Very nice Smart Madness..I will add that to my wish list.
It will work with the look of your car since you already have the bodykit.
I still have not installed one on mine. Every time I send an extra one out to get painted with the goal of installing on my smart someone walks in to our shop and ends up buying it.
We just got more in so hopefully I will get one on my car soon.
I still have not installed one on mine. Every time I send an extra one out to get painted with the goal of installing on my smart someone walks in to our shop and ends up buying it.
You'll have to remember that trick for days when business is slow... Just send a bunch of cabrio spoilers out to get painted for your car, and VAVOOM! A new record gross-sales day for you.
Most of the cabrio roof spoiler looks really cool, in an understated sort of way. And a big ol' thank-you to Tim at Smart Madness for talking me through the installation over the phone, since S-Mann didn't deign to include any instructions with their chunks of plastic (What's up with that?).
*However*...
The ends of the top piece seem to flare out wider than my OEM roof spoiler, but it didn't look that way until the unit was installed and the tape came off today, once the urethane had set.
Too late to do anything with it now; it's glued on the car. So I dug around in my goodie-box in the shed and came up with a couple of stainless steel 3/4" truss-head self-tapping screws, and used them to screw the ends of the S-Mann spoiler to the ends of the OEM roof piece. A little black paint on the screw heads, and voila!
It's not as clean a look as I might like, but it looks a whole lot better that way than with the ends sticking out like the Flying Nun's hat.
Just a word to the wise: Test-fit a few times before gluing any S-Mann plastic to your car. I'm not convinced their QC department is up to snuff.
Most of the cabrio roof spoiler looks really cool, in an understated sort of way. And a big ol' thank-you to Tim at Smart Madness for talking me through the installation over the phone, since S-Mann didn't deign to include any instructions with their chunks of plastic (What's up with that?).
*However*...
The ends of the top piece seem to flare out wider than my OEM roof spoiler, but it didn't look that way until the unit was installed and the tape came off today, once the urethane had set.
Too late to do anything with it now; it's glued on the car. So I dug around in my goodie-box in the shed and came up with a couple of stainless steel 3/4" truss-head self-tapping screws, and used them to screw the ends of the S-Mann spoiler to the ends of the OEM roof piece. A little black paint on the screw heads, and voila!
It's not as clean a look as I might like, but it looks a whole lot better that way than with the ends sticking out like the Flying Nun's hat.
Just a word to the wise: Test-fit a few times before gluing any S-Mann plastic to your car. I'm not convinced their QC department is up to snuff.
Sorry to hear you had challenges with the install. It is a bit too late now, but this may have helped...
As you said, test fit it a couple of times before you epoxy it on.
Use a strong tape to hold the spoiler on while the epoxy is setting
If you are not sure how and what to do call us first and we will help out.
We have fitted a number of them in our shop and they have all fit perfectly. It sounds like the tape you used was a bit too weak and the sides lifted up during the drying process.
A suggestion that may help... If you have any of the caulking left (if it is Black) you can use it to fill in the gaps.
Sorry again for the troubles. The spoiler does not come with instructions and we do our best to assist, but we have not had any quality issues with the item. We will work on putting a set of instructions together to help folks in the future. Meanwhile if someone ever needs any assistance with the spoiler or simply wants info before they buy please do not hesitate to call us directly at 562-961-6800.
Sorry to hear you had challenges with the install. It is a bit too late now, but this may have helped...
As you said, test fit it a couple of times before you epoxy it on.
I did. More than a couple of times, actually. This ain't my first rodeo...
Quote:
Originally Posted by SmartMadness
Use a strong tape to hold the spoiler on while the epoxy is setting
I did. See below.
Quote:
Originally Posted by SmartMadness
If you are not sure how and what to do call us first and we will help out.
I did.
Quote:
Originally Posted by SmartMadness
We have fitted a number of them in our shop and they have all fit perfectly. It sounds like the tape you used was a bit too weak and the sides lifted up during the drying process.
I seriously doubt that. I used ProCell gaffer's tape; what we often call "helicopter tape" in the theatre. We use it to hold the planet together. You're not going to find tape much stronger than that.
As for the glue, I used 3M WindowWeld urethane, as Tim never got back to me with the specific urethane that S-Mann sends with their body kits. But I dare say that's strong enough urethane...
I don't know why this one popped the ends. And I'm not faulting you guys; you did what you could. I'm just putting my experience out there as a cautionary tale for others.
Quote:
Originally Posted by SmartMadness
A suggestion that may help... If you have any of the caulking left (if it is Black) you can use it to fill in the gaps.
No, that would look even worse than the ends flapping loose and *far* worse than having a tiny screw in either end. We're talking a 3/16" to 1/4" gap here. I'm reasonably happy with the tiny screw in either end. If I change my mind about that, I guess I'll just buy another spoiler and try again... or drive out to L.A. and let *you* install it.
I was not faulting you in the response I was posting suggestions for others that may want to install one. It sounds like you did all the right things and honestly I do not know what happened in this situation. I am glad you were able to make it work. If it ever becomes an issue please contact me directly and we will take care of it.
I'm not sure how much downforce is applied to the aftermarket spoiler at freeway speeds, but could it be enough to stress the cabrio retracting mechanism and cause problems in the long term? Just wondering.
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