My unique approach (imho) to installing a trunk spoiler

[ddas]

There are plenty of videos showing how to install a trunk spoiler. But between the 3 primary paths folks use, double-sided tape, using hardware and epoxy (and I suppose folks use combinations of those 3), there is at least one thing about each I don't care for.

·Double-sided tape: Does anyone seriously believe double-sided tape is a truly responsible means to secure an aero part for higher speeds? Even if someone does, that's a no-go for me. I'll save the video of it flying off and injuring some innocent bystander or other driver for some Russian dashcam video. (no insult is intended when I say this but this is my honest .02)

·Hardware: There's no chance I am drilling into a trunk lid. Secure, yes. Reversible, not really.

·Epoxy: Epoxy's are amazing for securing to parts together but the reversibility ranges from "not a chance", to "it can come apart but you'll probably damage the paint along the way".

For me to be happy the part must:
A) be responsibly secured
B) be aesthetically pleasing
C) reversible

The following video shows the step-by-step process I used to secure the spoiler in a way which accomplish all 3 of those listed must-haves.

Hope y'all enjoy it!

[Kev608]

Brilliant idea and a great video!

[allinon72]

Originally Posted by ddas

·Double-sided tape: Does anyone seriously believe double-sided tape is a truly responsible means to secure an aero part for higher speeds? Even if someone does, that's a no-go for me. I'll save the video of it flying off and injuring some innocent bystander or other driver for some Russian dashcam video. (no insult is intended when I say this but this is my honest .02)

Yes, because that's the way 99% of people install it and 3M VHB can hold 400 ounces per inch.

Let's be real, trunk spoilers are a mostly cosmetic piece, weigh next to nothing, and aren't under tremendous aero loads even on the track.

I have no qualms about you attaching your spoiler the way you see fit, but to suggest that it's "irresponsible" to secure one with 3M tape is on the brink of ridiculousness.

[avantix]

I always thought betalink was permanent. I don't think that spoiler is coming off without paint attached to it in my opinion. Also there is little to no chance the factory double sided tape is coming off either at speed. Mine is attached with the OEM 3M tape on the CF rear MP lip and it's still on there super solid after 3 years (winters included). Great video though and I agree betalink is the best fit and finish.

[Mintsopoulos]

Originally Posted by allinon72

Yes, because that's the way 99% of people install it and 3M VHB can hold 400 ounces per inch.

Let's be real, trunk spoilers are a mostly cosmetic piece, weigh next to nothing, and aren't under tremendous aero loads even on the track.

I have no qualms about you attaching your spoiler the way you see fit, but to suggest that it's "irresponsible" to secure one with 3M tape is on the brink of ridiculousness.

Wait a minute...youre telling me my ebay cf spoiler doesnt add much downforce. Get out of here with your outrageous accusations.

[ddas]

Originally Posted by allinon72

Yes, because that's the way 99% of people install it and 3M VHB can hold 400 ounces per inch.

Let's be real, trunk spoilers are a mostly cosmetic piece, weigh next to nothing, and aren't under tremendous aero loads even on the track.

I have no qualms about you attaching your spoiler the way you see fit, but to suggest that it's "irresponsible" to secure one with 3M tape is on the brink of ridiculousness.

In a world of folks doing things perfectly, than they will behave perfectly. But I've handled too many cars with DIY applications and rarely are they what I would consider truly secure. Not only is the paint mangled under DST installations due to debris finding a way in and never out, but anything short of a perfect seating of a part results in a less secure adhesion. DST is terrible at filling voids.

If someone finds DST acceptable, I'm not attempting to twist arms to stop them. But here's a method that is the most secure imho and without drawbacks(aside from possible ability to install small sections of PPF). It's there for anyone who would like to try it.

[flipnkraut]

Wait wait wait. You have PPF on the car, then added another layer of PPF on top of that PPF, then epoxied the spoiler to that PPF?

