If you love your pickup truck, you probably are always looking for new ways to make it look even better than it already does.

In the past few years, many people who own trucks have started to use fender flares.

These extras can make your truck stand out by giving it a unique look over the wheels.

But do they really keep rust from happening? Let’s find out!

Fender flares protect your fenders from the weather, but they don’t stop rust, and they may even make your fenders more likely to rust. Even though your flare protects your paint from gravel, sand, and snow, water can get between it and your fender. This traps water between the two and makes rust more likely.

The problem with fender flares has been known to manufacturers for years, and they have done a lot to fix it.

And as a car owner, you can help keep rust from building up under your fender flares while still using them to protect your paint.

Read on to find out how to use fender flares right and keep your car from rusting.

Do Fender Flares Protect the Paint?

Whether you are driving in the city or off-roading in the woods, the last thing you want is for something to fly up and scratch the paint on your truck.

If you have fender flares on your car, this is likely not something you will have to worry about.

No matter where you are driving, the tyres on your truck may throw mud, dirt, rocks, and other things everywhere.

If your truck has very big tyres, the flying debris can hit the body and fenders of your truck and damage them.

The good news is that fender flares are made to stop this from happening. Since they go right over your truck’s tyres, they can act as a shield and keep debris from getting into your truck.

If you own a truck with damaged fenders that you want to hide, you can also do this with fender flares.

Fender flares can give your truck a new look and protect fenders that may already have dents or paint damage from getting worse.

As for whether or not fender flares keep your car from rusting, they do not. In fact, if you aren’t careful, they can cause rust and corrosion to form on the fenders of your truck.

Over time, gravel, other types of dirt and debris, road salt, and water can get stuck between your truck’s fender flares and its body.

You may think that at this point, rust and corrosion are inevitable, but you are wrong.

We suggest that you take off your fender flares every few months so that you can clean them and your fender. This will stop corrosion and rust.

By doing this, the area between your truck’s fender flare and its body will stay clean and dry.

Since this has been a problem with fender flares for a long time, manufacturers are now making fender flares with weather stripping to fix the problem.

The stripping at the top of the flare makes it almost impossible for debris to get stuck in and around your fender.

How to Keep Truck Fender Flares from Causing Rust

We just talked about one way to keep your truck’s fender flares from rusting, but there are other things you could do.

Some truck owners have found that spraying the fender area with bed liner works very well.

If you want to try this, you should always spray before you put the fender flare on. If you don’t, you defeat the whole point of spraying.

Once the bed liner is sprayed on your fender and the fender flare is put on, this should stop most, if not all, liquid from getting to the metal of your fender and causing it to rust.

But even though this is a good option that works well for many truck owners, we still think the best way to keep rust and corrosion from happening is to take off the fender flares and clean the fenders.

Don’t just clean your car if you think there might be dirt or rust under one or two of the fender flares.

Instead, take all four off at the same time so you can clean your truck well.

Most trucks should let you take off the flares, clean them, and put them back on the truck in about two hours.

Benefits of Fender Flares

Even though you might think that fender flares aren’t worth it if they cause your truck’s fenders to rust and corrode, the benefits of putting them on your truck far outweigh any problems they might cause.

First of all, depending on the tyres on your truck, you may be required by law to have fender flares on your vehicle.

If you don’t and a police officer pulls you over, you could get a ticket and a fine.

Next, the fender flares will raise the resale value of your vehicle because gravel, rocks, and other debris won’t keep hitting your truck’s fenders and other parts of its body.

Whether you sell your car on your own or trade it in to a dealer, fender flares will probably get you more money.

It’s also very easy to put on fender flares. They can give your car a unique look, and you can paint them as soon as you take them out of the box.

Most of the time, they don’t need to be drilled or cut. Instead, they use factory holes to attach securely to your truck.

Lastly, fender flares for trucks, SUVs, and other large vehicles with big tyres come in many different styles.

No matter if you want your truck to look small and stealthy or big and bold, it will have a look that makes it stand out wherever you go.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Can Fender Flares Help with Aerodynamics?

When most people talk about fender flares, they don’t talk much about aerodynamics. But this is just one more way that fender flares can help your car in a big way. Depending on the type of fender flares you put on your car and how they are put on, aerodynamics can be improved. On some trucks, as the truck goes faster, more downforce is added. When this happens, the truck will be more stable.

Do All Trucks Need Fender Flares?

No, fender flares are not necessary for all trucks. But since they can protect the body of your truck from flying debris, raise the resale value of your vehicle, and give it a look that will make it stand out, we think you should definitely think about adding them to your truck.

Can You Have Both Fender Flares and Mud Flaps on Your Truck?

If your truck already has fender flares, you might think you can’t add mud flaps to protect it from mud and debris even more.

But it is possible for your truck to have both mud flaps and fender flares. To do this, you’ll need mud flaps that are made for the make and model of your truck.

Do All Trucks with Fender Flares have Rust and Corrosion Issues?

Even though it might sound like every truck on the road with fender flares has rust and corrosion problems, that’s not at all the case.

In fact, many truck owners say that they have had fender flares on their trucks for years and have never had rust or corrosion problems, even if they haven’t taken the flares off to clean them often.

But because your car is such a big investment, we don’t think you should act so carelessly. Instead, we think you should take off your fender flares and clean the fenders of your truck every so often. Even though they might not always stop rust, fender flares have a lot of benefits. When you put them on your truck, you might be surprised at how much protection they give. When you combine this with making your truck look fantastic, you’ve got a winning combination.