Stillen Rear wing fitment

[{WBK}Viper]

I had the bodyshop attach my rear wing and it looks to me like they mighthave got it too high, not by much...just a centimeter or so. The ends of the wing are slightly curved which make me think that it's supposed to fit the curve of the trunk.

They placed it almost right on top of the trunk without rolling over.

The problem is that there is a slight gap now on each end where the tapedoesn't touch the car between the corner of the piece and the back. Like putting a curved piece on a straight piece...you'll get a gap.

What I don't know if this is how it's supposed to fit. If I move it further back will I solve the probelm, or will I create fitment problems elsewhere?

Anyone got a wing? Should it fit absolutely flush all the way around?

[alphapig]

Why did you have a body shop attach it? Isn't it attached by double sided tape..?

Bet they charged you and hours worth of labor

[Colton92]

[kyle@stillen]

agreed...And please don't get pix only showing the gap. Just some pix that show the entire wing and trunk area. Super tight close-ups won't show enough...

Thanks!

[{WBK}Viper]

Here they are. Is the wing too high on the trunk? Look at the gap here.The tape isn't even touching. The bodyshop didn't charge me to installit, just paint it...and as you can see the paint pitted cuz they baked it.They will fix that if they reset it.

I shoulda done it myself, but I'm new to all this mod stuff, and I was a frightened little girl that I'd screw it up.


Modified by {WBK}Viper at 4:35 PM 7/10/2008

[{WBK}Viper]

After studying it a bit, I'm not sure if it does stick down there.

Does it? Is it on right? Is it worth moving?

[{WBK}Viper]

One more thing. If the placement is ok...should I worry about moisturegetting under the wing, cuz it wont evaporate.

[kyle@stillen]

definitely not right...they need to bring it down a little bit...not much, maybe 1/2 inch or so...

[kyle@stillen]

Also, those little dimples are not due to the baking process. They did not properly prep/clean the part for painting...Those are fish eyes, it means that there was a little bit of release agent still on the part when they tried to paint it. They need to do a re-prep in my opinion.

[{WBK}Viper]

Thanks Kyle I'm going back today.

[{WBK}Viper]

So I went to the body shop and we pulled it off. We tried to make itfit a 1/2" back and it wouldn't. The corners stick off the car from wherethey should be with the rear lines and if the front sticks the rear doesn't,so we just put it back where it was.

Did I just get a wing that doesn't fit right?

Also, come to find out that they didn't prime the part.They claimed they cleaned it really well but because I never asked themto prime it they didn't do it.

Is the primer necessary? Is all the paint gunna fall off now.

Do I have to worry about water getting under the wing and staying there?

This feels like a disaster and a whole lot of money down the tube, butit might not be as bad as I think...I'm just a bit upset right now.

[kyle@stillen]

Step 1) Do me a favor and look at the part number on the box that it was shipped in and let me know what that part number is.

Step 2) Depending on how well they prepped it, the paint might stick without primer but I HATE it when painter's don't use primer...I've had horrible past experiences with that scenario.

Personal opinion- Judging by that close-up picture, they did not properly prep the part. Those little fish eyes indentations shouldn't be there and I promise you they were not caused by baking. In fact, here are some explanations to the issues you are having...

#1) If they baked the part, it could explain the poor fitment. Urethane is injected into the mold at very high temperature. Urethane material has a "memory" to it and it will not lose its shape. No matter how hard you turn it, twist it, step on it...Whatever, it just won't lose its shape...Unless you heat it. If they baked the part then it could have warped somewhere or it could have altered the shape of the part enough to effect the fit and finish.

#2) The baking process does not cause "fish-eyes." Which is what those little indentations on the edges are. That is caused by not properly cleaning the urethane. When the part is manufactured the mold needs to be treated with a release agent. This release agent allows the parts to be seperated from the mold. The problem with the release agent is that if it is not properly cleaned or sanded down the paint will not adhere properly because the release agent will not allow the paint to stick to that area...Think of what happens when you pour oil in a bottle of water...They don't mix. Basically it's the same thing going on with the paint and release agent.

So, in my opinion, either they baked the wing and they possibly altered the shape due to the heat. Or, they did not properly prep the part and the paint is not adhering...Or both...

