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Old 10-25-2011, 07:27 PM   #1
Zombaru
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Default Rally Armor Mud Flap Instalation Difficulty

Just ordered a set and watched the installation video and I was suprised at how much more involved it is than I thought. How to videos always make things look easier than they are. They also mention that wheel removal isnt necessary. So I have 2 questions.

Question 1A: How difficult is the install on a scale of 1 - 10
Question 1B: Is the degree of difficulty where you set it because of the Pain In The Ass factor?

Question 2: Will removing the wheels during install lessen the Pain In The Ass factor and thus make installation easier or is it not worth the effort?

Thanks in advance.
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Old 10-25-2011, 07:43 PM   #2
Green Mtn WRX
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Default Rally Armor Install

I installed a set of flaps on my '11 Wagon last month. Your request for a 0-10 rating depends on how mechanically inclined you are... On my scale, I'd rate it about a 3. The most difficult thing for me is getting the plastic body panel fasteners to disengage without breaking them or the fasteners. All of them were actually pretty easy, but I hate pulling and tugging on plastic pieces, I've had some crack (on previous cars) in the past. None did on the subie, though. I think it took me about 90 minutes to do all four.

Removing the wheels isn't necessary, but it would definately make it less of a pain. Screwing the mounting screws in with the wheels on, particularly the rear wheels, is a pain. I have a very stubby screwdriver, but it was still irritating. While I was doing it I found myself wishing that I'd simply waited until I was swapping over to snow tires next month and would have the wheels off anyway.

I emailed rallyarmor and suggested that they switch to an allen head bolt. They emailed back promptly and explained that the allen head screws have a taller profile and that they are trying to maintain as much clearnance as possible for owners with big wheels and lowered cars. I still think that they could find an allen head with a fairly low profile (rounded) and the installation would be easier and cleaner. They also sell an 'offset screwdriver' on their website, but I've used those in the past and find that they don't work well. Too hard to keep downward pressure on the screw when you are turning it. This is what allen heads are made for!

But I'm just complaining about little details. Over all it is a well engineered kit and pretty easy, if a bit involved, to put on. The written instructions that come with the flaps are good, and reviewing the video helps a lot too.
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Old 10-25-2011, 07:50 PM   #3
DurtyB
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Its simple....watch the 10 min video. All you need. No need to remove wheels. Just cut the wheel all the way to the left when your doing the right side and cut all the way to the right when doing the left side. The rears are even easier and wheels will not get into your way.

Just take your time and be patient with the plastic clips and your golden.
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Old 10-26-2011, 12:34 AM   #4
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Thanks for the responses. I am fairly mechanically inclined so it shouldn't be too much of an issue. i was mostly concerned with the body panel removal and whether or not it was worth it to remove the wheels.
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Old 10-26-2011, 02:00 AM   #5
habitatxskate
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a wet towel could do it..

if anything you could jack the car up and not remove the tires since the suspension will articulate
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Old 10-26-2011, 08:20 AM   #6
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Removing the wheels helps with the third screw, unless you have one of these:



Other than tight clearances, it's quite easy to do.

I'd rate it as a 2/10 with one of those points being for pain in the ass time.
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Old 10-26-2011, 09:59 AM   #7
BXR RMBL
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I'd rate it about a 3. Hardest part for me was the rear because there were the plastic pieces behind the bumper cover that had to be moved to fit the bracket back there. Other than that it was extremely easy. I'm not sure if the wagons have that but either way it's an easy install.

I did not remove any wheels but yes it helps a little with access. It'll take you more time removing the wheels than working around them.
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Old 10-26-2011, 10:03 AM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BXR RMBL View Post
I'd rate it about a 3. Hardest part for me was the rear because there were the plastic pieces behind the bumper cover that had to be moved to fit the bracket back there. Other than that it was extremely easy. I'm not sure if the wagons have that but either way it's an easy install.

I did not remove any wheels but yes it helps a little with access. It'll take you more time removing the wheels than working around them.
Wagons are slightly easier, just remove a few plugs and slide it in.
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Old 10-26-2011, 10:06 AM   #9
3rdsubaru
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Watch the video a few times, so you completely understand what is needed. It really isn't difficult at all.

Last edited by 3rdsubaru; 10-26-2011 at 12:24 PM.
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Old 10-26-2011, 10:43 AM   #10
furiouswrx
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4/10 and 2 hrs for me on my 11 hatch...

The hardest part is getting those stupid plastic body panel clips off and finding the right tools. The actual install of the flaps is quite easy.

You'll need two stubby flathead screwdrivers (ideally less than 2" long) to pop off the clips, a small wrench for the front lock nuts, and a stubby (<2") Phillips screwdriver to tighten down the screws. It also helps to have a bubble level to align the flaps horizontally.

Tip when not removing wheels- turn wheels toward the side that you are working on for the front, and when putting on the rears, bend the steel bracket slightly to the rear of the car to accommodate the screwdriver length when tightening the inboard screw.
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Old 10-26-2011, 12:21 PM   #11
Freedog
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As stated above, installation (on the hatch at least) is very easy even with the wheels still on. Only thing I had trouble with was a lot of dirt/small gravel up in the rear fender. When I went to pull the rear fender clips the sand jammed the pin making it impossible to pull them out by hand. I grabbed some pliers and pulled them out anyway without them breaking/stretching/etc. After being cleaned and reinstalled they're as solid as ever.

