Damn it Invidia and Amazon Seller!! Really!?! < pics included >
 

So I'm on my second mod since purchasing my car about a month ago ( http://www.the370z.com/new-370z-owne...pic-heavy.html ) . First mod was just two simple led wedge bulbs for the rear license plate area which makes the pearl white rear look sweet! After watching countless youtube videos and reading about exhaust systems I've decided to satisfy the mod bug that's been gnawing at me night and day. Exhaust purchase!

I wanted a exhaust that was quiet when cruising and driving at low rpms, but would open up and scream when summoned. I really like the Nismo exhaust except for the fact that the tips were huge, IMO looks too much for my car. I decided on the Invidia Gemini Exhaust system and got a killer deal on Amazon.

So it came in a week after ordering !

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...3/IMG_3965.jpg

..nicely packaged!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...3/IMG_3969.jpg


...woke up mid morning today (Saturday morning) and started on the install!!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...3/IMG_3991.jpg

...checked for any missing parts and lined the pipes up ! everything still going well......

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...3/IMG_3996.jpg

...pulled off the other exhaust with the help of my little brother...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...3/IMG_4003.jpg


.............hmmm.....now I'm trying to figure out why the Y pipe won't line up to the mid pipe........? :icon14:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...3/IMG_3998.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...to12edited.jpg :eek:

WTF!!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...oto2EDITED.jpg

......I concluded after flipping the pipes in multiple configurations.....that I am not stupid and that I have two of the same pipes for a Y pipe. Damn it. :shakes head:


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...to22edited.jpg


I ended up putting my stock exhaust back on, wrapping up the Invidia exhaust, nicely packing it back in the box, emailed my Amazon seller (with pictures) two hours ago and await a reply. :crying::crying::crying: My Saturday now feels like a bust.

That has got to suck. Especially after removing the stock exhaust! I hope you get it worked out quickly.

Damn man I feel your pain. Nothing's better than a few wasted hours and work :tup:.

Thanks guys. (and thanks for the replies in my first thread here on the forum --Amarillo Trip --) Hopefully I get a reply by Monday from the seller... :ugh:

Wow, Sorry that It didn't go as plan But if there's a silver lining to this?

It's that you didn't have to pay for the wasted labor of removing and installing it :ugh2:

It still sucks though :(

Keep us posted

That's why a check my parts before I start installations. :shakes head:

Sorry for your bad luck and wasted day. Hope this gets worked out for you.

Doesn't anyone have quality control anymore?

Hey GaleForce. This is where I learnt my lesson. I should have inspected all the bolt points and pipes closer before removing my exhaust. All I did was lay it out and check for missing parts :icon14:

Another thing I find annoying with Invidia is that they did not include a "parts list" or a "what's included list" . It would be so much easier to look at a list or picture of the items and count for missing parts. There isn't anything in the box besides the pipes, bolts, flanges, and two stickers. :shakes head:

True =) Lesson learnt when installing exhaust.....carefully inspect EVERYTHING!

It is not cost effective mailing the whole thing back and then getting mailed another one. Tell them to open a box and just ship the part you are missing. Tell them your car is on jacks and next day air it you.

:iagree: again, I hope this gets resolved for you with the quickness. :tup:

I know, I hope they analyze my pictures and see which pipe I'm missing and mail me just that. I don't know if the seller is going to do that or have Invidia do that, since I think the packaging screw up is from the manufacture. I didn't tell them my car's on jacks, but I'll tell them that once I get a response from them, hopefully Monday. Thanks for the advice.



Thanks Gale.

I picked up on that by the 6th picture, the flanges are in the same direction. Sorry for the troubles you're having. Maybe you can persuade invidia to give you a set of unresonated test pipes at a discount, or free. :)

I'm going to see what they say when I get a response, hopefully tomorrow. I wouldn't mind having a second set of exhaust tips (Ti tips also?) . ;)

There you go, good luck. :tup:

So guys.........GOOD NEWS..... I got a reply from the Amazon seller this morning and they recognized the problem right from the pictures. This was their first email....

"Good Afternoon Charlie,

Thank you for taking the time to contact us in regards to your recent order for the Invidia 09+ Nissan 370Z Gemini Rolled Stainless Steel Tipped Cat-Back Exhaust System. I have forwarded the pictures you provided to me to the manufacturer for their review. Once they advise me with how they wish to proceed, I will forward the information to you. Your patience is appreciated as we work to resolve this matter with the manufacturer.

Sincerely,
Crissy
Returns Dept "




.......Shortly after that email....this one came in......

[I]Hi Charlie,

After showing Invidia the pictures of the item you received, they definitely agree that the item was mis-packed. They will be shipping you out the correct pipe that you should have received with that set so we do not have to wait as long as returning the whole set and getting a new one. They should be providing me with a tracking number later this afternoon or tomorrow for the new part that is shipping.

If you have any other questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me Monday through Friday between 8am and 4:30pm CST.

Thank you,
Crissy
Returns Dept[I]


.....nice prompt customer service...even though it's their fault. :rolleyes: oh well....at least it's being handled!!!

