registered: Jun 2002
Those of us with 20/20 foresight bought ours from the Fiero Store 5+ years ago when they still had genuine GM trunk seals. I finally installed mine just this summer.
Or bought them from GM and later resold for a profit
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02:04 PM
jscott1 Member
Posts: 21676 From: Houston, TX , USA Registered: Dec 2001
To me the factory GM GT trunk seal was made out of poor material that did not last compared to the coupe seal. Will has made an effort to make a better than factory part and continues to improve it to this day.
The FS is much better funded and may be able to sell for less, but product quality is something I am willing to pay more for. Some FS store products are just fine, and others have not been up to factory standards, as many of you have found out.
When it is the only thing available, you don't have much choice, In this case we now have the option to compare quality and purchase from the source that best meets our needs. I have purchased a number items made by people on this forum. In every case, I have been very happy with the product. Also the way the person that made it, stood behind it, if there was an issue.
Will, DiyStu, and to a lesser extent Rodney, are much smaller vendors than the FS. The thing that they do is offer a high quality product or products to a very limited market. I will continue to support them, and all our Fiero vendors that try to keep our cars going stong and looking good.
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02:39 PM
jscott1 Member
Posts: 21676 From: Houston, TX , USA Registered: Dec 2001
To me the factory GM GT trunk seal was made out of poor material that did not last compared to the coupe seal.
I agree. You can go to the junk yard and pull a pristine trunk seal off the rattiest looking coupe, but low miles garage kept GTs have seals that are falling apart. I think they made them softer which also made them not last.
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05:44 PM
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Mickey_Moose Member
Posts: 7568 From: Edmonton, AB, Canada Registered: May 2001
I will hold my opinion until I see the FS ones, but while Will's are a great product, there are physical differences between them and a NOS one. Most noticeable is that his have a hard a 90° corner where a NOS one are slightly rounded corners and the seams are vulcanized after the corners and not at the corners as they are with Will’s. Plus there are no air holes along the edge as well.
Not a big deal, but for those of us that are very picky on keeping the original look of the car, Will’s doesn’t quite match the OEM look.
Differences, Wills is the left (outer one) vs a NOS one I have:
1 of the air holes (about every 12"), plus latch cutout (not on Will's):
HOWEVER, Will's grips the sheet metal tighter than the NOS one as the gap is tighter on his (bottom):
[This message has been edited by Mickey_Moose (edited 10-08-2010).]
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05:56 PM
Rick 88 Member
Posts: 3914 From: El Paso, TX. Registered: Aug 2001
Let me get this straight will spent allot of his own money to bring this great product to us not to mention time. now the fiero store wants to make one why we have a great supplier allready. plus for those who dont like wills corners look at his 3rd generation (damn nice) plus unlike the fiero store. will will replace your 2nd gen for the 3rd cheap......
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06:22 PM
PURPLE REIGN Member
Posts: 4080 From: Minnesnowta ------------------ Land of White Gold Registered: Sep 2002
Have you seen the new corners Will is developing for his seals? They look even better than the originals.
Yeah, he told me about it & all about the process & the major expense. I wasn't supposed to say anything till Will finalized it & depleted the current stock of seals. Then he will reveal everything about the new one that's supposed to be better than an NOS.
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07:15 PM
deezil Member
Posts: 779 From: St Louis Mo USA Registered: Mar 2010
Yeah, he told me about it & all about the process & the major expense. I wasn't supposed to say anything till Will finalized it & depleted the current stock of seals. Then he will reveal everything about the new one that's supposed to be better than an NOS.
I think he already let the cat out of the bag in his thread in the mall?
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07:21 PM
Riceburner98 Member
Posts: 2179 From: Natick, Ma, USA Registered: Apr 2002
Let me get this straight will spent allot of his own money to bring this great product to us not to mention time. now the fiero store wants to make one why we have a great supplier allready. plus for those who dont like wills corners look at his 3rd generation (damn nice) plus unlike the fiero store. will will replace your 2nd gen for the 3rd cheap......
From what I've seen it takes TFS a while to develop a new product. They've probably been working on it for a while and didn't want to say anything until it was done. After spending a lot of $$ and time on them they wouldn't just toss them because someone else sells them now. Unless they're exceptionally good I'd still buy Will's.
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07:52 PM
jscott1 Member
Posts: 21676 From: Houston, TX , USA Registered: Dec 2001
Originally posted by Riceburner98: From what I've seen it takes TFS a while to develop a new product. They've probably been working on it for a while and didn't want to say anything until it was done.
TFS has been posting on their web page for about 2 years that they had these seals under development.
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10:58 PM
Oct 9th, 2010
Riceburner98 Member
Posts: 2179 From: Natick, Ma, USA Registered: Apr 2002
Well, there ya go.. Nobody's going to throw out 2 years of work..
Damn, I think it's been 5 years since I've even been to TFS website. Over a year since I've seen my Fiero. I had a NOS trunk seal in a box until some mice moved in. Do they really like the taste of foam rubber, or are they just there to piss people off? Ten bucks I'm going to open the door of the Fiero and be greeted by mouse pee if I ever do get back down to work on it...
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12:00 PM
Jul 1st, 2011
87GT2M6 Member
Posts: 1301 From: Miami, Florida The Sunshine State Registered: Jan 2008
has anyone been able to compare a Fiero Store trunk seal to the one's Will makes ? the newest ones that look like oem as do the Fiero Store ones.
in this thread they compare Will's version one seals to the GM oem ones but that's not what we are looking for. Need the Will's latest version compared to the Fiero Store ones.
so if anyone out there has done so we'd like to here you opinions on both.
