Votex rear spoiler - potential source for non-original

Birchall

Dick Chown Award 2016
Hi,

Now that I am "between contracts", I have a time to go back to looking at finding a source of "non-OEM" Votex parts.

I have found someone that says they can do it and as a trial I have suggested that he cretes the mould for the Votewx rear spoiler and we can produce a couple and see how it works out.

The only problem is that the guy needs an original spoiler to use to make up the mould.
He has stated that the proces will not damage the part in any way.

The reason I believe him is that this guy does this kind of thing for a well known and respected supercar manufacturer and this is for people who have paid a million for a brand new supercar and then paid another million or so to "customise" it.

So I was wondering if anyone has one lurking (stored for future use / sale) in their garage that we could use?
I can understand if you don't want to risk it, but we (or should I say my son, he has the contact and can help with the money to cover this) would compensate anyone for any loss / damage (which we are confident will not happen anyway). Ideally we would rather buy a spoiler but they are so rare I would not expect anyone to sell it to us.

We would need it for two weeks and we can pay for the loan of it or perhaps give one of the first copies produced?


Should this prove successful we will then look at producing the full kit.

By the way, if anyone has any spare Votex jacking point covers that we could use, we could get copies made of these too perhaps? I am sure that there are a few of us that would want these, even if we haven't lost any yet!
We would need a front one and back one (unless they are "handed", we would need four in that case, but I hope there are only two different shapes and not four!)

The aim is not to do this for profit, but since we are involving external parties in the production we would have to cover their costs. The guy is doing this as a favour and so he has said that the tooling for making the mould might be as cheap as £400 (and believe me that is cheap, I know because the quotes I have had so far have been 4 figure sums!)

My plan (if it all works out) is to offer the first ones to members on here only (people who have registered on the A2OC before today, to prevent profiteers joining just to get these) at virtually cost price. Those members currently registered could place an order at a "not for profit" price, once we have proved the mould will fit exactly.
I would hope to extend that offer to our continental European, A2 Owners club members, too.

Hopefully then genuine A2 enthusiasts can have a Votex type rear spoiler at an affordable price.

Plans don't always work out though, so we will have to see.

Since the part is long since obsolete and I have made several documented attemps to contact VW/Audi and the company that produced these originally to ask permission (without reply) I am pretty sure that if we sell these with not classing them as Votex or Votec copies we should be ok.

I also plan to ensure that the "new ones" don't have the "stamped" rectangle under the bottom rear lip. So they should look better (in my view) and they will not be identical copies.


So has anyone got one that we could use please? Or any jacking point covers?

Steve B
 
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Fantastic idea Steve, I really hope this comes about and works out. Thank you for taking your own time to do this.
 
Hi Steve,

I will do what I can, it should be doable, it is just the costs that was a stopper.

All of the quotes I had last time meant that the spoiler would be uneconomical to produce, so I think that this time it really could work out.
The jacking point covers alone would be great, but I am determined to get the full kit.

I will do everything I can to ensure that we are not accused of any copyright breach, so far I have contacted every related party to ask and I will keep proof of their response, if any.

Fingers crossed, this should work out.

Steve B
 
These don't fit the petrol models do they? The spoiler I mean I do like them shame if do t fit or can't get em fit
 
These don't fit the petrol models do they? The spoiler I mean I do like them shame if do t fit or can't get em fit

They're universal between diesel and petrol models. They won't fit the 1.6 FSi, however, because it has a deeper rear-spoiler.

David
 
These don't fit the petrol models do they? The spoiler I mean I do like them shame if do t fit or can't get em fit


As Davud has said, the Votex rear spoiler doesn't fit on the FSI tailgate, the spoiler on them is higher and a different shape (deeper) unfortunately.

If there was enough demand I could ask the guy to see if he could make one to fit I suppose?

Steve B
 
Yh or could he mould it round the Fsi spoiler if some one has one from a broken car get one made I would be interested in one sure others would be
 
As the spoiler is deeper (front to back in the centre) it would have to be a one-off mould. Yes he could take one side of the mould from an existing spoiler, but the rest would have to be produced from scratch or maybe even taken from a modified Votex mould?

That makes it a more expensive mould and for a more limited market (number of FSIs compared to the number of 1,4 pertrol and diesels)

I will certainly ask him once we have produced a few standard examples.

Steve B
 
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I think we have found the jacking point covers that we can use for a mould for those (Thanks Jeff)

The Votex skirts are going to be more tricky. I have a driver's side sill, perhaps others have one or two of the other parts?

But the rear spoiler is needed ASAP so we can at least get the ball rolling.

