KTMax
Thought I'd share my experience of fitting this tail tidy.
First of all don't believe the 40 minutes fitting time - it took me hours!
Removing the existing tail rear undertray/number plate assembly presented no problems and it took me about 30 minutes to get the whole lot off including disconnecting the indicators as I intended to re-use these , at least for the moment.
I then removed both end cans (Akrapovic Evolutions) to make the eventual cutting process possible.
Lining up the replacement undertray black bracket for cutting the remaining tail moulding is also OK - just mount it upside down but do tighten up the two mounting screws fully otherwises the line to follow for the vertical cuts may be a degree or so out.
After the two lines are scribed on the RH and LH side vertical surfaces of the tail use a metal saw to cut each side separately. Then place the saw blade within both vertical cuts and saw through the remaining top section of the plastic moudling. All fine so far. Sand smooth any rough edges if necessary.
Assemble the undertay bracket, number plate hanger and number plate light. Bring up to position and push the number plate lamp holder back in place.
Fit the whole assembly in place and you'd imagine the job is virtually done - well not quite so!
Replace the end cans and discover that the indicator bracket needs to be mounted so low to miss the underside of the end cans that you'll need to drill two extra mounting holes in this bracket, line it up with the stainless number plate holder and mark off hole positions to then drill through this as well. Once done, refit the indicators and wire then up. I used an O ring on each indicator to provide a bit more grip when tightening up and maintaining alignment.
Now you have the finished product and all looks pretty cool but what's this, the 7" x 5.5" 'small' number plate I had won't fit inside the gap between the two end cans. A 6" wide one will just go but that's about it unless you accept that the number plate will have to sit lower on the hanger exposing a section of the shiny stalinless - not very elegant!
I'm now waiting for a special plate which will cover the upper section of the number plate bracket with the rectangular section of the plate sitting lower. I think this will be OK but for the next week I guess I'll just have to accept a messy looking plate as it already is.
Lessons learned are:
Not quite the super easy job I was expecting.
Took a lot longer than Hatteck claim if you have Evo cans.
Think about the registration plate size you want to use as part of the plan of action. I didn't!
Be ready to buy a new number plate to fit if you want to do the job and ride out of the garage to show all your mates the minute the job's done!
A few pics put up on the Mods gallery for those interested.
[/img]
First of all don't believe the 40 minutes fitting time - it took me hours!
Removing the existing tail rear undertray/number plate assembly presented no problems and it took me about 30 minutes to get the whole lot off including disconnecting the indicators as I intended to re-use these , at least for the moment.
I then removed both end cans (Akrapovic Evolutions) to make the eventual cutting process possible.
Lining up the replacement undertray black bracket for cutting the remaining tail moulding is also OK - just mount it upside down but do tighten up the two mounting screws fully otherwises the line to follow for the vertical cuts may be a degree or so out.
After the two lines are scribed on the RH and LH side vertical surfaces of the tail use a metal saw to cut each side separately. Then place the saw blade within both vertical cuts and saw through the remaining top section of the plastic moudling. All fine so far. Sand smooth any rough edges if necessary.
Assemble the undertay bracket, number plate hanger and number plate light. Bring up to position and push the number plate lamp holder back in place.
Fit the whole assembly in place and you'd imagine the job is virtually done - well not quite so!
Replace the end cans and discover that the indicator bracket needs to be mounted so low to miss the underside of the end cans that you'll need to drill two extra mounting holes in this bracket, line it up with the stainless number plate holder and mark off hole positions to then drill through this as well. Once done, refit the indicators and wire then up. I used an O ring on each indicator to provide a bit more grip when tightening up and maintaining alignment.
Now you have the finished product and all looks pretty cool but what's this, the 7" x 5.5" 'small' number plate I had won't fit inside the gap between the two end cans. A 6" wide one will just go but that's about it unless you accept that the number plate will have to sit lower on the hanger exposing a section of the shiny stalinless - not very elegant!
I'm now waiting for a special plate which will cover the upper section of the number plate bracket with the rectangular section of the plate sitting lower. I think this will be OK but for the next week I guess I'll just have to accept a messy looking plate as it already is.
Lessons learned are:
Not quite the super easy job I was expecting.
Took a lot longer than Hatteck claim if you have Evo cans.
Think about the registration plate size you want to use as part of the plan of action. I didn't!
Be ready to buy a new number plate to fit if you want to do the job and ride out of the garage to show all your mates the minute the job's done!
A few pics put up on the Mods gallery for those interested.
[/img]
