We are asked again and again "Why is a CAE Ultra Shifter more expensive than the alternatives on the market?"
The question is of course justified! Especially since many customers do not have the explicit knowledge of the interaction between the shift unit and transmission of a vehicle. And on the Internet and the relevant forums, a lot of partial knowledge and technical misinformation also causes confusion.
But we can't blame our customers, because we at CAE also buy a lot of things on the Internet or on a supposed recommendation - and of course also about the price!
Our focus is on the development of a high-quality product with a great focus on extreme demands such as in motor and rally sport. The focus is on precision, extreme durability and resilience, perfect usability, but also as few interventions or modifications as possible during installation. That is why we also have products in our range for customers who shift gears perfectly, but would like to keep their vehicle's interior original - like our underfloor shifters! For the enthusiasts there are the Race variants - absolutely uncompromising in function and appearance!
The basic requirement to build a functioning shifter is knowledge and experience - a lot of experience! At CAE, we have been developing and building shifters for a now extensive range of vehicles for almost 20 years. Nobody has that much experience in this field - for this reason, the claim to be “The Original” is by no means far-fetched or presumptuous!
It always starts with getting an idea of the factory switching unit of the respective vehicle. How was it solved by the manufacturer? Where are the weak points? And how can we use our technology to eliminate the weak points in order to have a perfectly switchable vehicle as a result, which more than meets our and the customer's requirements? That is the challenge with every new development!
Each shifter is designed and tested on the vehicle. Therefore, depending on the model, suitable shift cables and rods or other deflection functions are developed for our products. Solutions are designed and technically implemented for special details. The processing is subject to the strictest quality controls. This applies both to in-house and to our suppliers - who incidentally all produce in Germany. For us, the slogan “Made in Germany” is not just a marketing phrase, but a lived corporate philosophy! It is important to us to process quality parts and materials as well as to have appropriate partners who provide us with them and are also available to us. Because good networking ensures short distances, high-quality products and, at the end of the day, satisfied customers!
Of course, we could produce some components at a significantly lower price abroad, but we have a negligibly low rate of complaints - that also speaks for us and our partners! Because we don't want to support low wages! The employees of our service providers as well as our own should be able to live on their income - and we're not talking about “getting rich”, as is often assumed! Our CAE Ultra Shifters are calculated absolutely fairly in terms of development, production, processing and support - and they can only be as good as the motivation, hard work and efficiency of loyal employees and service providers! And that is simply not available in “cheap”!
Each shifter is assembled by hand in-house, each component is checked again, the fits are meticulously checked and surfaces are examined. High-quality materials, perfect workmanship and a technical implementation that has been thought through down to the last detail is essential! With us, quality clearly comes before quantity!
Support for installation and sales partners as well as end customers is also a matter of course for us. The close-knit communication as well as the passing on of knowledge, exchange and documentation regarding fixtures ensure that we can continuously optimize and improve our products. We want to know where and how our shifters are installed, we want to know whether a customer has had problems so that we can provide appropriate assistance or work out solutions. Illustrated and detailed installation instructions are also available for all CAE Ultra Shifters.
It makes no sense to build a switching unit quickly or (as it is unfortunately usually the case) to simply “clone” it, use inexpensive materials and leave the customer to their fate after the purchase. We also follow the "installation orgies" and unsatisfactory function of some competing products in various forums and are always surprised at what people do to themselves - assuming they save money.
If it were feasible in any way, we would like to hand over our product and that of the supposed competition to the “doubters” - for direct comparison, to look at, to touch! And then the "price difference" suddenly becomes relative very quickly, because you would find that some "cheap" shifters are unfortunately not even worth their price!
And last but not least, our CAE Ultra Shifters are TÜV-tested and can be supplied with a parts certificate on request. This means that nothing stands in the way of registering it in the papers of a street-legal vehicle!
Here are a few more concise points in the brief overview:
- Aluminum H111 sheets, precision milled and chamfered, TIG welded
- All sheet metal edges bevelled, surfaces brushed by hand - for a perfect finish
- Self-supporting housing
- Integrated central position spring, essential for precise shifting
- Low weight with maximum stability and resilience - for ambitious racing use
- Perfect fit of the individual components, absolutely free of play
- Exact placement on the center tunnel
- Sealing against exhaust gases and dirt
- Complete delivery of a CAE Ultra Shifter including all necessary parts
- Warehousing 98% / Express delivery worldwide within 48-72 hours
- With detailed installation instructions for each model (also available in English)
-
Spare parts supply guaranteed at all times and possible at short notice
