I have purchased some genuine Ford mudflaps but I'm a bit flummoxed with the fitting of the front ones, as you can see from the images there's 3 fitting holes illustrated in the destructions but no obvious receptacles in the arch liner ?

Do I just screw them into the arch liner ?

Also on the base of the wheel arch there's this bit of plastic trim, does it need removing ?

Thank you in advance for any help you can offer.

It might help if you show steps 1 through 6.

2 minutes ago, mjt said:

It might help if you show steps 1 throug 6.

Thank you, here's the steps 1 - 6.

Hmm, I see your problem. They're not the clearest instructions. These are my best guesses:

The existing plastic trims will have to come off and four of the six B screws will go into their holes. Screw C replaces the existing one under the sill. The remaining B screws will have to go into the liner, assuming there's no metal behind it.

It also looks as though there must be glue or double-sided tape on the back of the flaps judging by steps 10, 11 and 12. The surfaces indicated in step 5 need to be thoroughly cleaned and degreased, then after the covering tape is removed those areas pressed home with a force of at least 50 Newtons to ensure a firm bond.

I think you'll need to stick the flaps in place before putting any of the screws in. The order of operations is really not well thought out.

1 minute ago, mjt said:

Hmm, I see your problem. They're not the clearest instructions. These are my best guesses:

The existing plastic trims will have to come off and four of the six B screws will go into their holes. Screw C replaces the existing one under the sill. The remaining B screws will have to go into the liner, assuming there's no metal behind it.

It also looks as though there must be glue or double-sided tape on the back of the flaps judging by steps 10, 11 and 12. The surfaces indicated in step 5 need to be thoroughly cleaned and degreased, then after the covering tape is removed those areas pressed home with a force of at least 50 Newtons to ensure a firm bond.

I agree, steps 1-6 don't help really, the holes in the flaps don't line up with the plugs that hold that bit of trim to the arch though, this leads me to wonder if they attach to the liner.

In fact having offered the mudflap up to the arch again it seems like that bit of trim needs permanently removing, as a snug fit isn't possible with it there.

Considering these mudflaps are genuine Ford the destructions are vague.

Screw C isn't an issue thankfully.

Thank you for your help.👍

How far out are the flap holes from the plug holes? Would the screws actually fit the holes if they did line up and do those holes have rawlplug type inserts to protect the metal? If they do I'd be inclined to make new holes in the flaps to line up with them otherwise the only option is to drill the wheelarch in the new positions which will create a source of corrosion over time.

I agree the instructions are very poor. If you bought the genuine flaps from your local Ford dealer why not give them a call and ask what they do when customers ask to have them fitted?

3 minutes ago, mjt said:

How far out are the flap holes from the plug holes? Would the screws actually fit the holes if they did line up and do those holes have rawlplug type inserts to protect the metal? If they do I'd be inclined to make new holes in the flaps to line up with them otherwise the only option is to drill the wheelarch in the new positions which will create a source of corrosion over time.

I agree the instructions are very poor. If you bought the genuine flaps from your local Ford dealer why not give them a call and ask what they do when customers ask to have them fitted?

Thank you.

I purchased them online, direct from Ford.

I just fitted the rear ones, 5 minutes per side, completely foolproof.

I definitely don't want to drill into any metal.

Hopefully someone who has fitted the same will be along to offer further help.

Thank you for your help and time.👍

23 minutes ago, mjt said:

How far out are the flap holes from the plug holes? Would the screws actually fit the holes if they did line up and do those holes have rawlplug type inserts to protect the metal? If they do I'd be inclined to make new holes in the flaps to line up with them otherwise the only option is to drill the wheelarch in the new positions which will create a source of corrosion over time.

I agree the instructions are very poor. If you bought the genuine flaps from your local Ford dealer why not give them a call and ask what they do when customers ask to have them fitted?

None of three holes in the mudflap are anywhere near the two fastenings that attach that arch trim to the arch, in fact that trim completely impedes fitting the flaps.

It seems like they do in fact attach to the arch liner, although the supplied screws seem excessively long, I would have expected self tappers.

I agree. Looking at the diagrams again it does look as though the screws go into the liner inside the line of the wheel arch. I wonder if the length of the screws means they're intended to go into metalwork behind the liner. Maybe someone like @TomsFocus or @DaveT70 might know if there is anything just behind it.