But, like I said, check the part number on the box the wing was shipped in. Or, if your body shop takes off the wing again check the part number in the wing itself. This will tell us if you have the right wing...If you don't have the right wing then it's on us...But, I would be very surprised if that were the case.

I know the next question is going to be..."Well, why doesn't STILLEN simply prep. the parts before they ship them." And it's a good question. The problem is that a properly prepped part is not pretty. Basically you need to sand it and scuff it down so far that it almost looks white. If we sent out the parts prepped and ready for paint, we would be getting returns alllllll day long because the out of box appearance is not pleasing. We know this because it has happened. We used to prep everything before shipping it and people did not like the way it looked when it arrived. They thought it was defective or there was something wrong with it so they'd send it back...

I hope this was helpful!

[{WBK}Viper]

Part number is 108356

They told me they didn't prep it cuz it didn't specifically say to in the instructions.

And they said...I never asked them too. Can you believe that? And becauseit's an aftermarket part...they won't stand behind it.

I read the instructions and I agree....it's a little vague on the priming partbut they should have known better IMO.

[alphapig]

Kyle,

Roughly what temperature is required for the urethane parts to lose their original shape?v

For example, would hot shipping or storage conditions cause urethane parts to become misshapen?

[{WBK}Viper]

Yeah...not it's not even sticking on where it is now. The right hand sidekeeps coming up like 6-8 inches. I guess I gotta get more tape and doit again.

They didn't prime my front lip either....so I'll probably have all the paintfall off and have to do the whole thing again.

(on a side note.....the stuff does look good on the car though.)

[{WBK}Viper]

Next installment of the drama......

Screw those idiots at the bodyshop. I'm going to take this wing off myselfand reseat it myself....I've been inspired.

Can anyone tell me exactly what tape I need to go buy?

And can anyone tell me exactly how to remove the wing without damagingmy paint? Do I just heat it up and do the dental floss thing like the badges?

Did I mention Screw the bodyshop.

[kyle@stillen]

Next installment of the drama......

Screw those idiots at the bodyshop. I'm going to take this wing off myselfand reseat it myself....I've been inspired.

Can anyone tell me exactly what tape I need to go buy?

And can anyone tell me exactly how to remove the wing without damagingmy paint? Do I just heat it up and do the dental floss thing like the badges?

Did I mention Screw the bodyshop.

Use the fishing string method but be careful as you are going over body contours...It's not like you're just pulling off emblems from smooth panels.

Send me an email with you full name and I will find you in our computer system and send out some new tape.

[kyle@stillen]

Kyle,

Roughly what temperature is required for the urethane parts to lose their original shape?v

For example, would hot shipping or storage conditions cause urethane parts to become misshapen?

In reality you will not get to the hot temperature without some extremely intense heat. I had one customer with a 350Z that left his front splitter sitting in his car for 5 hours in Arizona...It was 115 degrees outside which means well over 120 or 130 inside the car...It warped on him but he was able to lay it back out in the sun the next day and it went back into shape. We have seen the urethane stand up to around 115 degrees pretty easily but around 130-140 it starts to get soft...

[{WBK}Viper]

Wow.

That's awesome. I will do that. I do love how these products lookand I hope others aren't put off by my troubles with my body shop.

Everyone take note and make sure you know exactly what they are doing when they paint it so you aren't out of a lot of money.

Thanks Kyle.

[AltiCoupeFan]

Hey Kyle, thanks for the detailed instructions. I plan on getting the front lip and rear wing in the future and have been wondering if I should attempt the install myself or have my local body shop do the work. Even if I do not do the job myslef I at least have some guide lines to give to the body shop guys. Thanks also to Viper for posting his problem so all of us can learn from the guys that are in the know. I sure need the benefit of more experienced guys and or gals and really do not want to screw up my beloved A/C.

[{WBK}Viper]

I guess my pain is your gain.

They do look awesome on the car though. I thought about justscrewing the whole rear wing idea and going with a G35 wing...buteverytime I see the Stillen on the back of the car I just have to keepit. (even though it's put on poorly.) I'll correct my poor fitment this weekend.

[AltiCoupeFan]

Good luck on your re-fitting the rear wing. If you have a chance post a pic or two. And I agree 100%.....the Stillen wing looks great!!