Rochester

iTrader: (8)

The Roof Wing (or Roof Spoiler) is a mod that I’ve repeatedly looked at for my G, as well as my previous car. Over the years, I would research options, get all jazzed up about the mod, then SMH, talk myself down and walk away. The repeated conclusion was there’s something not quite right about the idea; too ricey, too tacky, too out-of-place. I got pretty close to buying the Stillen Roof Wing on the G37 Sedan, but talked myself down about that model, too.

Then in Fall 2014, a JDM company called HappyBuyItNow created a profile on MyG37.com, with a single post and a photo in Dragion's Roof Wing thread. They were promoting their new 3rd Generation "Extreme3" Roof Wing. Per the photo, it was more flat, without that awkward up-swept curve to the lip. It looked more like the OEM roof wing on the Mercedes C-Class, which is a very appealing design, IMO. Here’s a sample picture of the new HappyBuyItNow Extreme3 Roof Wing, on a BMW:



A few of us here on the Forum reached out to HappyBuyItNow, but being a small JDM outfit out of Taiwan, the lines of communication were somewhat thin. IDK what their footprint is like in Japan, but as far as I can tell they operate mostly out of eBay. It seems they've been selling roof wings and trunk spoilers for a number of years, as a totally legitimate business. So while new to me, they’re certainly not new to this product market. And yes, to a North American POV, the company name is Simpsons-esque. Just laugh it off and move on.

In October, HappyBuyItNow contacted me with an offer that I measure and test-fit their new Extreme3 roof wing, in return for pictures and a review thread. So it arrived today via UPS… 3-day shipping, weekend notwithstanding. That’s kind of amazing, coming from the other side of the planet and all. Here’s a picture, still in the box:



Inside are some instructions, a business card, and an alcohol wipe.



According to the business card, HappyBuyItNow has a website: http://www.extremespoiler.com/

IDK how current or accurate the website is, but it seems they're branching out from eBay marketing.

Lastly, if I decide not to keep the roof wing, pledes23 (Pedro) has already called first dibs on the hand-me-down.

Rochester

iTrader: (8)

After ups and downs on the idea, I started thinking about it less as a Roof Wing, and more like a trim-piece. In that context, I thought it would look better in gloss black, so that the black plastic roof channels would draw into it without creating an awkward body-color line. And since my back windows and rear window have a really dark tint to them… well, I went with black. Also, Moonlight White is a total b1tch to color-match properly. All you MW owners know what I’m talking about.

Here it is, unboxed. Kind of hard to really assess things in this photo, being gloss black and all, just sitting on my dining room table.



First thing you notice about this item is that it’s flexible. Flexible like Gumby, dammit. (LOL)



I don’t know what material it’s made of, but it is what it is. Here’s a video of the guys at HappyBuyItNow installing an Extreme2 (previous model) Roof Wing on a Honda Civic:


Being December in Upstate New York, I won’t do a final installation until Spring 2015, when things warm up. Like you can see in the video, it adheres to the rear window with two strips of double-sided, outdoor adhesive tape, so I think it would be best to wait for warmer temps. However, I will certainly test-fit the installation over the next few weeks as best I can.

More pictures and posts to follow. Feel free to comment, but in so far as cost and contact information goes… that’s up to you to figure out. Go research "HappyBuyItNow" on eBay.

Rochester

iTrader: (8)

The length of the prototype piece is exactly 43 1/8" long. I’ll find out shortly as I test-fit the item to the car, but the measurements I had of the car itself was 43" even from one D-pillar edge to the other. So if it fits, it’s going to be really, really tight. Hmm.

The width of the prototype is 2 1/4", which seems just about perfect.



The height of the prototype is 1/4" on the tapered edge, and 5/8" on the flared edge. My first impressions of this design are very positive. The top looks flat, and the flared edge just a little bit off the window, without curving upwards at all. Design-wise, this is exactly what I was looking for.



Next up, fitting it to the car.

alfredo24pr

iTrader: (1)

It looks pretty good on the civic. Not my kind of mod, but it doesn't look out of place.

Now for the wait until installation.

RexHavoc

iTrader: (7)

Looks pretty good John. I'm looking forward to seeing it on your car and hearing your thoughts.

Rochester

iTrader: (8)

It seems 43 1/8" fits between the sheet metal from one D-pillar to the other, with about 1/16" to spare. In other words: perfect width. So much for my measuring skills... I thought there was only 43" to work with.

The next problem (?) is how to test-mount it. The curvature of the roof means the material needs to bend a little bit, following that curvature. And that's only going to happen by actually adhering it to the window. Err-r-r. You can get a perspective on how much it has to curve, by butting up the piece at the middle and looking at the corners.



Here's another one:



It's night, and it's freezing out. I'll see what I can do tomorrow in the daylight.

Kind of stymied, though, on how to do this in the winter, without a second pair of hands. It's really a two person job, just like in that video.

And I have to decided whether or not to butt the material up to the roof directly, or leave a small gap and follow the edge of the glass instead.

Lego_Maniac

iTrader: (3)

Interesting....I don't think it would look right on my spoiler-less car, but, still, it's interesting.

Isn't this what kids are for? Get them out there and have them hold that thing down while you test fit it and take some pictures!

Rochester

iTrader: (8)

True. I seem to have more help-dad-out leverage lately since we started giving them an allowance.

So at this point, I've got first impressions compared to expectations, and they're pretty darn good. I really like the quality, the paint, the color (as black trim), the design, angle and fitment. If I can get this adhered to the car properly, I'm pretty sure it's a keeper. However...

...I'm concerned about the natural shape of the material fighting with the necessary curvature on the roof-line, and unseating the double-sided tape.

And I'm concerned on how to proceed, considering that it's mid-December in Upstate NY, and I have a detached, unheated garage.

G37Xtreme

Do you think the ultra flexibility may lend itself to maintaining this shape?

Rochester

iTrader: (8)

IDK. Since most cars have a curvature to the roofline where it meets up with the rear window glass, it only makes sense that the adhesive tape is stronger than the roof-wing material's tendency to go back to form. Otherwise HappyBuyItNow wouldn't be able to actually sell these things... right?

I don't want to final-install the item until Spring, when the temps are reasonable. Then again, I want to put it on the car and take pics.

Need to think on this some more. Ideas and advice are welcome.

Dj1ofDet

iTrader: (5)

^^^ With a space heater, I can get my garage to around 65 degrees after about an hour. I know a high of 30 in NY is much different than a low of 30 here in NOVA, but just a thought...

warped ideas

Looks like a solid mod, good deal and great write-up. Nice work, John.

doublea88

iTrader: (2)

John, Good call on going for Gloss black, I think that would look classy on your MW! Waiting on Daylight pics from a distance! Def. a way to stand out with everyone always color matching the roof spoiler (Trim in your case).

blnewt

iTrader: (13)

Nice detailed writeup John. Seems like you'd be able to get a test fit w/ just a couple squares of double sided tape at each end as long as the temp. is warm enough. Looks like a classy design and appears that the fit is going to be spot-on. Interested in how it turns out as this is something I've kind of waffled on too. Gotta love that company name, similar to the Hot in Cleeveland "Mrs. Lady Pants", lol.

bat6wc

iTrader: (31)

Glad you finally got it. Glad I didnt!

Is it the pics, or is that a sh*tty gloss black paint job?