I've noticed some concerning gaps where my fender splash shields are supposed to attach, especially on the left side of my car. If I apply even a little pressure to the shield in these areas, it flexes easily, and the gap becomes more pronounced, indicating it's not securely fastened there.

Here's a short video showing what it looks like with the new shields installed:

I initially thought this might be due to my old splash shields being deformed. So, I went ahead and replaced both front splash shields with new ones and also replaced all the broken bracing/clips with new ones. While the fit is slightly better, these gaps unfortunately still persist.

A few videos for a clearer view, without air filter boxes:



My main worry is that water, mud, and road debris will easily get flung up through these holes and into the engine bay or other sensitive areas.

I'm really curious to know is this by design, or if I'm dealing with a specific problem with my car that needs further attention?

Maybe somebody could you please check your car for similar gaps around the front fender splash shields? I'm trying to understand if this is normal or just an issue with my car.

The dealer said that this is expected, but I am still worried about that, especially considering that the dealer has no experience with this model.

My car is 2018 morel year.





Any advice or shared experiences would be greatly appreciated!


Thanks.

 

If nobody else helps before Friday evening I can check from the wheel area as I'll be pulling my wheels off to refinish my calipers, don't let me forget about it, cuh!

 

Thanks man.

 

You are consistently a helpful and good dude on this forum.

 

@np20412 could you please check the fender splashes on your car if you will have a chance today?

 

Yes I'll try to check this evening after the kids go to bed when I get the car up in the air.

 

Hey sorry time ran long on me at work and have some things to finish up tonight. I've moved my plan to tomorrow so will let you know what I find tomorrow!

 

Thanks!

 

Mine is the same. I only checked drivers side but I imagine pax is the same. Very little pressure, lots of flex, and could see straight thru the suspension to the garage floor.

My hand comes out in the wheel well same as your video.

 

thanks for checking!
At least I know that this is factory now.
Probably I changed for nothing my fender splashes, haha.

 

No worries!

 

I'm genuinely surprised (and a bit shocked, to be honest) by the design of the wheel well liners on these cars – specifically, the noticeable gaps that appear to lead directly into the engine bay.

What's even crazier is how many clips are used on the outer edge of the fender liner (easily 10+ just on the front-facing side), yet further back or deeper within the wheel well, it feels like nothing securely holds it. It just feels unfinished, as if the engineers simply ran out of time or money.

This is particularly frustrating because I recently spent a significant amount of time thoroughly detailing my engine bay. It was quite dirty from the previous owner, and now I clearly understand why, because it seems like in the rain, water could literally spray directly into the engine bay through those holes. I'm also surprised that I'm the first person to mention this on the forum at all.