bnz616

Questions for those who used silicone to fill in gaps around the trunk lip spoiler during installation.

Did the silicone actually help to keep the spoiler down or was it just to seal up all the edges and gaps?

What kind of silicone did you use?...was it just the same kind of clear silicone we would use around the house?..if not, is there a specific kind for auto body?

If I decide to take off the spoiler later, will the silicone mess up the paint on the trunk lid and will I be able to remove all the remaining silicone?

And lastly, does anybody know if they sell black colored silicone? =)

Thanks!

white_w203

some ppl use epoxy or a glue, but the spoiler will never come off.

Justinius7

house hold silicone causes metal to rust extremely fast...

I am not sure how the spoilers are supposed to be mounted... but when i put a spoiler on a previous car of mine, i used automotive grade double back tape by 3M (black) between the spoiler and the body. even though the spoiler was bolted onto the car. Just wanted to get a nice tight seal.

bnz616

I actually used double-sided tape to install the spoiler, but I wouldn't mind sealing the edges with silicone...I think some members have tried it.

razorfish228

I started a whole discussion on this before but I've gone thru the install twice and than finally got this stuff called BetaLink K1 and its black. It is made in Germany and used in putting on Moldings, Body Parts together. Its sorta like Black Silicon but strong adhesive too. Once this stuff dries, your spoiler will not move.

I only have 1 Tube left and its going to the person who buys my Lorinser Roof Spoiler that I have in the Classifieds.

bnz616

Does that kind of stuff leave permanent residue though if I decide to take off the spoiler later? Like will it harm the original paint on the trunk lid.

rubenl

You won't be able to remove the spoiler with "Betalink" unless you chisel it off, the stuff is a permanent hard setting type of adhesive...that is why I used 3M auto grade tape in case I want to remove for any reason...not knocking the "betalink method" though...

jtC320

i tried using double sided tape to tape down my spoiler..but had some problems after...so had it molded onto my trunk and repainted it...

NO_WUR_E

For those of you who had problems...is your spoiler an OEM or did you purchase it as aftermarket (i.e. formymercedes)? Also, did you do the install yourself?

bnz616

Yeah, that was what I was afraid of. I guess I'm hoping to find something to kinda fill in the small gaps. I know gluing will keep all the edges down and make it sit very flush on the car, but I'm probably going to try other spoilers as I go along.

I think most with problems are not OEM spoilers. They are probably mostly made of fiberglass and urethane.

I did the install myself because I wanted to have control on the positioning of the spoiler and also the body shop would've charged a good amount to do the same process. I followed other members suggestions on cleaning the trunk lid very well and taping it down overnight.

jan ken po

I have mine down the with the 3M acrylic plus and haven't had any probs. But how much was it to repaint??

razorfish228

I like your method better of molding it on to the trunk. I never thought about that.

The one thing I like about mine was that both my C55 Spoiler and Roof Spoiler was made of Urethane. I got it from the company that creates and distributes them to the third party vendors.

Ferraristi23

So does it look like the best thing to do is use the double sided tape and then just use clear silicon around all the edges? It makes a lot of sense to me but I figure that somone here must have done it already and can post the pros and cons. Thanks in advance.

bnz616

I was basically going to do that but was wondering if using the silicone will actually mess up the paint on the trunk lid. The regular silicones are called silicone adhesive sealant right? I'm not referring to the RTV gasket maker stuff, but the much weaker silicone.

I believe I read on some thread that someone did use silicone around the edges to seal it off but it wasn't described in detail.

SteveL1

BMW uses double sided tape for the M3 & M5 trunk spoiler, and if it's good enough for them, it's good enough for me! I put an M3 spoiler on my wife's E46 coupe and it has held very well!

c230 o5

going to install my rear wing at the shop i got to , and they told me there going to use silicone

bnz616

From some of the posts I read, I believe two ways to use the silicone were tried. One way is to actually use silicone adhesive to glue on the spoiler, which I think a body shop will do and another way tried was like Ferraristi23 described where they used double sided tape to actually mount the spoiler and use silicone to go around the edges to seal it off. Just what I got from reading some threads on mounting the lip spoilers, anybody else read about these things being done? I guess most people have just used double sided tape and thats it, but i guess it also depends on how the spoiler was made and if the double-sided tape alone will hold it down.

Ferraristi23

Well, I just installed my spoiler and the very edges are sticking up slightly. In fact, it's so slight that I wouldn't really care except that the passenger side sticks up a tiny bit more than the driver side. I spoke to the owner of a body shop that I've used before and he recommend retaping it in the summer when it's hot and using some little clamps with rubber feet and towels to hold down the edges while leaving the car in the sun for a day. He said that they could easily use a very strong silicone to put the spoiler on but it may cause problems with the paint and I may end up painting the trunk and the spoiler as a result. Therefore, he recommended the tape method. Also, he said that if it were not such a minor gap, then he would definitely do the silicone.

Interesting note: The double sided tape is a paperesque, white 3M tape. The tape is holding on the trunk and on the spoiler but it is stretching. I would think that maybe the more heavy duty rubbery industrial 3M tape would be the way to go from the looks of this. By the way, other than the issue with the very edges, the fit, sizing, and finish of the spoiler is excellent.

jan ken po

Again, I used this

http://products3.3m.com/catalog/us/e...er/output_html


Not one prob. Go quite a bit left over if anyone needs some.

Ferraristi23

That is very helpful! Where did you find it? I've called a couple of auto parts stores with no luck. Thanks a lot.

jan ken po

Got it from a place online..will have to get the name once I get back to my home PC.

jan ken po

Here it is

http://store.yahoo.com/yhst-69137106204828/mmm67.html

This might help as well although I didn't use any

http://store.yahoo.com/yhst-69137106204828/mmm72.html

bnz616

What is the difference between that double sided tape and the 3M molding tape found at Pepboys and Kragen? Is it a lot stronger? I used the 3M molding tape, comes in like 1/2 inch wide or 1 inch wide. Basically the same stuff as this:

http://www3.3m.com/catalog/us/en001/...er/output_html

This is a gray, rubbery feeling kinda double sided tape. If the 3M acrylic sealing tape is a lot stronger, I think I'm going to redo the spoiler with that and use clamps to hold it down overnight.

Did you buy the tape you used from the link above?

For the adhesive promoter, does that stuff mess up the original paint on the trunk, I might give that a try to help it stick on better, if it doesn't ruin the paint.

Thanks.