Rear spoiler removal

[dak1b]

Hi All...

Looking at a potential e36 m3 blue with a rear spoiler...not the biggest fan of spoilers...how easy is it to remove the rear spoiler? Is it just tape holding it down? or bolts? Would I have to get a paint job to cover any marks after removal?

Thanks!!!!

[trahsub]

Hi All...

Looking at a potential e36 m3 blue with a rear spoiler...not the biggest fan of spoilers...how easy is it to remove the rear spoiler? Is it just tape holding it down? or bolts? Would I have to get a paint job to cover any marks after removal?

Thanks!!!!

If OEM, it's definitely drilled and bolted through the trunk lid. To remove it you will need someone to do some welding work to cover the holes, sand/smooth, and respray.

Alternatively, you can always try to swap decklids with someone looking for a spoiler.

[jaajavon]

i removed my oem spoiler to put a high riser spoiler on. Its bolted and taped down but that is like cement. I needed to use a fishing line a butter knife to cut away at the tape. longest 1hr of my life

[JJCTHE1]

also know there are 2 spoilers that were available for the E36 M3. One is the high arched M rear wing and the M rear Spoiler. Easiest way to tell is to see if there is a 3rd brake light mounted in the rear window, if so, the spoiler was likely dealer installed, not factory installed. There is a difference, I do not like the dealer installed spoiler, its flatter and doesnt fit as perfect as the factory installed one. Additionally, you can find paint imperfections and runs in almost every dealer installed spoiler (well I can). There will be 2 bolts on each side from when the mounted it to the trunk lid.

Yes a trunk lid swap is always an option, keep in mind there is a VIN tag on the trunk lid however. Just depends on how original you want it to be. The factory M spoilers are pretty rare, so if you do have one it may be worth keeping on, if not you can sell it

[RatedM3]

If OEM, it's definitely drilled and bolted through the trunk lid. To remove it you will need someone to do some welding work to cover the holes, sand/smooth, and respray.

Alternatively, you can always try to swap decklids with someone looking for a spoiler.

Alternatively you can just live with the holes in the trunk lid.... Just saying.

Filled mine with silicone for now. Hole were over water drainage path anyways.

[dak1b]

also know there are 2 spoilers that were available for the E36 M3. One is the high arched M rear wing and the M rear Spoiler. Easiest way to tell is to see if there is a 3rd brake light mounted in the rear window, if so, the spoiler was likely dealer installed, not factory installed. There is a difference, I do not like the dealer installed spoiler, its flatter and doesnt fit as perfect as the factory installed one. Additionally, you can find paint imperfections and runs in almost every dealer installed spoiler (well I can). There will be 2 bolts on each side from when the mounted it to the trunk lid.

Yes a trunk lid swap is always an option, keep in mind there is a VIN tag on the trunk lid however. Just depends on how original you want it to be. The factory M spoilers are pretty rare, so if you do have one it may be worth keeping on, if not you can sell it

Heres what I'm looking at: http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sby/cto/2928381169.html

Pics are kinda of small.....i emailed owner for more bigger pics + i will see in person soon. Can't tell what spoiler it is? can you?

Thanks for all your help everyone!!!

[Moron95M3]

Can I say it? AT?!?

lol but that's a low rise LTW/GT wing. That will have 4 holes and tape...but is aftermarket so you never know if they did it right or not.

I would try to find one wanting that wing and do an entire trunk exchange. Or live with it.

That wing goes for 100-200 on its own btw (assuming it's not saggy).


Here's one that I had briefly from ebay. Cheap but had sag. You can see the bolt areas.
http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum....php?t=1494281

Also - what I did was source a trunklid and drilled that. You could do the opposite, find a trunk lid w/o holes and just paint it. Keep the one on the car with the wing in the basement if you ever change your mind or sell the car.

[dak1b]

Can I say it? AT?!?

lol but that's a low rise LTW/GT wing. That will have 4 holes and tape...but is aftermarket so you never know if they did it right or not.

I would try to find one wanting that wing and do an entire trunk exchange. Or live with it.

That wing goes for 100-200 on its own btw (assuming it's not saggy).


Here's one that I had briefly from ebay. Cheap but had sag. You can see the bolt areas.
http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum....php?t=1494281

Also - what I did was source a trunklid and drilled that. You could do the opposite, find a trunk lid w/o holes and just paint it. Keep the one on the car with the wing in the basement if you ever change your mind or sell the car.

I knew someone wud mention the AT. ha anyways...ya not really looking to do a trunk exchange..trying to stay as close to stock as possible. I think i might give it a test drive though just to get a feel for the car i'm looking for.

thanks

[golgo13]

35nhma you used a knife to remove that old adhesive? Savage. Just get a pinstripe removal tool and an electric drill next time.

