Install/Review: 2002-2003 Bugeye v2 Front Lip (eBay knock-off)

I picked up this replica v2 lip on eBay on Black Friday. I love the look of the v2 lip on the Bugeyes, however, I assumed my driveway would destroy it like it did to the v-limited lip on my 2005 STi. Rather than sacrificing a legit v2 lip, should I actually find one, I figured I would take a chance on a knock-off piece.

I placed my order on eBay and about a week later it arrived from California.

As you can see, packaging wasn’t the best. I think they use the same box for most of their lips.

The box is a little too narrow.

However, the lip was fine, no damage.

I didn’t really have high expectations due to the price point, however, the quality seemed pretty decent to me. I don’t buy many exterior parts so take that for what it is worth.

As for fitment, it is pretty good around the sides and corner of the bumper. The upper slot underneath the fog lights in the lip fits nicely into the OEM bumper. I used a zip tie here to keep the lip from falling off as my blue tape didn’t like my fresh wax. I’m leaving the zip ties in place for a while to help the lip mold to the bumper better.

The main fitment issue is where the two halves meet…

…or rather where they don’t meet.

After using the heat gun to get the two halves closer; eventually breaking the center tab after using a screwdriver to pull them together, I just used a couple of screws to secure them in place in the center of the bumper.

I think eventually if they survive my driveway, I will secure them to the bumper with double-sided 3M tape.

On the sides, I attached them with a couple screws I had leftover from some old RallyArmor mudflaps (forgot to take a pic of this). I drilled a small hole first before threading the larger screw.

Overall, I am pretty happy with this lip. I’m generally not a lip person, but the quality is pretty decent for the price. And it added a little dimension to the front end. Only time will tell how it holds up to abuse of my notorious driveway.