Body Kit / Exhaust Questions

[SMRTCR]

Not sure if I'm posting this in the right section, but...

I'm looking to get a body kit like this one, then having it painted black (the car color).

Smart Car Body Kit /Front Rear Spoiler/Side Skirts New - eBay (item 260610586903 end time Jan-22-11 23:38:57 PST)

Will having it painted at any body shop match the factory color of the car?

Regarding the exhaust, I currently have the factory exhaust. As you can see in that body kit, it's designed for a center exhaust. If I were to buy one like...

smart car 451 Performance Exhaust - Doug Thorley-Center - eBay (item 320581448984 end time Jan-22-11 18:59:56 PST)

Where could I get that installed?

[jojo818]

the body kit is a brabus kit and looks really good but do not get the Doug Thorley Exhaust..... get the sila. go to smart car parts - smart car accessories and u can choose verity or body kits and exhaust options

[jetfuel]

...any body shop can paint the kit..but..it all comes down to the techniques and experience of the guy shooting the gun..even when the right paint code is used there's room for not having the perfect color match...
..stay away from that exhaust...
...check other vendors...I do like Genius exhaust...

jetfuel.....

[gryphon]

I too would emphatically agree with those who recommend avoiding the Doug Thorley exhaust. It is a noticeably loud exhaust and the one I had (first generation DT), suffered broken welds within a short time. It was discarded. I have also had a SOLO exhaust, quieter and well-built but for my taste, still a bit too loud. I currently have a SILA system and I am quite happy with it.

The Brabus-like body kit you are considering probably is intended to accommodate a Brabus exhaust opening. Some of the kits out there have a trim ring available which will allow you to utilize other exhausts with various opening requirements and positions and keep things looking clean. You may well have to perform some surgery on your rear skirt, so make sure that you have your desired exhaust in place before any cutting is done prior to the subsequent painting.

As far as painting goes, try and get the skirts painted with the car there rather than just taking in the skirts by themselves. A good painter will be able to more closely match the color to the car, if needed. I had my KuhlFx package painted without the car being present and the smart white painting done by color code only does not exactly match the car color. It’s not different enough to get me excited, but I do notice it and have seen this type of mismatch on a few other smarts with ground-effect kits.

A few warnings about ground-effect packages in general:
You will probably see reduced levels of ground clearance with your kit, this meaning that you should begin viewing moderate-to-steep driveways as the enemy, requiring angled approaches and exits. Also, you may want to invest in a low-profile jack to access your side jacking points as they are usually difficult to ge to with the skirts in place. I recently went to an independent Mercedes shop that also works on smarts and was refused service because the owner felt he could not safely place my car on his lift system without damaging the skirts. In the future when I need service I will have to remove the side skirts before going to the shop. This is just another pain-in-the-posterior to be put up with.

In conclusion, with all of the considerations associated with this type of customization, I’m pleased with the visual change and would readily do it again. Possibly in 2014, when the next generation of smarts+Renault show up, I’ll be doing it again. Good luck

[smartcar111]

Like everybody else said, please stay away from the Doug Thorley exhaust system. It will be the worst purchase you could make for your smart.

Here are some real testimonials about the exhaust system: http://www.smartcarofamerica.com/for...lawsuit-33298/

[SmartMadness]

SMRTCR

If I may, I would like to point out several things about the items you are looking at:

1. The body kit shown in the link seems to be a knock off/copy of the original BRABUS body kit. If you look closely at the pictures you will notice that the fit of the kit is not as flush as the original BRABUS one.

2. The kit is being sold for $500 with free shipping from Greece. We ship kits all over the world and the cost to ship a kit like this is somewhere between $150-250. The seller will also pay eBay about $50 in selling fees and another $20+/- in payment processing fees. That means they are able to sell a kit for less than $250 and somehow make a profit. How good can it be for that cost? A real BRABUS kit would cost almost 7-8 times this amount.

3. When receiving this product you would most likely have to pay customs/import fees which would add to the price of the kit.

4. The seller states that if you are not happy you can ship the kit back to them (at your expense - $150-250). Most won't do this.

5. Typically when you purchase a subpar body kit you will spend more money in prep and finish work at a body shop than you would with one that is designed to fit correctly.

When a kit is copied, the pieces are never exact.

Trust me! Never trust eBay pics!

There are several sellers selling knock off kits/copies of the Original Kuhl FX Body Kit we distribute and they actually use pictures of our own smart car in the ad. We have seen the copies of the kit and they are not as well made as the original.

6. In regards to the exhaust - The SOLO and the SILA Center exhausts will fit perfectly with all body kits and have been bulletproof! The SOLO is the louder of the two. The SILA Concepts has a dual chamber muffler and is quieter with a bit more performance gain.

Hope that helps a bit. If you have any question do not hesitate to give us a call at 562-981-6800.

[burtandnancy]

smart madness is correct about the knock off's, I think I have one of the very first from mid-08. I'm pleased with the look and the way it fit the dual center exhaust. As you can see by my gallery pic's I've also done a little extra paint work. Good luck on getting the look you want, its a fun project

[Toisan Diego]

I have the SILA exhaust on my Brabus cabrio. It suffered a broken weld this week, only after three months. Ugh!

[smartcar111]

Woah! I think this is one of the first posts I have seen regarding a smart exhaust with a flex pipe with a broken weld!

[SmartMadness]

Originally Posted by smartcar111

Woah! I think this is one of the first posts I have seen regarding a smart exhaust with a flex pipe with a broken weld!

You are correct. There are 100's of these on smarts cars and this is the first time i hear of any issues.