[35nhma]

What follows is a description of my attempt to repair a loose low/flat dealer installed wing on a 1995 e36 M3 coupe, in alpine white. After trying to re-secure it, I removed the whole thing. At this point, I'm not sure if I will re-install it or leave it off.

PICS: https://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/a...p?albumid=6131


HOW TO REMOVE WING:
It is attached with foam tape and four screws. The easiest way to do this is first to remove the screws, obviously, then cut the foam tape. This was actually the easiest part of the whole process. I found the best way to do this was by driving a wedge (I used a 1/4" wooden shim) in between the spoiler and the trunk lid. Then use a long, thin blade (i used a full length olfa snap blade) to cut the foam in the middle, leaving adhesive attached to both sides (trunk and wing). THE BRAKE WIRE IS ON THE LEFT SIDE, SO BE CAREFUL WHEN CUTTING THERE. Naturally I failed to do this and and made my soldering task MUCH more difficult. It is much easier to remove the adhesive in a controlled manner once the wing is off the car. My first attempt at repairing involved leaving half of the wing attached and only working on the half that was loose by lifting it a few inches off the hood and then working in the 3" gap — fail.


MANAGING THE BRAKE WIRE:
To remove the wing completely, you will need to cut the brake light wire. LEAVE ENOUGH ON BOTH SIDES TO SOLDER ON NEW LEADS. There is no slack in the wire to operate on it from the inside of the trunk, and it cannot be pulled through the wing itself. You may be able to drill it out of the wing but I have not explored that option. It is possible to use a coat hanger to thread the wire through the trunk lid from inside of the trunk, if you would like to seal the hole in the trunk and have the option to re-install the brake light wing later. I practiced with a coat hanger and it only took a few tries. I soldered on 3' leads and packaged the wire back in the trunk for later. If you feel confident about your threading abilities, you could attach something long enough that you feel like you could fish it out from the trunk later, and just shove it in the hole without removing the interior lining of the trunk. But keep in mind the access is really limited on the left side of the trunk by the locking mechanism, and that the trunk is a two-part welded sandwich construction that cannot be disassembled. If you want to reinstall the brake light wing at some point I advise removing the trunk liner and having a look at what you're up against before you lose your brake light wire inside there.


REMOVING THE TRUNK LINER (OPTIONAL)
It is attached with mostly removable panel fasteners (3/4" diameter ones) and two screws, and two smaller fasteners that I had to cut. The large panel fasteners pop out. If you don't have special tools, work a flat blade screwdriver underneath them, then twist 90 degrees, and put the blade in the dead center of the fastener. There are vertical slots in the plug where you can fit it. They pop right out if you do it right, without any struggle. The two screws are underneath tiny plastic caps where the tool tray is attached. Pop off the plastic caps, surprisingly tricky, but what is more surprising is that these little caps are still there after 25 years. Lastly, there are two more fasteners where the handle is molded into the trunk liner. I did not have success removing these, and had to cut them. I replaced them with screws for now, but I imagine you can easily find more panel fasteners that would fit. They are pretty small thought so all the ones I had on hand did not work. Minor details.


THE DAMAGE REPORT:
As for what is left behind when the wing is removed: there are five holes, and likely some rust damage around them. Also expect discolored paint and scuffs. I have made a small gallery of images here: https://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/a...p?albumid=6131 In the album there is an image of me shaving off the paint protectors on the quarter panels with a knife, using a skinning motion. This was hard, thick, well adhered plastic, and I wasn't sure I could get any purchase on it otherwise, or get any solvent down to the adhesive layer. I was about 95% successful on this, but I did nick the clear coat in a few places. I don't really recommend this route, but it can work if you have a steady hand. Golgo has recommended a tool called a "pin stripe removal disc" that is chucked in a drill ... worth trying first, also light solvent and heat is usually a good place to start. In the end this is probably a bigger problem than the damage to the trunk lid. The yellowing there looks deep. Not sure if it is affecting the clearcoat or the paint underneath or both ... either way, it is a large area that will be difficult to fix, if not impossible. If I have any success I will update this post. As for the trunk itself, my plan for now is to cover the holes temporarily with interior panel fasteners. There is so much black trim on these cars that they don't look that out of place. One of the images shows these.


SHOULD YOU REMOVE THE WING?
Maybe. For the weight-conscious out there: the dealer installed e36 M3 low/flat wing weighs about 9 lbs. It appears to be made of graphite. The trunk lid opens much easier without the wing on, just pops up with a little flick. Makes me think that the gas props could be swapped out if you wanted to keep the wing, but these props are not always available in every length / strength combo. FWIW: as far as aesthetics go, I was on the fence. I removed the wing only because it had started to come loose. However, with it off, I believe I prefer it sans-wing. If you are not fully committed to the look, though, I don't recommend going through all this trouble just to find out you prefer the wing. There is the possibility of new damage / scratches, and you will certainly have to deal with blemishes from it just being mounted there for so long. It took the better part of a weekend to attempt both these repairs, and I still have a ways to go with clear coat and sanding to get the paint repair looking better. That said, I'm always happy to have the opportunity to get at some rust when I can.


