I saw these at the Dells Run and they are very tough to tell from originals. They are the only aftermarket that has the correct curvature. Chris Cook's are nice, and if you don't care about looking original, a good alternative. If you want original, pay the extra money, your choice.
These are not some homebrew garage project parts, they are OEM quality reproductions.
Darn! I just ordered $1000 worth of stuff from TFS yesterday.... I wish I had noticed these.
would be nice if they could post some more pictures, especially the windows sitting flat on a table so we can see the curvature. I don't want/expect them to reveal who makes them, since TFS deserves to make a profit and the pricing is reasonable. It would just be good to know that they are NOT the same windows as Chris Cook, so that we can decided whether to spend the extra money
I saw these at the Dells Run and they are very tough to tell from originals. They are the only aftermarket that has the correct curvature. Chris Cook's are nice, and if you don't care about looking original, a good alternative. If you want original, pay the extra money, your choice.
These are not some homebrew garage project parts, they are OEM quality reproductions.
EXACTLY....let the buyer beware.....clearly your choice....and how much you wish to spend
I always love the "curve" debate. If the Fiero was a $500,000 true collector car, I understand the correct curve issue.....much like matching numbers on a muscle car. Since this is a car that will only be worth market value, I see no need to plunk another $100 or higher just to have a slight bow in the window that no one will notice. As long as the window mounts correctly, I have no issue with a slightly flatter panel.
The last thing I do is go to a car show, look at a Fiero and say "Hey...that window doesn't have the right curve to it".
[This message has been edited by IMSA GT (edited 07-08-2018).]
Each person's Fiero should be maintained to their liking and budget. If the quarter window curvature is important to the owner, then by all means, buy the correct one; however, I wouldn't do it for the sole purpose of accolades at a car show.
Value of the Fiero will likely never be $100,000+; however, if I was considering 2 Fieros that were identical, other than the quarter windows, I'd buy the one with the correct quarter windows, all other things being equal. When you consider how a car has been maintained, cheap eventually catches up with you. If you see that one Fiero has had regular maintenance with the best parts, everything is in great condition and cleaned, where another Fiero has been shoestringed with repairs done on the cheap; which one would you prefer?
My boss decided it was too expensive to replace the timing belt on his interference engine. He made fun of the manufacturer's recommendation on this. When the belt failed, he continued to try to start the engine. He bent all 16 valves, damaged the cam, pistons, rods, and the block, and then decided that the car wasn't worth $1,800 to fix. His truck's transmission failed, because he didn't change the fluid or realize that the transmission had a serious leak.
My Fiero ran, but wasn't "right". I am spending more to get it "right". My Fiero is no longer original, but the quarter windows that were on the car when I got it are probably the only cheap things left. If you're trying to save money, save money by not repeating work.
TFS deserves to make a profit and the pricing is reasonable.
I totally agree, the pricing is reasonable, it is the shipping that kills me purchasing from them more often. Just yesterday actually, I got an email saying that the wing stand gaskets were back in stock. I followed the link, and added them to the cart. The pair was like $5. When I went to check out, they shipping to me was $9 !!! I have talked to Rob, Matt and and a few others there many times, and their excuse is that is what the post office is charging them. I do not see how this is even remotely possible! The wing stands would fit in a standard business letter sized padded envelope, and weigh at most 3 to 4 Oz.
I just shipped a Silhouette dye cutter to Colorado 2 weeks ago that I sold on eBay. It cost me $7.68. The box was 2' x 1' x1' and weight in at 11 pounds.
Just so no one calls BS, Here is a copy of the invoice in my PayPal account for the shipping charge: (HERE is the item when I listed it on eBay)
Just let that sink in a little bit: - $8.79 for a small padded envelope weighting a few ounces, with a business discount - $7.68 to ship a LARGE and heavy box from a private individual.
Whenever I get around Fiero Friends, be it in Texas, Georgia, Minnesota, Florida or wherever..... when the topic of the Fiero Store comes up, one of the first things that someone mentions is the exorbitant shipping prices..... EVERY time. It is what the Fiero Store is unfortunately known for.
I LOVE the Fiero store, and could not have gotten my Fiero to where it is today without them. They support the Fiero community whenever there is a need. They really just need to get this shipping thing figured out!
[This message has been edited by JohnWPB (edited 07-08-2018).]
I totally agree, the pricing is reasonable, it is the shipping that kills me purchasing from them more often. Just yesterday actually, I got an email saying that the wing stand gaskets were back in stock. I followed the link, and added them to the cart. The pair was like $5. When I went to check out, they shipping to me was $9 !!!
That's nothing compared to shipping anything to Canada!! I was looking at a $36 seal on an eBay ad - $64.90 to mail to Canada!! USPS "Global International Priority" - Absolutely nothing "priority" about it. It's not "next day" delivery.
It goes on the same truck as ALL mail from that local Post Office to the regional center. Then on the same plane from the regional to the hub, and onward to Canada Post (Toronto) From there ALL mail is on the same plane from Toronto to Calgary, Then from the Calgary Canada Post Depot on the same truck to me in 7-10 days.
