[mcsweeto]

There's a lot of insight and expertise on this forum I appreciate and would like to get some opinions from you all. This afternoon I received the ARM F3X FMIC kit from a reputable vendor and, while the packaging appeared careful and considerate, I think I've got some issues with the either the craftmanship or the handling at some point between fabrication and my front door.

No pun intended, but should I be bent out of shape about the condition of this IC? Most of the gaps and blemishes are on the engine side, but there are a couple on the front:

[n55david]

that looks like absolute shit

[AmuroRay]

That doesn't look the best, but it won't hurt anything. In fact, it will probably look that bad in a few weeks of driving.
You can email them and ask for a replacement that went through QC.

[mcsweeto]

Two members I was hoping to hear from and it didn't take long.

Originally Posted by Phantom10R

that looks like absolute shit

This was my initial thought.

Originally Posted by AmuroRay

That doesn't look the best, but it won't hurt anything. In fact, it will probably look that bad in a few weeks of driving.
You can email them and ask for a replacement that went through QC.

This was my next thought. I mean, how pretty does it need to be considering its going to take a beating. But, I do wonder if a lack of detail and QC might be indicative of other (unseen) issues. The welds and other surfaces look good.

Might it come down to fitting, not sure. I will reach out to the vendor.

[AmuroRay]

We're infamous Phantom10R!

Shake it, and as long as nothing moves or falls out, I wouldn't worry.

Can you weigh it and measure the fin pack please?

[thejeremyman9]

Originally Posted by mcsweeto

Two members I was hoping to hear from and it didn't take long.



This was my initial thought.



This was my next thought. I mean, how pretty does it need to be considering its going to take a beating. But, I do wonder if a lack of detail and QC might be indicative of other (unseen) issues. The welds and other surfaces look good.

Might it come down to fitting, not sure. I will reach out to the vendor.

FWIW i have personally purchased two different ICs to install on my car and both had some imperfections in terms of bent fins and other blemishes, not only to the paint/coating, but the underlying material. I was a bit annoyed when out of the box they weren't "perfect" (like receiving a damaged product), but i am not sure you are going to get something that is perfect. So long as that one thing that looks like a crack doesnt leak, none of those should affect performance. It was more work than it was worth it to me to try and deal with the vendor and send them back but you may feel different. And yeah, its likely to get pretty beat in use, and you probably wont see those once installed.

In terms of that being indicative of other potential issues, I highly recommend test fitting your IC-CP connection on the ground, assuming you are installing a CP at the same time. I wouldn't remove the TIC just to test fit it outside of the car, but pay careful attention to the Orings and make sure the connections seem solid/airtight (i.e., no loose and no wiggle room once clipped)

[AmuroRay]

Originally Posted by thejeremyman9

FWIW i have personally purchased two different ICs to install on my car and both had some imperfections in terms of bent fins and other blemishes, not only to the paint/coating, but the underlying material. I was a bit annoyed when out of the box they weren't "perfect" (like receiving a damaged product), but i am not sure you are going to get something that is perfect. So long as that one thing that looks like a crack doesnt leak, none of those should affect performance. It was more work than it was worth it to me to try and deal with the vendor and send them back but you may feel different. And yeah, its likely to get pretty beat in use, and you probably wont see those once installed.

In terms of that being indicative of other potential issues, I highly recommend test fitting your IC-CP connection on the ground, assuming you are installing a CP at the same time. I wouldn't remove the TIC just to test fit it outside of the car, but pay careful attention to the Orings and make sure the connections seem solid/airtight (i.e., no loose and no wiggle room once clipped)

If you don't mind - I found this picture


Blemishes will happen with use, and it shouldn't impact performance.

[mcsweeto]

Originally Posted by thejeremyman9

...

So long as that one thing that looks like a crack doesnt leak, none of those should affect performance.

...

I assume you're referring to what's seen in the first pic below?

Originally Posted by AmuroRay

Can you weigh it and measure the fin pack please?

Does the second pic help?

Seems to be some consensus building here. Thanks for the input so far.

[thejeremyman9]

Originally Posted by AmuroRay

If you don't mind - I found this picture


Blemishes will happen with use, and it shouldn't impact performance.

Top picture of silver VRSF is my 5'' IC removed after almost exactly 2 years of use. It didnt take much damage at all, and hard to see the original imperfections. My brand new race IC i installed when i removed it had some bent fins on arrival as well.

[thejeremyman9]

Originally Posted by mcsweeto

I assume you're referring to what's seen in the first pic below?



Does the second pic help?

Seems to be some consensus building here. Thanks for the input so far.

Yup, that crack.

