DIY: Mudflap Installation

nexus66 · 07-03-2005, 04:23 AM

Let's start with the front ones since these are the easiest!

I'm afraid that this is pretty much a wheel off job, although it might be possible to do it with the wheel on, you'll find it a lot easier with the wheel removed. I started doing it with the wheel on, but ended up taking the wheels off part way through!

Once you've jacked the car up and removed the wheel, make sure that the area that the mud flap goes onto is nice and clean and dry. The mudflap has a section of double sided sticky tape which needs to bond onto the wing to make a good fit.

You'll see 3 little plugs on the plastic insert (circled below ), you need to remove the bottom 2. To do this push something small into the centre to push through the small pin (don't worry about where it goes - you wont need them and they'll end up falling out themselves), and then lever out the plug itself.

Now under the sideskirt there is also a plastic screw thing with a torx head, this also needs to be removed. It unscrews, so unscrew it!

Now you can test fit the mudflap (don't remove the backing tape yet!), and you'll see that the two upper holes on the mudflap can line up with the two plugs you've removed. And the little notch on the other side will fit in the gap between the wind and the side skirt.

Have 2 of the replacement plug/pin things ready and remove the backing tape from the inside of the mudflap. Now slide the mudflap into place and use the 2 plugs to hold it in the correct position. You can press where the tape is to make sure it sticks to the bodywork. Now push the pins until the end is flush with the head of the plug. And then screw in the large plastic screw underneath - don't overtighten, it's only plastic!!. (The mudflaps come with a large push in plug which I think you could also use underneath, but I decided to use the screw in one instead!)

Now the final hole on the inner wing needs a screw into the plastic. Take one of the black screws that came with the mudflaps, and screw it through the remaining hole! You don't need to pre-drill it as the end of the screw has a drill type end to allow it to cut through the plastic.

If you've taken the wheel off, now go and give the inside rim of the alloy a good clean!

Put the wheel back on, lower the car and admire your handiwork!

Do the other side in exactly the same way!

nexus66 · 07-03-2005, 04:26 AM

Now for the slightly more tricky back mudflaps...

(The pictures seem to be out of order, but you should get the idea!)

I'd recommend starting with the side opposite the exhaust - this is beacuse the exhaust side has a tricky little bracket which provides additional support. If you get the non-exhaust side done first it'll put you in a better position to understand the other side!

Again, I'd say remove the wheel to make life a little easier!!

Right - the rear mudflaps are two piece, so split them (mine arrived already joined! ) by pushing the pins through the plugs, only this time make sure and find and keep all the pins!!

First we need to mount the inner part. Remove the two 8mm bolts on the fuzzy inner liner, and put the inner part in place, securing it with the bolt you removed! This was a complete pain to do and requires you to really push the whole thing back to get the thread to catch! :mad:

Once this is in place, test fit the outer part. I found it easier to start with the bottom inside part and slide it up and round into place!

Remove the backing tape, and fit the outer part, using the plugs to hold it in the right place. Insert the pins and push them home.

Use the other bolt you removed to secure the top part of the mudflap to the inner lining. This is also a pain to get in place but persevere and you'll get there!!

Now finally use one of the supplied self tapping screws to secure the mudflap underneath.

Again clean the inner rim of your alloys, and put it all back together!

For the other side, the process is exacly the same, but instead of putting a self tapping screw in the bottom, you need to use the support bracket supplied. This bracket bolts on from the bottom and through the fuzzy lining with 2 bolts, and seems to press up on a mounting screw for the exhaust heat shield. This is a little hard to explain, but from the picture below, I hope you'll be able to figure out how it fits!

And you're done!

Jason · 07-03-2005, 07:56 AM

Terrific DIY writeup! Very clear instructions and pictures. Thanks nexus!

mc68386 · 07-05-2005, 08:22 PM

Thanks for the writeup.
Two questions:
Did you use the special BMW adapter that I've heard is necessary for jacking up an E90? Or is that not really necessary?

Did you notice what number (size) Torx bit is required?

MC

silverado · 07-06-2005, 01:14 AM

Great write up! Can you please post a few pictures from some distance that show the whole car? I'd like to see how this affects the look. Thanks!

nexus66 · 07-06-2005, 03:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mc68386

Thanks for the writeup.
Two questions:
Did you use the special BMW adapter that I've heard is necessary for jacking up an E90? Or is that not really necessary?

Did you notice what number (size) Torx bit is required?

MC

MC, I was lucky that my wife drives a MINI COOPER so I just used the jack that came with her car. It uses the same fitment as the BMW jack so that saved me any problems! Not sure what I'd have done with a normal trolley jack!

As for the Torx bit, I'm afraid I didn't use one! I just used a handy flat head screwdriver which fitted into the plastic screw (it saved me digging out my torx bits) - it isn't in tight, so there was no problem.

