Fitment, Installation and Product Safety Notice

ETi Fitment & Quality Standard. ETi manufactures composite, carbon-fiber, body, aero, and interior components to reproduce the intended geometry and mounting relationship of the original vehicle as closely as reasonably practical. Composite parts are hand-manufactured, and production vehicles, especially older or previously repaired vehicles, are not dimensionally identical. This Notice defines ETi's engineering target, acceptable fitment tolerance, normal professional fitting work, claim-evaluation method, and safety requirements.

Production target and acceptance threshold are not the same thing. ETi's production goal is substantially tighter than the maximum tolerance used to evaluate a fitment claim. A part falling within an outer acceptance threshold is not a statement that ETi intentionally manufactures to that limit.

1. ETi production fitment target

Where reliable OEM dimensional data or allowable fitment tolerances are available, ETi's engineering and quality-control target is to reproduce the applicable OEM nominal geometry or permitted OEM range within approximately 2 mm after normal professional alignment and adjustment. Where an OEM does not publish usable dimensional data, ETi may use an original OEM part, a verified reference vehicle, opposite-side vehicle geometry, an approved production master, mold, fixture, scan, or other documented reference.

The 2 mm figure is ETi's production target. It is not a promise that every installed seam on every vehicle will measure within 2 mm of another vehicle, because final installed geometry is also influenced by the chassis, adjacent parts, mounting hardware, adjustment range, prior repairs, and installer setup.

2. Direct-replacement exterior panels: 7 mm outer tolerance

For direct-replacement exterior body panels and comparable exterior seams, after a qualified professional installer has completed a full non-destructive dry fit and all normal professional alignment and adjustment, a visible installed seam or panel gap of up to 7 mm is within ETi's acceptable fitment tolerance, unless the verified OEM specification, OEM reference geometry, or product-specific design calls for a larger gap.

A measured gap greater than 7 mm after those steps is not automatically deemed defective, but it will be reviewed as a potential fitment nonconformity. ETi will evaluate the measurement against the OEM/reference geometry, the opposite side where relevant, adjacent components, mounting locations, vehicle condition, and installation work performed.

The 7 mm figure is an outer claim-evaluation threshold, not ETi's production target. ETi aims to produce parts substantially closer to OEM/reference geometry.

A gap at or below 7 mm may still require review if there is material taper or asymmetry, unsafe contact, failure of a latch or closure, inability to engage intended mounting points, substantial distortion, or another functional or safety issue attributable to the ETi component. Likewise, a gap greater than 7 mm is not a nonconformity where the verified OEM/reference design itself specifies or exhibits a larger intended gap.

3. Interior components

Interior parts are evaluated against verified OEM/reference geometry rather than a single absolute seam width because dashboards, consoles, door cards, pillars, switch panels, vents, and trim interfaces use different intentional gaps and overlaps. ETi's production target remains within approximately 2 mm of verified reference geometry where reliable reference data exists.

After normal professional fitting, ETi generally considers a visible interior-position deviation of up to 4 mm from the verified OEM/reference position to be within acceptable tolerance, provided intended mounts and clips can engage and doors, vents, switches, controls, airbags where applicable, and adjacent trim can function safely. Greater deviation is reviewed component-specifically and is not automatically deemed a defect. The 7 mm exterior-panel threshold does not apply to interior trim.

4. What counts as a qualified professional installer

For purposes of a fitment claim, a qualified installer is a professional body, collision-repair, composite, fabrication, restoration, or motorsport shop with demonstrable experience installing aftermarket carbon-fiber or composite automotive components. General mechanical experience alone does not necessarily establish composite body-fitment experience.

5. Normal professional fitting and adjustment

Normal professional installation may include, where appropriate for the product and vehicle:

• adjustment of hinges, latches, strikers, bump stops, brackets, and factory mounting positions;
• alignment of adjacent adjustable OEM components within their normal adjustment range;
• use of reasonable shims, washers, spacers, or transferred OEM hardware;
• minor enlargement or slotting of concealed mounting holes;
• minor trimming, sanding, or finishing of concealed mounting flanges or edges; and
• drilling mounting holes where a component is intentionally supplied undrilled or where product instructions call for installer-positioned holes.

The need for these ordinary fitting steps does not, by itself, establish a manufacturing defect.

6. Work outside normal fitting

ETi does not consider the following to be ordinary fitting where required solely to correct a manufacturing misfit: structural reconstruction of the part or vehicle; adding laminate, filler, or other material to recreate missing geometry; substantial reshaping or forced preload; cutting or repairing an exposed finished carbon surface; relocation or reconstruction of intended mounting architecture; or installation that creates unsafe contact, prevents secure closure, or materially distorts the component. If this type of work appears necessary, stop and contact ETi before proceeding.

7. Vehicle, chassis and adjacent-part condition

ETi products are designed and evaluated against verified OEM/reference vehicle geometry. The customer is responsible for providing a vehicle whose chassis, unibody, subframes where relevant, body apertures, mounting structures, mounting points, closure geometry, and surrounding components are sufficiently within the applicable OEM/reference geometry to permit a meaningful fitment evaluation.

Prior collision damage, chassis or unibody movement, structural repair, corrosion, worn hinges or latches, replacement structural pieces, modified mounting points, aftermarket lights, bumpers, brackets, bumper supports, aero, or other adjacent components can alter installed position even when the ETi component itself matches its intended reference geometry.

