Rubber trim under headlight trim...what are they?

[MAMiller44]

These guys, what are they? I find them to just be a water collector. Installed the SVC IC today and doing the ADD bumper tomorrow/Sunday. Curious if I should take them off.

 

[goblues38]

Just beauty trim if you ask me.

 

[dblack]

I think they just kind of close off the gap between headlights and bumper?

 

[Badgertits]

What they do is move around in high wind & rub against your bumper etching the paint away eventually causing it to rust

ford knows this hence the tiny patch of PPF they put beneath some of the contact area

I’d yank em, I plan to on my 2020, on my 2018 before someone totaled it I had an appt to bring into dealer to identify the rust on my bumper & respray the thing lol

Other than that I suppose to help direct airflow?

 

[MAMiller44]

What they do is move around in high wind & rub against your bumper etching the paint away eventually causing it to rust

ford knows this hence the tiny patch of PPF they put beneath some of the contact area

I’d yank em, I plan to on my 2020, on my 2018 before someone totaled it I had an appt to bring into dealer to identify the rust on my bumper & respray the thing lol

Other than that I suppose to help direct airflow?

Good to know. With daily summer rains in Florida I always noticed water getting caught up in them. Will probably remove when I put on the new bumper this weekend.

 

[Larry Jeffords]

These guys, what are they? I find them to just be a water collector. Installed the SVC IC today and doing the ADD bumper tomorrow/Sunday. Curious if I should take them off.

View attachment 158302

Cosmetic trim and nothing more. Its well documented that they rub through the bumper to bare metal causing discoloration and eventually rust. Good thing is Ford (at least my dealership) warrantied it. They removed the bumper, painted and clear coated it and at my request removed the rubber trim. Both pieces are in my basement should the next owner want to put them back on. To answer your question - Yes - Remove them.

 

[01Moch1]

Cosmetic trim and nothing more. Its well documented that they rub through the bumper to bare metal causing discoloration and eventually rust. Good thing is Ford (at least my dealership) warrantied it. They removed the bumper, painted and clear coated it and at my request removed the rubber trim. Both pieces are in my basement should the next owner want to put them back on. To answer your question - Yes - Remove them.

Would you mind posting a picture of what you truck looks like without the trim pieces in there?

I've got rust forming on my passenger side bumper wing that I plan to get fixed while under warranty. Seems like asking the dealer to remove the trim while doing the repair would be the way to go to prevent issues outside of the warranty.

 

[Larry Jeffords]

Would you mind posting a picture of what you truck looks like without the trim pieces in there?

I've got rust forming on my passenger side bumper wing that I plan to get fixed while under warranty. Seems like asking the dealer to remove the trim while doing the repair would be the way to go to prevent issues outside of the warranty.

For some reason they also made it clear that the only way the body shop would remove them is if I as the vehicle owner insisted (wink, wink, nod, nod). I am fortunate to have a great relationship with my dealership. Here are before and after shots.

BTW, the little piece of clear tape doesn't do shit.

 

[Idaho]

Are the bumper wings required to be removed to take these off? If it's just a rubber piece, I'm guessing you could just pull hard enough with the bumper in place and get them off or am I wrong?

 

[greatone99]

I got rid of the rubber , wore thru the paint on the endcaps