Installed Rear Window Louvers on my 2005 Mustang
I installed the 2-piece aluminum rear window louvers from CDC a few days ago. No pictures since the louvers look just like the ones in the CDC ad. Had been holding off in hopes the price might drop but got tired of waiting so I went for it. First off, the primary reason was to keep the sun from heating up the back seat plus the louvers look pretty good. As a personal preference, I will not be installing any side louvers.
Received everything in good order; all the parts included as advertised three business days after I order them. I am a "detailed instruction" kind of guy so I was disappointed at the lack of depth and information provided in the instructions. The process ended up not being too bad after I figured out what they really meant and which brackets went where. As a precaution, I suggest using duct tape or some light adhesive tape to hold the hinge brackets in place in order to test fit louvers before you peel the plastic off the brackets and stick them in place - no second chance with the 3M adhesive. The paper template for hinge placement provided is pretty accurate but the instructions were not real clear on a simple method to find center of the rear window. I did all kind of measurements to make sure I was accurate and was still off. My wife came out to inspect the installation progress and said it was just like a sewing pattern. She said all I needed to do was place the upper window edge brackets in place to the right and left edges of the window and the template will fit perfectly between them and the center position and hinge bracket locations becomes evident. I told her that was too simplistic; betting ensued - I lost. The edge brackets have a "dog ear" on the outter edge to add a bit of security for holding the louvers in place. The bracket has another larger "dog ear" on the opposite side of the bracket which clips directly to the window in addition to the 3M adhesive. I could not push the clip in place with my hand so I used a rubber mallet to ever so gently tap the clip into place. That step is not listed in the instructions - maybe I was just being too cautious - but it slipped right in place. I placed a small piece of tape on the bracket section that clips over the window edge to protect the painted edge of the roof as the clip is being tapped in place.
Finally, brackets and latch clips are used at the bottom of the window to hold the louvers in place and allow the ability to raise the louvers in order to clean the window. That part of the install was pretty easy once the top hinge brackets and edge brackets are in their proper place. The latch clips used to hold the louver in place make me a little nervous but it seems to do exactly as designed. So far no rattles, vibration, or movement at speed (only up to 70 mph) and I did double check the nuts holding everything together. Maybe more detail than anyone wants but I am the poster boy for average installation skills and if I can do it.....