Rear fenders: types of cars, fender liner classification, fender protection, quality material and expert installation advice

2024 Author: Erin Ralphs | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-19 11:42

Wheel arches in a modern car is a place that is most exposed to destructive effects from sand, stones, various debris flying out from under the wheels when driving. All this provokes corrosion processes and increases abrasive wear. Of course, the place in the area of the rear fenders is protected by a factory anti-corrosion coating, but this is often not enough, because over time it loses its protective functions and is erased. The problem increases even more in winter, when the arches are clogged not only with dirt from the roads or snow. The fact is that roads are sprinkled with various reagents in winter, which further increase wear. You can save the car by installing the rear fenders. Let's see how to choose these accessories and how to install them on the car.

What are wheel arch liners?

Far awaynot all car owners know what these elements look like. Fenders or lockers are metal or plastic casings. The main task of these lockers is to protect automobile wheel arches from various mechanical damages. On most car models, regardless of manufacturer, the rear arch is especially vulnerable. In addition, with the help of fender liner, manufacturers improve the sound insulation and dynamic characteristics of the car.

On new models, serial rear wheel arch liners are installed by the manufacturer. They can be either solid or liquid. Solid wheel arch liners are classic products made of plastic or metal. Liquid called special protective coatings that are applied to the surface of the arch, and then harden. The downside of liquid wheel arch liners is that during operation, their protective layer wears out very quickly. For full protection, it should be applied several times throughout the year.

As for the solid rear fender liners, their service life is much longer. However, the downside is that in most services they are installed on self-tapping screws. If there are no regular technological holes in the wheel arch, then they have to be made, and this entails corrosion of the front and rear wings.

There is a category of car owners who even consider this part unnecessary - manufacturers do not install lockers on cars in the economy class. But experts believe that every car needs lockers, not only on the rear wheels, but also on the front ones.arches.

Hard fender liner materials

Manufacturers of auto accessories make rear wheel arch liners from the following materials - plastic, aluminum, galvanized steel. By the way, the latter are losing their popularity today.

Products made of plastic are mainly made of polyethylene, the so-called ABS plastic, as well as fiberglass. The most common among them are models made of polyethylene. They very reliably protect the metal surfaces of the body from the destructive effects of various chemical materials, perfectly protect the body from impacts. The material has high elasticity and does not crack at low temperatures. In addition, polyethylene can be welded and soldered.

The fender liner is made in such a way that it completely repeats the shape of the wheel arch of a particular car model. The product can be either solid or split. So, the peculiarity of the rear fender liner on the Mazda is that they are mounted in an arch with a protruding rack. This design facilitates the process of mounting and dismounting the product.

Plastic products have another advantage compared to metal products - this is an increased level of safety. If the fender liner gets under the wheel for any reason, the material will break. A metal product can cause significant damage to a tire or car. If the part wraps, it can easily block the wheel.

Features of the choice of fender liner

When choosing the describedfixtures, it is imperative to pay attention to what shape the product is, and to the material. So, most often, wheel arch liners are selected by code - sometimes the code and the product itself may not match.

By the way, when purchasing rear wheel arch liners for Renault or any other car, you need to check the products for strength. If the part is excessively soft or there are deformations, then this indicates that the fender liner is made of recycled plastic. These products may sag in hot weather, and in cold winter they may become cracked and destroyed.

Installation

Installing wheel arch guards or fender liner is best and easier when the car is jacked up or on a lift. For convenience, it is better to remove the rear wheels. Then you should clean the arch. To do this, remove dirt from the surface of the body with a metal brush. After cleaning with a brush, you can blow the arch with compressed air. It is not necessary to wash the car with water and detergents.

Each fender liner is carefully tried on. The part should fit as accurately as possible into the arch of the car. If there are slight discrepancies in the relief, then you can fit the part with the help of heating. Under heating with a hair dryer, the plastic is easily deformed and takes the desired shape. After such an operation, the tires will no longer touch the lockers even with the front wheel completely turned out. On the rear wheels, there are usually no problems with fitting lockers.

Mounting method depending on the design

Most solid rear fender liner on Ford orother models are mounted in the same way. Self-tapping screws are used for installation - five are enough along the edges of the rear wing, as well as from one to three for fastening in the depth of the wheel tire. In the case of split fender liner, it is sometimes necessary to fix the lower part as well. But it is better, as already mentioned, to avoid fender liner, where self-tapping screws are used for fasteners. It is worth purchasing those models where the installation is carried out on latches. But even there you need to fix the product at several points with screws.

If the arches are already damaged by corrosion, then it is better to pre-treat them with various liquid anti-corrosion compounds, and then directly install the rear fender liner. Additional protection will save the metal from corrosion in the holes that are drilled for screws and self-tapping screws. The screws are best installed with sealant.

Galvanized self-tapping screws are best suited as fasteners. For even greater reliability, you can treat the metal surface with Movil or perform other anti-corrosion treatment. In this case, the rust will definitely not show through.

Additional fastener conditions

Sometimes the fender liner material may require additional fasteners. So, rigid models made of ABS plastic and fiberglass are highly rigid. This does not allow them to be fixed firmly over the entire area. Sometimes products burst from vibrations. Therefore, the rear right and left fender liner is fixed with special brackets. This mounting method is not so dangerous for the body, there is no need to drill holes.

Manufacturers often use this solution when assembling cars on an assembly line. A fender liner that is not rigidly installed can move. Therefore, in order to avoid metal exposure and scuffs, the arches are treated with anti-corrosion mastics.

The geometry of products also plays a role. So, for example, many of them have slight dot protrusions that allow you to install accurately without distortion. This greatly simplifies the task for all those who decide to install the right or left rear fender liner themselves.

Warranty

In the case of wheel arch liners, it is useless to demand any guarantees from the manufacturer. There is a guarantee, but the sellers assure that it only applies to the period of storage of the fender liner in the warehouse. But the warranty does not cover the operation process.

Conclusion

To prolong the life of the car, the rear arches must be well protected. How many quite presentable, not cheap cars with rotten rear arches drive through our roads. All because the owners saved on this plastic protection, and for good reason.