[BOWDWN2MX6]

I recently made contact with a Canadian company called Canadian Auto Extras to inquire about a Ractive strut bar. I had him set @ $90US for both the front and rear bar. They need $15US for shipping, but can only accept payment via snailmail. In other words, he turned down my offer to pay by debit card. 2 questions: #1 Is $45ea a GREAT deal, or have you seen better? (where?) #2 Am I being too picky by expecting a distributor to accept payment other than by check or money order?

Heck, two more questions. Any other GOOD brands I should consider when looking for strut bars? Prices?

 

[Mazx6]

$90 for the front and the rear damn thats great where did you get that price from?

 

[Quy93MX6V6]

90+15=105US

that's about 165CDN.

i live in edmonton. auto toyz in westedmontonmall is selling it for 160CDN for both

 

[Stumper66]

is there any places in the U.S. Where they'd have them? I live in Seattle, Washington. It's just a 2 hour drive from the border

 

[Rufnek69]

hey!

Whats the number for Canadian Auto Extras

that sounds intresting!

Thx

 

[BOWDWN2MX6]

Anyone going to answer the payment question? Shouldn't a reputable BUSINESS take modern payments methods? I can understand an individual not being able to process electronic payment, but not a business! I would've snatched up the deal in a second if not for the payment delay.
Jay @ Canadian Auto Extras' email is: Canadian Auto Extras [email protected]
He's got great prices on the strut bars (probably because its a local Canadian company), but his prices on other stuff were pretty high (US imports no doubt). He needed $189ea for Tokico Illuminas and $1299 for a Shogun body kit, for example. I found a great deal on the Tokicos and I'm holding out for a good price and body shop for a different kit.

Oh, BTW, these prices are ALL in US$. I guess I ought to add that when posting about a Canadian company, eh?

Quy93MX6V6, How can I get ahold of auto toyz? Will they ship to the states? Will they take payment via debit card?

[Edited by BOWDWN2MX6 on 04-06-2001 at 12:10 PM]

 

[Rufnek69]

perfect sense

It makes sense to me as to why a ditributor would NOT be able to take debit cards.. Generally dealers when they sign with a supplier, they have to turn over financial information in order to setup a terms account.. That way if i was a business and I wanted to be supplied by Canadian Auto Extras I would have an account with them already. I would order parts and each month I would get billed.. thus sending them a company check. I would'nt be suprised if they couldnt except cash either. ( this makes sense to me because I work for a computer distributor and all our resellers have accounts with us... Businesses dont pay with debit cards..

hope this helps you

Cheers

 

[BOWDWN2MX6]

I beg to differ. Most disties with whom I've dealt DO accept payment via Debit/Credit card. It makes no difference to them how they get money, only that they GET the money. The only downside is the percentage the bank takes on each sale paid with CC. This differs per each individual account agreement, but 3% is common. I would even understand a slight markup at that. The inability to accept electronic payment is a sales limitation and the last thing a Sales business needs is limitations.

 

[Rufnek69]

dude

dude, it they are a distributor, they generally supply to resellers... not end users... how much business do you think they are really gonna lose because the odd dude may want to buy something directly? if i was a disty i wouldnt give a **** about endusers either.. why spend good money on a stupid debit machine when its gonna be used once in a million years....

cheers

 

[BOWDWN2MX6]

Don't take it personally. Distributors distribute to all sorts of people, not just to businesses. While I might not make up a huge volume of their sales by myself, individuals DO add up to a sizeable percentage. Businesses don't ALL purchase on net terms. Many, in fact, purchase COD or by Credit Card. You can't be serious about a distributor not wanting to shell out a few hundred bucks for a cc machine?!? If that affects their bottom line, I fear for their chances at staying in business.

 

[Rufnek69]

of course not all businesses purchase on terms... some of them just dont have the financial backing... credit card orders are generrally more expensive (becasue of credit card company kik backs) and CODs dont come without a fee of some sort. The company I work for doesnt even let end users in to the pickup room for pickup orders. I work for a pretty big tier one computer distributor, so this aint no small potatoes. btw I dont take anything personally. It just isnt suprising to me that a supplier doesnt take a debit card. You should see if there is a reseller in your area that perhaps deals with this supplier, and see if he can hook you up that way...

Im curious though.. I spend alot of time trying to find stuff for our cars, and it is ALL in the states... I dont think there is anything that you can get in Canada that you cant get somewhere in the states anyway. emm emm Mazda speed is a bitch to find in Canada.. but it is still available in the states to a certain degree...

cheers

 

[BOWDWN2MX6]

Alright, its just hard to tell sometimes. I am very familiar with end-user - supplier relations. I know what you're saying, I just don't see the justification as it applies to this particular reseller. Canadian Auto Extras is not a big distributor as near as I can tell. They advertise on EBAY for godssake! Clearly, they are pursuing the end-user. Why not Paypal? Maybe these are the bigger concerns I should have listed from the beginning.

As for the local hookup, I performed the dealer search at the MANUFACTURER'S website (toucanindustries.com) and the closest disty is halfway up the next state! We're talking a couple hundred miles (a few more hundred kilometers) On the list of the 5 or 6 closest, 2 were in Hawaii and one in Alaska. I'm going to keep trying because I thing the bars are quality stuff. Wish me luck.

[Edited by BOWDWN2MX6 on 04-06-2001 at 01:17 PM]

 

[BOWDWN2MX6]

Hey Rufnek69, pass the J will ya?

 

[Rufnek69]

hahaha

kewl man! good luck with that... let me know how they are once you get them.. Im dyin up here in Toronto.. Any kewl stuf I want to import from the states takes like a month to come around... very frustrating

I didnt realize they actually had a focus to the end user... that infact changes everything I said... they are just dumbasses then.

Always passed to da lef han side!!

cheers

 

[JPMX6GT]

I got the front and rear bars from corksport for $140 USD for both. $70 USD each. The bars are the same for the front and rear. The front may rub on the manifold or rub on the hood.

 

[BOWDWN2MX6]

Quy93MX6V6, Dude, buddy, man, do you have the contact info for the other Canadian company yet? I'm itching to call them and order!!

 

[BOWDWN2MX6]

Regarding the rubbing... Someone mentioned BENDING the strut bar in another post. How about just a little light grinding (dremel, maybe) on the under-side of the bar. Get your clearance, sand fine, and repolish. Maybe 30 minutes of work. Would it be worth it, or is the rubbing not that bad.
Also, someone mentioned that Toucan (Ractive) has since corrected this problem with a new design. Confirmation anyone?
One last thing... After I questioned him about it, Ray @ the Canadian Auto Extra place told me the bar would work on either the 4cyl or v6 MX-6. I had my doubts and now I'm curious as to whether the rubbing is ONLY on the V6. Am I right?