Johnny Mo

Well, this past weekend while I was Zaino-ing my GS, I noticed my TTE front lip spoiler is starting to come loose. I'm really pissed about this because of the handful of times I have scraped my spoiler it has been at extremely low speed and only very slightly.

That being said, I know there is a very small contact area as it is only a front lip spoiler, but there has to be a better type of bonding system for urethane than what the body shop had used. I need something that holds as if it was welded steel, but flexible like warm urethane.

So I come to you my Lexus brothers and sisters what can I tell the body shop to use?, or can anyone recommend a body shop that is intimately familiar with urethane spoiler kits in the NY/NYC area.

Thanks,

Manaray

Well usually, they would used double sided automotive quality foam tape that's pretty strong....

However, they can compliment the foam tape by drilling some holes and adding a bolt/nut....however, I would have to look closely at the mounting surface of the TTE to see if this can be done on this particular lip.

Whatever you do, do NOT have them "mold" it to the front bumper (make it as if the bumper and lip spoiler were all one piece)...the joint will crack for sure.

Johnny Mo

The first time they used a urethane epoxy to bond the lip to the bumper and unfortunately there is not a great deal of surface area between the lip and the bumper. That's the main reason that 2 sided tape wouldn't work, its not a complete bumper, it is about a 2-3 inch high extension from the bottom of the existing bumper. It has come loose at the center section (or slightly off center) where the GS bumper line actually bows upward

__/---------------\__ picture this as the bottom of a stock

GS bumper and now __/__________\__ as a TTE front

lip. It wraps all the way around and there are screws on the underside of the outer portion , but there is no way to screw/bolt/tape anything in the middle section. Additionally I don't know what gave the epoxy or the paint, theoretically they should have stripped the paint and bonded the lip, but if they didn't maybe the epoxy held, but the paint peeled, I won't know until I see it completely taken apart.

D-MAN63

JM, I give it up to you man. You are only a couple of people that I know are brave enough to put a bodykit in NYC. I am curious, I was thinking heavily before on buying that TTE add-on. How many inches of room do you have left before you touch the concrete?

Johnny Mo

Diesel,

its about 4 1/2 - 5 inches, that's with my L-Tuned suspension. I actually brought it to a body shop today and the guy looked at it and said it didn't need to be touched. He said it looked like the other shop had silliconed the center section, which is fine, because where it meets the "lower" edges of the factory bumper it is not moving. Additionally, it may make it worse (more money- no actual harm to the car) if he takes it off, because then the bumper paint may peel off where the epoxy held strong. I guess I'll leave it for now, but it's pretty low, the guys at Lexus of Manhattan can't even do a wheel alignment for me because the car won't clear the alignment rack's ramp. I'm gonna post some new pics in the gallery.