It could have come "First Class Mail" in an envelope for $2 in the same 7-10 days.
Curvature looks right but it definitely looks like it has a green tint. Even the gt letters look to have a green tint. The clear part also looks like it's tinted slightly. Which is unfortunate, otherwise with look good.
If they an fix the green tint. Why do they think OEM is tinted green?
As far as caring about the curvature, to each their own but I can tell a non OEM from a mile away due to the curvature and the way the light hits it. It would bother me to no end seeing that on my own car.
[This message has been edited by bnevets27 (edited 07-14-2018).]
If they an fix the green tint. Why do they think OEM is tinted green?
Because they are. The OEM side/door windows had a slight green tint, so the sail panels were made to match.
I pay attention to these things and have Chris' gray tint sails on my restored Fiero. The much-ballyhooed curve isn't an issue- properly installed they curve with the car. What does bother me is that the tint doesn't match my windows and that the GT graphic is under the tint. His no-tint sails don't have that issue and if I was to use his again I'd go clear.
But I prefer the stock look and chose green-tint glass from ProSource when I replaced the side windows, so the OEM-style sails from TFS are a nice option. It seems like the GT graphics on them is also under the tint, however.
I always love the "curve" debate. If the Fiero was a $500,000 true collector car, I understand the correct curve issue.....much like matching numbers on a muscle car. Since this is a car that will only be worth market value, I see no need to plunk another $100 or higher just to have a slight bow in the window that no one will notice. As long as the window mounts correctly, I have no issue with a slightly flatter panel.
The last thing I do is go to a car show, look at a Fiero and say "Hey...that window doesn't have the right curve to it".
Well it matters to me - and yes I know the value of the car and could careless as I don't have it as an "investment" (after all if that was the case, why did I dump time and money into my 86 with the 4.9l and f-body interior?). I didn't ask for a debate about which is better, I asked about the quality of these new ones. lol
Originally posted by JohnWPB: They really just need to get this shipping thing figured out!
Blanket statements aside, in this particular case, you are correct in saying that the shipping charge was too high for the spoiler gaskets. Thank you for bringing it to our attention. We neglected to make the gaskets eligible for USPS 1st Class shipping. That oversight has now been corrected. Unfortunately, our web site only displays one rate for 1st Class shipping ($5.25 for a 15oz package). If anyone would like to save a couple dollars on a pair of gaskets, we invite you to contact us directly and we will be happy to mail them inside of a catalog for $3.10. Once again for the record, we don't view shipping as a profit center. If you see a rate that looks out of whack, simply call or send us an email and we will be happy to audit the rate for you. Retail shipping rates from USPS and UPS are public knowledge and we have nothing to hide.
With regard to the windows, they have the same curvature as OEM. We tried photographing them many different ways, but we were not able to adequately capture the subtlety of the curves. Hopefully you can trust us when we say that we laid them over NOS GM windows and saw that the curves were the same.
Indeed, the factory windows did have a green tint. The tint of these windows is slightly darker, which is the only minor flaw that we could find when comparing against OEM. The tint you see in MinnGreenGT's pics is a bit light, so please be aware that the windows appear a bit darker when not in direct sunlight. In order to match the GM tint exactly, a special run of acrylic would have to be manufactured, which would add to the cost significantly.
Given the response to the current price point, we're fairly certain that the market cannot bear anything more expensive. With that said, we recognize that these windows probably aren't for everyone, which is why we continue to carry Chris's very popular windows at the lower price. Both are great products that fit very well. We believe that the premium windows will appeal to a segment of the market that is willing to pay a higher price for higher quality. Each of the premium windows is CNC cut, which makes the edges better than OEM. GM die stamped their windows, which often left plastic slag along some of the edges. Toward the end of production, the quality of GM's dot matrix pattern also suffered greatly. We would be remiss if we didn't also give credit to the quality of the manufacturer's installation instructions, which are quite detailed.
Many thanks to those who posted positive comments about these windows. We frequently take broadly worded beatings for selling parts that are "poor quality", "too expensive", and have "ridiculous shipping rates". We understand and accept that this is a cost of doing business, but to all of our satisfied customers, we truly appreciate your support.
WOW ^^^^^^ So WELL said. Im close to this store and visit often. Ive just looked at these windows and was just in awe of the feel and quality. Cudo's to you for raising the bar on fiero products. I truly hope you continue to go in that direction as there is so much junk out there. Your a great company and one of the few around. Thanks for your support to this community .
Originally posted by FieroStore: Many thanks to those who posted positive comments about these windows. We frequently take broadly worded beatings for selling parts that are "poor quality", "too expensive", and have "ridiculous shipping rates". We understand and accept that this is a cost of doing business, but to all of our satisfied customers, we truly appreciate your support.
Although I've been frustrated with the quality of some of your replacement products, I'm also dead-clear that:
1. You are doing the Fiero community an invaluable service by producing/offering replacement parts that aren't available anywhere else. 2. The Fiero community aren't, generally, accustomed to spending money for replacement parts like some other car groups (GTOs, vintage Porsche, etc.). I get that keeping prices low is especially important with this group.
