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No more long air dam?

11K views 20 replies 18 participants last post by  bro1999 
#1 ·
I have an early-ish 2013 with the long air dam. It scrapes all the time in driveways, etc., but it doesn't really bother me. It's in the body shop now (don't ask) for work that includes a new air dam. I asked to make sure they used the shorter one. Manager said there's only one, and assumes everyone gets the shorter one now. Is this true? The part number on my estimate is 20993998. The body shop is connected to a Chevy dealer, so I hope they know what they're talking about.

Thanks.
 
#2 · (Edited)
I was taught, firmly, to "never assume" and I think this is one of those cases where you would think that the long air dam is gone, but I wouldn't bet money on it, especially if you would really like to have the shorter air dam installed. I have had the long dam replaced with the short dam and I can't tell the difference with regards to AER and CS mpg. Admittedly, though, only about 10% of my miles are interstate miles.
But the scraping has almost completely disappeared, which is very cool.
 
#3 ·
Short Airdam?

The Short front Airdam # 2099-3998 is an optional item and the new Volts do not come with it standard.

If you are indeed getting the number I am providing it should be the short one...... :)

I was also told at one time that the short one was now standard and have since found that not to be true, at least all of our dealers units have arrived with the long standard one.
 
#5 ·
The Short front Airdam # 2099-3998 is an optional item and the new Volts do not come with it standard.

If you are indeed getting the number I am providing it should be the short one...... :)

I was also told at one time that the short one was now standard and have since found that not to be true, at least all of our dealers units have arrived with the long standard one.
earlier threads indicated that all Volts have shipped with the short air dam since mid 2012... my early 2013 came with the short dam standard from the factory.
 
#8 ·
My early build 2012 and late build 2013 Volt have the identical front air dams.


They sometimes rub, so what?
 
#9 ·
There's a simple test to know if you have the shorter air dam. If you can fit a 12 oz can of soda/beer under it then you have the shorter dam.. (assuming you have the original tires)....
 
#10 ·
My 2001 Corvette's factory air dam has occasionally scraped since new, with no ill effects.

"Don't Worry, Be Happy"!
 
#11 ·
My car was built in Oct 2013. The sales delivery walkaround revealed a significant scrape on the unpainted perimeter skirting just below the painted bumper. I took delivery anyway with the contingency that they fix the damage. 1 week later, they replaced everything below the painted bumper. I assume I got the shorter air dam since the scraping was almost eliminated.
 
#13 ·
The front air dam on my 2014 would scrape the curb at the end of my driveway every time I pulled in or out. I guess the shorter air dam must have been installed after the wreck, because it hasn't scraped the curb since the repairs. It will still scrape and get pulled out by cement parking blocks.
 
#14 ·
I have a 2015 model. I measured mine this morning and it was about 4.5 inch clearance in middle and around 4 inches at the sides. Is that the same as the original "full length" dam, or are those the dimensions of the shorter dam? I'm not planning to switch mine out unless it gets worn quickly. I'm just curious to know what my options are. Mine scrapes a couple of times a day, so I'm sure it won't last too long.
 
#15 ·
My air dam measures 3.25 inches on the sides and 3.5 inches of clearance in the middle. Looks like you have the shorter dam.
 
#20 ·
I saw the recent posts and realized I never closed the loop. Yes, the replacement part was indeed the shorter version. It scrapes much less often and I've noticed no change in mileage.
 
#21 ·
This could be why GM kept the AER rating of 38 miles on the '15, even with the bigger battery.
 
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