DIY: Replacing Wheel Well Liners

[old skool]

I needed to replace my wheel well liners because the plastic had become brittle over time. There were cracks appearing at the mounting locations. When I went to install my JTD underpanel, I noticed this problem and I didn't want it flying off on the freeway.

First step is to jack up the car and put the front end on jack stands. I also placed wheel chocks behind the rear wheels. If you need to know how to jack the car up, there are several available resources you will find with a quick search. I have a thread in my sig that explains how to use the jackpad adapter.

[old skool]

Here is the ETK diagram of the wheel well liner.

Part 6 is the rubber seal that is applied to the outside arch of the liner and fits into the fender lip.
Part 5 is the covering piece that spans the gap between the liner, the bumper and the plastic underpanel.

As you can see, in some places part 8 is a plastic threaded insert that is fitted into the body of the car to accept the hex head screws (part 7).

Part 9 is the metal clip that contains the threading for the screws. These go on the liner at the front where it connects to the bumper.

[old skool]

Use an 8mm socket to remove the hex head screws holding the liner in place.

[old skool]

You can see there are two of these screws at the back of the liner. There is also one at the top in the middle.

[old skool]

There is one screw mounted vertically at the inside of the front of the liner.

[old skool]

There are 3 screws on the bottom at the forward edge where the bumper and that covering (part 5 from above) attach. The covering piece (part 5 from above) also snaps into a hole in the liner that you can see between the bumper and the last screw mounting location.

[old skool]

The last connection point is just to the rear of the center of the wheel well on the inside wall of the body of the car. There is a plastic box that holds the attachment points for some sensors. You have to pry the cover open so that you can access the hex nut on the inside.

The liner is on the right and the box is on the left.

[old skool]

Here it is open and you can see the nut.

[old skool]

Here is a closeup of the nut. As you can see my liner broke at this attachment. The correct location for the liner is closest to the body of the car with the sensor box on top of it.

I believe this is also an 8mm socket, but I will have to verify this to be sure.

You may not need to remove the nut completely, but simply to loosen it enough to push the new liner in behind.

[old skool]

As you can see your brake cooling ducts simply rest in the openings in the liner, so it is not necessary to remove them.

[old skool]

Now you want to pop the liner loose of the bumper and start working it loose from the fender.

[old skool]

Do the same at the back and carefully push it upward and inward to get the rubber seal out of the groove of the fender lip.

[old skool]

Once you have pulled it free, it is time to install the new one. It is easiest if you get it started resting in the fender to help support its weight while you install the screws.

Make sure to keep pushing to the outside of the car to keep the rubber seal tightly to the fender.

[old skool]

While you still have some slack, fit the prong in behind the sensor box where the nut is.

[old skool]

You don't want to tighten it into place just yet as you need some slack to make sure it is fitted properly and you can get a good seal between the rubber and the fender. Snap the front back into position as well. Once you have a good seal with the fender, start to install the screws. They go in the same places shown above. Tighten the nut inside the sensor box and then close the lid again. Make sure that the brake ducts fit snugly back into the guides in the wheel well liners. Re-install the screws holding the liner in the front to the bumper and the covering (part 5 from above).

You have now completed the job. Enjoy the shiny black liners while they last.

I bought my liners from Black Forest Parts. bfbmw.com They had the lowest prices when I checked and were willing to ship for a reasonable rate.

The part numbers for the wheel well liners are:
COVERING LEFT 51711977047
COVERING RIGHT 51711977048
(disclaimer: these numbers were for a 97 328is manual in the US)

[asdfbunk]

Thanks for the write-up. :buttrock

This will be handy when I replace mine this weekend.

[speedinfusion]

worked out great, thanks for the writeup :)

[darkwolf]

can anyone tell me where i can get wheel well liners in the uk for a 320i E36 touring??? i've googled but can't seem to find any.. dont know the part numbers either. cheers

[randomy]

I believe it would be parts :51718151561, and 51718151562.

[528iATtourer]

I needed to replace my wheel well liners because the plastic had become brittle over time. There were cracks appearing at the mounting locations. When I went to install my JTD underpanel, I noticed this problem and I didn't want it flying off on the freeway.

