Installed
So I installed the new spoiler from eSpoiler this weekend and love it so much more than my ebay spoiler. Since I already had a spoiler installed, I just had to remove the old on and screw in the new one in its place.
There was one hiccup with my install of the new spoiler though. Since the eSpoiler spoiler is different than the ebay spoiler, the mount points were not located in the same spots as my ebay spoiler. Fortunately, the two upper mount points were in the exact same location so I was able to screw those in with the supplied bolts. The two lower points however, were in a different location. The remedy to this was to first, bolt the spoiler in place with the upper mounts. Next, I drilled a small pilot hole in the new spoiler through my two mount holes I drilled in my tailgate for the previous spoiler. I then used some screws to hold the spoiler in place. Fortunately, this worked perfectly but this shouldn't be an issue if you install fresh with the eSpoiler spoiler since you will drill the holes exactly where the mount locations for that spoiler are.
I didn't have a chance to take step by step pictures of the new install but when installing the old spoiler, I followed the instructions in this thread:
http://www.toyota-4runner.org/4th-gen-t4rs/68623-spoiler-install.html
I did get a chance to take some pics of the spoiler before installing and after installing so you can get a better look at the quality.
First, here are some photos of the spoiler before I put it on:
Here is what the left side (if looking at the spoiler mounted) of the spoiler looks like. As you can see in this photo, the mount points are actual nuts that were molded into the spoiler. This is one thing that makes the eSpoiler spoiler superior to the ebay spoiler. My ebay spoiler was attached with screws that would screw straight into the spoiler plastic at the mounting points. This side contains the wire for the LED brake light that is in the bottom edge of the spoiler. Also note the protective foam that runs around the entire edge of where the spoiler rests on the vehicle. This is another thing that set this spoiler apart in quality from my ebay spoiler. The spoiler I purchased on ebay provided some foam circles with holes punched out that you stick to the mounting points. The eSpoiler spoiler has protective foam around the entire edge which not only protects the paint on your tailgate but also creates a nice seal to help keep water out from underneath.
Closeup of one of the mounting points. The spoiler comes with 4 bolts and washers to bolt the spoiler down to your vehicle. It also comes with some strips of paper used to mark the holes on the tailgate when installing (you can see how these work on the install thread I linked above):
Here is a photo of the entire spoiler (propped up on a pillow). As you can see, the LED brake light is located on the bottom edge of the spoiler. My ebay spoiler had the LED light located flush in the back of the spoiler. Also take note, there is no cutout underneath the LED light (only a small hole for the wire). The spoiler is solid under the light so no water can get in (it wouldnt be able to anyways due to gravity).
Closer view of LED backup light:
View of LED light if you were looking up from below the spoiler (if it was mounted)
View of LED light unattached. As I mentioned previously, the spoiler is solid under the light so no water can get it. There is only a hole drilled for the wires.
Now, here is the finished product:
Final thoughts:
The spoiler from eSpoiler is so much nicer than the ebay spoiler I got. I purchased the ebay spoiler to try to get the OEM look with the flush mounted LED light in the back side of the spoiler but I actually prefer the look of the bottom edge brake light. In my opinion, it is a better look than the OEM spoilers. Although hard to tell from the photos, the brake light is a single row of LED lights (around 36?) and is very bright and very visible when lit up.
The color match is perfect. It looks like it was painted the same time as the rest of my vehicle. The eSpoiler spoiler is very sturdy and feels well built. Although the ebay spoiler did not feel flimsy, the cutout for the LED light caused the top of the spoiler to dip down and just feel unsupported. It would flex more if pushed on due to the light cutout.
As mentioned previously, the mounting points and the foam on the eSpoiler spoiler really set it apart from the ebay spoiler.
If you are looking for a quality spoiler, I wouldn't bother with ebay and order through eSpoiler. At the time of ordering, mine was $102 including shipping.
Please note, I am not in any way affiliated with eSpoiler. I do not work for them nor know anyone that does. I am just very pleased with their product and don't want anyone else to go through the trouble that I did with the ebay crap that is out there.
Hope this helps! Feel free to post any questions or PM me.
