Rear spoiler installation

[ArizonaG35]

I am starting this thread as a "how to" for those of you who are considering purchasing an OEM or aftermarket rear spoiler for your vehichle. There are many things to consider when getting a rear spoiler for your car. Does it match my taste? Is it manufactured by a reliable company? Will the quality meet the standards of my vehichle? Does the color match? (We'll come back to this topic a little later)

When purchasing my vehichle, I was given the option to have a factory spoiler installed at the dealership at a cost around $495. Having reached the limit of my vehichle budget, I opted to seek doing this install on my own. After much research on prices and styles, I finally decided on this spoiler. At $115 delivered, this spoiler was a good match for the car and was as close to OEM without the OEM price tag.

When you order your spoiler, be sure that it is made for your particular model of vehichle and be VERY certain that your color code matches your manufacturers color code located in your door panel. I learned this lesson the hard way. The seller of my spoiler marketed the product as Platinum Graphite/ Color code WV2. Since I was certain that my car was platinum graphite, I purchased the spoiler without consulting my color code on the door panel. Upon arrival, the spoiler was in good shape, but there was a very slight difference in color shade. Infiniti's color "Platinum Graphite" is actually color code K51, which I own. The average person would never have noticed the difference in color, so I decided to proceed with the install. After a day or two in the sunlight, I could tell the subtle difference in the color and was dissatisfied with the contrast. Afterall, I'm the one who has to live with it everyday. I contacted the seller and they were willing to ship me the correct color spoiler for the same discounted price as the incorrect color.

Should you choose to install a spoiler yourself, I recommend having a "Buddy" help you on this project. I could not have done this spoiler without the assistance and expertise of Gwoods from Nicoclub. He was gracious enough to come to my house and share this experience with me as it is somewhat nerve-racking to drill into your new car! If you don't have a Gwoods in your area, any friend will do!

On to the install!

Roughly 1 1/2 hours install time

TOOLS & MATERIALS NEEDED:

1) Electric or cordless Drill2) 3/32 (2mm) Drill Bit3) 9/32 (6.5mm) Drill Bit4) Phillips head screwdriver5) Masking Tape6) Touch up paint or primer (I used clear nail polish)7) Crayon (any color in contrast to your paint color)8) Electrical Tape9) Measuring Tape10) Level11) Clear silicone sealant

PREPARATION:

Remove all objects from your trunk to ensure a clutter free workspace in your trunk. Remove all of the fabric lining from the trunk and surrounding area by pulling out the plastic bind clips that hold them in place. Set your fabric aside on a clean surface until the project is complete.

Clean the trunk lid with water and a terry cloth to ensure a clean surface to begin soft mounting the spoiler.

This kit comes with a mounting template to ensure accurate placement on the trunk decklid. Tape the mounting templates included in your kit to the bottom of the spoilers mounting surface. This template lines up the pre-set nuts in the spoiler to the place that you are going to be drilling into the decklid.

MEASURE! MEASURE! MEASURE!

Gently place the spoiler on the decklid roughly where you would like the spoiler to lay. Measure the distance from the tip of the spoiler to the end of the deck lid to ensure accuracy. Be sure to measure each side of the decklid and the corresponding spoiler tips so that the spoiler is evenly spaced on each side. Use your level to make sure the the spoiler lays evenly on the decklid and plumb to the rear of the vehichle. Remember: Measure twice, cut once!

PLACEMENT

Once you are confident that the spoiler is in place, Trace the outline of the spoiler mounting with a crayon on your decklid. The crayon will remove easily with a towel and will give you a second point of reference when drilling.

Gently remove the unmounted spoiler from the decklid ensuring that the template remains on the trunk deck. Set the spoiler aside and double check your measurements on the template to make sure it did not shift. The center of your template is now your point of reference for drilling your mounting holes.

Now that your mounting holes are lined up on the template, drill a small pilot hole in the deck lid with the 2mm drill bit. Remember: X marks the spot! I recommend using High RPM's on the drill but apply little pressure on the drill. Let the drill bit do the work! The weight of the drill will be enough pressure to penetrate the surface of the decklid.