Silverado, I'll try when I go home tonight!!

nexus66 · 07-06-2005, 02:23 PM

Silverado,

Here's some more pics taken from a bit further away. In all, I'd say the mudflaps are actually quite subtle, but that might have a lot to do with the car being black!!

Spaceman · 07-09-2005, 04:24 AM

Can you also post a pic of side view of the whole car with mudflaps? Just got mine today but still debating on whether to install them.

Thanks!!

RedFireBeemer · 07-09-2005, 06:37 PM

I just put mine on today...

KillDork · 07-09-2005, 07:02 PM

What´s the idea with the black protection you´ve got on the front? Ruins the cars look...

RedFireBeemer · 07-10-2005, 12:31 AM

It' cause I do lots of freeway driving and I'm trying to save the paint from chipping, and the bugs that splat on the front end just wipe right off because the bra is treated with armor all. No more having to scrub the front end...

DJRobbGordon · 08-14-2005, 02:44 PM

Do these flaps actually do a decent job of keeping the mud of the sides of the car? Please advise.

nexus66 · 08-15-2005, 04:21 AM

Emm - they do a not bad job! Nothing's ever gonna give you 100% prevention, but they do stop a lot of harder crud - i.e. tar spots, little stones, etc, from getting thrown up onto the sides of the car!

UCe90 · 08-20-2005, 11:31 AM

Do you think these mudflaps will look good on Alpine White?

nexus66 · 08-21-2005, 02:10 PM

Mudflaps are definately a personal taste thing! There's no reason why they wouldn't look good on Alpine White, but some people really don't like them on any colour of car!

There are other black parts on the side of the car, so it's not as if the mudflaps are gonna be the only black you see on the side of the car! And they aren't glaringly obvious either, so they don't draw your eye to them!

I always fit mudflaps to help stop tar and other nasty things being thrown up onto the side of the car, but I like them, so hey-ho...

StewtheBassman · 10-07-2005, 08:26 PM

I think Alpine white NEEDS some black trim, mudflaps would be fine.

10-17-2005, 07:52 PM

"It' cause I do lots of freeway driving and I'm trying to save the paint from chipping, and the bugs that splat on the front end just wipe right off because the bra is treated with armor all. No more having to scrub the front end..."

Great concept that has never worked... IMO.

The bra will hold dirt and moisture against your car; eventually "buffing" the paint away. Unless you take it off every weekend or so and clean and wax underneath a bra is silly to use. Then the clamps that are used to fasten the bra on will eventually break off. I highly recommend invisishield protection.

raykur · 02-07-2006, 02:47 PM

where do you get the mudflaps , and how much is it ?

F32Fleet · 02-13-2006, 07:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by raykur

where do you get the mudflaps , and how much is it ?

at the Stealer and they're cheap.

ksfrogman · 02-13-2006, 07:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RedFireBeemer

It' cause I do lots of freeway driving and I'm trying to save the paint from chipping, and the bugs that splat on the front end just wipe right off because the bra is treated with armor all. No more having to scrub the front end...

I thought he was talking about the bra/bumper protection you had on your avatar. It does ruin the look.

FrankoQ · 06-08-2006, 05:44 PM

Thanks for the instructions.
I did not have to remove any of the front wheels or the rear right.
I did jack up the car for the rear left.
Yes those screws for the rear are hard to get in.

Asiann · 06-08-2006, 06:04 PM

Great DIY but no mudflats for me. I would rather put on clear film protection. No front bra for me either. I had mudflats befor and had them painted to match but they cracked later.

