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  • Retail Whores

    I had an interesting experience recently. I came across an item that I thought would be a great new product for the AC Store catalog. I investigated it online and found a number of positive reviews following "testing" by some prominent online retailers. I spent several hours putting together a product page and, as normal procedure, asked our consultant Daniel Stern if he was familiar with the product, and of course he was. He gave it a strong thumbs down which was really disappointing as I think it would be a strong seller.

    Two lessons learned.

    Most resellers are whores. They either don't test products at all or simply lie about them. There appear to be very few companies that fully vet and QC their products. We are one of them and Eric's Auto Foreign comes to mind. I'm sure (well I'm hoping) that are a few others. Be careful out there as the bullshit (I love this forum) is deep. Do your research.

    Stern's input makes me realize how fortunate (I almost said blessed) we are to have him as a friend and consultant to Audette Collection. We strive for a number of value-adds, such as copious information and fair pricing, but our #1 is thoroughly vetted products. Not all our products qualify but we're trying to find as many as possible that qualify for our Best in Class™ label. If not that then they function as intended.

    Cheers,
    John
    jaudette3
    Really?
    Last edited by jaudette3; 05-16-2022, 09:38 AM.
    John Audette
    www.911bestinclass.com

  • #2
    It constantly amazes me, the poor quality of parts I buy that seem to be the result of just not caring as much as we do. I'm constantly buying and seeing parts with incorrect details that could just have easily been made correctly. The Porsche Classic dash with the diamond-pattern speaker grille comes to mind. Too many others to list. Thank God for the few who strive to get it right.

    Comment


    • #3
      Retail whores? It's at least as bad as I thought. When you do some in-depth research armed with a strong light it's not a pretty sight.

      My current project is designing and building LED headlights for 993's using the original housings. No change in appearance and no change in installation, the housings remain exactly the same except for some inside modifications. First step? Find some great 2.5" projector LED's. First I took a pass at it on my own. After I had selected a few candidates, not just the LED's but a highly respected supplier of retro-fit "kits" for 993 headlights, I ran what I had found by my good friend and AC consultant Daniel Stern. Here's an edited version of his response:

      DS: Oy gevault. Lie after lie after lie in the description ("DOT approved", etc). You would be far better off using legitimate LED projectors.

      JA: I mentioned a "kit" from a highly respect vendor at a popular forum.

      DS: John. C'mon, don't go swimming in the sewer like this.

      JA: His products are highly regarded.

      DS: Not by those _qualified_ to have an opinion on the matter.

      JA: I like the idea of the HID (xenon) low beam light especially given that the kit is built specifically for 993's.

      DS: Uh, no. This is an "HID kit", same as all the other "HID kits". Not even a little bit legitimate. First principles: halogen lamps need to use halogen bulbs, full stop. Just as with the "LED bulbs" now flooding the market, "HID kits" are not a legitimate, safe, effective, or legal product. No matter whose name is on them or what the vendor claims, these are a fraudulent scam. They are not capable of producing the right amounts of light, nor producing it in the right pattern for the lamp's optics to work. The particulars are different for LED vs. HID, but the principles and problems are the same overall. Full details at http://www.danielsternlighting.com/t...nversions.html .

      JA: When I asked him about it and showed him your research he was a bit defensive.

      DS: Please try to imagine all of my considerable shock and surprise.

      JA: He said something along the lines that high beams are not that important.

      DS: Well! That certainly sounds like someone who's qualified to be handing out advice about vehicle lighting!

      Thank God for Daniel Stern! He's incredibly opinionated and not afraid to express his opinions directly. And, unlike many (most?) others in this corrupt AFAB (Anything For A Buck) culture, it's all based on KNOWLEDGE.

      Caveat Emptor has never rang so true as today in our corrupt, dishonest AFAB culture. Audette Collection is going to continue to be a voice in the wilderness. I'm absolutely committed truth to my dying day and I am absolutely committed to the truth. Of course that doesn't mean I'm always right, but it's hard to hustle me in automotive lighting with my friend Daniel who has my (and yours) back. Almost ironically though, truth compared to marketing flash, smoke and mirrors condemns AC to being a low volume, low profit boutique as compared to the large scale liars, but so be it.



      John Audette
      www.911bestinclass.com

      Comment


      • desertpagoda
        desertpagoda
        2.0L
        desertpagoda commented
        Editing a comment
        Daniel is certainly straight forward in his opinions, JA you should ask his opinion of my favorite and one or your most excellent products the Cibie' Bi Iode. He is NOT A FAN!! (of the lights, not of you!) kb
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