Does anyone know what the web site is for Alta? (Can't find them). I want to tell them what a great gauge mount they designed for the Mini, and how they *#& it up with their recent logo tattoo, label burn on the gauge housings. Mini owners are not 18 years old, and want their mods to be tasteful. What "idiot" decided this was marketing wise, and can they be fired??? You just lost a sale Alta, realizing I will probably pay twice the amount for a copy to be made.......less the logo scream. It's worth it.

 

Bear in mind that these aftermarket companies are catering to the Eurotrashtuner crowd, the same people who want replicas of the Batplane glued to the rear decks of their usually-non-Euro cars. Basically, it's going to be up to you to detackify the parts. Always assume and prepare for the worst, and have extremely low expectations, then you can occasionally be pleasantly surprised.

At this point, I'm surprised none of them have offered a Knight Rider/Cylon style light kit as an insert for the MCS bonnet scoop.

 

All you have to do is look at the aftermarket that is coming out of Japan and the whole drift/ tuner phenom. While some may deem this tacky and trashy, to someone in their early 20's (or whatever mindset / age), this may seem cool.
There are plenty of MINI owners that fall into the Gen Y category - I saw a CR/W MCS on chrome wheels last weekend - so be prepared for what you're going to see. From the bodykits, to the wheels and turbos on the Coopers, it's inevitable.

 

And I have seen an MCS with green neon in the scoop, ala Kit2000. Right here in the armpit of the nation, NJ.

 

It is kind of sad that you call NJ the "Armpit of the nation".Have you ever been to Arkansas?

 

What does the Japanese market have to do with the Mini consumer? Shame on Alta for destroying an other wise handsome cluster mount. It was clean, well thought out, and they made "more" less.

 

>>Mini owners are not 18 years old, and want their mods to be tasteful

Are you sure about that?

>> What does the Japanese market have to do with the Mini consumer?

Ever see the stuff for the MINI comming out of Japan? I assume you havent, if you did then you would have known that the Mini and MINI are even more popular there then in the USA.

If you dont like the alta logo I suggest painting the gauge cluster...or just not buying aftermarket parts at all, they all have company logos on them. And why did you name this thread "Alta Gauge Failure"? It didnt break did it? I wouldnt claim that is was a failure just because of a logo (unless it was made by APC )

 

*ahem* said the 18 year-old MINI owner...

ALTAsite
Lets watch the stereotypes and generalizations, please
_________________

 

Yes, there are many younger mini owners here. Lets not offend anyone here.

 

A lot more than one would think. Take a look at the ENTIRE aftermarket for tuning. rfibanez is right. Have you seen any of the Japanese based websites for MINI mods? Did you see any of the MINI's that were @ SEMA? I find it funny how if a MINI owner puts stickers from their tuner on the car or paints their calipers red to match the adj. rear sway bar or pick H-Sport springs because they are, that's fine. But do it to a Nissan or Honda, it's rice.

Please provide an example of the guilty cluster mount.

 

I would also be interested in knowing what "failed" on the ALTA gauge pod. I have one on order.
ColoradoMark<--- 47 year-old ricer

BTW, I think the PROMINI pod is virtually the same without the ALTA logo.

 

>>Yes, there are many younger mini owners here. Lets not offend anyone here.
>>
>>

Anyway, basic-prose-being-a-challenge aside, the point is that the aftermarket companies are catering to a different crowd than might be represented by the creator of this topic. I suggested having low expectations to avoid disappointment. I would expect the gauge pod to be ruined with some kind of bling bling and have to fix it myself.

I would have just worked with the gauge pod, which is otherwise OK. I don't get why the gauge pod is considered to have failed either.

 

Marketing 101:

1. Brand recognition.

...enough said.

If you buy anything these days, it will have the brand logo/name on it.
Buy a pair of Levis...logo.
Buy a car...logo.
Buy a set of wheels...logo.
Buy sunglasses...logo.
Buy a pen...logo.
Buy anything...and you will surely get a logo.

 

If you think YOU have a problem with logos....

 

Yes. A horde of marketroids--including so-called brand managers--can ruin any product. Many companies have too many of these competing over too little turf, sucking >=6-figure salaries out of payroll.

 

>>At this point, I'm surprised none of them have offered a Knight Rider/Cylon style light kit as an insert for the MCS bonnet scoop.

That would be so freakin cool. I would do the cylon eye style as long as it didn't interfere with the cooling air flow. The Knight Rider style has been done to death.

 

>>>>
>>A lot more than one would think. Take a look at the ENTIRE aftermarket for tuning. rfibanez is right. Have you seen any of the Japanese based websites for MINI mods? Did you see any of the MINI's that were @ SEMA? I find it funny how if a MINI owner puts stickers from their tuner on the car or paints their calipers red to match the adj. rear sway bar or pick H-Sport springs because they are, that's fine. But do it to a Nissan or Honda, it's rice.
>>
>>Please provide an example of the guilty cluster mount.

If a MINI owner puts stickers on his or her car and paints the car's calipers red, it is no different in terms of taste than doing so is on a Nissan or Honda.

 

>>It is kind of sad that you call NJ the "Armpit of the nation".Have you ever been to Arkansas?

 

First off, and only because we're dealing with another race, it's Zylon, not cylon. :smile:

Secondly, I agree that "branding" a product, though the accepted practice, is not always done with the degree of finesse that we would like. What's wrong with just adding a sticker with the item?

 

Yeah, but when a 45 year old MINI owner does it, there is a different perception than a 20 year old doing it.

 

>>It is kind of sad that you call NJ the "Armpit of the nation".Have you ever been to Arkansas?

You need to futher define the "Armpit of the Nation" as the region of Arkansas next to the border with Texas .... Now there is the true Armpit

 

>>First off, and only because we're dealing with another race, it's Zylon, not cylon. :smile:

WTH are the Zylons? http://www.kobol.com/archives/cylons.html

 

>>>>
>>Yeah, but when a 45 year old MINI owner does it, there is a different perception than a 20 year old doing it.

Not to me. I'd say the 45yo has the Oryza sativa L fever.

 

>>WTH are the Zylons? http://www.kobol.com/archives/cylons.html<<<

I seem to stand corrected....though, if you do a yahoo search of "zylon battlestar", there seems to be some other misguided folks out there besides me.