Choice of Vendor

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JJohnson
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What year did the original Knight Rider start: 1982

Choice of Vendor

Post by JJohnson » Tue Oct 01, 2013 5:16 pm

Hi everyone,

I'm doing some investigating on which vendor to get each part for the car itself, and I've seen quite a few. I was wondering if you might be able to share your experiences as to which parts are the most durable in your cars, and are the most screen accurate, either 1/2-season or 3/4-season.

For my eventual car, I'm leaning towards a season 3 dash, with a season 1 front (so I can use the stock turn signals through the blackouts).

So the parts list looks like this:
*taillight blackout
*1st season front bumper with blackouts and scanner
*black hubcap covers
*PMD seats and doeskin carpeting
*3rd season dash and electronics
*3rd season overhead console with electronics
*3rd season lower console with working electronics.

I am looking for more functionality from the dash, in a few areas:
*PANP should actually be working buttons. I think Advance Designs is the only vendor who does this. If I went with them, can I get just that one board from them and use someone else for everything else?
*the one screen should be a touchscreen with GPS, computer hookup for controlling music playlists, playing video games through an emulator, and a voice response system which some board members have written about in another thread.
*voicebox displays the voice of the person on the other end of a phonecall through bluetooth, the GPS voice, or sound clips from the show, and doesn't respond to the music played through the speakers. If I get an actual computer voice response system, then it would display that voice.
*switchpods actually work for real car functions - trunk release, hood release, etc. I seem to recall people having done this in the past.
*the meters actually display information correctly if the meter means to - fuel levels, oil temp, etc.
*steering wheel should mount cruise control, windshield wipers, and turn signal control so I don't have to reach awkwardly to reach the stock controls.
*air conditioning vents that don't look out of place (yes, not screen accurate, but I live in the south and I enjoy A/C)
*actual climate control - I set a temp and the car tries to keep the internal temp at that point by activating/deactivating the A/C or heater. My sister's car does this already.
*the multi-color lower console should actually do something. I don't know what, but the buttons should have some kind of function.

And from the car:
-keyless entry, possibly remote start
-remote start of the sensor
-backup sensors and camera, possibly blind-spot sensors that will feed into the 1-screen while backing up. This is more likely a third part and not a Knight replica vendor's responsibility.

My question would be, in those replica parts listed, who has, in your experience, the best record in durability, accuracy, and customer service? I don't want to sneeze and have the bumper crack, or look at the dash cross-eyed and have it break on me. I'm not looking for ill-fitting electronics, dummy displays, or something that will warp, peel, crack, fade, or break soon after I get it. It won't be a daily road car, especially with the kind of money it would take to complete, but for occasional trips here and there, it should stand up to normal road usage. I appreciate any helpful advice you would have.

JJohnson
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Posts: 58
Joined: Wed Sep 25, 2013 12:57 am
antispam: No
What year did the original Knight Rider start: 1982

Re: Choice of Vendor

Post by JJohnson » Wed Oct 02, 2013 10:39 am

Did KITT ever have the green numerics that Mark's Custom Kits has?

JJohnson
Rookie
Posts: 58
Joined: Wed Sep 25, 2013 12:57 am
antispam: No
What year did the original Knight Rider start: 1982

Re: Choice of Vendor

Post by JJohnson » Wed Oct 02, 2013 12:42 pm

To edit the first post, which seems to be uneditable now:

So the parts list looks like this:
*taillight blackout
*1st season front bumper with blackouts and scanner
*black hubcap covers
*PMD seats and doeskin carpeting
*3rd season dash and electronics
*3rd season overhead console with electronics
*3rd season lower console with working electronics.
*shifter with nob
*green lit gas pedal
*Knight license plate and holder
*touchscreen LCD with GPS function, possibly computer for camera, mp3/music/video control, video games

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