TREZ63

Okay you guys are going to like this one.
I drove by Brabus in Newport Beach today to get some pricing on the body kits and what not.
I pulled on the lot with my replicas on (pix below) and the guy gave me a look. I was on the phone so I stayed in the car for a bit and the got out and went into the store.

First thing he does is ask me where I got those wheels. I told him I got it at a friend's shop in OC. He kept pushing to get the name and I told him I just don't remember. Then he says thoe me the rude sob, that he will not sell parts to anyone with replicas on their cars.

I told him, so you're telling me if I went home and put my old wheels on and came back you would sell me the wheels. He got this stupid look on face and said, hmmm, ehhh, No I would not, I don't think.

Then told me that Brabus is really going after companies that are selling the replicas. I asked him, shouldn't they go after the manufacturer, same stupid look.

He handed me a catalog for the w211 parts and said he would email me the prices. For all I care he can likc my . No way I am buying anything from them now. I am sure they are not hurting for my $$.

No offense to those of you who bought the real thing. I just had better things to do with my money than to pay and extra $4K for the same thing:


So here is what I am going to do to Brabus North America:
I am going take my dad's old Toyota Tercel (early eighties), which has not been driven in years and has been eating dust in the desert.
I am going to put Brabus Decals all over it and park in front of their store. I will have my cousin (16) sit in the car and move it if the Parking cops giving any trouble and he's agreed to do this for $9/hr during the break, I just finished his W2 today so he is at my employment as of this afternoon. He'll also be wearing a brabus cap and T-shirt. The only way I will change my mind is if everyone on this site gets a free body kit and an apology, which is unlikely so look for the newest Brabus car at Newport Beach soon. I will post pictures when I have them. I love this country.

sf49ers79

Nice replica..

codex57

Nice car, but I understand the dealer's feelings. Basically, when you pulled up in the replicas, he was looking at a thief.

vraa

Can I get a kit too?

ViKTORiOUS

F*ck Brabus and those stuck up kats, its their loss... not yours, go else where, there are far better looking kits for cheaper than brabus, hell why dont you buy a replica kit, no one cares, that guy is just full of himself, his useless pride, i bet he doesnt even push a Brabus MB...

i think thats hilarious what you plan on doing with your cousin... that is a riot!!! I hope you really will go out with this plan and seriously make that salesguy wish he didnt talk smack about replica stuff! DOO IT DOO IT! Take pics ASAP!

michakaveli

WHHHAAAATTTT?

He wasn't stupid enough to pay the obscene amount that they want for those rims, let along their products...

alewifebp

I love your solution to the problem. We need to see pics of this event.

S55inPA

hey guys,

i'm not familiar with brabus extras...but how did he know the wheels were not original???

also ....great idea. you'll make his week miserable

kyee

Those are the Moven M13's you have, right? I'm getting that same set on my E500 next week.

You can take the replica process one step further and buy some Brabus center caps off Ebay. I was thinking of doing that, but will just keep the MB center caps for now.

Kevin

TREZ63

Yes those ARE the moven M13s. I am thinking of getting the center caps soon, just haven't found the right ones on ebay. I am very very happy with these wheels. Some guy pulled off the road to the detailing shop where I was getting my car detailed today to ask me about the wheels and could not stop talking about it. It was a great compliment.

If you are going to get these wheels get them soon cause supposedly Brabus is doing everything they can to get them off the market.

The guy at the Brabus store was telling me that the real thing with tires, installed was $8700 + tax. OMG!!! I can write off the entire car but those wheels would be very hard to explain to the IRS. Nothing against Brabus, I think they make very high quality and amazing looking products, but they just need to price them so that people will not turn to these alternatives. When it comes down to it, they are very easy to copy.

mmgrad

damn... thats sucks...

it does suck that a company is losing money because of those replicas, but they shouldn't be such jerks towards the people who buy them...

but then again, its the people who buy the replicas that keep these knock-off companies in business...

Maybe if BRABUS lowered their prices, everyone would be much happier....

e_one09

Man, that guy is really wrong.

jpb5151

That's kinda how I see it too.

The whole thing does seem strange. Isn't the job of a salesperson to _get money_ for the company? He shoulda tried to push the "genuine Brabus" stuff, "here's why we're so good" (and so expensive), and landed a few more $$$ instead.

Paul Le Corre

You make me smile guys,

Go to any store with a fake item and you'll see how you are welcomed. I'm quite sure that if you go to affalterbach with some AMG replica, you'll have the same welcome by the staff.

Mr. Xristo

Where are your farking brains??

If you were stealing from my company, I would not welcome you with open arms either.

This is the same situation as if you were to go to China Town (NYC) and purchase a "knock off" Chanel bag and then have the audacity to walk into the Chanel store on Madison and expect to be treated with good service.

When you purchase any counterfeit item you are stealing from a company.

The counterfeit item(s) look like the real thing and people would be more inclined to purchase them rather than their more expensive authentic counterparts, thus causing the true manufacturer to lose profits and brand recognition.

If you purchase a counterfeit item, at least exhibit some farking prudence and common sense.