Makes you feel all warm inside when you have good customer service. I've always been a big fan of Amazon.

Yeah me too, especially when I have the prime membership..two day shipping for free! ;)

Good news indeed!

Great news!

man feel your pain haha, I did something similar but it was with the HFC's, I thought my cats were packaged with my exhaust and started installing everything, removed everything and got stuck on the demon bolt and double checked my parts again and I hadn't even received my HFC's yet haha, so had to tighten up the stockers again etc..

needless to say, had organised with a friend to lend his tools etc to do the install and the HFC's arrived the next day :( anyway have the HFC's on now but took quite a few weeks to arrange to borrow his tools again lol.

Awesome News :)

Thats great, I've always had a great experience with Amazon to this point.

So glad to hear that they worked it out so smoothly and promptly!

Thanks guys!! According to UPS tracking it will be here Thursday! Excellent service! I will keep you guys posted with and after install pictures. :rolleyes:

Damn I'm not the only person... it really sucks when you know it's a mistake you could have avoided. Even though I recevied a wrong part and you just overlooked your package....it sucks for both of us. Luckily for me I have a garage and tools to work with. What kind of exhaust?

I also got the invidia exhaust :D, you won't be disappointed! sounds great.

depending on how loud you like your car though, don't put HFC's on if you don't like it loud. With just the CBE it sounds great and tame until you get into it, if you want it louder, HFC's really liven it up even more.

UPS Tracking # shows it's coming today!! Good stuff. That's exactly what i was thinking, but honestly I don't want a exhaust that sounds nuts. I might not do HFC due to all the video's I've seen with HFC's paired with CBE's. :happydance:

....I don't know if anyone is interesting in this thread anymore..but just a little update I got the missing link to my puzzle!!


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...3/IMG_4117.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...3/IMG_4122.jpg

Will be installing it tomorrow morning and will post another full update/review! :driving:

Good deal

Haha nice to see this story turned out well!

Congrats man! You're gonna love it!


Sent from my iPizzle using magic and new fangled science stuff.

Yeah, we're still watcin' ;)

Man that is a huge kick in the ****, but I am glad that you got everything taken care of.

This will be a good thread for people to reference in the future

Good luck with the reinstall OP

Good to hear that it all worked out.

THANK YOU guys for all the comments, interest and support. So I got the exhaust on yesterday, pretty simple, just careful with all the bolts (I broke a bolt off in the thread from the lower triangle stress bar thing- damn it) ...and for the first 30 mins there is a lot of white smoke that comes out of the tail pipes and it smells like burnt pop corn. I started it up today and it still smells a little like burnt pop corn, but I'm sure it will go away. Here are some pictures.....and my first impressions below.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...189resized.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...181resized.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...187resized.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...183resized.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...185resized.jpg


1. Fitment : 9/10 (it seems I push the driver's side tip in a little further than the passenger side. I can basically fit the driver's tip far in enough that it looks exactly hot the stock exhaust fits, however I couldn't get the passenger side to do that, so I let it stick out slightly to even it up...)

2. Quality of build : 10/10 very nice shinny pipes =) , solid welds and the finish is beautiful. Everything feels super solid and well put together.

*The weight feels the same or maybe heavier than the stock exhaust*

3. Sound review: 8/10 (this is where my opinion is slightly skewed from others). I know this exhaust is an aftermarket one, and I know it suppose to sound louder than stock.. however this exhaust seems pretty loud in my opinion, even after reading several threads and watching several videos that sold me on this exhaust with people stating that if you want to go aftermarket exhaust and still keep it quiet it's either Invidia or Nismo.... I had the impression that you can only hear the exhaust when you "get on it"...that doesn't seem to be the case for me.

I must admit the initial start up sounds awesome, low, grunty, and understated. Anything over 5,000-5,500 rpm the exhaust sound starts to get drowned out by the engine note and towards red line, you don't even hear the exhaust anymore. However I like and dislike it at the same time the exhaust sound from a stop and go perspective. The exhaust at low RPM with local driving is heard throughout the cabin pretty distinctively. You can barely drive the car without hearing it. I have to give it a week to write a full review on how I really feel about it with freeway driving etc. I drive 95% of the time locally. Currently I love the sound but hate it at low RPMs. But it looks SOME DAMN GOOD from the rear!!!

LOL....... I noticed the same thing when I first test drove the Nismo last Tuesday (had 6 miles on it) and when I picked up my Nismo on Friday (had 9 miles on it). I was like WTF is this smell & why is it that I am seeing white smoke coming out of the exhaust. It makes sense that you smell & see this b/c your breaking in the new exhaust.

The exhaust looks sweet on the car. I'm sure it sounds really nice too. Try not to burn too much gas by reviving & redlining......lol

:ohsnap1:

Its the lubrication oils from mandrel bending the exhaust piping and the inner core of the muffler and resonator burning in that you're smelling.

OP give it a week and it will deepen the tone and it will also quiet down some.

i take it this is your first aftermarket exhaust purchase ever, no?