Installed Mud Flaps.. found loose screws all over!

Dang, how did you install them with ease? We tried to install them today and realized we had to lift off the tires to drill holes in the rear wheel wells and gave it up. Ugh.

 

Whew....I was gettting worried someone was trying to steal the black bumper wide plastic piece under the rear bumper since I found backed out screws inside the wheelwells.

I tightened them up and added a specially designed stainless steel screw to each mudflap so they can't take them without a special tool or they cut them up.

I removed all tires to install the mudflaps.

Our cars must of been made on a Friday.

ZC1

 

I added the mud flaps to mine last night. I started on the rear wheels and they took the longest...the first wheel really took the longest time of all. Use the jack that came with the car. I did pick up a torque wrench and 21 mm socket from the store first - total cost $30.00 but it was a breeze if you know how to change a tire....and in my mind was great practice to run through the process just in case I get a flat and need to change the tire in the future. You only need to jack up and remove the back tires to do this...on the front, all you need to do is turn the wheel all the way left or right depending on the side.

Installing the flaps on the back took about 30 minutes for the first tire, 15 for the second and about 5 minutes each for the fronts. The drilling was only through plastic parts and you need a 6mm (1.4") and a 2.5mm (3/32") bits, a flat head and phillips screw driver, and I used a sharpie marker to mark the spots on the rear I needed to drill.

The car looks great with the new mud guards!

 

The front wells have preexisting holes, so that's easy. But on our back wheel wells, there are no preexisting holes for the mudflaps - and if we drill the holes, it will go through metal, not plastic.

How were you able to just drill into just the plastic? Your mudflaps must somehow be different than the ones we got.

 

caution, do not do any service work to your vehicle!

 

LOL. Yep, that's exactly what I was thinking.

 

glad u see the humor, it wouldnt be funny tho if the vehicle fell off the flimsy jack supplied...however, it is simple and any friend with a little mechanical experience will be able to help, i'd be happy to come over

 

When you drill, you only drill through plastic. It seems like you'll be drilling through metal, but it's really only plastic. I also added the flaps and it was a simple job once the rear tires are off.

 

I did mine today. No drilling through metal, only plastic. Yes the rear fender is plastic. I used a right angle drill attachment for the fronts. Rears required wheel removal. NOW I know where the wheel lock lug key is at!! DUH!!! Finding it took the most most time for me. Install instructions found here were a big help. I found a few loose screws and one loose plastic nut. Man are those rear shoe brakes small!!! It was fun to take a good look around under the car.

 

When I bought my Prius in March, there were 2 other Prii on the lot. One of them had screws missing, as the plastic bottom part was actually loose from the car! I didn't buy that one, but I'm going to check out my machine for loose screws now.

... Brad

 

No metal...only plastic.

I can't speak for any year other than 2008 and then only for one Silver Prius in Orlando..but I only drilled through plastic. It really shocked me too as I expected metal and remember someone here on PC mentioning they wished they took a bit more time and painted the fresh metal from the drill holes with primer to stop rust. So I was prepared..but no metal.

 

Oh, that makes a big difference! Sure looks like metal. But beings it's plastic, I feel much more comfortable doing it ourselves now. Guess we should go purchase a good car jack, huh? The one that came with the Prius is real flimsy, eh?

 

(2) 3 ton jack stands < $20
2-3 ton hydraulic jack ~ $20
look for them at any store like walmart/k-mart
Caution: Never remove the tire with the weight of the car resting on the jack. Use the jack stands in case the jack fails. Chock the opposing tires and set the emergency brake.

 

Thanks much for the advice. You guys have really helped me see that we can do this ourselves. I'll report back soon!

 

You definitely need to remove the rear tires, but it wasn't a problem. Best bet is to use a floor jack. Actual install was quite easy and I added a couple of extra screws.

 

I used hand held battery powered drill.
It can be adjusted to 90 degree angle,Black & Decker.
Did not have to remove tires,just a few minutes on each flap.