TREZ63

I run a small business as most people on this site probably do. I get clients that go behind my back with unlicensed products and hire unlicensed subcontractors to do work on our projects to save money and not to have to pay us extra money even though our contracts explicitly state that they can't. But what do I do about it? Nothing. Because when that client comes back (as I did to Brabus) I try my best to get them back and show them why they should have stayed with me at the first place instead of filing a lawsuit and losing a client for life.
My grandfather owned a business for 45 years and was very successfull. Many years before he died we had a conversation about what his secret was ... He told me "only thing that I can tell you is, Get a customer, keep him for life."

Lets put it this way, do you think the way that salesman acted has any positive effect on Brabus' bottom line? Considering that I would have probably bought $3-4K of body kits and what not from them.

I am going to stop refering to my wheels as Brabus Replicas and start refering to them as Moven M13s.

CRB

The Brabus guy is a salesman and should be happy (nay, giddy) to sell ANYTHING at the prices he charges.

The biggest problem that high-end parts guys have, all of them not just Brabus, isn't so much the knockoffs, because a replica is a replica, but the legit dealer who won't hold the line on the fixed price that dealers agree to and tries to make extra cash by selling cheap in higher volume.

The Brabus guy should have said, "Very nice knockoffs and how may I help you today." He complements the customer, makes his point about the bogus pieces and maybe even makes a sale (or two) too!

Mr. Xristo

You did drive into Brabus's North American Headquarters. What did you expect would happen when they noticed your counterfeit Brabus rims?

I am surprised they did not ask you to leave.

The salesperson could have had a better attitude, but nevertheless, Brabus has every right to protect its intellectual property.

I am not referring to subcontracting either. I am referring to a legally copyrighted product, that, if counterfeited and sold in mass quantities, could financially damage Brabus.

Why do you think the American and Hong Kong goverments are cracking down on software piracy? It costs the industry billions.

I am not saying their software [or wheels] are well priced, I am simply explaining things from a financial perspective.

If Brabus wanted to be sneeky, they could buy out the counterfeiters manufacturer, and continue to manufacture and sell the "replica" wheels under a psuedo company, and make even more money

The cigarette companies do this all of the time with their generic cigarettes.

moa4r

i think its a funny story...regardless of the situation, i get annoyed when sales people have bad attitudes from the outset. So, I have no sympathy for the guy (although I have had very good experience w/Brabus NA sales people) That being said, everyone has the right to buy whatever they want, but you must know that your replicas are not even close to the real thing, and are made from much weaker material and are a lot more likely to bend/break, etc. They also tend to vibrate and cause interior rattling at high speeds (so I've heard)--anyway, bottom line is you get what you pay for. Its like saying a fake rolex from chinatown is the same as a real one--it may look the same, but it doesn't feel the same- weighs a lot less, lasts about a month before it stops working, and rusts quickly...so take your pick. Anyway, for the money, you probably could have gotten some real AMGs, etc...

like I said, to each his own--that guy did seem like an *******, and I probably would have been just as mad as you had I been in the same situation.
-Peace

TREZ63

I looked at both. The Moven wheels and the Brabus ones up close. Picked them up and and the Brabus ones where a bit lighter but not noticeably.

I got the Movens at a friend's shop and made a deal with him to return them if I didn't like it within a week and he agreed (very nice guy).

So far I have gone up to 125 with no shakes or rattles, and I have spent time at each speed really looking at how they feel. If I had any doubts I would have returned them and there was no problems.

I also saw the other replicas and there was no comparison between the Movens and the other kind that are listed on ebay for 600. The way I look at it, if I have a problem with one of them or all of them, I can replace them all about 4 times before the cost starts to even out.

moa4r

well that's pretty smooth I'm glad your happy with them and I hope you don't run into any problems.

Paul Le Corre

I cannot understand how you can compare brabus wheels and replica. Replica is just a copy, there is no creation, nothing. They took a brabus wheel, they measure it to have everything to reproduce it and that's all. Everybody can do it.
Brabus is the real one, created and engineered. All the other one don't even worth to be considered.
If I couldn't affors Brabus Wheel,I would prefer having some original wheels from an another company for a cheaper price than having brabus replica.
It makes me think about those guys who buy some ferrari replicas with a pontiac fiero basis.

jl88

Almost all wheels are private-label wheels.. meaning, Brabus, Lorinser, Carlsson do not make the wheels. They design the wheel and the contract a company to make it.

I wouldn't be surprised if the manufacturer of the authentic Brabus wheel is the same company making the replicas heh

TREZ63

Wow, Get over it guys. The point is not wether or not some people want to put replicas on their cars. They are wheels. For a car. Nothing more, nothing less. There is no hidden exostantial meaning hidden in the metal, no pride for the craftsman who forged it out of some sacred alloy, you shouldn't be using any microsoft products if you don't like replicas. Your comparison with the Fiero chasis made me laugh though.

I have to go now, I need some time to think of what to do with all this money I have saved. Maybe I will buy the that 954RR I have had my eyes on.

mmgrad

you got the first part right... but, i can't fully agree with the 2nd part...

some replica are made in germany, and potentially by the same makers of brabus wheels... however, more times than not, replicas are made by some korean company or something...