Let's talk of M7...
 

Let's talk of M7. No from the outside they seem to have it fairly together and they seem to offer some pretty decent items. They offer more than other companies do and they seem to be very interested in making new products to enhance your and my MINI's. Yet there seems to be quite a bit of slamming going around when it comes to the company. Not only here on this board but other boards and also people I have talked to via the phone. I spoke with a few aftermarket parts suppliers who do not offer M7 and they say that they do not like the way M7 handles business. Some say there is too much hype coming from them about their products and that some of their stuff is made in China (but what isn't now-a-days, seriously.) This is spoken of in several random threads but couldn't find a thread dedicated to it. It also seems that those who bash M7 have nothing of theirs (and most of them haven't) and those who love M7 are running their equipment. Well let's talk about it. Why do you not like M7? Why do you like M7?

:popcorn:

This one should entertain a bit...

I am extreamly satisfied with all of the M7 products that I own. All of them! they are very high quality, good value for the price and they work. Whenever I have had a question, I get an immediate and intelligent response. I lost a bolt off of my strut bar and it was in the mail that day, Free! They are one of the best in my book.

I only have the SRP's but have no problem with them.

I have this sneaking suspicion this thread may take some interesting turns.

Any company that has been around this long in such a niche market must be doing something right. Not every transaction is going to be perfect and some of the people that had less then stellar dealings have made their voice heard in the past. The question becomes does M7 provide the products and support you desire for your goals with your MINI. A thread such as this for a company such as M7 with many owners polarized in their views will only bring on more contempt on all sides.

My own dealings have been both very good and very frustrating at times. Some of the products I've purchased are very good, best of breed, some have not been when it comes to my needs. Thats not to say what didn't work for me in my unique application will not work for others in theirs.

It would be best if people relate their own experiences and not go after anyone that has a differing opinion in this thread. Rest assured this thread is going to watched.

Let's not adopt a '1984' approach before anything has even been said yet eh? Personally I can't say enough good things about my admittedly limited dealings with M7 so far. Peter has always replied to any questions I've had both promptly and comprehensively. I'm looking forward to putting their products on my car and that says it all.

Only problem with M7 has been the often reported over-hype of some of their products and some of the dubious data provided (if provided at all).

I bought two USS kits from M7. Both interfered with the exhausts installed on our cars. No solution offered by M7. No warning has been posted on their site about these two popular exhausts not working with the USS (Alta and Miltek). At least a warning that it's designed for stock exhaust cars would be appropriate IMHO.

I bought two STB's from M7. Both bulged the hood and wore through the sheathing on the hood release cables. M7's solution for the hood bulge didn't eliminate the issue. They claim our two cars were the only reports of the hood release cable issue.

I've dealt with better vendors on NAM and I've dealt with worse. Win some, lose some.

+1:thumbsup:

I think M7 products tend to favor form over function. Not that there is anything wrong with that.

+2, often overhyped, rarely as good as claimed (more often stock works just as well).

FWIW, I've owned plenty of M7 products (Spent almost $2000 with them).

I Guess I Should Post Some History
 

STB - Major hood bulge, no good answers, so I ripped the hood insulation out. Hood STILL rubs on brace wearing the paint off the hood and marring and embedding rust from the hood on the brace.:mad:

USS - Functionally did seem to make a difference on the cabrio, but the nut-sert method of installation leaves a lot to be desired. But hey, they were the only game in town back then and it does work.

That's all I have of M7 stuff. Would need to see good data on the performance parts to consider them.(Not going to hold my breath)

I have heard this about there STB. Thats a shame because I do think it is a good looking piece. Where exactly does it rub? Middle of the bar? Over the strut towers? I have seen the DFIC in person and it looks fantastic in my opinion. The owner with it says it works fantastic too. Let's define "over hype" so I can understand exactly what you mean when you say "over hype."