First step is to jack up the car and put the front end on jack stands. I also placed wheel chocks behind the rear wheels. If you need to know how to jack the car up, there are several available resources you will find with a quick search. I have a thread in my sig that explains how to use the jackpad adapter.


wish i saw this earlier i replaced the front portin of my liner (actually they were gone when i bought the tourer) but i like the concept of the jack stands and wheel removal! LOL! i put mine on with 17" wheels intact and at ground level!

[bimmerboy916]

Excuse my ignorance but what is the difference on the fender liner and the wheel well...

[LanceM]

Excuse my ignorance but what is the difference on the fender liner and the wheel well...

The fender liner lines the wheel well... is the wheel well. Without the liner there is nothing between the tire and the inside of the outer fender, so without liners if a wheel were to throw a rock it would/could hit the fender from the inside denting it outward.

[lonniecle]

You have a writeup for everything :) Thanks

[jgromada]

Well this was very timely. I had a hit in run on my front end. the other driver split. I had no substantial damage except my fender liner sort of disintegrate on both sides. So this writeup was a big help.

Question are those the only parts you bought? what was the cost if you dont mind me asking and where did you get them? I recovered the brake vents before they fell off. My big problem is that without these parts supporting the back my front bumper cover droops so i really need to fix this.

thanks

[sberfield]

Thanks for this. All of the plastic parts - brake ducts, wheel liners, front support - were totally gone on the 94 325i I picked up last month. Have everything on order and this will help a lot with getting everything in.

I still need to sort out the right screws and such, but this guide will be a big help.

One question - on the piece labeled Part 5, there are tabs on the edge that look like they want to snap into some otehr part, but I don't see anything in any of the drawings on RealOEM that would go there -- is there some sort of under-panel that I need to pick up?

[old skool]

Part#5, if I am correct in understanding what you are referring to, is the "porkchop." This panel is different between the M3 and the non-M3. This part covers between the wheel well liners and the bumper. It fits to both of those parts.

[sberfield]

Thanks - that's what I thought. Just wanted to make sure I wasn't missing something obvious -- which is a talent I have!

[m2pc]

Excellent writeup -- I'll be doing this very soon as driving through 2 feet of water just obliterated what was left of all my brittle wheel well liner attachment points! :eyecrazy

[Slateman]

So just to confirm, the "wheel well liner" is the same thing as a "fender liner?"

[m2pc]

Excellent DIY -- I just did this over the past weekend and it went great!

BTW, the plastic nut on the cover for the sensor box is 10mm.

[KOTULCN]

Thanks for the write-up, I wanted to let people know that you DON'T have to jack and remove the wheels. Also the nut behind the cover was 10mm on my car.

[johnhill]

There is an amazing story that related to wheel well. Last week, Pepe the pup found himself in a situation when he got caught inside the wheel of his owner's car. He was not found until the vehicle had traveled 10 miles, where he was freed unscathed. Oddly, it is the second story in the same week of an animal taking a wild ride, held in a bizarre place in a car. When have you required details concerning a new or pre-owned auto and resorted to an internet search on car loans. Look no further, all the details you will want is located at CarDealExpert.com!

[najnad]

my fender liner decided to fall down and grind itself into dust while I was on the highway....no noticeable noise at highway speeds and the radio turned up...so imagine my surprise when I stopped after driving about 3 hours to find the drivers side of my car covered in black plastic grime! Thankfully, nothing was damaged other than the fender liner.

[35nhma]

there are options to add at least 5 more attachment points when you are installing new liners. you will need more square nut inserts, which can be found at ECS, link below. the locations are already marked on the liner where to drill. I found i had to keep enlarging the hole with a dremel as i got the thing all snugged and tucked in.

i also used plastic from my old liner and polyurethane adhesive to reinforce all the attachment points. it took a long time, but better now than inevitably repairing it later.

https://www.ecstuning.com/b-genuine-bmw-parts/expanding-nut-priced-each/63171367868/