Mabett fender flare install tips

[rtphokie]

Took me about 90 minutes to put them on. As much as I wanted to stand back and say “those look great”, “those look right” is the more appropriate reaction. The lines are complete now.

A couple of lessons learned along the way:

1. Once you've got the flare lined up with the holes (a small screwdriver inserted into the holes makes this easy), use some painters tape to hold it in place. This islike an extra set of hands.
2. Insert the clips first (top to bottom) before sticking any of the adhesive (despite what the instructions say). You don't want to be repositioning adhesive tape to accomodate a clip that was a little off.
3. Expose a little of the adhesive as the instructions say, but be sure to do it only from one end. This will allow you to stick it down in a single smooth swipe, ensuring perfect adhesion and really good fit.
4. A small flat blade screwdriver is very helpful for popping the center part of the clips. It's dark in those wheel wells, park in the sunlight and/or use a light to help find the spot to pop out those clips.
5. The included clips are great but are shorter than the originals. Use whichever fits and holds the tightest.

The fit is excellent. The ends line up with the body panels and the adhesion is excellent. The color and texture of the plastic matches the other exterior trim very well. Truly looks like it came this way from the factory.

Comparing Mabett's flares to others
This is the second set of flares I'd ordered. The first set came in three pieces per wheel and didn't line up worth a $%^&*. Not worth the $30 savings over the Mabett version.

I also considered a few options from Ford Accessories including the $670 Air Designs (which are identical to the Mabetts) and $550 Husky (didn't care for the fake bolts and overall bulky design. great if you are going to put big-ass tires on I suppose, but that's not something I plan to do). Neither is worth 4-5 times the price of the Mabetts.

Looking at a 2026 XLT at my local dealer with similar flares installed (presumably the Air Designs judging from the line item on the sticker), the fit was noticably worse with wide gaps where the exterior color shows through between the bottoms of the flare and black trim across the bottom of the body. This is likely and installation issue (only $210 at your local Ford dealer),

Lesson learned: take your time can get it all lineup before adhering them (#2 above). The clips really help here.

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[BigClydeLittleTruck]

Took me about 90 minutes to put them on. As much as I wanted to stand back and say “those look great”, “those look right” is the more appropriate reaction. The lines are complete now.

A couple of lessons learned along the way:

1. Once you've got the flare lined up with the holes (a small screwdriver inserted into the holes makes this easy), use some painters tape to hold it in place. This islike an extra set of hands.
2. Insert the clips first (top to bottom) before sticking any of the adhesive (despite what the instructions say). You don't want to be repositioning adhesive tape to accomodate a clip that was a little off.
3. Expose a little of the adhesive as the instructions say, but be sure to do it only from one end. This will allow you to stick it down in a single smooth swipe, ensuring perfect adhesion and really good fit.
4. A small flat blade screwdriver is very helpful for popping the center part of the clips. It's dark in those wheel wells, park in the sunlight and/or use a light to help find the spot to pop out those clips.
5. The included clips are great but are shorter than the originals. Use whichever fits and holds the tightest.

Comparing Mabett's flares to others
This is the second set of flares I'd ordered. The first set came in three pieces per wheel and didn't line up worth a $%^&*. Not worth the $30 savings over the Mabett version.

I also considered a few options from Ford Accessories including the $670 Air Designs (which are identical to the Mabetts) and $550 Husky (didn't care for the fake bolts and overall bulky design. great if you are going to put big-ass tires on I suppose, but that's not something I plan to do). Neither is worth 4-5 times the price of the Mabetts.

Looking at the fit on the Air Designs versions on a truck in the showroom, the fit is worse with wide caps where the exterior color shows through between the bottoms of the flare and black trim across the bottom of the body, though this might have been a poor quality install, only $210 at your local Ford dealer.

Thanks for the tips and thoughts on the alternatives. I've been thinking hard about these myself as they really do seem to complete the look of the truck somehow.

You didn't say anything about the fit against the body as I've seen others talk about. Does your install have similar gaps both in length and against the body that others have talked about? I'm particularly interested in the gaps against the body and whether you were able to mitigate those if you have any.

 

[rtphokie]

You didn't say anything about the fit against the body as I've seen others talk about. Does your install have similar gaps both in length and against the body that others have talked about? I'm particularly interested in the gaps against the body and whether you were able to mitigate those if you have any.

Updated with a photo and some comments on that. Fit is excellent. There is a gap between the flares and the bottom trim, but that gap is SUPPOSED to be there. It's matching up with body panel and likely allows some thermal expansion of both trim pieces.

I have seen flares that have huge gaps exposing the exterior color, but it looks like those could likely have been avoided by more careful installation. Installing the clips first then exposing the adhesive is all you really need to do to get a good balanced fit. At least that was my experience.

 

[BigClydeLittleTruck]

Updated with a photo and some comments on that. Fit is excellent. There is a gap between the flares and the bottom trim, but that gap is SUPPOSED to be there. It's matching up with body panel and likely allows some thermal expansion of both trim pieces.

I have seen flares that have huge gaps exposing the exterior color, but it looks like those could likely have been avoided by more careful installation. Installing the clips first then exposing the adhesive is all you really need to do to get a good balanced fit. At least that was my experience.

Awesome, thanks for the follow up! Your info makes me feel less like the purchase might be a gamble and more like it's just about taking time with the installation. Yours looks great! Thanks again!

 

[Diverguy64]

Both our Mavericks came with the factory installed mudflaps. Does anyone knkw if the Mabett flares can be installed with the factory mudflaps in place?

 

[Cancunbadlands]

Both our Mavericks came with the factory installed mudflaps. Does anyone knkw if the Mabett flares can be installed with the factory mudflaps in place?

Just get longer clips

 

[Cancunbadlands]

I just saw an Explorer Tremor, the wheel fender flares from factory looks like the Mabett one's

 

[Rev Stamper]

To avoid gaps against the body, you may need to trim the adhesive tape if it is too close to the edge. Prep all the fender flares in good light on a work bench. I used an exacto type knife Very happy with the finished product .

 

[rtphokie]

To avoid gaps against the body, you may need to trim the adhesive tape if it is too close to the edge. Prep all the fender flares in good light on a work bench. I used an exacto type knife Very happy with the finished product .

That sounds like its worth verifying before adhering the flares to the body.

My experience with the Mabett product was that this was unnecessary. The adhesive tape was in the perfect place and perfect thickness to ensure a good fit with zero gaps.

 

[Cancunbadlands]

Both our Mavericks came with the factory installed mudflaps. Does anyone knkw if the Mabett flares can be installed with the factory mudflaps in place?

No, they're not compatible
Get the wheel fender flares and the Mabbett mudflaps

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