M7 Products
 

I agree with some of the comments in this thread, in order to provide good information for those who had or hadn't bought from M7, we have to review different aspects of M7 or other vendors. I used to work for the automotive industry and everytime we released a new vehicle, there will be a lot of vendors that will provide aftermarket parts, however some of this vendors won't even developed the designs themselves, they went to Asia and contact certain suppliers for those parts, i.e. body kits, that needed to be grind or trim by the customer in order to fit the vehicle. In this case, talking about M7, it seems that they were tired of not finding the right stuff to customize their Mini's and they started to design and fabricate components, that, as some of the members in this thread mentioned, might work for certain applications, how is that, well if you're a Pro-Racer, you might need certain type and quality of products, M7 might or might not be the answer, however until you test the products you will be able to provide an accurate opinion.
Regarding the manufacture of components in China, well every business is based on profit, if not it is not a business, so in order to stay competitive they have to reduce costs and offer the best price for their customers as well as high quality, this can be achieve in China controlling the quality at your vendor location, at least M7 seems to do that, not like some vendors on e-bay with poor quality items from China.
I have the STB and M7 CF Rear Wing ( bought it used on NAM ), both products so far had been perfect for my Mini, also I'm looking for some other products in their catalog and probably buying something soon.
Regarding customer service, excellent, when I bought my STB it was fast and they explained everything to me in order to get it installed properly.
One last thing, even the most recognized vendors out there ( MSD, Autometer, etc) sometimes had products with issues, however they're still in the Market because there are many happy:) Customers that will buy their products, in this case I'm happy:) with M7 and it's up to you to give them the opportunity to provide the product and service you require, in case you already bought from them and didn't like it, didn't work or didn't get the customer service you expected, please CALL THEM and let them know so they can improve as Peter will appreciate this.

The STB rubs at about 7.25" off center on each side, or about 3" from where the center piece bolt to the outer pieces of the bar. There are two diagonal under-hood braces that ran over it.

As for the over-hype, there have been many heated debates and threads locked over that, I'm not sure it needs to be re-hashed here. Maybe someone else has a reasonable(read PC) explanation.

:popcorn:

Agreed. Again this is not a thread to bash but to give mature opinions :grin:

There's going to be a lot of popcorn eaten before this one's done.:nod:

:popcorn: i am holding back my purchase

Just curious, what were you looking to buy?

Both of the products I have that are from M7 are actually not made by M7. The exhaust was made by Powertone and the nitrous kit comes from Venom Performance. I did have issues with both products and found it better to contact the original supplier for help rather than M7.

I have three M7 goodies: USS, strut tower plates, and air plate diverter. I thoroughly researched all three before purchase, and understood what I was getting into before buying, including the products' limitations. For the same reason, I did NOT buy an M7 strut tower brace, even though they look terrific, because I'm not willing to go to that much trouble to have an STB...

Love the USS - makes a big difference on the cabrio IMHO
No problems with the strut tower plates, though I may switch out to a different design in the future mainly for bling factor. The M7 plates seem to be doing what I bought them for so far - prevent mushrooming.
The air plate diverter was purchased 95% for bling/aesthetics and it does that well. Might do more, but I don't care if it does or doesn't.

Never had anything but friendly and professional service from them personally.

Funny how I have also heard only good things for Alta. They seem to be a reputable company and yet they carry M7 products on their website. Why would a company that lots say is great carry and sell junk? (Granted it is only a very few select products...) Was just thinking...

I think I'm client #3 of M7 from way back when they only had the Grillcraft lower grill & the aluminum M-wing as their product offerings. Since this was in 2003, of course I purchased both items. For the past five years, I've spent quite a bit of money with them & own most of their R53 products.

As far as the beating drum "where's the data, where's the graphs, where're the numbers, etc. etc.", which appears in pretty much every thread I'll say this - personally, it doesn't impact my purchasing decision. I appreciate the value of the empirical data, but I could care less if the APD smoothes out the airflow between bumper & radiator. I got it because it looks cool when I pop the hood & it's made of CF. My car is my hobby & modifying just for the sake of modifying is my thing.

However, the main reason I purchase from M7 (or M7 products via Custom Mini Shop) is because of their service. Peter, Randy & Shelly are always available for questions, are extremely helpful and on-the-spot for resolving any issues. I've even purchased non-M7 products (like my H-Sport components) from M7 just because I know I'll get taken care of. I'm extremely proud of how far the business has come all from hard work, innovation & doing what others aren't willing to risk trying. Think of it: 2 products to an entire catalog.

In 5 years of consistent purchasing I'm one happy camper. My favorite two "Peterism's" used when he describes a product are: 1. "it's freakin' fantastic" & 2. "absolutely amazing". Both sayings pretty much sum up my M7 experience. Rock on guys. :thumbsup:

My experiences on my own personal car are limited to the DFIC (with all the bells and whistles, coatings galor) and DDM HDI Box. The DFIC heat soaked like crazy and took forever to recover. I've tested it both on the street, on the dyno, and on the track. In all situations the stock IC outperforms the DFIC.

As for the DDM HDI box, it was horribly sealed, and basically just sucked in hot underhood air (and had a tiny, restrictive filter). M7 didn't design it though, so it's hard to fault them on that point.

I've heard a few horror stories with M7 products (Catastrophic Control Arm Failures?) also know quite a few people who have their stuff and felt it falls short of where it should.

That being said, plenty of people have their stuff and think it's awesome, guess it depends on what you're doing with the car.

Didn't work for me.