[m power ///]

Hello everyone, I have been the the forums for awhile and tried to go the inexpensive/budget route when it came to downpipes. After hearing the reviews about the VRSF downpipes, I thought it would be a good choice to go ahead and order them, as I didn't see the point in spending 900+ on the AR's. First and foremost I ordered the downpipes about 1 1/2 month ago, received them friday after several calls and inquiries. Upon opening the box, i was very disappointed, but before I tell you guys the reason why, I just want reiterate that I had no intentions of the VRSF downpipes being anywhere close to quality as the AR's. What i was expecting was to get a pair of downpipes with good weld quality and design. Well what i got was something totally different, such as ; consistency from weld to weld- One downpipe has one a certain pattern or welds whole the other downpipe has another. Along with the pattern being slightly different, more importantly the quality of the weld diminished from one downpipe to the other. Many vendors mentioned this and I didn't listen , they said "you don't know what batch you will get, some good some bad". The next thing is one of the downpipes at the V-band sections has what it seems like overflowed piping or extra piping and then was hit down and welded on, its hard to explain but in the pics you will see this. In the same V-band down pipe the welds slide all over the place and are not consistent with each other. This really sucks because who wants to find a boost leak because of a minor hole int he down pipe, or going back and changing the down pipe after realizing the poor quality due to weld quality. I DIY everything on my cars and have been doing so for the past 10 years, it would suck to have to change these out twice as I heard the job was already a big PITA. The last thing is the 02 sensor flange and the threading on it, it really seems as if someone was in a rush to get these done and didn't tap the hole the right way as there was shards of metal everywhere and the bolt in the o2 location was very tough to spin out. I want everyone to be aware to that I am not making this thread in lou of bashing VRSF, maybe a few of the batches they made were good enough for others or maybe i got a bad batch but these downpipes are ones I certainly wouldn't put on my 335i, neither would I want any other fellow 335i'ers to have to go through this and realize the poor quality. I do understand that 400 dollars they are very reasonable which they are, but these are not what others were saying they were, i.e. forums, testimonials. I have attached pics so you can guys see whats going on and be well informed of the situation with these downpipes.

[e92oholic]

Oh wow that looks nasty

[E3r2E9r]

Thats what happens with chinese parts. I cant begin to believe you actually expected quality and consistency.. Instead of blasting the vendor why dont you just ask them to replace them.

[tigermack]

Have you contacted them regarding to this?

[MrRetep]

I'm gonna go with you got a bad set, Mine were MUCH better than that, and the other sets I have seen also look better. VRSF also has EXCELLENT customer service, I'm sure they will have no problem replacing these for you.

[Timore]

I have BMS ones and the quality and fitment was excellent, I know they are from somewhere over there (china, taiwan, etc...) but the guys at BMS do not mess around. They found a quality manufacturer and I have not heard one complaint.

[Shellacked135i]

This can happen with any vendor even the best of the best. Ive seen this happen over the years especially when it comes to metal work and welding.
Do the right thing man. Ask vrsf to replace and give them a chance
Its on their dime anyway.

[Indo Rider]

I'm sorry, but you loose all credibility when you say youre worried about a boost leak because of the downpipes...

[robc1976]

Originally Posted by Indo Rider

I'm sorry, but you loose all credibility when you say youre worried about a boost leak because of the downpipes...

ROFLMAO!!!!

[Coding@DetailAddict]

As said, wrong side of turbo for boost leak.
Exhaust leak maybe, but not boost.
Looks like a bad set, as said. I have them and they were much better.

[secretsquirrel]

Originally Posted by E3r2E9r

Instead of blasting the vendor why dont you just ask them to replace them.

[zanelefko]

Mine were extremely better than that, I have dealt with tiago before in the evo community and he has excellent customer service, give him a chance to make it right.

[tigermack]

Originally Posted by Indo Rider

I'm sorry, but you loose all credibility when you say youre worried about a boost leak because of the downpipes...

[ign335i]

Its a budget DP from China that is known not to have the same quality as BMS. Not sure why you are surprised. Also, I don't think there would be any meaningful difference between running these and any other DP. Its a pipe and I am sure those function just fine. I'd run those on my car, I just wouldn't pay $400 for them. I wouldn't buy DPs other than BMS anyway based on price vs quality. It just doesn't make sense to buy the others in that range.

[creaminz]

Looks like bad batch, have you try contacting them?

[psmitty95]

Those look awful... My VRSF's looked nothing like that and they weren't even a production set. Mine were the first test fit xi downpipes... If I were you i'd contact VRSF since they have lifetime warranty I doubt you will have any problem with getting them replaced.

[Tiago@VRSF]

This is the first I've heard of your dissatisfaction. Could you please email me with your order number so we can send you a return label and get this sorted?

While I did read everything you posted, I'm having a tough time understanding how this could cause a boost leak. We have our o2 bungs set inside the pipe to allow clearance, this is the same method AR and MS use, it's not just us. It looks like the finish work around the o2 bung was overlooked on this individual pipe which is definitely not our standard of quality.

Please contact me directly so we can get this taken care of

[HighPSI]

Tiago, good thing you don't put your logo on those. Well then again you don't actually manufacturer anything or do R&D.

[GOTMH8N]

Originally Posted by Tiago@VRSF

This is the first I've heard of your dissatisfaction. Could you please email me with your order number so we can send you a return label and get this sorted?

While I did read everything you posted, I'm having a tough time understanding how this could cause a boost leak. We have our o2 bungs set inside the pipe to allow clearance, this is the same method AR and MS use, it's not just us. It looks like the finish work around the o2 bung was overlooked on this individual pipe which is definitely not our standard of quality.

Please contact me directly so we can get this taken care of

Looks like pretty good customer service to me

[boostaholic786]

Tiago at VRSF has always brought very good products to the community and there are probably over 5000+ customers that are satisfied with their VRSF downpipes and commented on the fit and finish being superb. I would contact him directly so you dont have to be waiting a month and a half like you said in your post. But these do look very poor and like Tiago said, probably a bad set that was overlooked. He will make sure it gets sorted out for you so your another happy VRSF customer. I put the AR's on mine because VRSF didnt have them out yet and I researched that the AR's are the best for fit and finish but I also had to pay twice as much as you did and if I had the chance to make the decision between AR's and VRSF's pending price and quality... I would def go with the VRSF's. You cant beat the price and "NORMAL" quality that I have seen in the past. Hope you get it sorted out.

[Tiago@VRSF]

Originally Posted by HighPSI

Tiago, good thing you don't put your logo on those. Well then again you don't actually manufacturer anything or do R&D.

I apologize if we've offended you in anyway. Do you have first hand experience with our products? If not I'd be more than happy to put a product in your hand and allow you the chance to judge both value and quality first hand.

I generally find that it's better to base an opinion off personal experience.

[Metro]

Originally Posted by Tiago@VRSF

I apologize if we've offended you in anyway. Do you have first hand experience with our products? If not I'd be more than happy to put a product in your hand and allow you the chance to judge both value and quality first hand.

I generally find that it's better to base an opinion off personal experience.

Very professional response Tiago.

I've had nothing but good experiences dealing with Tiago and the dp's I have certainly don't seem to have any of the issues that the OP has brought up. Unfortunate that he didn't just contact Tiago directly instead of trying to blast VRSF.

on the "boost leak" from the dp's