motorvation2go

I have been hesitant to get involved in this discussion, but what the heck(?) truth is a good thing.
First, please let me say how much I appreciate the efforts of all members who post honest follow ups re mods completed.
Makes the forum a great place.
It is not my intent to bad mouth, nor unfairly criticize any vender/sponsor here.
Please note* At no time did I attempt to contact the source vendor regarding issues encountered.
What follows is based totally on my first hand experience. I'm going to tell it exactly like it is. No BS. No exaggeration. IMHO of course!
Ok... we're dealing with aftermarket body panels here.
Real shaky stuff at the best of times, and definitely not to be tackled by the uninitiated.
If you don't have the requisite experience, skills, nor proper facilities to do the job, then forget about just screwing these things on.
Pay a good professional, (and it's going to cost you) to make things right.
Geez, I could write more than you'd care to know about the tap dancing necessary to get TPE's fenders properly fitted, finished and gapped on my 02 Vert.
Now please bear in mind that this wasn't my first rodeo, and was done by myself in a very well equipped shop here at home.
What can I tell you(?) other than it was a lot of painstaking work.
But you know what?
I'm not complaining. It's just par for the course.
That's the reality of these things.
Forget about the advertising hype.
Ya' just gotta face it like a man sorta deal... (or at least that's what she said)
It's as simple as that.
I'm sorry Mister Peabody for taking so long to get to the punch line.
That 'gap' which you inquired about is the least of your concerns!
Please don't let this in any way discourage you. Farm the work out if necessary... they're nice when done!!!
Man, I got to start getting out more often.

Final note* These were purchased in Feb of 2010.
Probably come out of the box perfect now.

STALION

Your post is somewhat vague, care to elaborate a little more on some of the challenges encountered? I haven't heard to many complaints about the L5's, but so far including your post it seems TPE's have more issues then the L5's. I'm in the market so information like this is definitely helpful

Mister Peebody

Thank you for the information. I really appreciate it. I did talk to TPE today and was informed that the gap problem with the 'vert panels HAS NOT been fixed. Thanks again for the guidance!

canyon lake corvette

very well put

motorvation2go

)Yes, I would be glad to do that for you.
My previous post was so long that I cut it short(?) in hopes of sparing people.
And this (a little more detailed) story is just scratching the surface.
First off the mark, these fenders really do look good when properly done.
With that being said, getting to a level of fit and finish comparable to factory standards is anything but simple.
Guess I'll start here.
The glass layup thickness which comprises the flanges in the door opening area, and also the horizontal flange run from front to back (adjacent to tonneau cover/ rear deck lid) is very inconsistent in thickness and 'linerarity' for want of a better word.
In fact, a lot of the work required is actually to the back (underside) mounting faces of the panels. Lots of filing and sanding req to bring the surface plane(s) of the fenders into agreement with surrounding (existing) panels.
This is something which I accepted and simply took in stride.
You know... multiple fittings with little corrections each time, panels on/panels off: panels on/ panels off.
I couldn't begin to tell you how many times this was repeated.
Ok, so that is basically taken care of. (Made that sound way too easy!!!)
Now we get to panel alignment at the topmost edge of the fender which runs parallel (supposed to ) with the tonneau cover and rear deck lid.
After coaxing and tweaking to get best compromise fender positioning using hand pressure and simultaneous light torque on torx head screws (what else?) screws to hold mockup position), the gap ran from ~ 7/16" wide adjacent to tonneau cover, diminishing to zero at the rear, (we're talking touching against the deck lid).
This of course necessitated the build up of additional fiberglass thickness on the back (underside away from trunk) of vertical edge. Probably a good 1/4" or more.
Then I made a sanding block out 1" square tubing. 40 grit paper covering two faces only. Must maintain at least one 'dummy' side so as to cut intended [single] face of panel only while blocking.
I literally had to sand entirely through the original glass and well into what I laid up in order to effect the repair/adjustment.
It just goes on and on.
I'll tell a bit more but don't wish to drive all to total despair.
So let's just say the panel gaps are now good. Again sounds way too simple!!! But...
Now the top face curvature of fender (drivers side only... Wow!) next to the rear bumper is 1/4" too low. Of course you have to fill and block some more.
Hell, I'll skip a bunch of stuff which brings us to multiple voids and pinholes beneath the gelcoat (primarily on the tops of the fenders).
You poke with a scribe or something similar breaking through the egg shell thickness of gel coat to reveal the flaws. Obviously during layup the glass was not adequately rolled, forced prodded whatever into compliance with the mold.
You fix them. If you don't then bubbles will happen when exposed to the sunlight.
There's a hell of a lot more (believe me), but I think you probably get the idea.
Honestly this is just standard aftermarket panel stuff.
They are a starting point only. Nothing more.
Really no surprise at all to me.
Oh, there was one place, and it was [I]ONE[I] only that actually fit (both fenders).
Think I should mention it just to change things up a bit.
The things mated beautifully with the rear bumper.
Anyhoo, just to sum things up a bit, if you really like this design then by all means I'd still go for it.
What I have touched on is probably just standard crap that body shops see all day every day.

