Ate fender liner... again...

Today on my way to work, my car ate the passenger fender liner... again...

 

I'm pretty frustrated right now. This is the third one. I thought I did a really good job of thoroughly securing it this time. Do y'all have any advice on what to do to keep it from ripping off again?

 

I will be replacing the front bumper soon, and had planned on using all new oem clips. Now with the oem clips failing, I'm honestly tempted to use some hex bolts and nuts and maybe some washers. Is that crazy/stupid?

 

I would appreciate any input. I don't want to do something dumb just because I'm frustrated right now.

 

EDIT: My suspension is OEM 2013 3.6R springs on KYB shocks with 1" strut spacers. So I'm actually raised an inch.

Wheels & tires are 225/50R18 on 8x18 38 Method Race Wheels. No rubbing ever.

It ate the first liner on stock wheels and tire size. Every time it's eaten the liner it's been on straight and flat road at highway speeds (above 50mph). It seems to lose the front bumper clips and if I don't catch it and replace them fast enough, it flaps back and once it contacts the tire, bam, it eats the liner.

IIRC from a pic I saw, it looked like you have slightly bigger tires than stock?

 

But I cant recall the wheels, they were painted but I'm not sure if they are stockers.

 

Reason I ask is maybe its a wheel size/offset thing?

You need to fix the problem, which is the tire contacting the fender liner.

are you getting any rubbing when you turn the wheel while moving slowly?

 

also, all of your wheel liners are belong to Subaru....

Is your suspension lowered? What size are your tires? Does your suspension normally hit the liners when hitting bumps?

My suspension is OEM 2013 3.6R springs on KYB shocks with 1" strut spacers. So I'm actually raised an inch.

Wheels & tires are 225/50R18 on 8x18 38 Method Race Wheels. No rubbing ever.

It ate the first liner on stock wheels and tire size. Every time it's eaten the liner it's been on straight and flat road at highway speeds (above 50mph). It seems to lose the front bumper clips and if I don't catch it and replace them fast enough, it flaps back and once it contacts the tire, bam, it eats the liner.

I've been researching it on Nasioc and the Forester and Outback forums and it seems like there's two schools of thought:

1. Take 'em off/ don't replace them. "I've had mine off for X years with no issues"

2. Replace them, they're important for protection & noise reduction & correct airflow through the radiator. OEM liners and clips just suck and replacing them all the time is part of the cost of ownership.

I tend to agree that they're worth replacing, especially with the intake wiring right there. I'm wondering it using bolts instead of clips will solve the issue. It would certainly cost less than replacing a liner ever again.

I'd make sure you get the clips in all the way around the front edge. I drove around for a few weeks last year with only a few clips in, and the air resistance would bend that front flap enough to pull out the clips. The only other way for the clips to come out by themselves is if they are just loose in the hole.

Bigger tires can contact in the weirdest places and circumstances.

 

That being said, I would try good o'l nuts and bolts but be advised it may happen again.

 

EDIT If it ate liners on stock wheels and tires there is something wrong somewhere. One loose or missing clip can start a chain reaction.

 

I went through the same on a BMW I have, would eat liners if it missed or lost even 1 fastener in certain areas. I became anal about those, check them everytime the front is up. The habit carried over to every car I own including the LGT lol!

I wonder if the previous instances of 'eating the fender liner' have enlarged the fastener holes to make it more prone to lose the OEM clips.

OK thanks for all the input guys. I think I'll go through with replacing the bumper skin and the fender liner, and I'll use nuts and bolts instead of clips where ever feasible. If the holes are enlarged, which seems very possible, washers should solve that.

I am thinking that I'll look for smooth ish headed bolts in hopes that I won't catch on a parking stop and rip my bumper off... because that would just be my luck.

^use stainless steel hardware