07-03-2005, 04:23 AM	#1
nexus66 Second Lieutenant 64 Rep 239 Posts Drives: F80 M3 Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Scotland iTrader: (0)	DIY: Mudflap Installation Let's start with the front ones since these are the easiest! I'm afraid that this is pretty much a wheel off job, although it might be possible to do it with the wheel on, you'll find it a lot easier with the wheel removed. I started doing it with the wheel on, but ended up taking the wheels off part way through! Once you've jacked the car up and removed the wheel, make sure that the area that the mud flap goes onto is nice and clean and dry. The mudflap has a section of double sided sticky tape which needs to bond onto the wing to make a good fit. You'll see 3 little plugs on the plastic insert (circled below ), you need to remove the bottom 2. To do this push something small into the centre to push through the small pin (don't worry about where it goes - you wont need them and they'll end up falling out themselves), and then lever out the plug itself. Now under the sideskirt there is also a plastic screw thing with a torx head, this also needs to be removed. It unscrews, so unscrew it! Now you can test fit the mudflap (don't remove the backing tape yet!), and you'll see that the two upper holes on the mudflap can line up with the two plugs you've removed. And the little notch on the other side will fit in the gap between the wind and the side skirt. Have 2 of the replacement plug/pin things ready and remove the backing tape from the inside of the mudflap. Now slide the mudflap into place and use the 2 plugs to hold it in the correct position. You can press where the tape is to make sure it sticks to the bodywork. Now push the pins until the end is flush with the head of the plug. And then screw in the large plastic screw underneath - don't overtighten, it's only plastic!!. (The mudflaps come with a large push in plug which I think you could also use underneath, but I decided to use the screw in one instead!) Now the final hole on the inner wing needs a screw into the plastic. Take one of the black screws that came with the mudflaps, and screw it through the remaining hole! You don't need to pre-drill it as the end of the screw has a drill type end to allow it to cut through the plastic. If you've taken the wheel off, now go and give the inside rim of the alloy a good clean! Put the wheel back on, lower the car and admire your handiwork! Do the other side in exactly the same way! Attached Images
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07-03-2005, 04:26 AM	#2
nexus66 Second Lieutenant 64 Rep 239 Posts Drives: F80 M3 Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Scotland iTrader: (0)	Now for the slightly more tricky back mudflaps... (The pictures seem to be out of order, but you should get the idea!) I'd recommend starting with the side opposite the exhaust - this is beacuse the exhaust side has a tricky little bracket which provides additional support. If you get the non-exhaust side done first it'll put you in a better position to understand the other side! Again, I'd say remove the wheel to make life a little easier!! Right - the rear mudflaps are two piece, so split them (mine arrived already joined! ) by pushing the pins through the plugs, only this time make sure and find and keep all the pins!! First we need to mount the inner part. Remove the two 8mm bolts on the fuzzy inner liner, and put the inner part in place, securing it with the bolt you removed! This was a complete pain to do and requires you to really push the whole thing back to get the thread to catch! :mad: Once this is in place, test fit the outer part. I found it easier to start with the bottom inside part and slide it up and round into place! Remove the backing tape, and fit the outer part, using the plugs to hold it in the right place. Insert the pins and push them home. Use the other bolt you removed to secure the top part of the mudflap to the inner lining. This is also a pain to get in place but persevere and you'll get there!! Now finally use one of the supplied self tapping screws to secure the mudflap underneath. Again clean the inner rim of your alloys, and put it all back together! For the other side, the process is exacly the same, but instead of putting a self tapping screw in the bottom, you need to use the support bracket supplied. This bracket bolts on from the bottom and through the fuzzy lining with 2 bolts, and seems to press up on a mounting screw for the exhaust heat shield. This is a little hard to explain, but from the picture below, I hope you'll be able to figure out how it fits! And you're done! Attached Images Last edited by nexus66; 07-03-2005 at 04:53 AM..
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07-03-2005, 07:56 AM	#3
Jason Administrator 40702 Rep 21,238 Posts Drives: F80 M3 Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: USA iTrader: (0)	Terrific DIY writeup! Very clear instructions and pictures. Thanks nexus!
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07-05-2005, 08:22 PM	#4
mc68386 Private First Class 8 Rep 121 Posts Drives: '06 330i 6MT Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Tucson, AZ iTrader: (0)	Thanks for the writeup. Two questions: Did you use the special BMW adapter that I've heard is necessary for jacking up an E90? Or is that not really necessary? Did you notice what number (size) Torx bit is required? MC
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07-06-2005, 01:14 AM	#5
silverado Captain 288 Rep 874 Posts Drives: 2018 M2 Join Date: May 2005 Location: Boston iTrader: (0)	Great write up! Can you please post a few pictures from some distance that show the whole car? I'd like to see how this affects the look. Thanks! __________________ 2018 F87 M2 \| LBB \| Executive \| Moon Roof \| Apple CarPlay [2018 F22 M240 (sold) ; 2015 F22 M235i (sold); 2006 E90 330i (sold); 1983 E30 Coupe 320i (sold)]
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07-06-2005, 02:23 PM	#7
nexus66 Second Lieutenant 64 Rep 239 Posts Drives: F80 M3 Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Scotland iTrader: (0)	Silverado, Here's some more pics taken from a bit further away. In all, I'd say the mudflaps are actually quite subtle, but that might have a lot to do with the car being black!! Attached Images
