Has Any P3D+ Owners Gotten Carbon Fiber Spoiler?

[UngaBunga1989]

Wow yours was a good install that was done a while ago right? And just starting to lift now. That means none of us are out of the woods yet. Happen to see them dry fit it? How much is it lifting?

So I have a friend that has an (older) Model S P90D -- at least several years old -- and guess what, HIS carbon fiber spoiler is lifting on the right side. I actually pointed it out to him last week. He had never noticed it before and its lifting a lot more than many of the photos of our Model 3 spoilers that I have seen in this thread -- and certainly a lot more than the one that I just had replaced.

The reality of it is that metal and carbon fiber have vastly different expansion / contraction rates. Frankly, I think the entire concept of a "glued-on" spoiler is the issue. No matter how perfect the initial fit might be, the trunk of the car and the spoiler are going to respond completely differently to changing environmental factors. Imagine them both baking in the Arizona sun in Summer or in the depths of a Minnesota Winter? How are they possibly both going to stay perfectly aligned without a genuine, fixed, mechanical bond?

 

[hydro 481]

Wow yours was a good install that was done a while ago right? And just starting to lift now. That means none of us are out of the woods yet. Happen to see them dry fit it? How much is it lifting?

Mine was done on April 27th. I was chatting with another Tesla employee during the installation so I didn’t watch them actually install it.

It’s definitely noticeable. I’ll try to remember to snap a pic later. I guess with the weather heating up here in Socal it may be affecting the adhesive. I’m contemplating whether I should contact Tesla now or live with it and see if the other side lifts up as well.

 

[Zoglog]

Few days later. Splitting intensifies lol.....

 

[Markardi]

View attachment 417905 Few days later. Splitting intensifies lol.....

In your photo you can see some of the adhesive made contact at the tip, but like mine, it certainly wasn't enough to hold it.


If the RPM Tesla spoiler is an exact replica and fits better, Tesla should make them the actual supplier!

 

[JPP]

I would keep a close eye on the corner in the next couple of weeks. You are not out of the woods yet!

....I know....

 

[aspec818]

Just got updated to 16.3.2. Looks like the spoiler was removed from the car animation. Anyone else notice this?

 

[cmyke]

Do the mobile installers wash/clean the area where it’ll get stuck on? I have it scheduled. Wondering if I should wash the car beforehand

 

[AlanSubie4Life]

I had mine installed last week.

The Tesla Service guy said that he always brings several spoilers, and dry fits them until he finds one that looks like it is going to work.

On my car, he put one on, but then it was no good, so he took it off and put another one on instead.

Reprepped the surface between each spoiler application.

After placing it, he spent some time applying pressure to get it to stick (though there was no noticeable gap).

So far, so good.

There's a small gap on one end, but this is mostly due to the way it is rounded off at the end (there is no adhesive that has lifted), and partly because it is perhaps 0.5mm higher on that end and doesn't QUITE conform with the trunk lid edge perfectly. It's nothing to worry about in any case, as it is completely invisible (you'd have to put your head against the trunk lid). But the spoiler seems stuck down solidly so far.

See, perfect! Note these pictures are taken from the side up close, so the extremely small gap is not visible under any normal circumstances; it's completely exaggerated in these pictures.

Good enough for who it's for.

 

[al503]

The reality of it is that metal and carbon fiber have vastly different expansion / contraction rates. Frankly, I think the entire concept of a "glued-on" spoiler is the issue. No matter how perfect the initial fit might be, the trunk of the car and the spoiler are going to respond completely differently to changing environmental factors. Imagine them both baking in the Arizona sun in Summer or in the depths of a Minnesota Winter? How are they possibly both going to stay perfectly aligned without a genuine, fixed, mechanical bond?

I don't think expansion rates would amount to much. We're probably talking somewhere in the neighborhood of 0.0000x" Let's say that's off by .00. We're still talking only thousandths of an inch.