[Mintsopoulos]

Originally Posted by flipnkraut

Wait wait wait. You have PPF on the car, then added another layer of PPF on top of that PPF, then epoxied the spoiler to that PPF?

Good Point. What makes you think that the 2nd layer (intermediate) PPF will hold better than 3M Double Sided?

[x.shell]

I guess I have the opposite problem. As someone who's installed and removed a multitude of spoilers on this trunk, I can't seem to get the 3M double sided tape to come off. In fact it's so difficult to take off, I've broken spoilers while trying to remove them. I've also purchased a new spoiler just because I'm too lazy to take the old tape off my M-Perf one. Go figure.

But just out of curiosity... you're saying that PPF has a stronger bond to the surface than 3M double sided tape? I'm never getting PPF then.

[SD ///M4]

The M Performance Carbon Fiber Rear Spoiler for my 2016 M4 came with 3M double-sided tape. I used this when I installed it in July 2016. I've done more than a dozen track days, at speeds up to 140 MPH and it's still solid as a rock.

The M Performance Carbon Fiber Rear Spoiler for my wife's 2018 M3 came without anything to affix it, but the directions said to use BMW Betalink adhesive which we bought separately and used to install it. The original Gurney lip spoiler on the M3 is also affixed with Betalink. Very difficult to remove. Really messy with lots of cleanup when using it to install the CF spoiler. She's done six track days and hit speeds up to 130 MPH on the track and it's even more solid than mine.

So apparently both methods, as recommended by BMW, work just fine.

[9M71]

There are videos on YouTube, showing people pulling their cars by pulling on a spoiler affixed by 3m.

No one is claiming these eBay spoilers, diffusers, etc are to add aero.

If someone was 3m-ing a roof rack onto their cars, different story. But let's be real, these are spoilers that weigh nothing and do not even come close to the max capacity of 3m tape. if you are the type to add real aero you probably also mind a few screws through your car.

IMHO.

[domino_z]

so after all that, the assumption is ppf adhesive is stronger than 3m tape

considering I can pull ppf off my cars with my bare hands....

[icegrill]

YO dawg I heard you like ppf on your ppf!

[euro*]

Lol so you ppfd on top of ppf, to install a spoiler on top of ppf?? Weirdest method I have ever seen.... I'll stick to my normal procedure for betalink or "DST" (as you call double sided tape)....

[ddas]

Originally Posted by x.shell

But just out of curiosity... you're saying that PPF has a stronger bond to the surface than 3M double sided tape? I'm never getting PPF then.

It's not a comparison of PPF VS DST for bonding. PPF is the intermediate layer which will not just peel free and yet, when someone wishes to remove it they can without damage to the paint and it will not leave the mess (aged debris nor adhesive) that DST will.

But to your point. PPF is not used the same as DST. What's the widest DST material you use? Who here has access to and uses solid sheets of DST? PPF is the perfect intermediate and protective layer because it's a solid sheet which is engineered to install, hold and be removed... but only removed by human hands. It's not going to "break free" beyond over stretched film lifting at an edge. The way it's being used in the video that is practically impossible.

In the end, I have the ability to use betalink and reverse it without damage. Short of gross negligence, this method is arguably more secure than the best DST installation. Betalink fills voids from less-than-perfect seating of parts better than DST. Betalink has a stronger bond per area of contact than DST. And now, someone can use Betalink without the drawback of it being practically impossible to reverse without damaging paint.

With all of that said, if someone is totally satisfied with DST...if it's not broke, don't fix it. If you don't want to explore this option, don't. So are we talking about how I prefer to not rely on DST and many of you do? Or are we debating if Betalink is more secure than DST or not? Personally, I am not debating if others find DST satisfactory. For one wishing to use Betalink, now you can without jacking your paint.

[NashvegasR]

JC I used betalink (well the dealer used betalink) on my old 2013 E92 in Atlanta -- and it was never going anywhere.

