Product Reviews

OSIR Top-Gloss Carbon Fiber Rear Wing for TTRS

Replacing the OEM spoiler with an aftermarket CF one

After installing the OSIR rear diffuser, I knew it was only a matter of time until I got the matching rear wing, too…and that day has finally come! I found a used one in NY and had it shipped to me, but in my haste to get it installed (a process that is normally quite straightforward) I stripped the five retaining bolts for the OEM spoiler and the Ibis White top spoiler became permanently stuck to the base. If you’re going to install this, be sure to turn the bolts clockwise rather than counterclockwise when looking down at them (since the bolts are upside down, the old “lefty loosey” rule is reversed). What went from a simple install turned into a long, 6 month journey which made it feel especially great to finally finish the project and take some pictures this past weekend. I love sharing my DIYs on this site, but the DIYs don’t always go as planned 🙂

For a normal install, the five bolts to install and remove the top section of the spoiler are made of titanium and in an awkward spot on the underside of the wing. You can remove those with a 6mm allen wrench, then heat the adhesive that holds the wing in place and use fishing line to break the adhesive and get the wing off, then reverse the process to install the OSIR replacement – easy peasy.

With the bolts stripped, my only option was to replace the supports/mounts to the top of the wing itself. Audi sells the whole fixed wing setup for about $900 unpainted, which was way too much, so I spent a few months searching all of Craigslist until I found a used part instead. I finally came across one already painted Ibis White for $100, and although the top wing was pretty badly damaged from being ripped off in an automatic car wash (yet another reason to never go to those!) the base support was in perfect shape other than a few minor scratches I could buff out with my Dremel Versa and Mothers Scratch Remover.  This transplant took about 4 hours, but I’m still glad I did it…the end result came out awesome.

As readers of this blog know, I’m a huge fan of “OEM plus” modifications, those that look like they could be factory installed but weren’t. This part fits that ethos perfectly, as the spoiler is still the OEM shape and size, just in carbon fiber rather than gloss paint. There is no weight savings achieved with this (the OEM part is plastic and weighs virtually nothing), so it is purely an aesthetic mod…but tied together with the OEM carbon fiber mirror caps, and my matching OSIR front and rear diffusers, it really completes the look. I especially like it with my black HRE wheels, as it completes a black and white (stormtrooper?) design theme from front to back.

The OSIR part itself fits quite nicely, no sanding or modifications were needed on my end. The previous owner had a body shop add an extra layer of UV clearcoat to protect against sun damage, an issue that some owners had experienced in the past. I plan to add some CQuartz ceramic coating to it as well, both to protect it and help keep it clean.

The modification is subtle, but against the white car it pops in person. You can pick a new one up from OSIR directly for $599. There aren’t really many other retailers or discounts to be found, although if you keep an eye open you’ll occasionally find used ones go up for sale. The finish is really great, and I wouldn’t recommend CF wrap as it will never have anywhere near the depth and look that real carbon fiber has (it also lacks imperfections, which is a dead giveaway it is a wrap and not real CF):

If you need to replace the entire wing, or you bought a TT without the fixed wing and are trying to retrofit one, then are some install pictures and pointers to help you out.

If you want to replace the base support, it’s pretty involved but definitely not impossible. Start with opening the gate and removing the black interior panel – there are two small screws behind the locking mechanism, then the panel pops off. You’ll have to pry with gentle pressure, it uses metal retaining clips and will pop out. Once the panel is removed, you’ll see a number of 10mm bolts you need to remove. Use a deep 10mm socket (ideally on a wobble) to get to all of these, and you’ll have to remove a radio unit to get to one on the passenger side. The two on the far end will probably need to use an open-ended wrench rather than socket but if you have the right tools you might be able to get it loose…after the bolts are removed, heat the three strips of adhesive on either side to get the base to lift off, like pictured below:

Once the base is removed, you’ll see two screws on each side to remove the arms from the base and you can swap it all out. Like I said it’s a bit of a PITA, but definitely a DIY-able project for anyone who either stripped their bolts like me, or is trying to retrofit the fixed spoiler on a non-spoiler (or electronic spoiler) car.

Any questions? Leave me a comment.

Nick Roshon

Nick has been an Audi owner and fanatic for the last 10 years, and started Nick's Car Blog in 2009 to share DIYs and pictures of his A4. Currently he drives a 2012 Audi TT-RS, and has previously owned a B7 S4, B7 A4, and an 82 Audi Coupe (GT) LeMons race car. In his day job, Nick is a digital marketer and lives in San Diego, CA, USA.

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