Now that your pilot holes have been drilled, switch your drill bit to the 9/32" (6.5mm) bit. Drill your larger holes in the exact same place as your pilot holes, again allowing the drill bit to do most of the work. Be sure not to penetrate too far into the decklid so that you don't puncture all the way through to the other side.

Apply a small amount of touch up paint or nail polish to the exposed metal holes to avoid any future rust issues.

You'll notice that there are two holes on the left side of the spoiler mount. One hole is for your mounting bolt and the other is for your third brake light wiring.

WIRING

"Fish" your 3rd light brake wire through the hole in the decklid and into the trunk via the electrical path included in your car. Once you have fed the spoiler wire into the trunk compartment, locate the brake light wire located just behind the rear drivers side seat. We used a quick connect to "mate" the 3rd brake wires with the vehichles wiring. Simply pair the wires together with the quick connect clip and snap in place. Test the brake light to make sure it is functioning properly. If the brake light on the spoiler does not illuminate, simply switch the wires and test again.

SECURING TO THE DECKLID

The spoiler kit comes equipped with a foam gasket attached to the spoiler mounting surface, but I took it a step further. I applied a clear silicone based adhesive sealant around the gasket just to make sure this would not leak in the future. I recommend adding this step to your process.

Using a Phillips head screw driver, place the bolt and washer through the underside of the trunk lid so that the bolt is exposed on the top side of the trunk surface. Line up your mounting nut (Underside of the Spoiler) to the exposed bolt and screw in tightly. If you experience any seeping of the silicone sealant, wipe clean immediately so that it does not adhere to your paint. Allow sealant to dry for at least 24 hours before washing vehichle.

Now you have a spoiler!



Crack a beer and enjoy your new modification!

Thanks again to Gwoods for all his help in adding this to my car! I owe you one!

That's me on the left and Gwoods on Right

Dave




Modified by ArizonaG35 at 8:51 AM 3/1/2008

[joe603]

Good write up!!! What would you like your title to be?

[gwoods]

No problem man! This is exactly what clubs like Nico are all about.

It was very cool to meet you.

Don't worry the spoiler installation was almost more fun the second time

Sorry I dropped a screw inside your trunk lid, next time I'm in your neighborhood I'll bring a better telescoping magnet and come over to fish for it. Hope the rattling doesn't drive you too crazy.

Jeff

[joe603]

Sorry I dropped a screw inside your trunk lid, next time I'm in your neighborhood I'll bring a better telescoping magnet and come over to fish for it. Hope the rattling doesn't drive you too crazy.

...OHHH that sucks!!

and Jeff, what do you want your title to be?

[gwoods]

Nico Mechanic

[ArizonaG35]

No problem man! This is exactly what clubs like Nico are all about.

It was very cool to meet you.

Don't worry the spoiler installation was almost more fun the second time

Sorry I dropped a screw inside your trunk lid, next time I'm in your neighborhood I'll bring a better telescoping magnet and come over to fish for it. Hope the rattling doesn't drive you too crazy.

Jeff

Good to meet you too Jeff! My trunk kinda sounds like there are marbles in a coffee can with that loose screw floating around in there... This just gives me an excuse to drive more spirited to jar that sucker loose and fall out on it's own! No worries mate! It'll come out sometime... just glad to have the spoiler on!Thanks again,Dave

Original quote by Joe: "Good write up!!! What would you like your title to be?"

Thanks Joe! I was thinking that I want my title to be Skilled Marksman...I don't leave the house without a sidearm and I spend most of my free time on the firing range honing in my tactical firearms skills. Jeff and I were going to install the spoiler by standing on the roof of my house and shooting my Walther PPK .380acp into the trunk to make the mounting holes for the spoiler! My better judgement (Wife) and a lack of a steady hand due to the 6 beers I consumed put a stop to that pretty quickly!That would have been a totally different thread altogether.

