forestial

On my 2014 Cayman S, I noticed today that the rubber 'lip' which is to protect the underside of the front bumper, has become detached. It was hanging on by the two end fasteners but all the little tabs along the rest of it were out of their locations and the thing generally has been quite beaten up as a result of various scrapes against driveways and kerbs. (By previous owners, of course...)

Suncoast sells the part (their SKU: RUB981CLP) for $200 which seems steep.... on e-bay there are a multitude of 3rd party 'universal' things which seem designed to do the same job in the $20-50 range: basically strips of material that are intended to stick on with 3M adhesive. (Some of them claim to be made of carbon fiber.)

What have other owners done? I want something that gives a decent bit of protection to that area, and is as inconspicuous as possible. It's a black car so I don't want any colored striping which a lot of these e-bay things seem to have.

TMc993

This is certainly a personal opinion...Mine looks like hell, too, but I've left it on because (1) It's not that visible and (2) Replacing it only re-starts the damage cycle. That said, $200 for a piece designed to fit the factory application perfectly doesn't seem that "steep" to me.

Tightening two screws and a snapping in a few tabs will probably be much less frustrating than dealing with an aftermarket part (Which may or may not fit well) attached with adhesive (Which may or may not adhere well). Additionally, any part attached with adhesive will undergo the same wear-and-tear as the stock part, which will then precipitate an aggravating and time-consuming removal process if you decide to replace it.

I also wonder what would happen if you did hit something with the aftermarket piece attached with adhesive. The tabs on the factory part seem to be designed to pull out without damaging the underside of the car. Would adhesive release as readily without causing further damage?

Again, just my opinion.

Jim981CS

^ this
The rubber strip was missing on my 2014CS when i bought it three years ago and I purchased the factory strip from Suncoast with the two plastic fasteners. Knowing that it’s a $200 part it makes me be a little more careful when I go over a speed bump or steep angle. It’s doing it’s job as I have some minor scrapes but it remains in good condition.
Jim

OLY-S

Mine came off and was hanging on by the two end fasteners as you've described. I went to a local repair shop and had them put the car up on the rack. I was able to reinsert the "tabs" into the slots to reattach. Pretty easy, but it does take some muscle to get the tabs to fit tightly.

forestial

Thanks all for the replies. Terry's note articulates why I was uneasy about the adhesives better than I said it - could stick too well, or not well enough.

I will have another attempt at reattaching the existing one, but it seems like some of the original tabs were gone, and also the whole strip seems to have been stretched (maybe it caught on something without me being aware) so that the spacing of the tabs/snaps is now off. So I may need to replace it.

TMc993

The ghost of Ferdinand Porsche may haunt me for saying this, but if you're the DIY type, a 1/8" drill bit and some fine gauge zip ties may serve you well...

Jim981CS

When I installed my new strip ( above post #3) I recruited help from my young grandson as it takes extra hands to keep all the tabs in place before you slide it over to lock it in place. Three years later I still remind him how he helped grandpa work on his Porsche. I still have early memories helping my grandpa work on his 1926 Model T.😌
Jim

absoluteczech

They get destroyed rather easily. I just replaced mine with a new one recently as well.

Fullyield

Used small plastic zip ties to reinforce anchor points on mine. Can not see the zip ties unless you are under car.

CaymanCarver

Hey OP, I think I might've seen this car in the parking lot at work ..Carlsbad?