*Must now make a (what's it called?)... a disclaimer.
I'm sure that almost everyone elses fenders fit perfectly, their job was a simple no brainer and I probably got a lot of things all wrong.
That is great! Let's celebrate the good fortune!

Mister Peebody

FRED HAMBLE

Canyon Lake Racer can u add anything to this as your the most recent owner of TP fenders?/

Did your boby shop have all the above mentioned problems???

canyon lake corvette

Perhaps mine being a coupe makes all the difference? but I must say I was very impressed with the quality and fit, and my body guys didnt say boo

not sure if I can mention their name here or not but they are out of Murrieta Ca

STALION

So this was a conservative post

Only kidding. I do appreciate the time you took to explain your challenges. It sounds like you did a lot of the work yourself, I would hate to see what a body shop would charge for something like this. I do understand that doing this sort of thing won't come cheap, but one doesn't expect to get raped either. Thanks again.

Any L5's owners that care to share their challenges?

rdline

Thanks for that update, I left a pm with tpe well over a week ago about vert, I have a vert and getting ready to buy one of the sets, did not get a reply.

Any chance if they said it would be corrected , or just leaving as is and up to the buyer at installation

Jennifer @ TPE

You are correct, we did tell you the problem was not corrected on the Vert. We also told you were WERE NOT selling vert panels. This is not something we are selling, and making the customer fix. Sometimes the customer will choose to pay their body man to make the proper modification, but we in no way reccomend that.

We DO NOT have, or sell T2 panels for the Vert any more. We have not done so for over a year now. SO for the members who read the post, and thought it meant we were selling uncorrected panels, that is not the case.

We have chosen to hold off on the vert panels until we are satisfied with the quality. When that times comes, we will then release them.. Until then, it will not happen.

Venomous

Mine were again installed, repaired and painted by myself and I have had countless ricer parts and Harwood aftermarket hoods/body kits that fit far-far worse than these. The door jamb area that was posted by JPM was the bad area and it's not even that bad unless you are ****. I am happy with the look, fit, and final finish of these and cannot wait to get some better pics.

z06joe

Please post pics of door jambs.

Jennifer @ TPE

First off, on behalf of our company, we truely apologize for the set of panels you received. That is NOT how they ship, and NOT the quality we strive to sell. Every one of our signature products has a near perfect record. The reason for this, is we go to great lengths, to remedy ANY issues that arise. I am though very perplexed that you would take the time to make such a negative post, when you openly admitted that you did not even call us, or make us aware of the situation. It is only when the customer NOT calls us, that an issue like this arises. The panels you have, were, without question, an exception, and not the rule. We would have, without question, and at our expense, replaced your panels at no charge. We have said this in the past. "We can not fix, what we do not know.

Again, we truely apologize for panel issues, but in the future, a simple courtsey call, would have completely corrected your problems. It would also have avoided a polite bashing of a vendor, by letting the entire world know of a problem you had, even though we were never contacted. That is unfair advantage, and does nothing but hurt our business, even though we would have corrected the bad panels, and given you a corrected set at no charge.

We are not saying that a person shouldnt vent their concerns. Venting concerns is how prooducts get made BETTER. But these concerns should be brought to the manufacturers attention first. Then, and only then, if the problem was not corrected to your satisfaction, should you post on an open forum, explaining the issues, and giving warnings. When this is doe, it almost always comes out positive in the end. The customer concerns were addressed, the vendor makes any necessary corrections, and future customers get an even better product.