And...oh how I wish there was a way that worked for you financially to offer other 'premium' parts. The replacement interior switches and bezels in particular. I just paid $65 for a NOS trunk release switch because the TFS one I bought had the light that shines through the entire switch at night and it started sticking in the release position, running my battery down totally dead twice before I realized what was happening. The electric door lock switches I bought I ended up tossing and replacing with expensive NOS as well. This is why I would very much like to see the value of the cars go up; more value leads to more collectability leads to more demand for better quality OEM-style replacement parts for restorations.
Unless the values at least stabilize we're going to get into a place where there are too few cars left with too little value for replacement parts to pencil for the manufacturer/seller.
That's nothing compared to shipping anything to Canada!!
Yeah, it's awfully difficult to feel much sympathy for anyone complaining about shipping costs within the States. I get around the high cross-border shipping costs to Canada by picking up my orders across the border... but it's a three hour round trip. Helluva nuisance.
1. You are doing the Fiero community an invaluable service by producing/offering replacement parts that aren't available anywhere else.
I just paid $65 for a NOS trunk release switch because the TFS one I bought had the light that shines through the entire switch at night and it started sticking in the release position, running my battery down totally dead twice before I realized what was happening. The electric door lock switches I bought I ended up tossing and replacing with expensive NOS as well.
Thank you for the positive feedback. Very sorry you had to pay that much for NOS. If anyone else has the old style trunk release switch that shines through, the problem has since been corrected and we are happy to warranty it if you contact us. As for the lock switches, they are a different story. For the passenger side, we were selling Delco up until recently, when they were discontinued. We replaced them with Standard Ignition, but we haven't sold enough yet to determine if they are better than Motormite, which we offer for the driver's side. We're guessing that the quality is comparable.
I had the original TFS trunk switch. Yes, it had issues. I now have the newer version of the TFS trunk switch. It is right, now. Binding can easily be resolved by adjusting the toggle, or you could always swap the nice toggle to the old guts. I should also point out that binding CAN be caused by the toggle binding against the bezel. There is a bit of adjustment that can be done.
As for the defrost/trunk release bezel, be sure that you get the screws threaded in correctly, rather than at an angle. No issues with the TFS bezel.
[This message has been edited by tshark (edited 07-20-2018).]
Originally posted by FieroStore: Thank you for the positive feedback.
You're welcome.
quote
Originally posted by FieroStore: As for the lock switches, they are a different story. For the passenger side, we were selling Delco up until recently, when they were discontinued. We replaced them with Standard Ignition, but we haven't sold enough yet to determine if they are better than Motormite, which we offer for the driver's side. We're guessing that the quality is comparable.
You wouldn't have to sell any to determine if the problem I had is corrected: I had to press them so hard to get them to actuate that I was at risk of breaking the mounting frame and pushing them into the door cavity; the mylar/plastic button face was just way, way too stiff or thick. The web site, at the time I bought them, noted that they were stiffer, but I was just too worried about damaging the car to leave them installed.
I don't want to turn this into complaining. I several thousand dollars of TFS parts on my car and am very happy with the vast majority.
I have always been happy with Fiero Store products! You have to take into consideration with 35 year old cars there will be some variation in quality. They take care of it when there are problems and thats all you can ask! Thanks FS for all you do.
JJ
------------------ JJFieroFan
85 2m6 (85-91) Black 85 2m6 (CLONE) (00-14) Black My cars now: 87 Fiero GT (13-now) Back in Black 07 Nissan Murano SL AWD (07-now) 15 Nissan Juke S AWD (15-now)
I was originally planning to install at least one of these windows today, but my day didn't pan out as intended, so instead I shot & added some more-intentional pics for you today: http://tinypic.com/a/fkwi7q/3 - but these are probably the two you're really looking for:
It should be noted that the stock part shown is an original never-installed NOS part (LH-20701107) I have in my collection, and the additional white sheet behind is actually the release liner for the 2-sided tape that was pre-applied. It's also interesting to note that the GT logo on the NOS window is actually not great quality - as it appears to have been screened/applied incorrectly.
If you wish to see the super-high-resolution images, I'll leave them up on my google drive account for awhile (these are not expected to be permanent though, and will get deleted if/when I find that space is needed, so download them while you can!). https://drive.google.com/op...mbPXyMFeu-O_TmU-Gr9d
I always love the "curve" debate. If the Fiero was a $500,000 true collector car, I understand the correct curve issue.....much like matching numbers on a muscle car. Since this is a car that will only be worth market value, I see no need to plunk another $100 or higher just to have a slight bow in the window that no one will notice. As long as the window mounts correctly, I have no issue with a slightly flatter panel.
The last thing I do is go to a car show, look at a Fiero and say "Hey...that window doesn't have the right curve to it".
That dot matrix pattern on the OEM one is quite bad...
Agreed. I was pretty surprised after having taken it out of the package after all these years. May even have to open the other side to see if it's better (or worse?)!
lol
I get around the high cross-border shipping costs to Canada by picking up my orders across the border... but it's a three hour round trip. Helluva nuisance.
