Front of rear wheel well opening cover

[gjallen3]

Do these plates have adhesive at the top edge to seal against the wheel well liner? Are these Mabett brand that you have pictured?

I'm hesitant to install these, because I flush this area each time I wash my Mav and there's never anything solid accumulated in there. There's not much in my environment that can make it's way in there except for small gravel and mud, and on the rare occasion that I'm in mud, it flushes right out. If I cover up the area, that removes my ability to flush it out, especially any winter saline that has made it's way in there.

The ones I installed do have adhesive tape to seal. My cavities had rocks and gravel accumulated that were too large to simply rinse out. Why should we have to even think about doing that anyway? Now I don't think about it at all.

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[Tbone289]

The ones I installed do have adhesive tape to seal. My cavities had rocks and gravel accumulated that were too large to simply rinse out. Why should we have to even think about doing that anyway? Now I don't think about it at all.

If there's zero way that salt water could get in there, I agree with you. However, salt water will still work its way in there up through the drain holes, and with the plates in place, the ability to rinse it out is dramatically reduced. If I had solids getting in there on a regular basis as others have, or I lived in an area with no salt, I wouldn't think twice about installing them, but I don't.

 

[MavStangVa]

Seems like mud & salt traps to me to cause rust.

The factory built in bucket? Or the cover that prevents mud and salt from collecting behind the fender?

 

[gjallen3]

If there's zero way that salt water could get in there, I agree with you. However, salt water will still work its way in there up through the drain holes, and with the plates in place, the ability to rinse it out is dramatically reduced. If I had solids getting in there on a regular basis as others have, or I lived in an area with no salt, I wouldn't think twice about installing them, but I don't.

It wasn't just rocks and gravel that had accumulated, there was also sticks, leaves and even a piece of litter in one of them. Fortunately I live in AZ where there is no salt except in some of the northern parts of the state and higher elevations. I do drive there occasionally in snowy weather but not enough to worry about the salt. I do see your point though. The ones I installed have adhesive on the top and partway on the sides but there is enough give on the sides if you pull it back enough to get some spray in there if needed. Or unscrew the two screws at the bottom holding it to the deflector enough to get the hose nozzle in there.

 

[MaverickDragon]

If I had solids getting in there on a regular basis as others have, or I lived in an area with no salt, I wouldn't think twice about installing them, but I don't.

This item is one of those, if you need it, you'll be glad you installed it, but if you don't need it, it doesn't provide as much value.

If you live in a city and only drive on pavement, you may be better off without them, provided you rinse out any salty snow EVERY TIME you make a foray out on a salted road.

While the covers may require some extra effort for snow/salt removal, they also prevent most of the snow from collecting in the first place.

When it comes to driving on dirt, they obviate the need for the considerable effort to remove an amazing amount of debris that will otherwise collect, and unlike snow, mud doesn't always quickly rinse away.

 

[Tbone289]

This item is one of those, if you need it, you'll be glad you installed it, but if you don't need it, it doesn't provide as much value.

If you live in a city and only drive on pavement, you may be better off without them, provided you rinse out any salty snow EVERY TIME you make a foray out on a salted road.

While the covers may require some extra effort for snow/salt removal, they also prevent most of the snow from collecting in the first place.

When it comes to driving on dirt, they obviate the need for the considerable effort to remove an amazing amount of debris that will otherwise collect, and unlike snow, mud doesn't always quickly rinse away.

I don't live in a city, and I drive on off-road trails quite often, but much of that is ian rocky/silty/sandy soils of the high Rockies that don't fill up my rockers with solids large enough to build up. MO mud does rinse out fairly easily as long as you take care of it while it's still mud.

I don't particularly have a problem with snow where I live in MO in the winter, only salt to prevent freezing. That is why I stated "saline" and not snow. And yes, I do rinse under my vehicles frequently in the winter. That is how I have 20+ year-old, rust-free vehicles in the southern extreme of the rust belt.

Like I said, if I had a problem with buildup in that area, I would install the covers. As is, I just don't and I think I'm better off with my habits and environment leaving it open for flushing.

 

[MaverickDragon]

We deal with VERY different mud.
Ours gets thrown up into the wheel wells along with rocks and attaches itself to whatever it touches like cement
It is amazing that a substance can both stick like glue and yet be so slippery that you can easily be lying in it is you make a misstep.

I wish a rinse would work, but it takes a sustained effort with a power washer to remove it, and I can easily get 50 plus pounds worth off.
Needless to say, the Mabett covers make a huge difference.

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