TPE is a medium sized Christian based compay, that is built off of an enthusiest car guys point of view. Jeff, my husband, would rather shut the company down, than sell a bad product to one of his Corvette brothers. So rest assured, this pproblem you had, was NOT in any way, shape, or form, the way these panels normally sell. Does it happen sometimes? Yes, it does. Unfortunately, when dealing with hand made product, if the guy making the panels had a bad day, it reflects in the product. But if you ask around, when the chips were down, and the car was at the body shop, and Jeff felt the repairs that were being charged to the customer were to high, he PERSONALLY paid the bill for the customer. No other company would do that. As we said before, when we had the issue with the vert panels in the beginning, we wrote a personal check to each and every vert owner, in the sum of 250.00. Again, no company would ever come out of pocket after the fact, for thousands of dollars. They would tell you to send the product back for a refund, or a new set. But that is not how we work.

So for those of you just tuning in, we do not deny that this did not potentially happen. We are saddened that our company sent product that was in the condition this member stated; but we assure you this was an exception, and not the norm. Regardless, at the end of this post, the company who makes these panels for us, will receive a phone call, and we WILL find out exacttly what the cause of this was. We will do our best to see to it that it NEVER be repeated. But if it is PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE call us. Give us the oportunity to rectify the issue prior to coming on to a forum, and writing a negative post.

To wrap up this long reply, motorvation2go,
We dont fault you for being upset, and/or wanting to vent. We just ask that you would have called us. Although your post may not look like a bashing post, because it is well written, and polite, your comments regarding our panels, do nothing but tell a potential customer NOT to buy our product, and to go and buy a non-supporting vendors product, who has had just as many issues, if not more. The reason we even know about this post, is because a concerned customer sent Jeff a Text at 8am, telling him we (TPE) were being "Slaughtered" on the forum. Now is that fair to a vendor who wasn't even given the chance to rectify the issue? We are sorry you had your problems. We truely are. We hope that you dont look at the issues you had as normal policy for our company.

Kind Regards, Jennifer (Co-owner of TPE)

Jennifer @ TPE

I am sorry you did not get a return call. The last week of October, thrrough the 8th of Nevember, is SEMA week for us. We get bombarded with manufacturers having us do last minute work on their cars.

I am in the very last months of additional schooling for my Law degree, and have left Jeff to answer the phones, as well as run the employees at back of the shop, work on cars, ship product, tune the cars, handle 100% of all tech calls, and build the motors. We recently hired 2 more guys for the back of the shop, but the front office is still lacking. We ask for your patience while we work through this difficult office correction.

Jennifer @ TPE

Update: We are leaving this afternoon for Los Angeles. Jeff has decided he wants to personally inspect the molds before anymore panels ship.

We do not forsee an issue, butt in the intrest of making a correct fitting product, we want to be sure.

Jennifer @ TPE

Tank you very much for your kind words

The pictures that JPM posted, was nothing more than an attempt to smear our business. The customer who owned the car that those panels came from, got his repair bill paid for by us. That was a complete screw up on the part of the company who lays the panels up for us, and we took FULL responsibility for that mistake. We spoke directly with the owner of that car, and agreed that it was not his fault. We had him fax his invoice to us, and without any discussion, we offered to pay for the repairs in full. He did not come out of pocket 1 dollar to fix them.

Some members are partial to a specific product, and find it necessary to bad mouth other supporting vendors. That is his perogitive. But fortunately, we sell a few sets per week of these panels, and very very very seldom do we have a complaint. They are not perfect by any stretch, but at least the vendor is on this forum, willing to take the smearing, in the hopes of improving on such product.


We will continue to support this forum, and sell the best looking, and highest quality panels avail for the C5. When/If there is an issue, we will confront it, and correct it.

Regards

FRED HAMBLE

Jennifer

Glad you had the opportunity to enlighten The Forum members of the real situation and the circumstances surrounding the problem. I was beginning to believe you were out of business as you never responsed to the numerous posting.

I too am interested in your panels for my 2001 ragtop. Pleae keep The Forum posted as to when we can expect to see panels available for the Ragtop.
Fred

johncbourg

First off you guys have to realize that your dealing with aftermarket panels. Its not going to be a GM quality product out of the box, so if that is what your expecting..save your money.

They can be made perfect by a good shop. Hell my tiger shark front end needed some craftmanship done to it to make it perfect.

L5, TPE and yes Caravaggio is not going to be sooo perfect that all you do it bolt it and paint it.

If TPE is molding these panels then you guys can blame them, but there NOT! So if you get one that isnt what you expect, they will make it right.

Perfection costs money, and none of these shops that make after market panels have the engineering resources and quality control that GM has.

I know paying 4-500 bucks a side it should be perfect, but the cost is what it is.

my .02

ICULUKN-C5

Thanks TPE for clarifying the situation. Glad to hear that Jeff is on top of things.
Jeff is always a class act who stands behind his work IMO.