Looking for AR Catted DP Reviews

[thez99]

Guys Im just looking for honest reviews of the AR race-catted DPs on 135i's. I may be looking at doing dps a lil later on, do not want to go catless as I do not live in a state that blows by emission tests, and I dont want to have problems with CEL's n shit either. I had a catted DP on my GTI, still seemed to really open her up n take away most of the lag, etc.

So just looking for reviews on installation, sound, performance right after and further after, etc.

[HPFREAK]

How many years does PA give you before you have to re-test the emissions? In CA it is once every 5 years for new cars. If they give you more than a year then I wouldnt worry about it.

[thez99]

Moving to NC very soon

[Mak135i]

I have catted AR 3" DP and after the last BMW software update, i started getting the SES light. Now, I have JB4 with built in DP fix so no SES light problems.

As for performance, I can only compare the catted to the stock DP, with and without tune. Frankly, without tune, I cannot tell much difference. With the tune (had JB+ first, now JB4), HUGE difference in response at any RPM. Also, exhaust sounds better.

Given the price ($1000 new), I recommend them only if you are going to run a tune.

[Smac355]

PA is a yearly inspection.

[HPFREAK]

Shoot that sucks. then it is not worth it to go catless unless you are ok with doing the install yourself.

Originally Posted by Smac355

PA is a yearly inspection.

[Chicago135i]

I ordered them and they didn't fit. The hit the engine block and reclocking them at the turbos did nothing to make them fit. AR refused to take them back unless I agreed to pay for the labor for them to test them on their own shop car. LOL, nice customer service.

Luckily I purchased from an excellent vendor (who was put in an awkward position when I threatened to dispute the charges on my credit card) who acted as intermediary and got AR to make it right. It was a giant pain in the a$$ and the way AR handled the situation was awful. I wouldn't buy any of their products again.

$.02

[thez99]

Originally Posted by Chicago135i

I ordered them and they didn't fit. The hit the engine block and reclocking them at the turbos did nothing to make them fit. AR refused to take them back unless I agreed to pay for the labor for them to test them on their own shop car. LOL, nice customer service.

Luckily I purchased from an excellent vendor (who was put in an awkward position when I threatened to dispute the charges on my credit card) who acted as intermediary and got AR to make it right. It was a giant pain in the a$$ and the way AR handled the situation was awful. I wouldn't buy any of their products again.

$.02

Seriously??

Are you sure they didnt send you the 335i pipes or something instead? Never heard of DPs made for the 1er not fitting before..

[Mak135i]

The installer commented on how tight a fit it was, but also said they were very well made. I have had no problems at all with them. Even the BMW techs at the dealership praised the quality.

[JHOOPS2]

Originally Posted by thez99

Seriously??

Are you sure they didnt send you the 335i pipes or something instead? Never heard of DPs made for the 1er not fitting before..

+1

Mine fit like an OE piece. Though, mine pare noncatted.

[Chicago135i]

Originally Posted by thez99

Seriously??

Are you sure they didnt send you the 335i pipes or something instead? Never heard of DPs made for the 1er not fitting before..

They make no distinction between the pipes for 335i vs 135i on their website: http://www.ardesign.info/store/ar-de...downpipes.html

I too had read good things about their DPs. That's why I was very surprised to see that they did not fit. I was even more surprised with their awful customer service though. After they finally relented and agreed to take the defective product back, they tried to charge me a restocking fee.

Here's a pic of the interference fit with the block:

[Chicago135i]

Originally Posted by Mak135i

The installer commented on how tight a fit it was, but also said they were very well made. I have had no problems at all with them. Even the BMW techs at the dealership praised the quality.

That's my point - it wouldn't take much for them to be off by being slightly out of spec, and if that's the case that's fine, but as a vendor you should make it right. Not only am I out the initial install labor of a few hundred bucks, but they made it a colossal pain in the ass just to get a refund. Horrible customer service.

[thez99]

Dude theres a big difference between the 3 series pipes and the 1, just check out pics of any DP and compare the 3 and the 1. The 3 i believe is longer and curves diff. The distributor couldve just honest screwed this up. Did you double check the paperwork n everything that came with them?

[Chicago135i]

Originally Posted by thez99

Dude theres a big difference between the 3 series pipes and the 1, just check out pics of any DP and compare the 3 and the 1. The 3 i believe is longer and curves diff. The distributor couldve just honest screwed this up. Did you double check the paperwork n everything that came with them?

No. They're the same, per AR and everyone else on the internet.

Click the link I posted: http://www.ardesign.info/store/ar-de...downpipes.html

If they were different wouldn't there be a selection option for either 135i or 335i when you order?

[thez99]

No there wouldnt be a choice because you were already shopping under the 1 series fitment. I bet if you looked for dps under the 3 series theyd look different. Give it a try

[Chicago135i]

Dude, are you blind? READ THE ITEM HEADER...