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03:15 AM
Alex4mula Member
Posts: 7405 From: Canton, MI US Registered: Dec 1999
has anyone been able to compare a Fiero Store trunk seal to the one's Will makes ? the newest ones that look like oem as do the Fiero Store ones.
in this thread they compare Will's version one seals to the GM oem ones but that's not what we are looking for. Need the Will's latest version compared to the Fiero Store ones.
so if anyone out there has done so we'd like to here you opinions on both.
I think I heard they are the same as they come from same supplier. FS somehow found out and got them too.
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11:23 AM
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Jul 2nd, 2011
fierogt28 Member
Posts: 2960 From: New-Brunswick, Canada. Registered: Feb 2005
I spoke with Will in person a few weeks back and TFS had actually gone to Will's supplier in an effort to buy the seals and prevent sale to Will... Kind of a low blow in my opinion, considering it was Will who paid the money to get the tooling made.
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01:16 AM
DIY_Stu Member
Posts: 2337 From: Republic of TX Registered: Jun 2007
All of this talk about not buying one that is inferior quality.....
Ya know what, if and I SERIOUSLY doubt it, BUT if Will's turned out not to be as good as the Fiero stores, I would still buy from Will. It is an excellent product no matter how you look at it.
No, I have nothing what-so-ever against the Fiero store, in any way. But, the Fiero Store has many many products, and does a pretty substantial business. If the trunk seals do not make them a lot of money, they have many other products to offer, and will no close their doors due to a simple lack of trunk seal sales.
Will on the other hand, is a single person operation, that spent tens of thousands of dollars of his own money, to get a product to us, that was no longer made. He has been working on this project for a long time now. This is something the Fiero Store HAS to know, and decided to make them also.
If what Chris (Synthesis) stated a couple posts back, is in actuality true, that is very very sad and dirty indeed.....and THEN I might have something against the Fiero Store.
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04:35 AM
Hulki U. My-BFF Member
Posts: 5949 From: Back home in East Berlin, PA Registered: Apr 2008
I spoke with Will in person a few weeks back and TFS had actually gone to Will's supplier in an effort to buy the seals and prevent sale to Will... Kind of a low blow in my opinion, considering it was Will who paid the money to get the tooling made.
IF that is true, that is truly a hit below the belt, and bad business if you ask me. And as far as needing TFS to stay in business, well, if they want to stay in business, they'll stop rushing the manufacturing process, and settling for junk, like some of their products have proven to be.
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08:20 AM
Synthesis Member
Posts: 12207 From: Jordan, MN Registered: Feb 2002
Please note: This is what I was told... I have no reason to mistrust Will.
Even if TFS only went to Will's Supplier because they had the tooling to make the gasket, you should buy from Will. He is the one who PAID to get that tooling made. I have nothing against TFS. Nothing whatsoever. But why should they profit on a product that someone else paid personal hard earned cash in order to get produced?
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08:30 AM
Jul 8th, 2011
JohnWPB Member
Posts: 5222 From: West Palm Beach, Florida Registered: May 2009
If it was just some strange coincidence or not, the Fiero Store did call where Will is having his trunk seals manufactured, and wanted to place an order. The manufacturer called Will, and told him about this, and asked him if they were part of his company, and was ordering for him. Will explained that they were in fact his competitor. The manufacturer, then informed The Fiero Store, that they were unable to sell the trunk seals to them, as the tooling was done and paid for by another person.
Again, it may just be a strange coincidence that they called this particular manufacturer, and wanted to place an order. How they knew that this particular manufacturer had the trunk seals, I have no clue, nor does Will.
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01:37 PM
Jim_Martin29 Member
Posts: 702 From: Marina, California, USA Registered: Jun 2010
I will hold my opinion until I see the FS ones, but while Will's are a great product, there are physical differences between them and a NOS one. Most noticeable is that his have a hard a 90° corner where a NOS one are slightly rounded corners and the seams are vulcanized after the corners and not at the corners as they are with Will’s. Plus there are no air holes along the edge as well.
Not a big deal, but for those of us that are very picky on keeping the original look of the car, Will’s doesn’t quite match the OEM look.
Differences, Wills is the left (outer one) vs a NOS one I have:
1 of the air holes (about every 12"), plus latch cutout (not on Will's):
HOWEVER, Will's grips the sheet metal tighter than the NOS one as the gap is tighter on his (bottom):
I just installed a new set from TFS about a month ago. I didn't know about Will and his seals.
However, the corners on the seal I got from TFS look like the ones on the right, not like Will's mitered corners. The seal also has the air holes in it. The seal fit on the mounting lip nice and tightly and I did not need adhesive to hold it in place. It seems to seal very well. I have to slam the lid a bit now to get it to latch. Before I changed the seal the lid would latch if I just gently let it drop.
I can up load some photos of the corners when I get to my computer.
------------------ Jim Martin White '86 GT California
[This message has been edited by Jim_Martin29 (edited 07-08-2011).]
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02:42 PM
Synthesis Member
Posts: 12207 From: Jordan, MN Registered: Feb 2002
Will has changed the corners on his seals. They are no longer mitered, but instead or a corner mold that "plugs" into the seal itself and then gets glued using a rubberized glue specifically made for the material.