Help me fix my aftermarket carbon spoiler

[Sixpointtwoliter]

I checked that number 85561509 on a couple sites and it successfully added to the cart. Do they take the order but then respond it isn't available? gmpartswarehouse warns there is a 7-day factory lead time.

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That is exactly what they do, yes

 

[Sixpointtwoliter]

I checked that number 85561509 on a couple sites and it successfully added to the cart. Do they take the order but then respond it isn't available? gmpartswarehouse warns there is a 7-day factory lead time.

View attachment 25307

View attachment 25306

Emailed GMPartsWarehouse and they said the part number has been replaced with this - 86543474 - but Cadillac hasn't released it yet, and so there's nothing until they do.

 

[Sixpointtwoliter]

Update on this for anyone interested still.

Sent the car to my body guy, he released the wing with what I could describe as a vibrating spatula. Said the decklid was fine and I just received a wing that possibly curved out of the mould.

Sent my car to Tapout for the Purple Belt. I asked if the day I picked it up if I could just try wings until they fit, Michael was more than gracious to let me do so. I told them I'd install it to take responsibility off them once and for all.

First one laid perfectly flat, I was elated. On the last stud I turned it one thread too much, and I promptly cracked the carbon in front of Michael and Jorge. Inch long horizontal break right across the forward seam of the wing. Michael felt bad, and so he sent me home with that wing and a second wing missing weatherstripping to double my chances of having a good one. Either I could possibly fill in the crack I made, or I can just find felt weatherstripping for the other wing. I considered that far and above what they had to do, even after they witnessed me damaging the product myself in their shop. Michael said to just hang one as a trophy for whichever one I didn't use.

This is also overlooking a funny moment where I dropped a large fender washer into the decklid, and Michael went fishing for it with a magnet, and dropped the magnet into the stamped crease of the decklid. At one point Jorge, Michael, and myself all had our hands in the decklid trying to grab a magnet stick and washer. I couldn't help but laugh at the absurdity. We got the stick out, but the washer was stuck. After Jorge took me on my street pulls, I went to open the trunk to put things away and out plopped the washer. The extra 200ft/lbs of torque gained from that morning apparently had released the washer out of the stamped crease in the decklid and sent it rearward.

 

[Dirkbg]

I got the video from your body guy

You're lucky about the washer. I dropped mine into the corner and the magnet retriever I tried to use got stuck harder and caused bumps in the decklid that took a dent guy to fix. That's when I realized I could simply pop out the bumper and easily access anything that dropped into the top corner. I described that with photos in the link in post #14.

Glad it worked out even though you had to deal with hours of frustration to get there. Been there, done that. Truly the failures make us smarter, and we can pass that experience on so others can learn.

 

[rubberduck]

For anyone that is interested the OEM torque spec for the nuts on the CF spoiler is 80 in-lb.

 

[Sixpointtwoliter]

I got the video from your body guy

View attachment 26123

You're lucky about the washer. I dropped mine into the corner and the magnet retriever I tried to use got stuck harder and caused bumps in the decklid that took a dent guy to fix. That's when I realized I could simply pop out the bumper and easily access anything that dropped into the top corner.

Glad it worked out even though you had to deal with hours of frustration to get there. Been there, done that. Truly the failures make us smarter, and we can pass that experience on so others can learn.

I had the bumpers popped but this washer was larger than the opening, it was an anxious moment.

And yes, if I learned anything here to tell future owners... LOCKTITE THE WING NUTS AND THE SECOND THEY FEEL SNUG STOP WRENCHING

 

[Sixpointtwoliter]

For anyone that is interested the OEM torque spec for the nuts on the CF spoiler is 80 in-lb.

The weird part is the nut never felt "tight". It felt snug for a few rotations, and I thought it was the spring washer flattening. Apparently not

 

[Dirkbg]

I used nylon lock nuts and just snugged them down. If I recall, there wasn't enough length for rubber gaskets, fender washers AND lock washers. I trust the nylon lock nuts better anyway, even over Locktite, plus easier to use.

