3M tape for GFX?

[Lord Grey]

My rear GFX piece is peeling away from the side of the car, immediately behind the back wheel. It's obviously a failure of the tape, and it appears to be something I can easily fix.

My question is, is there a specific type of 3M tape to use for this application?

[ffrcobra_65]

Forget about fixing it yourself. I tried that.

I know exactly what you are talking about. Mine had this issue within a couple of days after installation. My dealer showed me a bulletin addressing specifically this part of the rear GFX. I didn't care for the details of the bulletin but dealer said something about using a new wipe-down solution and new tape.

While waiting for dealer to schedule my car to fix the problem, I tried to fix it. It was a pain to remove the tape residue since there isn't much gap to reach and scrape the glue off the fender and underside of the GFX. I cleaned the area, applied new 3M tape, and c-clamped it for 24 hours. Worked great for 4 days and started pulling away again. Finally, dealer fixed it on Friday and so far so good.

I suspect that over time, it will pull away again. That exact area of the rear kit doesn't have enough flat contact area to press against the fender surface. I figured, if it pulls away again, I will just drill a hole on each side, use self-tapping plastic fastener and use a nice bolt head cover to cover the head of the fastener.

[Lord Grey]

Originally Posted by ffrcobra_65

Forget about fixing it yourself. I tried that.

I know exactly what you are talking about. Mine had this issue within a couple of days after installation. My dealer showed me a bulletin addressing specifically this part of the rear GFX. I didn't care for the details of the bulletin but dealer said something about using a new wipe-down solution and new tape.

While waiting for dealer to schedule my car to fix the problem, I tried to fix it. It was a pain to remove the tape residue since there isn't much gap to reach and scrape the glue off the fender and underside of the GFX. I cleaned the area, applied new 3M tape, and c-clamped it for 24 hours. Worked great for 4 days and started pulling away again. Finally, dealer fixed it on Friday and so far so good.

I suspect that over time, it will pull away again. That exact area of the rear kit doesn't have enough flat contact area to press against the fender surface. I figured, if it pulls away again, I will just drill a hole on each side, use self-tapping plastic fastener and use a nice bolt head cover to cover the head of the fastener.

Good information, thanks. I'll talk to a dealer before running down the DIY road.

[Lord Grey]

I took a closer look at this 'failure' and figured out that the real culprit is a failed rivet on the bottom of the GFX kit, immediately behind the back wheel. That rivet busted loose somehow and that allowed the GFX piece to start peeling away from the side of the car (the tape didn't hold).

Just thought I'd pass this along to anyone else experiencing the same problem.

[ffrcobra_65]

Originally Posted by Lord Grey

I took a closer look at this 'failure' and figured out that the real culprit is a failed rivet on the bottom of the GFX kit, immediately behind the back wheel. That rivet busted loose somehow and that allowed the GFX piece to start peeling away from the side of the car (the tape didn't hold).

Just thought I'd pass this along to anyone else experiencing the same problem.

Yep, I know that rivet. The problem is, IF that bottom rivet is pressed all the way in, it creates pressure and tendency for the top edge (where you see the tape failed) to pull away from the fender. Try this, grab that part with your hand and twist it up (counter-clockwise) to simulate the rivet being pressed in as tight as it can be pressed, you will see the top edge pull away even further. Mine is still holding up nice after dealer fixed it last Friday....I looked closer and looks like they just used clear silicon to glue the gap shut. Works for me. Silicon is easy to remove.

[Lord Grey]

Silicon, huh? Hmmm. That may be worth looking into. I cleaned the gap and stuck some 3M tape in there to hold it shut. I know it won't last, but I'd rather have it looking right temporarily than not.

I also considered drilling a hole in the bottom of the GFX, where the rivet is now, and sticking a bolt in there. I didn't crawl under the car to see what I'd be drilling into, though, so that may not work anyway.

[ffrcobra_65]

Originally Posted by Lord Grey

Silicon, huh? Hmmm. That may be worth looking into. I cleaned the gap and stuck some 3M tape in there to hold it shut. I know it won't last, but I'd rather have it looking right temporarily than not.

I also considered drilling a hole in the bottom of the GFX, where the rivet is now, and sticking a bolt in there. I didn't crawl under the car to see what I'd be drilling into, though, so that may not work anyway.

you are like me...can't leave it alone!

You gotta use a self tapping plastic fastener to replace to one that broke. It actually goes into a hole in a mounting bracket that got installed with the rear kit. If you get under the car, you will see the edge of the mounting bracket gripping the bottom edge of the stock bumper.
You can't go wrong with the clear silicon. Just make sure you mask off above the line so u don't get any silicon on the bumper itself and the run off will be on the masking tape, not the paint.

[Brown5150]

My Baby is at the dealership right now. The front of the GFX is pulling away in 3 different places. 3 days and counting. They don't know what they are doing. I know IT!!