I love this club! You guys are the best!Dave

Modified by ArizonaG35 at 11:35 AM 2/29/2008
Modified by ArizonaG35 at 11:37 AM 2/29/2008

[gwoods]

I hone my tacticle firearms skills on the PS-3!

You know whats going to happen? In about 2 months your going to completely forget that that screw is rolling around in the trunk. It will fall out into the trunk mat and your going to post a thread "help found strange screw in my trunk"

Seriously think we could reach it if we had a magnet on a string or a magnet on a stick that could pivot at the tip. I may bring over one of my welding magnets those suckers are strong enough to suck the screw through your trunk

[joe603]

Titles are done! Enjoy

[Beezer]

Great write up Dave, but I could've have done without seeing you guys in shorts and t-shirts as I sit here contemplating my drive home in rush hour traffic amidst the blizzard we are in the middle of!!

[gwoods]

Oh yeah it was 82 yesterday... so you should feel sorry for David living in Phoenix and I not being able to own a coat

We are casual in my office so we all wear shorts 80-90% of the time year round.

Blizzard hu, aren't those big carnivorous birds that circle dead things? How the heck can you drive one of those home?

[ArizonaG35]

Oh yeah it was 82 yesterday... so you should feel sorry for David living in Phoenix and I not being able to own a coat

We are casual in my office so we all wear shorts 80-90% of the time year round.

Blizzard hu, aren't those big carnivorous birds that circle dead things? How the heck can you drive one of those home?

No Dumba$$, Blizzards are the desserts you get at Dairy Queen... Butterfinger is my favorite flavor... I think he was trying to drive home while eating a Blizzard! Sheesh... some people

I've been in the heat too long... I'm going to cool off a bit!

[gwoods]

oh yeah I think your right.

The butterfinger blizzard is the best flavor. Man I had one of those back in January and almost froze my brain. Cause in January its only 60-65 degrees in Phoenix brrrr. I think I wore a sweater once in January, with my shorts and flip flops.

[joe603]

Ya Ya Ya....but in the summer its hot as hades there! And don't give me "it's a dry heat" crap either!

oh, and heath bar blizzards FTW

[Beezer]

I'm thinking g whizz, zozo and myself should do some sort of house swap with you two for the months of January and February. We could even make a new reality show out of it!!!

[ImpliedConsent]

Quick question: I like the write-up, but who made the spoiler for your car? It looks great!

[ArizonaG35]

You may purchase this from the distributor from http://www.elitespoilers.com

This product is neither sponsored nor endorsed by the fine folks at Nicoclub.com and/or it's affiliates. Neither Nicoclub.com nor myself represent this product as reliable and cannot guarantee it's lifetime reliabilty as we have not completely tested this product and are not compensated endorsers. All warranties, written or implied are provided strictly from the original distributor.

All legal jargin aside, I have an extra spoiler (see post) with color code WV2 Silverstone Metallic that I can sell you. This has only been installed once and I can guarantee it works properly and looks phenominal on the 2007 G35 Sedan! If anyone is interested in taking this surplus spoiler off my hands, email me at [email protected] I will ship this spoiler to you (That can be easily paint matched to your specific color) for $100.00 US.

If you have the color Silverstone Metallic, this is a perfect match for you!

Dave


Modified by ArizonaG35 at 7:04 PM 2/29/2008

[ArizonaG35]

Ya Ya Ya....but in the summer its hot as hades there! And don't give me "it's a dry heat" crap either!

oh, and heath bar blizzards FTW

That may be true, but I NEVER have to shovel the sunshine!

[G_whizz]

Very sweet write up!!

Like your new title too!

[zozoka1212]

Quick question: I like the write-up, but who made the spoiler for your car? It looks great!

Hey my shop making some parts for your other G. About 100 Different parts. We are actually developing some in the last few months. You guys should see them in 09-10. All the radio controllers and other build on parts will change. As they wish anyways.

zozo

BTW nice write up and congrats on your new title. Both of you.

[audtatious]

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