linen grey ghost

I am exasperated!

I have a broken spoiler wall, printed out removal/replacement procedure, followed it to the letter for removal - and am now on my SECOND rubber seal that still does not fit in the channel of the replacement spoiler wall, nor do the four notches line up with the four grill strakes. I am beyond frustrated.

The replacement parts have been purchased by a well known and promoted Rennlist OEM parts vendor and I am getting no where with them to address this problem.

In essence, the rubber seal, I observe is out of specification in the "T" shaped area that is supposed to slide into the channel of the lower portion of the spoiler wall. I have tried the following lubricating agents with out any success and only hours (YES HOURS) of struggle; soapy water, VinylX, glycerine, talcum powder, 30 minutes in the freezer (think "shrinkage" Costanza style); with careful cleaning between each attempt to no avail.

It appears to me that the problem is that the die used for the extrusion of this rubber piece has become worn over years of production and now the pieces that are in inventory at PORSCHE are out of spec; that and a sloppy quality control of the aforementioned notch cutting process. Also, the ends are not trimmed even remotely close to the image of the original.

After all my failed efforts, yes I checked that the 'old' and unfortunately torn rubber seal does indeed slide effortlessly in and out of the 'old' broken spoiler wall as well as the 'new' replacement spolier wall and can visually discern differences in the cross section of the "T" shaped area; with the 'old' rubber seal being noticeably "thinner" in the arms and the trunk of the "T".

What do I have to do to get the correct part, and yes I have triple checked that I am ordering the correct p/n 993.512.533.00 (rubber seal) to fit (I only wish it did) in to 993.512.121.00 (spoiler wall).

I am a decent DIYer, but this is ridiculous! Oh, and now with all the struggle the "new spoiler wall" has begun to tear at the 'magic seam'!

Any help or suggestions of a helpful nature will be greatly appreciated.

TIA

C4SJOHN

Do a search for ( wall fit ) and you will see that Porsche had some bad/quality issues with their 993 spoiler spare parts in their inventory.

ble2011

Really watching the response to this post as I need to buy and replace a new spoiler wall in spring.

bw-porsche

Hi there, I had the same problem when I ordered a new wall for my 964 last year (they are the same part number). Try as I might I couldn't get it to click on, as it was much too wide. The 964 doesn't have a rubber seal as the 993 does so this wasn't a problem. I bought the wall via the internet so was unable to check it until I received it. I contacted the supplier but they didn't seem too interested in the problem. So I returned it to them for a 'full' refund (less of course the postage to me and back to them). In the end I got one through the local Porsche dealer (less Porscheclub GB discount) and inspected it before taking it home. Apparently there was a bad batch around which seemed to be near enough world wide! I did manage to repair the old wall with some wide fabric reinforced duct tape,and as yet haven't fitted the new one, although haven't driven my car much recently. So good luck in finding a good spoiler wall. Brian

DanL993

I bought one from Sunset a couple of years ago and have to tell you 1) it finally did fit and, 2) Geez, WHAT a PITA job.

ToreB

I've changed my spoiler wall twice but have obviously been lucky to not need any change of the rubber. Here's a picture of my rubber gasket in the new spoiler wall, plenty of room.
Cheers,
Tore

linen grey ghost

Appreciate the insightful comments to my OP, fortunately the 'top' of my new spoiler wall does snap on the spoiler grill very snuggly with the reassuring "click" that it is completely seated.

My problem is with the rubber seal that "...is supposed to slide" in the 'bottom' of the spoiler wall; it's just too ^@# big to fit, the ends are not cut to match the original part, and the four notches do not align with the strakes on the spolier grill. Has anyone experienced a similar problem with this replacement part?

Thank you ToreB for the photo, that is the offending "T" portion of the rubber seal I am stark, raving digusted about; and the improperly trimmed end as well.

Kika

I took the 964 approach:

Couple strips of Gorilla tape. Cheap. Functional. Works for me. I realize a lot of purists will frown upon it, but it gets the job done.

In general I replace with OEM parts, but this one I went down a different path.

That Gorilla tape is pretty amazing stuff.
To me the choice was between an $85 part that will break again, or repairing the broken one with a flexible seam that is stronger than the original.

deekay911

I purchased one from Pelican about 6 months ago, and luckily it was fine. Took about 15 minutes to fit (sorry I know you didn't want to know that)
It's probably a lottery even buying one from Pelican..

Kika

It is a known issue however, and I believe Pelican, and others, I.e. Sunset, will accept returns if you get one of the bad ones.

It is still a hassle...

linen grey ghost

Here is a 'not to any scale' diagram to illustrate my problems...

ToreB

Impressive, If I'll need an illustrator to my web and magazine articles I now know where to get such services!
I clearly see your problems, where were the Porsche QA engineers when they got this part done?
My experience with Porsche is that they are very interested in such well-documented evidence of part quality problems. I once did a well documented technical problem request to my local Porsche main office, and the tech staff at the Norwegian office were very interested in escalating such problems. Not many days later I got a reply from a german Porsche representative.
I hope you could do the same thing with this one for all of us.
Cheers,
Tore

linen grey ghost

Awaiting response from "Parts Vendor" of some renown; as this diagram, along with photographic evidence, has been emailed to them.

Thank you for the kind comments ToreB, unfortunately I have no contacts with PORSCHE here in the U.S.A. and would not know where to begin. You have my permission and are welcome to pursue any avenues of problem resolution that may be available to you in Norway or the EU.

nile13

it doesn't sound like the same issue, but I was unable so far to click the _top_ of the replacement wall into place for some reason. Is that a defective part?

I got if for free form a great Rennlister so I wouldn't complain But if there any way to modify or force it to connect at the top?

linen grey ghost

My understanding of the spoiler wall top not engaging (clicking) on snuggly has to do with the channel in the plastic being too wide to grip; compared to the original piece. A search of the 993 pages with "spoiler wall" as your key words will give you some results to read.

As to a kluge repair, perhaps a bead of silicon caulk or bathroom sealant in the channel and then after putting the spoiler wall in place onto the spoiler grill, affix with some strong tape for a day until the silicon caulk cures; then remove the supporting tape. That way the spoiler wall will be held in place and yet removable if it requires replacement with a minimum of effort.