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07-09-2005, 04:24 AM	#8
Spaceman Private 3 Rep 91 Posts Drives: 2006 325i Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Los Angeles iTrader: (0)	Can you also post a pic of side view of the whole car with mudflaps? Just got mine today but still debating on whether to install them. Thanks!!
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07-09-2005, 06:37 PM	#9
RedFireBeemer Enlisted Member 10 Rep 48 Posts Drives: 2006 Red 330i Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: California iTrader: (0)	I just put mine on today... Attached Images __________________ 2006 Electric Red 330i Beige Leather Interior Sport Performance Package Premium Package Steptronic Xenon Lights Park Distance Control
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07-09-2005, 07:02 PM	#10
KillDork First Lieutenant 4 Rep 310 Posts Drives: E90 MY '06 320D Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Oslo, Norway iTrader: (0)	What´s the idea with the black protection you´ve got on the front? Ruins the cars look... __________________ 2006 E90 320D Sparkling Graphite Aluminium trim\|black Dakota leather\|Xenon\|Comfort Access\|Sports seats\|Steptronic\|iDrive Professional\|Bluetooth\|Voice\|PDC front & rear\|sun shade rear window & sides\|auto dim outside & inside mirrors\|Comfort\|Dynamic\|Advantage
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07-10-2005, 12:31 AM	#11
RedFireBeemer Enlisted Member 10 Rep 48 Posts Drives: 2006 Red 330i Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: California iTrader: (0)	It' cause I do lots of freeway driving and I'm trying to save the paint from chipping, and the bugs that splat on the front end just wipe right off because the bra is treated with armor all. No more having to scrub the front end... __________________ 2006 Electric Red 330i Beige Leather Interior Sport Performance Package Premium Package Steptronic Xenon Lights Park Distance Control
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08-14-2005, 02:44 PM	#12
DJRobbGordon Enlisted Member 18 Rep 36 Posts Drives: 325i-SpkGrph,BlkLt Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Ann Arbor, Mi iTrader: (0)	Do these flaps actually do a decent job of keeping the mud of the sides of the car? Please advise.
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08-15-2005, 04:21 AM	#13
nexus66 Second Lieutenant 64 Rep 239 Posts Drives: F80 M3 Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Scotland iTrader: (0)	Emm - they do a not bad job! Nothing's ever gonna give you 100% prevention, but they do stop a lot of harder crud - i.e. tar spots, little stones, etc, from getting thrown up onto the sides of the car! __________________ Drives: BMW F80 M3 - Sahkir Orange
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08-20-2005, 11:31 AM	#14
UCe90 New Member 0 Rep 27 Posts Drives: 2006 325i White Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: SF Bay Area iTrader: (0)	Do you think these mudflaps will look good on Alpine White?
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08-21-2005, 02:10 PM	#15
nexus66 Second Lieutenant 64 Rep 239 Posts Drives: F80 M3 Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Scotland iTrader: (0)	Mudflaps are definately a personal taste thing! There's no reason why they wouldn't look good on Alpine White, but some people really don't like them on any colour of car! There are other black parts on the side of the car, so it's not as if the mudflaps are gonna be the only black you see on the side of the car! And they aren't glaringly obvious either, so they don't draw your eye to them! I always fit mudflaps to help stop tar and other nasty things being thrown up onto the side of the car, but I like them, so hey-ho... __________________ Drives: BMW F80 M3 - Sahkir Orange
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10-07-2005, 08:26 PM	#16
StewtheBassman Major General 199 Rep 6,381 Posts Drives: 2011 X5d 421,000kms Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Hudson, Quebec iTrader: (1)	I think Alpine white NEEDS some black trim, mudflaps would be fine. __________________
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10-17-2005, 07:52 PM	#17
jomamma Guest 0 Rep n/a Posts Drives:	Cost vs. Benefit -- Using a BRA for your car? "It' cause I do lots of freeway driving and I'm trying to save the paint from chipping, and the bugs that splat on the front end just wipe right off because the bra is treated with armor all. No more having to scrub the front end..." Great concept that has never worked... IMO. The bra will hold dirt and moisture against your car; eventually "buffing" the paint away. Unless you take it off every weekend or so and clean and wax underneath a bra is silly to use. Then the clamps that are used to fasten the bra on will eventually break off. I highly recommend invisishield protection.
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02-07-2006, 02:47 PM	#18
raykur BimmerManiac 0 Rep 6 Posts Drives: BMW 325i 06 Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Bay Area, CA iTrader: (0)	where do you get the mudflaps , and how much is it ?
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06-08-2006, 05:44 PM	#21
FrankoQ Deny everything 217 Rep 11,378 Posts Drives: 2006 330i; 2015 X6, S1000RR Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Beautiful MD iTrader: (5) Garage List 2015 BMW X6 [0.00] 2006 330i [0.00]	Thanks for the instructions. I did not have to remove any of the front wheels or the rear right. I did jack up the car for the rear left. Yes those screws for the rear are hard to get in. __________________ I need a drink
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06-08-2006, 06:04 PM	#22
Asiann Got Seoul? 116 Rep 2,862 Posts Drives: 2012 535i MSport Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Honolulu iTrader: (0) Garage List 2012 BMW 535i [0.00] 2008 750Li [0.00] 2006 BMW [0.00]	Great DIY but no mudflats for me. I would rather put on clear film protection. No front bra for me either. I had mudflats befor and had them painted to match but they cracked later. __________________ Can you say Alooooha? [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
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