Steve B
 
What a great idea Steve, a big applause to you for getting this started..!! :)

Because of this great forum and a recent Xmas draw, I am now a very happy owner of a brand new Votex bodykit acquired at a very reasonable price. This kit is still residing at Tom's (Timmus) place as part of a bigger plan for my little A2, and I am thinking that the least I can do to repay this great A2 community, is to make it available for your project Steve if you should need it.

I am more than happy to lend it to your fabricator for a couple of weeks as it will still be a little while before I make it to UK, so no problem there.. And should you have success with the rear spoiler I'll be the first one to put an order in to compliment the rest of my Votex kit..

Best regards - Alex.
 
What a great idea Steve, a big applause to you for getting this started..!! :)

Because of this great forum and a recent Xmas draw, I am now a very happy owner of a brand new Votex bodykit acquired at a very reasonable price. This kit is still residing at Tom's (Timmus) place as part of a bigger plan for my little A2, and I am thinking that the least I can do to repay this great A2 community, is to make it available for your project Steve if you should need it.

I am more than happy to lend it to your fabricator for a couple of weeks as it will still be a little while before I make it to UK, so no problem there.. And should you have success with the rear spoiler I'll be the first one to put an order in to compliment the rest of my Votex kit..

Best regards - Alex.


As you say, this is a great forum and that is all down to everyone, members and admin team alike, your offer is a real example of how people on here are not selfish and join in on the club experience to the full.

Thank you, I wil see what he says and I think we may be able to help in return by providing you with one of the first off the production line as a "thank you".

I will ask him now and see what he says.

Steve B
 
I'VE got new used one you can borrow
Before anyone asks,no it's not for sale
Hi,

I think we have sourced the parts now, thanks anyway.

Mike (2Sumo) and Jeff (Mustang Owner) have offered to lend us their treasured and rare parts to enable us to make the moulds.

The fact that so many people offered is such a short space of time and with these parts being so rare, is another example of just how good this club is (as Alex mentioned).

Thanks everyone.

Once we have them with the guy who is making the moulds we should have confirmation that it is possible and also get an idea of how much it is likely to cost us and then start to judge demand.
The price is effected by the number of buyers because the intial tooling to make the moulds has to be spread across the number we make.

Watch this space!!!

Just as an aside we will be asking for the moulds to omit the square "sunken stamp" on the bottom rear of the Votex spoiler.
Not only does it then look slightly better, but it also helps show that we are not tryint to sell these as Votex parts.

Steve B
 
Hi Steve,

would these newly fabricated parts be fibreglass, PU, or ABS?


I am going to take the guys recomendation. Ideally they should be of similar construction to the Votex one.

They need to be light (considering that they are merly bonded on) and they need to be resonably flexible.

Steve B
 
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Excellent work, Steve. :)

I'm really looking forward to seeing how this venture turns out, best of luck! :cool:

Regards,

Matt.
 
Very interesting Steve. Only you could be brave enough to take on this massive task. I'm sure you'll succeed. I would certainly be interested in elements of the body kit should you be successful in this part of your venture.

James
 
Current status is that Mike (A2Sumo) is lending us his unused Votex rear spoiler,
The Christmas draw winner Alex (Motorsport) is lending us the full Votex kit he bought via that draw. (and that comes with the Jacking Point covers, so we can try and get some more of these made too)

I can't thank Mike and Alex enough, and the others that offered their rare and treasured parts for this venture.

Cheers
Steve B
 
Hi,

Mike has asked a very valid question and I would like some input.

If we reproduce a "Votex type" rear spoiler should we do away with the, almost cosmetic, side bolt holes?

There will be two trains of thought here.

One will say that without them it will not look enough like the original votex spoiler (perhaps that is a good thing, it is probably better if ours is not an exact copy, legally).
The others will say, leave them off, they serve no purpose and it would look better without them.

I am kinda with the latter but for one thing. The bolts do sort of perform a function. They go into holes drilled into the original spoiler and if you, like I did, glue the bolts in place, they are an additional security for the spoiler (should the bonding fail)?

I like the look without the bolts and sunken holes, but what do people think? Remember an exact copy would not be allowed anyway.
Also I suppose that if you didn't want the holes / bolts, you could always fill them in before fitting / painting?

By the way we have collected Mike's spoiler and it is on its way to the specialist to verify if the task is feasible, before we start the process

If it is feasible I will open a new thread and ask for people to express an interest in buying one. The cost to members on here and members on A2Freund, will be as close to cost as we can get.
Those members will have to have registered on either forum before today to be allowed to buy them at the special price.
After that we will be looking at a sensible price that is as cheap as possible but still a sensible retail price.

More soon!!!

Steve B
 
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