I've had a couple of different aftermarket lip spoilers held on by 3m tape. Never had an issue as they both fit exactly right. If you're expecting the tape to help/compensate for anything but the very slightest difference, you're probably going to have issues.

 

[UngaBunga1989]

Spoiler #2. Installed last Thursday (7 days ago). Lifting on the right side started two days ago...

 

[commasign]

2nd try yesterday. Tech brought 4 spoilers and dry fit them for the best one.

Unfortunately looks like the left side is already lifting up.

Right side looks good.

 

[jkoya]

I'm still waiting for my rear spoiler, so I've never seen one in person. Is the spoiler attached with double stick tape ? If so, does the tape separate from the spoiler or from the trunk lid ? Sorry if this is a stupid question....

 

[commasign]

I'm still waiting for my rear spoiler, so I've never seen one in person. Is the spoiler attached with double stick tape ? If so, does the tape separate from the spoiler or from the trunk lid ? Sorry if this is a stupid question....

Yes, double stick tape. It appears to be separating from the trunk, though separating kinda conveys the wrong idea. The problem is the shape of the of spoiler not conforming to the shape of the trunk. Not really an issue with the tape.

 

[jkoya]

Yes, double stick tape. It appears to be separating from the trunk, though separating kinda conveys the wrong idea. The problem is the shape of the of spoiler not conforming to the shape of the trunk. Not really an issue with the tape.

Thank you for the explanation - much appreciated. I just left a message with Tesla Rocklin Mobile service to see what the status was.

 

[hydro 481]

I had mine installed last week.

The Tesla Service guy said that he always brings several spoilers, and dry fits them until he finds one that looks like it is going to work.

On my car, he put one on, but then it was no good, so he took it off and put another one on instead.

Reprepped the surface between each spoiler application.

After placing it, he spent some time applying pressure to get it to stick (though there was no noticeable gap).

So far, so good.

There's a small gap on one end, but this is mostly due to the way it is rounded off at the end (there is no adhesive that has lifted), and partly because it is perhaps 0.5mm higher on that end and doesn't QUITE conform with the trunk lid edge perfectly. It's nothing to worry about in any case, as it is completely invisible (you'd have to put your head against the trunk lid). But the spoiler seems stuck down solidly so far.

See, perfect! Note these pictures are taken from the side up close, so the extremely small gap is not visible under any normal circumstances; it's completely exaggerated in these pictures.

Good enough for who it's for.

View attachment 418119 View attachment 418120 View attachment 418118

I wouldn't celebrate just yet. Mine was on for 1.5 months and then started lifting.

 

[KenC]

Having just installed an OEM spoiler, I'd have to say that slight lift is hard to avoid. The pic makes it seem worse than it is, because from any other angle or distance, it looks fine. You have to get close and at the right angle to see that lift.

2nd try yesterday. Tech brought 4 spoilers and dry fit them for the best one.

Unfortunately looks like the left side is already lifting up.
View attachment 418986

Right side looks good.
View attachment 418987

 

[commasign]

Having just installed an OEM spoiler, I'd have to say that slight lift is hard to avoid. The pic makes it seem worse than it is, because from any other angle or distance, it looks fine. You have to get close and at the right angle to see that lift.

Agree it looks fine now and is much better than the first spoiler. Just worried it’ll get worse. Same thing happened with #1. Looked pretty good after install but got worse over time.

 

[KenC]

I'd take a hair dryer and heat that left corner a bit and then press it down. If that doesn't do anything, at least you tried.

 

[commasign]

I'd take a hair dryer and heat that left corner a bit and then press it down. If that doesn't do anything, at least you tried.

Tech said to just let them know if it peels and they'll try again until they get it right.

 

[jkoya]

Finally have a mobile service appointment for mine this Wednesday. I was told they will bring about 9 of them and see if any fit correctly.

Mine will be installed on ppf, so if it's not a perfect fit, I'll just wait for the next batch of spoilers to arrive.