SHOULD YOU JUST REPLACE THE WHOLE LID? Maybe, if you want a super clean look, this is the way to go. Keep in mind that all the mechanisms, lock and latch, will need to be swapped and re-wired (seems like a decent amount of work to me, but that's all relative), and that your panel VINs won't match. In my opinion the car is better off with paint scuffs than a new trunk lid that suggests it was in an unreported accident. I'm certainly not an expert on this matter though. From what little I know about collecting watches, originality is everything, and patina can be quite desirable. I tend to think the same goes for cars, but that's just a guess. I'd be curious to know if if anyone has better information here. ALSO, as mentioned above, I think the worst part is actually on the quarter panels, which the trunk swap obviously wont fix. My car is alpine white, so that probably factors in. If you have a dark color it may be much less apparent.

g'luck!
-hank


UPDATE: not everyone's favorite look, for sure, but here's the end result. I used butyl mastic (same that's used to seal door insulation/vapor barrier) underneath a panel fastener to seal brake wire hole.

IMG_9153.JPG
IMG_9152.JPG
IMG_9151.JPG

[blckstrm]

35nhma you used a knife to remove that old adhesive? Savage. Just get a pinstripe removal tool and an electric drill next time.

Man, what is it with the Necros lately?

[NeilM]

Man, what is it with the Necros lately?

Yeah, but this one from 35nhma has good info that deserves to be posted and to live on.

Neil

[golgo13]

Agreed, it was a legit post even if it was a necro.

[35nhma]

Sorry all, new to the forums. Usually I hear people complaining that a certain topic has been discussed 100 times before, so I just attached the content, like I said, to the top hit on Google.

If Google is pulling up this thread when I search "e36 M3 rear spoiler delete," I wonder if people are actually referencing it quite a lot. Their algorithms are a mystery, but I'm sure traffic figures in.

Anyway lmk what the best way to post is, I've just got a new M3 and have plenty of projects in the pipeline; will be trying to add a little more specificity and photos to some of the DIY threads on here.

[blckstrm]

Sorry all, new to the forums. Usually I hear people complaining that a certain topic has been discussed 100 times before, so I just attached the content, like I said, to the top hit on Google.

If Google is pulling up this thread when I search "e36 M3 rear spoiler delete," I wonder if people are actually referencing it quite a lot. Their algorithms are a mystery, but I'm sure traffic figures in.

Anyway lmk what the best way to post is, I've just got a new M3 and have plenty of projects in the pipeline; will be trying to add a little more specificity and photos to some of the DIY threads on here.

Nah, you're good - my comment was directed at golgo for resurrecting it, and even at that was just more friendly ribbing than anything else.

Your info is good information in the right place.

In fact, I got rear-ended (yet again) a few weeks ago and I'll be using these tips myself if I decide to reuse my original wing instead of trying one of the GT / LTW style 4-piece wings. If I had a coupe it would be a no-brainer, but with a sedan it's a bit more of a complicated decision...

[35nhma]

Nah, you're good - my comment was directed at golgo for resurrecting it, and even at that was just more friendly ribbing than anything else.

Your info is good information in the right place.

In fact, I got rear-ended (yet again) a few weeks ago and I'll be using these tips myself if I decide to reuse my original wing instead of trying one of the GT / LTW style 4-piece wings. If I had a coupe it would be a no-brainer, but with a sedan it's a bit more of a complicated decision...

Cool. And bummer! I think both options look great, it's just splitting hairs at that point. Low wing, high wing, no wing, it's really hard to go wrong with these cars. Unlike first gen STIs (I think) which really need the giant wing to look right, with their rounded over trunk lines. Your ride looks super clean in your signature, btw, but I suppose that's the wing that got damaged.

[golgo13]

Nah, you're good - my comment was directed at golgo for resurrecting it

Actually, I did that on accident. I hadn't had my coffee yet, so that was a complete accident.

[blckstrm]

Actually, I did that on accident. I hadn't had my coffee yet, so that was a complete accident.

Just as long as no one looks too hard for all the threads I've done that to!

In fact, I almost did it again yesterday but was saved by my crappy internet! After I reloaded the page, I happened to see the date right before I posted my pointless comment.

...

Anyway, I made my decision. I found a good reproduction front splitter, so I pulled the trigger on both. I'm completely redoing all the front ducting to go along with the splitter, and will do the wing on the rear to have the whole thing put together. I got lucky that sirhodjibob started a thread on this very topic earlier this year, and bluptgM3 put all the part numbers together in one post for easy reference.

https://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/s...-Air-Duct-Help

I seriously love the commitment, help, and community here!