It seems to happen sooner or later to every vehicle owner who has to put on a lot of miles in bad weather. Wheel well cover damage might be common, but it also has real consequences if it goes unaddressed. Luckily, you can help protect your well covers with liners to minimize the damage when a big chunk of ice or debris hits. That way, your wheel well covers last longer and so does your vehicle body.
Your wheel well cover is designed to protect the car's underbody from mud, road salt, and debris thrown up by the tires while you are moving. If it is broken or even just cracked, mud and other contaminants can easily become caked against the vehicle's body in areas near the crack, leading to corrosion down the line. Using wheel well liners to protect your vehicle against this kind of long-term buildup is the best way to prevent this damage after a cover is broken.
It takes a little muscle power to do a DIY wheel well liner replacement, but it is not difficult if you are up to that work. The skill level needed is pretty basic, because you are dealing with an easily accessible part. First, remove the wheel so you can access the entire wheel well easily. Then, find the pieces of the cover and the bolts securing them. Remove each. Finally, replace them with the new liners you bought. Doing rear wheel well liners should take you less than an hour per wheel from start to finish, provided there are no surprises along the way.
Using a liner is the best way to make sure your well cover has an extra layer of protection. Truck wheel well liners can be installed with new covers to provide an additional barrier against the kind of damage that contributes to corrosion over the long term. A small investment before the snow and salt season could be just what you need to add years to your truck's life expectancy.