Is there a replacement for the gray, plastic air flow thing?

4228 Views 24 Replies 16 Participants Last post by 2015 volt, Aug 12, 2017

briankbl

Discussion Starter · Apr 28, 2017

Sorry, I don't know what it's called. The gray plastic piece under the front bumper that hangs really low to the ground. I heard there was another version of that I could replace it with that was higher up off the ground. I called my local Chevy dealer and they only have one item in their system, the regular one.

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saghost

· #2 · Apr 28, 2017

It's called an air dam, and for the first generation Volt there are two versions of it, the second one being about an inch shorter than the first (thus giving an extra inch of clearance.)

Mine scraped every day for years, but really didn't seem much worse for wear - it's more rubber than plastic (but actually a mix of the two I believe.)

Barry

· #3 · Apr 28, 2017

The one that your dealer has should be the new shorter one. It replaced the larger one, which is no longer stocked. Another option is to go without one.

briankbl

Discussion Starter · #4 · Apr 28, 2017

Will it cost anything to have it replaced or removed? There was a thread on here a while back which I can't find that mentioned the shorter air dam and that the dealer would replace it for free. Is that true?

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2VoltFamily

· #5 · Apr 28, 2017

Another options is to do what one member did and measure a couple inches down and make the long one into a short one with a pair of heavy duty scissors or tin snips.

briankbl

Discussion Starter · #6 · Apr 28, 2017

Anyone know how much it would cost to have mine replaced with the shorter one? I saw a thread on here a good while back where someone mentioned that they would replace it for free. Is that true?

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2VoltFamily

· #7 · Apr 29, 2017

briankbl said:
Anyone know how much it would cost to have mine replaced with the shorter one? I saw a thread on here a good while back where someone mentioned that they would replace it for free. Is that true?

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They will not do that anymore. If you bought it new and it was under bumper to bumper they did some as a customer satisfaction thing.

It is not hard to do. I think the part is about $70 US.

bentbiker

· #8 · Apr 29, 2017

It's called a lower deflector and it's "only" $40.93 here. Fairly easy to do yourself.

llninja

· #9 · Apr 29, 2017

I would just save your money and live with the occasional scraping noise. But then again, I'm the ultimate cheapskate - the only person worse than me is my dad.

jbakerjonathan

· #10 · Apr 29, 2017

llninja said:
I would just save your money and live with the occasional scraping noise. But then again, I'm the ultimate cheapskate - the only person worse than me is my dad.

I resemble that remark

El Dobro

· #11 · Apr 29, 2017

The dealer replaced mine before the car was out of bumper to bumper, it was really getting raggedy. Even now, the new deflector scrapes.

2015 volt

· #12 · May 1, 2017

My chevrolet dealer will not remove the liwer air dam without a replacement , as it also helps keep the traction battery cool

coachdubya

· #13 · May 25, 2017

IMO the replacement is a POS as the tabs continue to come unlocked. It's a terrible fix.

eric_n_dfw

· #14 · Aug 7, 2017

I just replaced mine with the shorter version yesterday, was pretty easy except when one of the clips that the screws thread into popped off and landed inside the plastic under the engine - took 10 minutes to find and fish out.

@coachdubya - not sure what you are talking about as the shorter model I bought (from here) has no tabs.

wmtunate

· #15 · Aug 7, 2017

eric_n_dfw said:
@coachdubya - not sure what you are talking about as the shorter model I bought (from here) has no tabs.

2x. No tabs here. I replaced mine with the shorter version about a month ago. It seems like the material is also a bit stiffer than the long version.

El Dobro

· #16 · Aug 7, 2017

I had the front bumper cover off a few weeks ago to replace the RH turn signal assembly and there's no tabs like the original air dam.

obermd

· #17 · Aug 7, 2017

Just be careful you don't do this:

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wizard_of-ahs

· #18 · Aug 8, 2017

coachdubya said:
IMO the replacement is a POS as the tabs continue to come unlocked. It's a terrible fix.

That's the POS on mine.....I'm thinking of gluing it together

llninja

· #19 · Aug 8, 2017

wizard_of-ahs said:
That's the POS on mine.....I'm thinking of gluing it together

I just poke the tabs back in when I see they're out and not worry too much about it. Lots of people seem unnerved by the noise, I now come to expect it, drive on less steep inclines if I can and have come to the conclusion that the noise is far worse than any damage it's getting from the scraping. I suspect if you glue it to make it permanent, you'll probably tear the tabs right off.

The one thing I can't seem to do is get my wife out of the habit of driving forward towards a concrete parking barrier or sidewalk without having the wheels touch. She was taught to do that at a young age, and I cannot convince her to part 2-3 feet away from the barrier because the car is so short, there's no way the rear end will stick out. I think it has more damage from her wedging the lower spoiler against concrete and scraping the heck out of it, yet it's still attached, and still works as designed.

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wizard_of-ahs

· #20 · Aug 9, 2017

llninja said:
I just poke the tabs back in when I see they're out and not worry too much about it. Lots of people seem unnerved by the noise, I now come to expect it, drive on less steep inclines if I can and have come to the conclusion that the noise is far worse than any damage it's getting from the scraping. I suspect if you glue it to make it permanent, you'll probably tear the tabs right off.

The one thing I can't seem to do is get my wife out of the habit of driving forward towards a concrete parking barrier or sidewalk without having the wheels touch. She was taught to do that at a young age, and I cannot convince her to part 2-3 feet away from the barrier because the car is so short, there's no way the rear end will stick out. I think it has more damage from her wedging the lower spoiler against concrete and scraping the heck out of it, yet it's still attached, and still works as designed.

Hey, thanks for that !
Guess I'll just keep tucking it in too

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