I have noticed that the rear flaps appear to sit slightly outward at the bottom, but I believe it's just the rear fender lines that make it appear this way. After looking at many photos in other threads, and even the RA video, they all give this appearance on the side, but you'll notice the bottom is level with the ground, so you're all set!
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Old 10-28-2011, 09:41 AM   #12
Subie_WRX04
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I just installed these on my hatchback on Tuesday. It may seem involved at first glance but once you get the 1st side done you understand how simple it really is to do. I would say the hardest part was to take the plastic clips off w/o snapping them. I found it best for me to jack up each side and remove the wheels.
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Old 11-06-2011, 09:46 PM   #13
Zombaru
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I just completed the install this afternoon. Went fairly smooth. Hardest part was the inner most clip in the rear wheel wells and screwing in the inner screw on the mounting bracket in the rears (had to bend those bad boys a good bit to fit the screw driver in there) Removing the skirts and the fender piece was surprisingly easy. Ill give the install a 3/10 for difficulty. It it weren't for the pain in the ass factor it would be a 1/10.
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Old 11-06-2011, 09:51 PM   #14
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Be prepared to buy a few body clips. The front most body clips holding the side skirts on seem to to be stubborn. I ended up breaking them on both sides to get them off. Make sure you have a well lit garage and a good six pack. I did my install in about an hour and a half (working slowly).
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Old 11-06-2011, 10:14 PM   #15
Zombaru
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BoDacious View Post
Be prepared to buy a few body clips. The front most body clips holding the side skirts on seem to to be stubborn. I ended up breaking them on both sides to get them off. Make sure you have a well lit garage and a good six pack. I did my install in about an hour and a half (working slowly).

I had no problem with these at all...came right out. The ones that were the most stubborn for me were the inner rear wheel wells and the ones up by the mufflers. I'm sure experiences will vary for everyone though.

If you want to avoid breaking clips, do the install on a warmer day or store the car in a climate controlled garage and allow the clips to "warm up" before messing with them. Or you could heat them up with a hair dryer lol. Cold and brittle = breakage.
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Old 11-06-2011, 10:29 PM   #16
the_saintusa
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Installed mine today (2004 STi).

Would rate it a 1-2/10.

Had the wheels off as I was swapping over to my winter wheel/tire combo which made it easier.

With the wheels on it would probably be a 2-3/10 as it would take a little more effort and frustration to get the wheel well liners off with the tire/wheel in the way.
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Old 11-06-2011, 10:30 PM   #17
Zombaru
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Pictures are fun
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Old 11-06-2011, 10:31 PM   #18
Hsarver55
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Quote:
Originally Posted by furiouswrx View Post
4/10 and 2 hrs for me on my 11 hatch...

The hardest part is getting those stupid plastic body panel clips off and finding the right tools. The actual install of the flaps is quite easy.

You'll need two stubby flathead screwdrivers (ideally less than 2" long) to pop off the clips, a small wrench for the front lock nuts, and a stubby (<2") Phillips screwdriver to tighten down the screws. It also helps to have a bubble level to align the flaps horizontally.

Tip when not removing wheels- turn wheels toward the side that you are working on for the front, and when putting on the rears, bend the steel bracket slightly to the rear of the car to accommodate the screwdriver length when tightening the inboard screw.
sounds like a blast...
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Old 11-06-2011, 10:31 PM   #19
Hsarver55
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Zombaru View Post
Pictures are fun
looks great.
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Old 11-07-2011, 08:48 AM   #20
Decipher
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Looks great!
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Old 11-07-2011, 12:08 PM   #21
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Overall time should take anywhere between 1-2 hours. Like others have suggested, watch the video a few times, cut your front wheels left/right, and make sure to have the angled screwdriver.

I opted to go with metal washers (1/4" bolt size, 1.25" diameter) instead of the supplied plastic washers. After one of them cracked it was pretty hard to find replacement plastic washers (RA doesn't sell individual replacement parts).

I know that with metal washers you run the risk of doing more damage to your fender liners/bumpers if you clip your mud flaps against the curb. I'm just more cautious when parallel parking.
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Old 11-07-2011, 12:33 PM   #22
Cooper2.5
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Installation on the front tires is fairly simple

back tires are deffinetly hard if you dont take off or jack up the back tires
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Old 11-07-2011, 01:41 PM   #23
shavens
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Default Mud Flaps Install

I just did mine this past weekend. Was fairly straight forward. Turning the wheels helps a great deal on the fronts. One thing that held me up was that I found there was a good amount of dirt/mud packed into the void just behind the wheel well in the front fenders. I cleaned that out and sprayed in some rust treatment encapsulator I had laying around. I'm thankfull I was able to catch that and hopefully delay and rusting. I live in Rochester NY so the battle against rust is a constant one. It's a good idea to have extra body clips available since these tend to dry out and crack easily if you have an older WRX.
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Old 11-07-2011, 03:00 PM   #24
tippers
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Just got my scoobie boobies RA.....and Left side took me 20 min....right side took me 5min....Its super easy...have fun with it....

That tool up there will work great.....i tried to use a short stubby philips and there was still not enough room in the back...
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Old 12-17-2011, 03:12 PM   #25
03WRXMA
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Quick tip, make sure the sideskirt is fully clipped in the length of the car. Even though you're only popping it out of the front clips on the 11'+ it may disengage further down the skirt so give it a push to double check.

This makes the clips come out in about 2 seconds....

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