s0verybored211

This review is brought to you by forum sponsor Tetsuya Garage.. He offers amazing products from Japan.

RS Refine Gauge Rings for the NA(89-97).




What you get:
Two large aluminum rings
Three small aluminum rings
Two large clear acrylic lenses
Three small clear acrylic lenses
Tamiya Craft Bond
Pikal Care Metal polish
Japanese Floral print Fabric
Two Tetsuya Garage Stickers

Note: Gauge rings were also offered in Andonized Black.

(In my case I ordered two sets, and received double of everything above)

First impressions:
I was definitely surprised to see how every thing came presented. You can tell a lot of care was put into the product. Its not very often do I receive items as neatly and as beautifully packaged as these rings. Now a days, I count myself lucky that items I ordered didn't come in a dented and/or smashed up box. I also commend Rod (Tetsuya Garage) on the amazingly fast and well packaged shipping. It took less than a week to come from Japan to California.


Build Quality:
The rings felt VERY light, but sturdy in my hand. I was able to polish them using medium to hard pressure with out fear of the rings bending out of shape.

They come packaged a little dull and dirty, but after polishing them with the included metal polish. The shine is very noticeable. A+


Style:
These might not be for everyone. But I for one have always dug the retro styling ever since my youth. Paired up with a KG works panel and possibly a AWD gauge face, and you should be set.A+

Installation:
This is where it might get tricky. It includes taking out the gauge hood, which might be brittle from sitting in the sun for over 20 years for some. After taking off the gauge hood, you need to unfasten the gauge cluster by disconnecting the two harnesses in the back(three if you have defroster), the speedometer cable, and unscrewing the screws.

From there you'll free the plastic covering from the gauge cluster via the small clips. After separating the clear cover from the actual gauges, you can get to work separating the clear cover from the black panel. I was advised by RS Refine to use an acrylic knife. Others have used a Phillips head screw driver to more success, use what ever you feel comfortable with.

Once separated, I test fitted everything together. The larger rings were able to stay on using friction, the smaller rings not so much. I used the Tamiya Brand Craft glue to glue together the acrylic lenses to the aluminum rings, and used the glue again to glue the rings to the gauge panel. I was anal during the whole procedure and used latex gloves. I didn't want to take my panel apart again because of fingerprints. I let everything dry over night. A.


Usability:
No real functionality to this Mod. Its purely for aesthetic reasons. Though some might say the glare coming from the lenses might be a hindrance. I don't have any experience with that so far. The deepness of the rings do overlap some of the gauge face; but i can still see enough of the face so it doesn't bother me. A.

This was a dead on view, you can see how some of the tick marks disappear under the gauge ring.

Overall:
This is definitely a modification I would do to any other future Miatas that I might own. This product deserves a final grade of A+. The product, the presentation, the styling, the packaging, the included supplies, the customer service (although not directly related to RS refine) are what makes this an unforgettable experience. I've throughly enjoyed every minute of this. (Ok maybe not the waiting for the 12 or so people to get on the Group Buy.) RS refine and Tetsuya garage has set the standard for any future reviews i may do. And that is a pretty high bar to over come.

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-Dominic

demoniam

Great review.

A few tips from my install

When removing the clear acrylic cover, use a thumb or fingertip to support the black plastic, as you twist the screwdriver between the cover and housing. The plastic is 20 years old, so it might be brittle. This part of the gauge panel is hidden by the gauge hood, so if you do make a mistake, it will be covered.

Use a wooden toothpick to apply the glue to the ledge on the ring where the lens will rest, use as little glue as you can, but try to get a full seal all around. If the glue is too thick, it will moosh out and onto the viewable part of the lens. Also try to keep the glue in the corner of the ledge, as much as possible.

Depending on your preference, you might want to install the rings to the outer housing with clear silicone, instead of the craft glue. This will allow the rings to fit a little tighter, and give you the opportunity to remove them, if ever needed. Although, you could just trade out the entire assembled housing for another.






Had I decided to use the AWD meter panel, it would have looked like this:

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philrob37

Wow they looks great! I'll have to PM Rod at some point about them!

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Driving Spec: NA - Automotive and Motorsport based Blog
http://drivingspecna.blogspot.com/

Phatmiata

Bump for such a nice part, got mine from Tetsuya Garage and love them!

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Hyper

beautiful parts, thanks for this thread

FABEL

^ agreed!

............bumping this thread should really help out the current GB going on. if you're not aware of it, here's the link:

http://clubroadster.net/vb_forum/sho...ghlight=refine

johnson45bp@hotmail.com

Those set off the cluster. Where did you get your blue face gauges from. I plan on putting some in my CW NA.

demoniam

They were a one-off piece that I had made.

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johnson45bp@hotmail.com

Did you use revlimiter's method?

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Current cars: 1996 M Edition/2000 Subaru Outback

Previous cars: Stock CW 1990 A Package/2000 Buick Regal LS/1998 Millenia /CW 1990 B Package/2008/Subaru Tribeca/1999 Explorer/1993 Civic Si Hatch/1993 Taurus SHO

demoniam

Yes he did.

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revlimiter

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Adam