On my current F83, used the 3m tape and ... the end came loose in a few mos so I removed the spoiler. And I worry about the tape at high speeds too.

Cool solution

[flipnkraut]

Originally Posted by ddas

It's not a comparison of PPF VS DST for bonding. PPF is the intermediate layer which will not just peel free and yet, when someone wishes to remove it they can without damage to the paint and it will not leave the mess (aged debris nor adhesive) that DST will.

But to your point. PPF is not used the same as DST. What's the widest DST material you use? Who here has access to and uses solid sheets of DST? PPF is the perfect intermediate and protective layer because it's a solid sheet which is engineered to install, hold and be removed... but only removed by human hands. It's not going to "break free" beyond over stretched film lifting at an edge. The way it's being used in the video that is practically impossible.

In the end, I have the ability to use betalink and reverse it without damage. Short of gross negligence, this method is arguably more secure than the best DST installation. Betalink fills voids from less-than-perfect seating of parts better than DST. Betalink has a stronger bond per area of contact than DST. And now, someone can use Betalink without the drawback of it being practically impossible to reverse without damaging paint.

With all of that said, if someone is totally satisfied with DST...if it's not broke, don't fix it. If you don't want to explore this option, don't. So are we talking about how I prefer to not rely on DST and many of you do? Or are we debating if Betalink is more secure than DST or not? Personally, I am not debating if others find DST satisfactory. For one wishing to use Betalink, now you can without jacking your paint.

Go ahead and try this. Put a piece of scotch tape down on anything. Now put beta link and attach something to it. Try to rip it off. Oh that was easy wasn't it. This is basically what you did.

[ddas]

For anyone who expressed doubt over how well it would hold up, here's the uncut and complete removal process.

[icegrill]

*Ruins trunk trying to remove ppf with spoiler glued to it. To save trunk.😂

[ddas]

Originally Posted by icegrill

*Ruins trunk trying to remove ppf with spoiler glued to it. To save trunk.��

With all due respect you're perpetuating misinformation.

·The trunk has absolutely no damage.
·The paint is still completely perfect.
·The Satin PPF was perfect other than where the leading edge of the spoiler was secured which had a mineral deposit build up but no physical damage. This would be the case had the part been secured to paint.

The only part that suffered was the cheap knock-off spoiler which would have split in two during removal regardless of if it was secured to PPF or paint if BMW's epoxy was used.

Some folks like using DST and that's fine for them but I do not. I prefer a more secure bond of aero parts than DST can offer. So it was either I secure the part with hardware (no chance I would do this on a trunk lid) or epoxy. With epoxy I can either make it reversible the way I showed or I could risk damage to the paint. You don't have to like the way I did it but it's now indisputable that the method is safe and secure when someone opts for using epoxy.

[notnow]

Have you actually tested the strength of PPF vs 3M VHB adhesives? You're still betting on the PPF not peel, similar to betting that 3M tape won't peel. Seems way more irreversible than 3M tape.

I've used 3M tape on all my cars for 10+ years and nothing ever came flying off even at over OEM speed limiter speeds. Trying to remove these spoilers installed with 3M tape takes a lot of heating and enormous strength, enough to raise the car by a few mm.

I do like that it has a tiny bit less gap but most spoilers nowadays are concaved to minimize the gap already.

[espressoo]

This car had PPF on top of PPF to install that spoiler. Most cars won't have two layers of PPF. In any other situation if you took a 3# hammer to uninstall a spoiler, do you really think it won't damage the paint underneath? How come you didn't use a little heat to soften the PPF and use fishing line to get in between the two layers of PPF? It looked like you used dental floss instead.

What if this was a $1K OEM CS spoiler? You're saying using this technique requires destroying it during the removal process?

I get that you're trying to prove your point but you probably dissuaded a lot of people from using this installation and removal technique. I would be horrified if someone had to use a hammer to uninstall a trunk spoiler off my vehicle.