Thread: Bad experience with W-Body Store Fenderwell Intake

Just wanted to post this so that anyone considering doing business with the W-Body could be aware.
If you are considering the FWI for a Pontiac GTP 1997-2003 or buying any other part from these guys that you could possibly want to return without a hassle then don’t do it.
My experience was that I bought a fenderwell intake Kit for a 1998 GTP, the kit arrived OK but it does not fit these cars; it may be fine for other 3800’s but on a 1998 GTP there is just not enough clearance in the fenderwell for it to work. I tried a bunch of different approaches and couldn’t get the thing to fit.
I then tried contacting the W-Body store but got no response. I figured I'd been scammed. I next had the idea that if I cut about 2 inches off of the tube and put a flexible elbow on the end that maybe I could get it to work. No luck.
After that I went to paypal and then directly to the manufacturer. Then the W-body store surfaced and asked if they could help. I told them the story but by then I had already cut the tube. I don’t think they would have taken it back anyway. Tried to work it out with them but they would do nothing for me; no offer of any kind, a polite “tough luck” was all I was given. OK, maybe I shouldn’t have cut the tube but still, they marketed and sold a kit that didn’t fit. It wasn’t like I was trying to get it to fit on a Mustang. I wouldn’t have cut it if it fit. Bottom line is that they sold a kit that didn’t fit my car and in the end did nothing to make it right. Now I’ve spent a total of $235.03 on this and have nothing but a bunch of irritating e-mails to show for it.
Buyers beware, once they have your money you are on your own so you better hope it fits/works because if it doesn’t all you can expect to hear is:
1. Nothing
2. Gee, we’ve sold hundreds of these and never had a problem, you are the only one that has ever said it doesn’t fit.
3. Sorry, but not sorry enough to make it right.

Originally Posted by bluegtp91

Possible you have the coolant bottle in the way?

LOL

I want to hear the answer to that question too...

The problem with the clearance is not the coolant bottle, the issue is that there is a "seam" of sorts where the lower fender connects to the upper fender and there is no way to get that seam out of the way, there is a problem with the fender support brace too but I cut that out of the way. The bigger issue is the clearance that this "seam" creates. The tube looks great and goes into the fender well without any problems but there is no way to actually put a filter on it once in there because of this clearance problem.

I wish it was the coolant bottle, that would have made things a lot easier.

bio intake ftw!

I did cut the fender brace but there is another obsticale in the way. Where the lower fender connects to the upper fender there is a seam of sorts that gets in the way, attempting to bend or cut this out of the way risks alerting or bending the fender in such a way that will make a real difference to the outside/exterior and I drew the line there but I did read and was aware that the brace was something that needed to be cut and I was willing to do that and in fact did. It still didn't fit.

Now, maybe I'm an idiot for not scouring the internet for an install on a 98 GTP, fair enough but I expect that if you are going to sell a part as a fit for these cars, I expect it to fit. This one doesn't; it is not as if it "needs modification" to fit or the "installation is a challenge" but possible. It doesn't fit. I'm not an internet merchant as a business but I have sold hunderds of things over the years on eBay and I just think that what they do with this kit is wrong... they sell it as a fit and it is not and then when asked about it they don't respond for a while and then when they do they say "Gee, never had this problem before" as if I'm just making it up that it doesn't fit.

There are two points to be made here: (1)The JMB Fenderwell intake does not fit the 1997 to 2003 GTP, (2) if you buy something from WBS and have fit issues don't expect help or to be treated fairly.

Originally Posted by Bio248

FWI are for noobs anyway, they dont make any more power (probably less).

I agree, I wasn't expecting any power from the intake... my plan, based on some reading that I have done, is to ultimately move to a smaller pulley and a tweaked PCM but from what I can gather the air intake and exhaust need to be modified first.

Can you post any pictures or links to the intake you mention? The TDC N*?