fm vs avo. s+h costs

psquire45 · Postby **psquire45** » Sun Jul 08, 2012 4:38 pm

fm just got back to me if any one down the track is intrested

the quote for shipping to postcode 2000 is $850 usd for ups bringing the fm kit to 3850 usd plus customs

paul

Lokiel · Postby **Lokiel** » Sun Jul 08, 2012 8:55 pm

The cost doesn't surprise me, S&H for my FM 2.5" exhaust was almost as much as the Group Buy price of the exhaust itself.

FM's saving grace is that their quality is great so you don't have to worry about their products being faulty or needing re-work (something that can't be said for BEGi).

I plan to upgrade my turbo and will probably end up with FM components just because of this.

jerrah · Postby **jerrah** » Tue Jul 10, 2012 4:19 pm

Do you have any posts on the FM 2.5" exhaust for your car?

Which turbo are you thinking of installing to replace the SE?

Lokiel · Postby **Lokiel** » Tue Jul 10, 2012 6:32 pm

jerrah wrote:Do you have any posts on the FM 2.5" exhaust for your car?

Which turbo are you thinking of installing to replace the SE?

No posts on the exhaust - nothing real exciting and difficult to take photos of anyway without a hoist.

I'm planning on getting the GT2560R - anything bigger would require an engine rebuild and result in a slower spool time.

250hp (186.5kw) and 14psi is considered the upper safe limit for SE/MSMs which SHOULD be plenty more killer-wasps than is sane (and undoubtedly wont be enough once it gets there).

I'm intending to go with the FM Mazdaspeed FMII conversion kit since I like the re-route of the intercooler hot-side hose - it frees up the space taken by the OEM hose/pipes which can be better-used to duct air directly into a cold-air box. FM are expensive but unlike BEGi, you know that you'll get a high-quality kit that wont need to be sent back for subsequent tweaking.

Sean · Postby **Sean** » Wed Jul 11, 2012 7:56 pm

Bang AVO for a better price.
I've work with a couple of AVO kits lately who both paid considerably less.

Both NB kits.

Note that the AVO has two options - check if you're getting the genuine garret turbo or a non genuine "garrett style" turbo.

psquire45 · Postby **psquire45** » Wed Jul 11, 2012 8:11 pm

Hmm I'll give lee a call in the morning

I'm assuming with my luck I've just ordered a begi s style garret style kit

Edit. It does say garrett turbo in the add.. So hopefully

viewtopic.php?f=57&t=53603

Sean · Postby **Sean** » Wed Jul 11, 2012 11:39 pm

Nothing wrong with the AVO kits either way, so I wouldn't stress

PL · Postby PL » Tue Jul 17, 2012 4:46 pm

Hey guys,

Just thought I'd throw in a bit of feedback on importing stuff from USA based on my recent experiences.

I bought a 1999 NB 10AE recently with a view to going turbo sooner rather than later. I come from the world of Nissan turbo engines, so figured cobbling something together for the MX5 shouldn't be too hard.

So far I've bought the DIY starter kit from FM. So I have the cast turbo manifold, cast dump pipe, front part of exhaust (dump to cat) and a bunch of fasteners. This weighed 27 lbs and cost me $260 in shipping from FM. Ouch.

Then I went hunting for clutch and flywheel. Came across a "frieght forwarder" in USA called www.comgateway.com and decided to give them a go. Idea is that you register with them and you get a virtual USA address. So I did that - easy. Then you buy your stuff in the USA and get it sent to that address. Many places do "free freight in the lower 48" now, so that bit is often free. They send you an email when stuff arrives at your address. Sweet.

Then when you want them to send it (they will combine packages if you want) you just let them know. Now comes the good bit - they have a sweet deal with DHL and Fedex that means they can offer you cheap premium freight. $US24 for first 500g plus $US4 for each 500g after that. 6 to 8 working days delivery. Full tracking. Good deal.

Bottom line was that I bought a clutch and flywheel which coincidentally came to 27 lbs again. Total cost for shipping was $141 and I had the stuff in a week - on exactly the day they promised. $120 less than the same weight package cost me direct from FM.

I think I'll be buying more stuff from USA via www.comgateway.com. Seems to work pretty well and so far I haven't found any pitfalls.

The one thing I haven't checked out is what FM would want to ship parts within USA. The comgateway place is in Oregon.

Sorry for the long first post!

Pete L

Sean · Postby **Sean** » Fri Jul 20, 2012 1:53 am

I've used a similar US based service for bike parts with reasonable results too.

Lokiel · Postby **Lokiel** » Fri Jul 20, 2012 9:37 am

Thanks for that info PL.
I've bought stuff from FM and can confirm that their S&H charges are hideously expensive.
I plan to upgrade my turbo with their kit so will definitely use this method.