SO.... I installed my diffuser from Mod Bargains.
.......
When I got the diffuser, the first thing I did was inspect the weave and hold it up to a light. The weave is far from perfect, but like I said, you cant expect perfection with these diffusers, thats why the OEM BMWP one is so expensive.
There are a few spots where the light shows through, but that is not such a big deal, since it is on the bottom of the car.
This diffuser has metal tabs on it, not the plastic ones on the Scopione and the OEM. These led to my first major issue.....
So I began by taking the stock diffuser off.
I quickly realized this job would be much more involved than I had planned. Those metal tabs need to be bent down once you mount it on the bumper cover to hold the diffuser in place. The problem with that is the tabs are so long that they hit the metal bumper of the car, and it was impossible for me to bend the metal tabs down from underneath the car. This is hard to explain and I was not able to take any pictures.
So my only option was to install the diffuser onto the bumper cover...off of the car. Great. Started by removing the tail lights and un screwing everthing underneath and in the wheel wells.
Removal of the bumper took me hours. I had no idea how the plastic tabs worked at first, and I did not want to pull to hard and break anything. The sides on the bumper cover have 4 clips. The only way to undo them is to slide the bumper cover backwards and pull it out. Once I figured this step out, it was easier and eventually came off...I did break one tab but it did not affect the fitment when I re installed it.
So now was the time to install the diffuser. It did not fit well...at all. I ended up having to Dremel the edges on the drivers side. Also, there were not any holes pre drilled so I did that as well. I didnt take any pictures of these steps, its pretty straight forward. Just keep grinding away and bend it until it fits in there. I ended up making it work, but it is still not perfect. The passenger side has a small gap. This photo also shows off the quality of the weave around the corner.
And a picture of a couple of the holes I had to drill, while under the car.
And 5 hours later...THE DIFFUSER IS ON THE CAR!
Now all that was left was to just screw everything back together under the car. The diffuser is solid as a rock. When I try to move it, it moves the entire car. Here are the final pictures, also showing off my newly installed LCI blacklines. Im still thinking about de-badging her.
I love how the Active Autowerk exhaust fits perfectly with this diffuser. It stuck out too far with the OEM one.
So the question is; was my trouble, the bad weave, the not perfect fitment worth the money saved off of the OEM BMWP diffuser? Im not so sure I can say yes. This was a major pain in the ass that took 6 hours of my day. By the sounds of it, the Scopione is the way to go, even with the tabs that you might have to sand down. At least you dont have to remove the bumper cover... I do love the way it looks, and I'm very happy the direction of the weave matches that of the BMWP spoiler. Well I hope this post helps some of you out if your on the fence of what diffuser to buy.
