Front spoiler / lip repair
#1
JDM
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Front spoiler / lip repair
Hey fellas, so after lowering the car I've been scraping like mad with not much clearance and after a while the lip is cracked in 2 places. It's a Mazdaspeed lip identical to this one.
I'm not sure what it's made of but it's very flexible kinda like plastic so I was wondering what are some DIY ways I can fix it up just in my garage. A friend told me to do plastic welding or bondo, any tips would be awesome, thanks.
I'm not sure what it's made of but it's very flexible kinda like plastic so I was wondering what are some DIY ways I can fix it up just in my garage. A friend told me to do plastic welding or bondo, any tips would be awesome, thanks.
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JDM
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#6
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Well if you want to clean up the color try SEM plastic paint. The "Back to Black" and other rub-in treatments are only very temporary. If you do any bondo the moment you scrape the paint off it will show, which is why that's not a very good option.
Plastic welding is the only real way to fix cracks since it's a thermoplastic. Epoxies and glues IME end up more brittle than the lip material and just crack away.
In terms of hassle and pain a new lip ($130?) is actually not a bad deal.
Murphy's laws though - immediately after I refinished mine I ripped it up on an invisible hole too. Then I drove around like that for months and never touched a thing, so I finally got comfortable enough to buy a new lip. Two weeks later that one got torn up too. Yeah, I admit I'm bitter and I gave up.
Dave
Plastic welding is the only real way to fix cracks since it's a thermoplastic. Epoxies and glues IME end up more brittle than the lip material and just crack away.
In terms of hassle and pain a new lip ($130?) is actually not a bad deal.
Murphy's laws though - immediately after I refinished mine I ripped it up on an invisible hole too. Then I drove around like that for months and never touched a thing, so I finally got comfortable enough to buy a new lip. Two weeks later that one got torn up too. Yeah, I admit I'm bitter and I gave up.
Dave
#7
Racecar - Formula 2000
I've wanted to lower mine, almost since I got it. But, knowing our roads around here, and not wanting to bottom out / scrape things, I resisted the impulse. Reading stuff like this, I'm glad I did. There is no way you can avoid everything, and stock height gives me more safety factor.
Good luck - driving on public roads is a bit of a crap-shoot.
Good luck - driving on public roads is a bit of a crap-shoot.
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