How to Install Mud Flaps Without Drilling Any Holes

Mud flaps and splash guards do a simple job well: they catch the rocks, road grime, and slush your tires throw before it can chip your paint, sandblast your rocker panels, or spray the car behind you. Yet a lot of drivers skip them because the instructions say to drill holes in the body. Drilling works, but it also opens the door to rust, ruins clean factory metal, and leaves permanent holes you can never fully undo. The good news is that on most modern cars and trucks you can install mud flaps without drilling at all, using the holes and fasteners your vehicle already has.

Why no-drill is the better first choice

Before you reach for a drill, it is worth knowing what you are trading away. A no-drill install is not just easier. It is usually the smarter long-term move.

• No new rust points. Every hole you drill through painted metal breaks the factory coating. Water finds that bare edge, and rust starts working from the inside out where you cannot see it until it is bad.
• Nothing permanent. Reuse existing holes and you can remove the flaps later with no trace. Drill the body and those holes are there forever, even after you take the flaps off.
• Faster and cleaner. No measuring, no deburring, no touch-up paint, no worrying about hitting a wire or brake line behind the panel.
• You reuse points the engineers already placed. Factory mounting spots are located where the panel is strong and the flap sits right.

First, check what your vehicle already has

Here is the honest part: no-drill only works if your vehicle has usable mounting points at the flap location, and not every vehicle does. Take five minutes to look before you buy anything.

• Many trucks, SUVs, and crossovers ship with threaded holes or pop-out plugs tucked behind the tire, put there specifically for accessories like flaps.
• Most cars hold the fender liner, the plastic wheel-well liner, with push clips and screws right along the edge of the wheel opening. Those same fasteners often line up with the mounting slots on a flap.
• Vehicle-specific flaps are designed to attach to these exact factory points, which is why they give you the best odds of a no-drill fit. Universal flaps are more of a gamble.

To check yours, turn the steering wheel to full lock so the tire swings out of the way, then look and feel along the inside lip of the wheel arch. You are hunting for existing screws, push clips, or capped holes near the bottom rear of the opening. Your owner's manual or an online fitment lookup for your year, make, and model will also tell you whether factory flap points exist. If your vehicle genuinely has no usable point at that spot, no-drill may mean choosing a different flap style, and we cover that below.

Choose the right flaps and fasteners

Two decisions make or break a clean install: the flaps themselves and what holds them on.

• Flaps: vehicle-specific flaps that list your exact year, make, and model line up with factory holes and are your best shot at zero drilling. Universal flaps can work, but keep them as a backup plan.
• Fasteners: reuse the factory screws wherever they are in good shape. Where clips are involved, replace tired or crumbling ones rather than fighting to reuse them. Weatherproof push-to-lock nylon clips, like the EirCore EZ-Lock No-Screw Fastening Clips, snap into the same holes by hand and hold splash guards, fender liners, and trim without a single screw. Because they are nylon, they will not seize or rust the way a steel bolt does in a wet, salty wheel well.

One tip: match the clip size to the hole. A clip that is too small rattles loose, and one that is too big will not seat. If you are unsure, measure the hole diameter first.

What you'll need

• Mud flaps or splash guards for your vehicle
• Fresh push clips or fasteners
• Flush cutters or mini diagonal pliers to snip out old broken clips and zip ties in tight spots
• A trim removal tool or a flat screwdriver
• The socket or screwdriver bit your factory screws use
• A jack and stands or ramps for extra clearance, optional
• A rag and some cleaner

Step-by-step: install mud flaps without drilling

1. Park and turn the wheel. On level ground, engine off. Turn the steering wheel toward the corner you are working on so the tire swings away and gives you room.
2. Clean the area. Wipe down the wheel-arch lip and the mounting points so grit does not get in the way or scratch the paint.
3. Dry-fit the flap. Hold it in place and line up its mounting holes or slots with the factory holes. Confirm it sits flush and covers the tire's spray path before you commit.
4. Remove the factory fasteners at those points. Pop push clips out with a trim tool, and back out any screws. If old clips are brittle and crumble when you touch them, cut them free cleanly with your EZ-Lock Mini Diagonal Pliers instead of digging around and gouging the panel.
5. Position the flap. Hold it back up with the holes aligned. A little tape can act as a third hand here.
6. Refasten. Where a screw came out, run it back through the flap into the original hole. Where a clip was, push a fresh EZ-Lock clip through the flap and into the hole until you feel it lock. Firm hand pressure is all it takes.
7. Snug, don't strip. Tighten screws until they are secure, then stop. Overtightening cracks plastic and strips holes.
8. Check clearance. Turn the wheel lock to lock and make sure nothing rubs the tire or the flap.
9. Repeat on the other corners. Do the same at each flap location.

When you truly can't avoid a hole

Sometimes the flap you want has no matching factory point. Before drilling the body, consider a couple of gentler options. Adhesive-backed or clamp-on flaps skip fasteners entirely. And if a hole is unavoidable, drilling a small pilot hole through the plastic fender liner, not the painted body metal, is far lower risk and does not create a rust point. Reserve drilling the body itself for a genuine last resort.

A few honest tips

• Recheck the fasteners after your first few drives. Anything new can settle.
• Keep a few spare clips in the glovebox. Clips are the part that fails first, and a broken one is a two-minute fix.
• In exposed, wet spots, nylon push clips outlast screws because they will not corrode or seize.

Get the clips that make it a no-drill job

A clean, drill-free mud flap install really comes down to having the right fasteners on hand. Grab a pack of the EirCore EZ-Lock No-Screw Fastening Clips to snap your splash guards on by hand, and browse the rest of the Repair & Care collection for the pliers and trim tools that make the job easier. If you run into stubborn or broken clips along the way, our guides on how to replace broken car push clips and how to fix a sagging bumper or splash shield will walk you through it. Free worldwide shipping, prices include tax, delivery in 7-15 days, and a 30-day money-back guarantee.