Hi Everyone. I am sure someone else has had this issue so i am looking for some input. The rear spoiler on my 10 AE has a crack in the rubber that I need to repair. It is one of the two supports towards the center of hatch. Any input on how to fix it would be appreciated.

 

This happened to mine. It wasn't too bad to repair, depending on how bad it is. Did you have pictures?

 

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Attached are 3 photos of the repair work i am talking about. I want to make sure the fix is permanent, it's going in for paint and I don't want any issues with it. Thanks everyone.

 

Mine was a bit worse for wear than that, so a repair shouldn't be too difficult. Idk if this is the proper way to do it, but it's the way I did it, and it's held up for me.

I ran some super glue down into the crack and pinched it shut while the glue set. This ensures that the surfaces actually meet and hold together. If there's a remaining gap where some of the wing material has chipped away (which it looks like yours has), I used a very small amount of body filler to fill that crack in, and sanded it to meet the contour of the wing.

Lmk if that works, or if you want pics

 

I'd use some JB Weld, clamp tight, then use Evercoat Polyflex or a similar flexible filler for bumper covers/plastic parts..
Years ago used Evercoat on the side skirts, bumper covers, as well as the front spoiler and came out fine.

 

Thanks for the advice on the jb weld and evercoat. I want to be sure what I used holds up.

 

Body shop tech and plastic repair specialist here. Unless you are desperate, I wouldn't use JB weld or Super Glue. It will work for a short amount of time, but it will not flex and expand with the material and it will crack again.

Any body shop worth its salt would be able to repair this, and if someone brought that in to me to repair, this is what I would do:

Materials
3M 08223 Universal 3 min Black adhesive
3M 4298 Adhesion Promoter
Soap and Water

Tools
Cardboard
Mixing blades
Masking tape (3/4" and 1.5")
Dremel

First, you need to recognize and repair one of the underlying causes of the crack, the metal stud in the rubber looks like it has become rusted. The expansion of the rust will put stress on the spoiler rubber and the repair. You actually need to break off that end piece completely to clean all the rust and dirt out of the repair area. THIS IS ESSENTIAL! Adhesives require perfectly clean surfaces to work properly. Once you remove the rubber boot, take a wire wheel (on the Dremel) or brush and clean out all the rust, dirt and grime that has accumulated. Now you can bevel the edges with a sanding drum on the Dremel to give more surface area to the glue. You can treat the head of the stud with a rust preventative paint if you like. Clean both sides with soap and water and rinse thoroughly. After the piece has been treated and cleaned wipe all surfaces with some sort of adhesion promoter like 3M 3298. Let it sit for 10 to 15 min. The glue you will need it 3M 08223 Universal 3 min Black adhesive or equivalent. I know it is expensive but you do not need the special gun to push it out or mix it, just mix and spread exactly like JB weld. Mix adhesive 1:1 on a clean piece of cardboard. Apply glue to both sides of the repair and push together tightly. Use the masking tape to tightly wrap the repair an let it set for the required time. Un-tape after 30 min and carefully sand down the excess glue. After this, it is just the normal steps to get it ready for paint. This is the only permanent way to do this repair.

Good luck!

 

IMHO, if you wanted to go 3M, I wouldn't use 08223 as that is an adhesive, 05895 EZ Sand is for plastic panel repair.
V out the area use the adhesion promoter then EZ Sand.

 

Either on one would probably be fine. In my experience, EZ Sand is more of a filler for non-structural repairs. 08223 is stronger and more suited for a structural repair. Whatever works though.

 

Thank you for the thorough explanation on how to repair this. I got very busy however ordered the 3M products and will be making the repair very soon. I am excited to complete this and sent the car out for paint. Thanks again!

 

JB weld makes a plastic panel adhesive that is sandable in different colors , black and tan . 3M stuff would be the top shelf material but that stuff sure is expensive.. Especially because you need the dispensing gun and mixing tips.Dominion seal makes a bumper filler that is mixed with two parts the old school way like the original jb weld. It's slower but I've done some large projects with that stuff and apart from taking a little extra time (mixing and manually applying as opposed to just squeezing a dispenser) was no big deal.