| Sys Admin Extraordinaire |

2012-12-26 Initial Post

Back in October 2012 I installed the spoiler and one weekend later I removed it.

This was a big mistake. I actually wanted the wing spoiler but it takes a lot more time and requires several specialized tools to install if you follow Acura install instructions. So instead I figured I’d get a deck lid spoiler (“deck lid” is the official Acura name for the “lip” style spoiler) and use the adhesive tape (no-drill) method which I read about on several forums.

I ended up removing the spoiler because the sides had lifted up. I had planned to remove it and then reinstall it using the supplied screws (one on each end), but I broke the spoiler when I was prying it off with my hands.

After a lot of research, I bought the spoiler from thespoilerstore on eBay. It was $121 + $40 for custom paint. The quality of the spoiler and paint job was decent. The paint wasn’t a 100% match, but close enough for me. Anyway, here are some issues I had with this whole project:

1. I have the “Forged Silver Metallic” color which required customized painting since the spoiler manufacturer only makes them pre-painted in the popular colors of which “Forged Silver Metallic” is not. So that was an extra $40. Because the spoiler was painted from primed stock that had already had the adhesive on it, I think the painting and possible baking afterwards, weakened the adhesive (note the wavy adhesive backing in the pics). From what I can tell, thespoilerstore and other sellers get this model of spoiler from the same manufacturer.

What sucks about this is that when I got my TSX I wanted the color “Silver Moon” but the dealer didn’t have it in stock with the tech package. “Silver Moon” is one of the spoiler’s pre-painted colors. Maybe if I got the factory pre-painted color everything would have fit better and stuck better.

2. The shape of the spoiler itself is very curvy for a lip spoiler. I don’t even like this design, but it’s the OEM design, so that’s why I went with it. I didn’t want to take the chance of getting a universal lip spoiler and having it not fit well. The shape actually makes it more difficult to be held down only by adhesive tape because of the curves and large ends (if you look at the pictures, you’ll see what I mean). If this spoiler was narrower and only sat on the top, I think the adhesive tape would have held fine and the spoiler would not have lifted up on the ends. Something like the OEM lip spoiler on the 2^nd generation TL Type S is what I consider a good lip spoiler design.

3. I bought 3M Scotch 20 lb. adhesive from Home Depot and added it to some areas on the spoiler as reinforcement for the stock adhesive (see adhesive with red backing in pics). This 20 lb. adhesive was actually what caused me to break the spoiler when I was removing it—it did its job and stuck very well.

So now I’m out $161 plus several hours of time and I have some light scratches on the trunk lid. I think next spring I might try this again but get the OEM spoiler. And since I might get the OEM spoiler, I might even go for the wing spoiler. My advice to anyone thinking that the adhesive tape install method will hold, don’t even bother trying it unless you plan to remove the stock adhesive and use something stronger like 3M Scotch 20 lb. adhesive. It’ll probably take a few hours to remove the existing adhesive cleanly and would probably require some special adhesive remover. A stronger adhesive tape might work better, but I would still be leery of the ends lifting up. Some people also use silicone adhesive, which is basically glue. If I’m going to use glue, I might as well drill.

Some references:

You can get the Acura install instructions from here:

http://www.acurapartssuperstore.com/product_info.php?cPath=22_73_74&products_id=346

Some postings about adhesive-only install:

http://tsx.acurazine.com/forums/showthread.php?t=798849

http://tsx.acurazine.com/forums/showthread.php?t=846099

http://tsx.acurazine.com/forums/showthread.php?t=810536

http://www.cardata.com/spoilers/no-drill_spoiler_instructions.htm

Tags: DIY, do it yourself, review

This entry was posted on Wednesday, December 26th, 2012 at 12:00 AM and is filed under Automotive. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.