Fitment warranty exclusion for chassis/body conditions. If the chassis, unibody, body structure, mounting structure, mounting points, aperture, or relevant adjacent vehicle geometry is bent, twisted, shifted, corroded, improperly repaired, modified, or otherwise materially outside verified OEM/reference geometry, and that condition causes or materially contributes to the claimed fitment issue, ETi fitment warranty coverage for the affected component is void to the extent of that fitment issue. ETi is not responsible for manufacturing a component to compensate for a vehicle that is outside the geometry against which the component was designed.

ETi may suspend or deny a fitment claim where the vehicle cannot first be established as a valid reference base. ETi may require correction of the chassis/body/mounting condition and written or photographic verification from a qualified collision, body, restoration, fabrication, or alignment facility before fitment review resumes. Once corrected, ETi may re-evaluate the component against verified reference geometry.

This exclusion applies to fitment-related coverage and does not automatically void warranty coverage for an unrelated, independently verified defect in ETi materials or workmanship. Nothing here limits mandatory rights that applicable law does not permit ETi to exclude.

8. Dry fit before irreversible work

Composite body and interior products must be carefully dry-fitted before paint, wrap, PPF, ceramic coating, final clear coat, permanent bonding, visible trimming, or other irreversible modification. Confirm mounting points, panel gaps, flushness, latch operation, tire and suspension clearance, cooling airflow, sensor clearance, and adjacent-component compatibility.

If a suspected fitment issue appears during dry fit, stop before performing additional irreversible work and document the condition. Do not force-fit a disputed component. Product-specific instructions control where they require a specific drilling, trimming, retention, or installation procedure.

9. How ETi measures a fitment claim

Fitment is evaluated from the complete installation, not from a single close-up photograph or isolated measurement. For a disputed seam, ETi may require measurements at a minimum of three control points along the seam, measured in millimeters with a ruler, caliper, tapered gap gauge, or comparable measuring tool.

A fitment claim should include the order number; vehicle year, model and chassis; LHD or RHD configuration where relevant; known accident or body-repair history; relevant aftermarket surrounding parts; installer/shop details; a description of adjustments attempted; wide photographs showing the complete part and both adjacent panels; close photographs of the disputed seam; mounting-point photographs; and requested measurements or video.

ETi may also request comparison to the removed OEM part, the unaffected/opposite side, published OEM dimensional information, or a verified reference installation.

10. Fitment review and remedies

If ETi verifies that a condition falls outside the applicable standard and is attributable to ETi materials, workmanship, or manufactured geometry, the claim will be handled under the Returns, Cancellations and Claims Policy and, where applicable, the ETi Limited Product Warranty. A condition outside a target or tolerance does not predetermine the remedy; inspection, cause, product condition, applicable law, and the governing order terms control.

Installation labor, paint, wrap, coatings, PPF, vehicle downtime, third-party fabrication, removal/reinstallation, and other consequential costs are governed by the applicable warranty and sales terms and are not automatically covered.

11. Fasteners, torque and retention

Use correct fasteners, washers, locking methods, supports, and torque values for the application. Do not assume titanium or lightweight fasteners use the same torque as OEM steel hardware. Inspect and re-torque after initial use and at intervals appropriate to street or motorsport operation.

12. Hoods, trunks, aero and body panels

Confirm latch engagement and any required secondary retention. Hood pins or additional restraints are required where stated by ETi, a vehicle builder, sanctioning body, or safe installation practice. Inspect aero mounts, splitter supports, wing stands, doors, trunks, hoods, and body panels for cracking, looseness, interference, or impact damage.

13. Heat, electrical, cooling and safety systems

Maintain safe clearance from exhaust, turbochargers, brakes, and other heat sources and install shielding where required. Electrical products require correct voltage, fusing, grounding, wire gauge, sealing, and heat management. Cooling and fluid systems must be pressure-tested, correctly bled, inspected for leaks, and monitored after installation.

Seats, rails, brackets, harnesses, airbags, and restraint systems must be installed as a complete compatible system by a qualified professional. Do not infer FIA, SFI, DOT, TÜV, road-legal, emissions, or other approval unless expressly documented for the exact product.

14. Competition, road legality and inspection

Competition use increases load and inspection requirements. The purchaser is responsible for vehicle legality, emissions compliance, lighting, noise, pedestrian-safety, and sanctioning-body rules in the place of use. Inspect ETi components after installation, after the first drive or heat cycle, before competition events, after any impact, and periodically thereafter. Stop using a loose, cracked, damaged, overheated, interfering, or otherwise unsafe component.

15. Installation resources

ETi publishes product and installation guidance to help installers achieve the intended result. Start with the ETi Resources Center and, for carbon hoods, the Carbon Hood Install Guide: Pins, Dampers, and Getting the Gaps Right. Product-specific instructions or safety requirements control where they are more specific than this general Notice.

16. Relationship to ETi policies

This Notice should be read with the Terms of Sale and Website Use, Returns, Cancellations and Claims Policy, ETi Limited Product Warranty, the applicable product page, and any written product-specific instructions. Nothing in this Notice excludes or limits a statutory guarantee, product-liability right, conformity right, or other remedy that applicable law does not permit ETi to exclude.

17. Reporting a fitment or safety concern

Email nate@myeliteti.com with the order number, product, vehicle details, installer details, photographs, measurements, and a description of the concern. Do not continue using a component that may be unsafe.