I'm thinking about buying Frankencar Intake for my ride, and i was just wondering if there were any known problems with that type of an intake. My car is a 2001 SE 20th anniversary edition. If you know of any problem with frankencar intake, post here and let me know. Thanks a lot in advance.

 

the only problem is that, they have no customer service. other than that it is the same intake as Berk, except Berk intakes have a lighter mid pipe.

 

customer service is not that big of a problem....i meant like technical problems for 2001 SE 20th Anniversary Edition with Frankencar Intakes.

 

i say just get a BERK from cobymoby and call it a day ...

also if you dont like you blue hoses you can get black ones

and brian has awesome customer service
-J

 

Oh you'll care about customer service when you send FC payment and don't receive the intake till like a few months after! Just buy a Berk, you shouldn't have problems except maybe the MAF failing. But, even there, the 00-01 MAFS handle aftermarket intakes better than 02+'s do.

 

I have the Frankencar on an AE with an Apexi filter and it works great. I have never received a reply from an e-mail or a phone call from Frankencar. That said, I got mine on a group deal and it only (only) took about 3 - 4 weeks. If I were doing it over I would probably go with a Berk. They offer a polished midpipe and I don't think that Frankencar does. I talked to Cobymoby and he said that they are basically the same thing. My feeling is that Berk might be a little better quality and as was said it might weigh a little less.

 

How much is BERK anyway? And how can I contact moby or who ever sells it.. you guys got his email add?

 

Here you go ...

bryan@berktechnology.com

 

thanks alot for replies ppl
so the only problem might be is MAF failing? what do u do if it fails, how much does it cost on average? thanks in advance.

 

I have had the frankencar intake on my 2k for about 15,000 miles now. No problems, no MAF failures, love the sound and increased top end feel. Can't speak for customer service, I got mine in less than 2 weeks when I ordered and haven't had any reason to call or email them. I mean, it's a simple piece of equipment that really cannot break - why would you need to call or email them anyways?

Yeah the Berk's a little lighter-it's aluminum and the FC is steel. So in terms of durability, theoretically the FC is stronger (though neither one is gonna break)...as to looks, mine's red and looks fine. But who gives a **** about looks, its under your freakin' hood! It's there for performance and the sweet sound......

either way they're both pretty much the same, but don't listen to all the Berk owners who hate on frankencar because they've had a bad experience with FC. I've had no bad experiences. how about that?

they are both good equipment and are essentially the same thing....

 

What Irish said!

 

I think a brand new MAF is about little over $100. MAF failures are common among oil coated filters, e.i. K&N, JWT, Stillen. Granted these filters work great, but when they are "over-oiled" the greater the chance the MAF may fail. BTW - Stay away from foam filters.

I got the apexi filter w/ adapter from Frankencar and replaced the foam filter on my WeaponR. Apexi is a dry paper, non oiled filter.

 

ive had both frankencar and berk intakes. the berk is far superior with regards to quality, price and communication. the lighter aluminum will also be better for heat disapation instead of holding more of it like steel. these differences add up in the end. i have never had an issue with my maf on either intake. i wish i had a pic of my frankencar midpipe but the welds were a joke.

 

I have the Frankencar now. Not one problem yet and the sound is awsome!

 

The berk communicates with you?

As far as heat dissipation, in theory sloppymax is correct. But I have felt my FC midpipe after sitting in rush hour and it has never felt particularly hot. The pipe won't be any hotter than the ambient air temperature under the hood - and the air is drawn in just inches from the midpipe, so I really don't think it makes a difference. maybe a few degrees. so sloppymax is right on this point, but the difference is negligible.

but......How is the berk better "quality" pray tell? Did your frankencar break or do you just like the "looks" of the Berk better? looks/= quality. I'm not flaming, I'm asking a serious question, sloppy.....

BTW what you call "joke" welds I call "strong" welds. They are clean but noticeable. If looks are your priority, yeah get the Berk, it looks prettier. but it is NOT as strong

in a similar sense - my wife's $800 mountain bike had very nice, low-profile, clean gussets (welds). my custom racing frame has beefy, very noticeable gussets - these are not "sloppy", these are for extra strength. my wife's cannondale has cracked gussets twice with light use. My frame has gone through hell and back and is still rock solid.

Besides, comparing aluminum gussets with steel welds is the real joke. keep thinking aluminum is stronger than steel.....it's not.

once again though, one is NOT better than the other. Get what you feel comfortable with. They both give you EXACTLY the same performance. And they are similar in price, especially if you can get either of them in a group deal.

btw no i do not work for frankencar, but I will be buying their catback one of these days too, because I think the quality, prompt shipping, and performance is just fine.

 

i could care less about looks. i will do my best to find a pic of the FC midpipe and show you really crummy weld on the vacuum line for the VIAS. the fact they sent it out new like that speaks alot for them. as fas as communication, i got mine in a group deal ages ago. since then, ive seen too many stories of too many people waiting months for an intake, thats insane. my frankencar never broke but i was never able seal up the cracks on the weld. compare the pic i find to one on my homepage of the berk and thats the difference in quality. as far as using it now, i dont even use a midpipe. i replaced it with 9" k&n filter.

 

just found a pic. i uploaded it on my homepage. my digital camera is not the greatest but there are cracks all around the weld that the picture focused in on. looking at the pic, the bad weld is not on the VIAS line but from a breather line. i wish the picture had better detail but its all i have. from my experience, berk offers a better product, quick shipping and good prices.

 

thanks a lot for your feedback...it's very helpful...thanks again

 

key phrase that I like to see: "from my experience". 'nuff said.

too many people here make blanket statements about products they haven't used, owned, or know **** about...they just rehash other peoples' posts. sloppy gets more props for actually having used the products.

well I can't see that pic that well, but it does look a little messy...mine is a clean layer weld - looks much better than that. Maybe you got one done after a hard night of drinking!

Really, though, Hitman, just do a GAB and save yourself some $$. It does the same thing as our FC/Berks but looks pretty much stock

nice discussion guys....that's my last word.

 

sorry i'm kind of new to all these terms, what's a GAB? thanks in advance.

 

Just look at the welds and make a judement of your own.

The difference you are seeing is home hobby welding vs. professional TIG welding done by people who actually weld for a living. Not everyone's perfect everytime but that's where quality control steps in. They should go into the scrap pile. I've just replaced too many broken Frankencar midpipes with Berk Technology midpipes over the last 5 months to say they their quality is up to par. So far I've had 1 return in the past two years. I haven't kept close track but in the past 5 months I've replaced almost 10 broken Frankencar midpipes. It's not a case of steel being stonger or not (mild steel is MUCH stonger than 6061 aluminum), but steel will bend before it fractures. The Frankencar pipes are breaking at the joints because of bad welds. Not because the steel isn't strong enough.

Irish I agree with you; if your Frankencar is holding up okay and the welds are still in good shape, then there is no "performance based" reason to switch to Berk unless you like the look of polished alumimum vs. painted steel.

Regards,
Bryan
bryan@berktechnology.com

 

nuff said.
just happy the welds on my FC don't look like that....they look much more consistent, if that describes it at all. Well, if it breaks I'll get a Berk. If not, I won't

 

i'm pretty satisfied with my FC intake so far