[thez99]

Ok i just saw Jlevi selling the 335 and 135 together, however the 335xi is seperate, perhaps that is what you got and i KNOW those are of different spec

[Chicago135i]

Yeah the XI ones are definitely different but the 135i/335i ones are supposed to fit both cars, and that goes for every DP fabricator.

That would be fine if they sent the wrong pipes and were willing to make it up. Instead, Andrew acted like a complete assh0le and wanted *me* to pay *them* to test fit the pipes on one of their shop cars. He also said that even if the pipes did NOT fit their shop car, they were not willing to do anything to help out with the labor cost I incurred due to their ill-fitting pipes.

Some companies stand behind their products. AR Design is not on one of them.

[thez99]

Originally Posted by Chicago135i

Yeah the XI ones are definitely different but the 135i/335i ones are supposed to fit both cars, and that goes for every DP fabricator.

That would be fine if they sent the wrong pipes and were willing to make it up. Instead, Andrew acted like a complete assh0le and wanted *me* to pay *them* to test fit the pipes on one of their shop cars. He also said that even if the pipes did NOT fit their shop car, they were not willing to do anything to help out with the labor cost I incurred due to their ill-fitting pipes.

Some companies stand behind their products. AR Design is not on one of them.

Well honestly i think youve ended up in very unfortunate circumstances as ive heard nothing but sexy goodness bout the AR pipes. I would take the pipes off, line em together and take a picture to send to them. Although really if this is the case it wouldnt have been AR's fault, it was the ppl you bought from.

[Chicago135i]

The pipes wouldn't even go on the car. I had to put the OEM ones back on and order DPs from a different DP fabricator, with a separate install charge. (Hence my annoyance with the whole situation)

For what it's worth, the distributor I bought them from is one of, if not THE, most respected vendors in the 135/335 arena, and he was helpful throughout the process, and I do not wish to get him involved in this. I will say however that he said that they "rarely" have AR pipes that don't fit. That means some don't fit, period.

By the way, if they shipped the wrong pipes it was definitely AR's fault because the pipes dropshipped from AR directly because they were CATTED and thus special order. I wish I'd saved the pics I took of the pipes when they were straight out of the box, because if I could prove that they shipped the wrong pipes and refused to make it right, I'd take great delight in shoving it up Andrew's a$$ sideways all over the internet. (which I've not done so far, but you asked specifically about AR Design Catted DPs in this thread, so here I am :-) )

[thez99]

Originally Posted by Chicago135i

The pipes wouldn't even go on the car. I had to put the OEM ones back on and order DPs from a different DP fabricator, with a separate install charge. (Hence my annoyance with the whole situation)

For what it's worth, the distributor I bought them from is one of, if not THE, most respected vendors in the 135/335 arena, and he was helpful throughout the process, and I do not wish to get him involved in this. I will say however that he said that they "rarely" have AR pipes that don't fit. That means some don't fit, period.

By the way, if they shipped the wrong pipes it was definitely AR's fault because the pipes dropshipped from AR directly because they were CATTED and thus special order. I wish I'd saved the pics I took of the pipes when they were straight out of the box, because if I could prove that they shipped the wrong pipes and refused to make it right, I'd take great delight in shoving it up Andrew's a$$ sideways all over the internet. (which I've not done so far, but you asked specifically about AR Design Catted DPs in this thread, so here I am :-) )

You have a couple things wrong with what you're saying tbh.

First, you say you bought these from one the most respected 135i parts vendors? Whatever that means...and yet you refer to them as "he" meaning it was just one guy, not sure what thats all about either. Why not get him involved whoever he is so everyone can realize where the problem laid?

Second, whether the part was dropshipped direct from AR or not, it was the distributor who put the order in and gave AR details on what you needed, so if "he" told AR by accident or not that you need xi pipes, theyd ship em regardless, but at no fault to them. Theyre just the manufacturers, they are not responsibly dealing directly with customers on orders like this, this is why all parts like this end up with distributors, so manufacturers can focus more on making them rather than dealing with customer relations.

And why did you get rid of the pics of the bad fitting DP's??

And wtf is Andrew and why is he such a bad guy

[Chicago135i]

OK, so you asked for opinions on the DPs in question. Apparently you were only seeking a pat on the head prior to purchase, as my input has been met with nothing but argument and interrogation.

To respond to your "First": "He" as in the principal of the vendor of which I'm speaking. I wouldn't be surprised if you don't put as much stock in the word on this vendor, as *they* are primarily concerned with performance/engineering, as opposed to the run-of-the-mill parts marketing organizations that are prevalent on 1addicts (but not necessarily as much on the 3 forums or Terry's forum where there are less high school n00bs).

To respond to your "Second": Let's say for a moment that the vendor accidentally ordered 335ix pipes (which he didn't, because he's acutely aware of the fact that I have a 135i, which does not come in all wheel drive...or front wheel drive...... 8-|). Does that excuse the abhorrent customer service?

As to why did I get rid of the pics of the "bad fitting DP's" - did you see the picture I posted above? It is clearly interference fit.

Andrew is the principal of AR Design, and the person responsible for the awful customer service I was provided with.