When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
The driver's side fender liner that came with my FD was worn thru in a few spots up top from past tire rubs with the PO, and it was hacked up - the front lower part of the liner that clips to the oil cooler plastic undertray piece was cut off. So I picked up a new one from Mazda via Ray Crowe to install. Problem is I'm having a hell of a time getting the damned thing installed - only a few of the fastener holes on it want to line up with the corresponding holes in the fender or inner structure attachment points. I can easily get the 4 ones on the lower rear part on the fender in, but then I can't get anything else.
Is there a trick to getting this thing in there properly and aligned? FSM is useless for this one, and since the part itself is rather flexy, I would guess there is some kind of yoga-bendy trick I need to do on it to get it in there and make all the fastener points line up - just haven't figured it out yet.
it just lines up. if its a new one then it hasnt shrunk or anything so it will just line up with all the holes. it contours to the fender well so theres only one way to install it. if youre having a hard time then the car is probably not the same shape as the liner
it just lines up. if its a new one then it hasnt shrunk or anything so it will just line up with all the holes. it contours to the fender well so theres only one way to install it. if youre having a hard time then the car is probably not the same shape as the liner
Yup, it's a new part. After a bit more fiddling with it, I'm coming to the conclusion that it might be a manufacturing defect. Reason is the part is made of multiple plastic molded pieces stapled together, two biggest being the front half and the back half sections. I can now line up ALL of the back half clips, but then the front half's clips won't align, OR I can try again and get all the front half clips to align but now the back half holes don't line up.
So what I might do is undo the staples that bond the front & back half's together, and install each half separately in the car - which now that each half is free to move relative to the other, all the holes should line up. Then maybe some hot-melt glue where the two half's slide over each other to bond them together, or just tape that joint with aluminum roofer's tape.
So you bought nice new fender liners and are going to use foil tape? Are you doing both sides? Or is only one side the issue.
Only the driver's side liner needed to be replaced with a new one. On the pass side, the PO did cut a roughly 3"x3" square hole at the front side of it, for what I have no idea, but I was able to repair that one with some fiberglass mesh tape & a 2-part bumper repair epoxy I had on hand.
On the driver's side, I really think I got a bad part as mentioned above. Options are returning the part via Ray for a replacement part, or separate the front & back halves of the one I got by removing the staples, installing each half individually, as the fasteners all line up that way, and use either an adhesive or the AL roofer's tape to bond the 2 plastic sections together.
I have found that new fender liners are a VERY tight fit. It's also worth getting it in place and putting a few key fasteners in place to hold it in place then work in in to place one fastener at a time.
That said it is possible that one is just off a bit. I'd try and find a way to replicate the OEM staples holding it together, you need something very solid there.
It's not worth trying to return, by the time you pay return shipping and pay for a new one to get shipped back you'll be halfway to buying a whole fender liner.
Only the driver's side liner needed to be replaced with a new one. On the pass side, the PO did cut a roughly 3"x3" square hole at the front side of it, for what I have no idea, .
My guess here is PO was trying to get some air into the wheel well and cool the brakes, not sure how effective that is but that is my best guess.
I had to repair my fender liner, top of fender liner had been worn away (yes I know how close this was to a catastrophic problem) when I bought the car and staples weren't holding onto anything anymore, as soon as I took it off it separated into two pieces. The staples in OEM design aren't anything magical, just used a hand staple gun and stapled it back together. You will have to bend the sharp ends over when you do this as there's nothing that will bend them inwards when you shoot the staples.
You could remove staples (just bend the sharp ends so they can be pushed straight out) and install two pieces, once you have it lined up, mark position with a chalk marker as assembled. Then remove line up and staple back together.
Yesterday I had time to work on this again, and I managed to get that piece in. Ended up removing the staples, and installing in 2 pieces mainly to end the frustration factor - doing so made it relatively easy - though as the wrinkled plastic in the picture below shows, I needed to do a little persuading to get some of those holes lined up. To get it "unwrinkled", I hit that area with my heat gun at the lowest setting to make the plastic more pliable, and it popped into the correct shape with a little strategically applied hand pressure. Either the manufacturing tolerances on these parts really suck, or my FD may have had some bodywork in its past. Though I don't think it's the latter, because there's no other evidence of major crash damage repairs.
Install started with the front half first, following Dale's suggestion to get one fastener in and work your way around to the others. Then the back half went in the same way. If you note how the half sections are stapled together, the front side gets stapled UNDER the rear section, in a roughly 1-1/2" wide overlapping lap joint between the two - so it needs to go in first. Once they were in, I didn't see any reason to put new staples in - they fit pretty tight as-is, and it's really unnecessary. Anyway, I did run some aluminum roofer's tape over the joint between the two sections, just to close the small gap (which would be there anyway if stapled), and to serve as an indicator of a potential tire rub (i.e., any rubbing would show up real quick on the tape).
it just lines up. if its a new one then it hasnt shrunk or anything so it will just line up with all the holes. it contours to the fender well so theres only one way to install it. if youre having a hard time then the car is probably not the same shape as the liner
I agree with this statement, and what is implied. If the liners are not fitting, there may be an underlying issue to investigate - previous wreck, for instance.
I bought new liners almost a year ago, and they fit pretty well. I may have had to pull a little here and there to get a couple fasteners to pop-in, but I definitely did not have to take them apart to get them installed.
Looks good, Pete. That area you pictured is always a pain in the fitment. I think the fender liners are a little warped too just from sitting on a shelf for ages and shipping them doesn't help.
After they are on the car a while they get a memory and they are way easier to install in the future. Still not fun, but easier.
Sometimes it is also helpful with plastics that have sat a while that are contoured to use some slight heat gun to get them pliable again. This is true with most fiberglass or ABS plastics. The fender liners are a tight fit, especially the brake ducting that runs along the top of them. You really have to "pop" the tops in.
When I last installed a stock liner, applied the push pins in the centre first and worked out to the extremities.
Last looked at this 10 or more years ago, there was a significant part number change between early and late cars.....I've never compared the two to see if any attachment differences.
04-03-22, 11:09 AM
