Eibach Spring Set

[Tony]

Good stuff.... TK Chan tell the boys/girls in HK we are here to help! not only in products but all manner of assistance, and it's free!! I must say i have seen a few links from HK..... is this your doing

 

:closedeyes: Well, I did spread the news a bit that I am getting the UK spec Eibach springs soon. I could be the first one here to have them

Yeah i thought it was you Best thing is not only do you have the product available you also have a pictorial for fitting and an advanced view for the consequences Geometrically.... And the entire wim team to help if things don't go to plan. I know people here in the UK are watching this thread with eyes wide open. The reason is curiosity due to our obvious distance and the fact that in HK you need to wait for Automotive products to be imported!! .... Forgive me for the European ignorance , but this is not something we in the UK thought happened in HK.

Personally i am having trouble grasping the actual fact you have to wait weeks before receiving goods like wheels, suspension and alike! Our impression of HK in GB is you "look, buy, take" almost regimental in over the counter fast sales... seemingly this is not the case. I have to ask TK Chan is the reason the products are not available or is there a Governmental restriction for interior/imported purchases?

[TK Chan]

Tony, thanks for the question. As far as I know, there is no government restriction for import of car accessory such as wheel rims, suspension springs or other dedicated components provided they are within safety regulations. It is largely a matter to do with the importer or the local authorised agency. Rarely would they keep ready stock for most of the products. I can however understand their difficulty. For example, wheel rims, customer's preference may vary from different combination of off set to rim width, not to mention body kits. Perhaps the most common types could be more readily available, the exquiste types you can bet to wait at least 6 to 8 weeks time the shortest.

 

Another reason I can think of is that rarely a car owner would DIY the mod except the garage owners. There is no need for "look, buy, take" scenerio . There is also law forbidding heavy modification against factory specfications.

 

I ordered the Volks Racing Progressive ME rims for my IS250 at the end of November last and won't have them till early March. The answer was the factory in Japan was loaded with back orders plus the local agent has to group the orders in one shipment to save cost. The same problem existed with my order for the Eibach springs though it was from another shop and the answer was Eibach Japan could not promise when the items could be shipped so the shop refunded my deposit. According to our local Lexus agent, they have sold over 600 to 700 IS250's since last year but I haven't seen a single one with after market wheels on the road - all rolling on stock wheels, and of course none with lowered suspension.

 

At least 90% of our local car owner population can only own one car and rarely a 2nd car as toy due to the government's greatest effort to discourage people from owning private cars. We have 100% tax on the vehicle cost !!!!!! plus very heavy fine for speeding that most of the time we can only cruise with sporadic touch of the gas paddle. Coupled with the traffic jam and the confusing traffic lights, it is no fun driving most of the time.

 

However, we do have a very active group of city night racers :closedeyes: But then they belong to live show of Need for Speed gamers . And then we have a good collection of classic car lovers, plus, of course, the exquisite Ferraris, Porsche, BMWs, and many other car clubs etc. etc. that I still need time to explore myself . Sadly, however, our local Lexus Club caters for the IS200 species only and I did see quite a few wearing exotic modifications.

[TK Chan]

......... Sadly, however, our local Lexus Club caters for the IS200 species only and I did see quite a few wearing exotic modifications.

 

PS Correction - we don't have a Lexus Club in Hong Kong . We only have the Altezza Club that caters for the Altezza and IS 200 species. Recently I note that they've included the IS 250 and IS350 but it is not a Lexus Club per se .

[Tony]

Thank you TK Chan for the fascinating insight for car owners in HK. Here in GB we can modify the car to our hearts content as long as the car still complies to the yearly MOT. This is a compulsory test to ensure the car has at least the minimum requirements in areas like brakes, tyres and so on. Probably the hardest area to pass for the modified car is the exhaust emissions.

 

The motorist in GB is taxed in every direction but we fall way short of your 100% tax this seems severer.... But i must say HK has a public transport system that sets a world example for perfection so i can understand the government's attitude to persuade the motorist to use this....Whereas public transport here is utter "Pants". All forms are owned by the public sector running at minimal costs for maximum profit, this makes for miserable commuting forcing a majority of people to drive instead.