[mcsweeto]

Originally Posted by thejeremyman9

Top picture of silver VRSF is my 5'' IC removed after almost exactly 2 years of use. It didnt take much damage at all, and hard to see the original imperfections. My brand new race IC i installed when i removed it had some bent fins on arrival as well.

The guy at VRSF looked like he took a nap midway through those welds. I'm not saying I could do any better, but I'm also not in the metal fabricating business.

[sspade]

All of your blemishes/issues individually aren't that big of a deal but collectively I'd be annoyed as well. Likely won't cause any performance issues but still.

Any particular reason you chose not to buy direct? I got a sweet deal on this exact intercooler and a downpipe on separate orders. Great customer service and no qualms with product quality/fitment. Packaging was custom, tight and secure on both.

[sspade]

Originally Posted by mcsweeto

The guy at VRSF looked like he took a nap midway through those welds. I'm not saying I could do any better, but I'm also not in the metal fabricating business.

That's because "the VRSF guy" is actually a cheap laborer overseas. Their quality control and fitment is all over the joint and its not because they design, engineer and manufacture in house (within North America).

[mcsweeto]

Originally Posted by sspade

All of your blemishes/issues individually aren't that big of a deal but collectively I'd be annoyed as well. Likely won't cause any performance issues but still.

Any particular reason you chose not to buy direct? I got a sweet deal on this exact intercooler and a downpipe on separate orders. Great customer service and no qualms with product quality/fitment. Packaging was custom, tight and secure on both.

The vendor actually had it a bit cheaper than ARM on their site, and I've bought other items from the vendor and had good experience. Though, isn't most of this stuff just drop shipped from the manufacturer anyway and not held in inventory by the vendor? As far as I can tell, based on the shipping origin, this was sent to me by ARM.

[sspade]

Originally Posted by mcsweeto

The vendor actually had it a bit cheaper than ARM on their site, and I've bought other items from the vendor and had good experience. Though, isn't most of this stuff just drop shipped from the manufacturer anyway and not held in inventory by the vendor? As far as I can tell, based on the shipping origin, this was sent to me by ARM.

I would give them a shout. Pretty sure the guys name is Jake, good guy.

Im assuming he would be willing to swap your unit for a fresh one if you shared your concerns. The only issue would be shipping cost back to them… that might be on you or the vendor you worked with.

[AmuroRay]

Honestly, I like ARM. Price is good, product seems solid, and this is first time I’ve heard issues about their quality. Keep us posted.

[AmuroRay]

Originally Posted by sspade

That's because "the VRSF guy" is actually a cheap laborer overseas. Their quality control and fitment is all over the joint and its not because they design, engineer and manufacture in house (within North America).

I actually can’t say this. I do know it’s probably machine welded, but VRSF isn’t a bad product, but it’s not not always made with the best QC.

They do pressure test the cores prior to sending them out, and will actually reweld areas they think can be a concerns. That’s why you’ll see some ugly welds on them

[mcsweeto]

Originally Posted by AmuroRay

Honestly, I like ARM. Price is good, product seems solid, and this is first time I’ve heard issues about their quality. Keep us posted.

This was my impression based on other threads you and others contributed to, hence my disappointment when I opened the box. I'm confident this will have a positive outcome. I've reached out to the vendor, step 1. I'll keep you all posted.

[mike@x-ph.com]

Originally Posted by AmuroRay

That doesn't look the best, but it won't hurt anything. In fact, it will probably look that bad in a few weeks of driving.
You can email them and ask for a replacement that went through QC.

+1 it does not look great, but nothing major that won't happen after 100 miles of driving.

ARM customer support is top-notch; if you do not wish to keep it, they will exchange it free cost without any hassle.

Let me know if that's what you decide to do, and I'll get on it asap!

[n55david]

I have three VRSF ics.. none of them looked like that. but I got lucky I think. I should really sell my 5" HD one lol

[mike@x-ph.com]

Originally Posted by Phantom10R

I have three VRSF ics.. none of them looked like that. but I got lucky I think. I should really sell my 5" HD one lol

Some of the issues on the intercooler are common with the cheaper ones regardless of the brand (the fins on the side, some of the fins being bent)

the other issues are either due to the shipping company mishandling the package or a miss from ARM's QC

[mcsweeto]

Alright, got some options here on the replacement. I thought I had settled on the graphite finish but I can get either silver or black quicker. Mine is a glacier silver m-sport F32 with glossy black splitter and other accents.

I don't necessarily want to belabor a "black FMICs are inefficient" conversation, but how's everyone feel about color? Taste is subjective, but I'm curious what you all think.