 

[Sixpointtwoliter]

I used nylon lock nuts and just snugged them down. If I recall, there wasn't enough length for rubber gaskets, fender washers AND lock washers. I trust the nylon lock nuts better anyway, even over Locktite, plus easier to use.

I'm not particularly concerned, but I would like to use nylon locknuts next time as well.

I just ordered felt strips from McMaster, and that same dildo-wielding body guy said that because of where the crack is, filling it with black resin and re-clearing the wing will make the crack nearly impossible to find without me telling someone. So I'm in a decent spot to claw myself out of this either way.

 

[rubberduck]

I'm not a fan of nylon locknuts expect in very rare circumstances. The body is weak and can distort causing the threads to gall. I've had to cut them off before and it's a pain. The running torque needs to be added in as well.

 

[Dirkbg]

I'm not a fan of nylon locknuts expect in very rare circumstances. The body is weak and can distort causing the threads to gall. I've had to cut them off before and it's a pain. The running torque needs to be added in as well.

The OEM spoiler nuts are nylon lock nuts. Integral washers if I recall. I reused all four of those, and added two with large fender washers with rubber washer underneath on the outer that the factory used that irritating plastic clip that won't release.

You're right about the potential for distorting the trunk sheet metal. The factory spoiler gasket runs around the studs so there is support, but the repro carbon only has a gasket on the outer edge, so tightening the nut can dimple the metal around the stud. I added a foam gasket around each stud of similar thickness and density to the outer edge, and only tightened the nuts until they had snugged down.

The dark nuts in the photo are the re-used factory nuts.

 

[rubberduck]

The OEM spoiler nuts are nylon lock nuts. Integral washers if I recall. I reused all four of those, and added two with large fender washers with rubber washer underneath on the outer that the factory used that irritating plastic clip that won't release.

You're right about the potential for distorting the trunk sheet metal. The factory spoiler gasket runs around the studs so there is support, but the repro carbon only has a gasket on the outer edge, so tightening the nut can dimple the metal around the stud. I added a foam gasket around each stud of similar thickness and density to the outer edge, and only tightened the nuts until they had snugged down.

The dark nuts in the photo are the re-used factory nuts.

I meant that the body of a nylon locknut can distort and cause the threads to gall. I've had this problem before and now always check them first with a surrogate bolt that I can discard if the nut jams.

The OEM nuts I received with the spoiler I don't believe are nylon locknuts if I recall correctly. The may have be distorted thread flange nuts however.

 

[Sixpointtwoliter]

I meant that the body of a nylon locknut can distort and cause the threads to gall. I've had this problem before and now always check them first with a surrogate bolt that I can discard if the nut jams.

The OEM nuts I received with the spoiler I don't believe are nylon locknuts if I recall correctly. The may have be distorted thread flange nuts however.

The OEM on the black stock spoiler are nylon nuts, but just inserted nylon. It's metal threads with a nylon locking ring

 

[Sixpointtwoliter]

Update #2.

Successfully installed the second wing that Tapout gave me after I cracked the other one at their shop, and hung the cracked one as a trophy. As a reminder, I had to find weatherstripping for this. Pays to live near a McMaster-Carr.

Used 1/4" foam rubber stripping on the forward of the wing, and 1/8" on the rear. Would've used 1/8" all around, but there was the smallest gap at the front when the front had 1/8", so better safe than sorry. Shot the wing with a hose on jet setting, and FINALLY no water.

However, prior to this, in a fit of frustration at 3am (where all good decisions get made), I thought "I can press the inside of the decklid out to meet the 1/8" stripping".

What I ended up doing was what Dirk did with his magnet - I put like 20 pin-sized dents into the outside of the decklid. GM really dropped the ball with two things on this car. The paint, and the decklid.

I just can't win. At least my friend owns a paintless dent repair. He looked at it and said it won't be a problem to flatten back out. Hoping to finally be done with all this.

 

[Dirkbg]

sucks doesn't it? My dent repair isn't perfect, but you have to know where it is and get the right light on it to see it. It just really annoys me I could have avoided the whole thing if I just realized how simple it was to remove that trunk lid bumper from the beginning