Why buy a branded gauge?

[Marvelicious]

Hey guys, am thinking of getting gauges, but heard from a friend that cheap taiwanese gauges are not reliable and spoils easily. Then again, three defi gauges cost about $1000, and those from HKS and Blitz don't come cheap either. But I am not too sure how long those defi gauges can last as compared to taiwanese stuff. Are they more cost-effective over the long run?

 

Anyone can give some educated advice? Thanks. :)

[Jiayong]

maybe it will be good if you share your ride and what are the gauges you intend to get.

 

then easier for us to advice?

[Sony]

Without knowing what sort of alarm clock you wanted, some lower end ones tend to be a bit lag in giving reading. but that is quite negligent for some people.

 

Of coz, reliability is another reason but then, some work well after years.. and it's money well-spent.

 

Now, the reason for you wanting to have the alarm clock.. ahem, guages is more to tell you the time or you really know what the reading such as boast, air/fuel ratio, etc is about?

[Rb26dett]

maybe u could try to source them out over the marketplace in various forums.they do have 2nd hand blitz or defi gauges which may be as cheap as 600-700 for defi fuelpress/waterpress/boost/exhausttemp + control unit II.

[Marvelicious]

Hey thanks guys for the advice. I am driving a Swift Sport. Pretty basic at the moment. Will probably only do up the exhaust and CAI. I have a rough idea on what gauges to get. Prob water temp, oil temp, and vacuum. And to be honest, I want to get them more for the aesthetics, the reading of it comes second.

 

Importantly, I want to know if a branded gauge last me longer and gives me more accurate reading as compared to a cheaper Taiwanese brand. I am sure some of the guys who use those Taiwanese gauges can advise me?

 

Bro Rb26dett, will try other forums for second hand gauges, problem is I think a lot of them require registrations. Quite troublesome. Nonetheless I shall try...

 

Thanks again guys.

[Sony]

If that's the case, go for those taiwan lookalike then..

 

cheaper and equally effective.. save the money for other stuffs..

 

BTW, when buying, at times, the guage doesn't come with sandwich kit or adapter... So take note if you have tight budget.

[Marvelicious]

Thanks sony. But my friend's friend who uses a Taiwanese gauge was saying that his was spoilt after a while. And I think that branded gauges like Defi, HKS, Blitz will probably have a much better resale value. Meaning to say if I buy 3 gauges for $1000, I might be able to sell them at say, $600 - $700, as compared to a Taiwanese gauge, which have practically little resale value at all.

 

If so, wouldn't it be more practical to buy branded ones, which last me much longer, is more reliable and comes with better resale value?

 

Is my concept of it correct?

[Sony]

Like I said, some taiwanese guages can last as well.. and it's at a fraction of those branded ones you mentioned. Even if you need replacement, overall it's still cheaper.

 

To re-sell them at 600 to 700, you are losing 300-400 and I think the loses is the price for a brand new set of taiwanese guages + installation.

 

Anyway, I'm not so into alarm clock, so others might have other views..

[Fcw75]

I have been using Timex gauges for my car for 2 years and they are still working. Sometimes they are pretty eratic (no light, doesn't do a full swing when starting car) but there's nothing a few whacks on the gauges wouldn't solve.

 

At least they are still showing me the readings for voltage and water temp.

[Marvelicious]

Thanks fcw. Will think it through carefully before deciding. Thanks again. :)

[Marvelicious]

Ok, I know what you mean. But if I pay$1000 for the gauges and then get back $700 for them. Wouldn't I have spent the equivalent of taiwanese gauges?

 

:)

 

Anyways, thanks for sharing.

[Theoldjaffa]

would you pay S$700 for 2nd hand gauges? factor installation, it will be better off to spend $100-200 more for brand new gauges.

 

think about it.. this is what potential buyers will think when you decide to sell your gauges later on. :)

 

if purely for cosmetic purpose, taiwan gauges are good enough. you can get 2.5 sets of 3 gauges for the price of a set of defi.

[Kiadaw]

Hey guys, am thinking of getting gauges, but heard from a friend that cheap taiwanese gauges are not reliable and spoils easily. Then again, three defi gauges cost about $1000, and those from HKS and Blitz don't come cheap either. But I am not too sure how long those defi gauges can last as compared to taiwanese stuff. Are they more cost-effective over the long run?

 

Anyone can give some educated advice? Thanks. :)

 

I would get a timepiece like tag heuer for this kind of money, confirm last longer, but its just me.

[Brock]

My Taiwan made A***G*** meters has been working fine since the day I installed them. So far close to 2 years already.

[Celicapimp]

I used to buy new taiwan made defi replica gauges over $100 each but spoilt less than a year.I think I'm unlucky

[Theoldjaffa]

Officine Panerai for me anytime over a Tag *just a sidetrack* hehe

[Kalaplus]

u driving 7th gen in spore? really do 3sgte swop? hee