Frequently asked questions

Frequently asked questions about the LOKARI wheel-well liners and inner wings:

Are the inner wings made of plastic or aluminum?

Aluminum inner wings have four-digit part numbers without further definition, plastic wheel-well liners have a three-digit addition with L & R marked.

Important Installation Note for Aluminum inner wings with rubber lips:

When mounting Aluminum inner wings (f.e. in Porsche models, in particular the 911-series) longer installation times must be planned by the workshop. Preserve the inner wings and rubber on the wheel side, or paint it in body color, that the steel brackets do not rust. Check manufacturer's warranty on body glands. Fill the drillhole with antirust grease, form a small ring form of sealant around the drillhole and fix the screws tight. Wear work gloves when mounting the inner wing to prevent injury from sharp edges.

Are the self-tapping screws, which hold the inner wing which are attached to the body, not counter-productive regard to rust?

The screw holes are behind or next to the inner wing, that means outside the water attack. Following the logic of the critics would then all the screws which are available somewhere must rusting, even where the threads are clean. And when screwing the 4 screws up to à 3mm, one should use Mike Sanders or filler as a gasket. The fifty-year (Lokari was established in 1960!) experience teaches, that the four small holes are better than the large holes around headlight pot, battery box, A-pillar, tank cover and back, the more rotten B, and C column, and the dissolving in oxide taillights. All these areas are down as well as dry. The four holes can be sealed with filler and nothing will happen. We have cars that are on the road for 20 years with Lokaris and the holes are irrelevant out of this experience. See also FAQ "new cavities".

Do smaller gaps between the wheel house and the rubber lip affect the function? (Applies only aluminum inner wing)

No, the functionality is not affected by small gaps at the edge, as our experience from 15 years shows inner wing sales and self-experiment in racing. Water and dirt are thrown off center by the centrifugal forces, so even the white stripe in the middle of the wheel housing. In this respect will be as good as dirt bye through the gap. It's not about creating new hermetically sealed cavities. On the contrary, the space behind the IK should be ventilated thoroughly. If some dirt to penetrate the edge, he falls after a short while down and out. Our experience: We have to beat 1999 on the rally and it was PanAmericana of IK by about 7 cm pressed, the feathered wings again. It was thus more than a big gap. After that we drove 3.200 miles over the dusty Bahia California with the "gap" in the inner wing. It could be seen a bit of dust entry, nothing else! They are the advantage of the earliest Lokari can judge for one year. If you then look up once, your wheel is in fact still quite clean. Another often unrecognized benefit: the relocation of the condensate threshold provides on inner wings for drastically reduced moisture in the cavities adjacent to the wheel-well. If you clean the wheel-wells permanently with steam, which even ensures that the water penetrates into all the rust and seals are feeding. There is really no alternative to the inner wing, the wheel-wells to keep them dry and clean. The painting of a wing/fender or welding work is much more expensive and time consuming. The aluminum inner wing there since 1960. One can therefore assume that the functionality is adequately tested. Even the auto industry has recognized this and taken over after the expiry of patents Lokari the IK's. Is there a better recognition? So, even if the adjustment in some models, not so easy, it's always in the long run anyway.

How are the LOKARI aluminum inner wings made?

In order to satisfy the huge demand for vintage inner wings for classic cars (approximately pre-1980), the company Lokari has agreed to the production of individual, elaborately hand inner wings, made ​​of aluminum with rubber lips, which are offered in this store. This inner wings do not meet the criteria for standard industrial goods, but are produced in Finland individually with the nostalgic production methods from the 60s by craftsmen. We strongly recommend to our clients to wear gloves in handling (unpacking, installation) because of a potential risk of injury. The product can have sharp metal edges, staple points etc.

Do the wheel-well liners / inner wings fit to my camper / motor home?

Basically, our LOKARI´s are available for camper vans (Mercedes Sprinter, Fiat Ducato, VW Crafter, etc.) for the front and rear axles. In semi-integrated motorhomes they only fit for the front axle and for fully integrated models inner wings are not available.

Emergence of new cavities behind the wheel-well liners / inner wings?

No, the wheel-well liners / inner wings are open at the front and back, when driving a permanent air stream is streaming behind the LOKARI´s (hold your hand in the wind, and you get an idea how much air is dug behind the LOKARI´s!) So the moisture is dried immediately. The wheel-well liner / inner wing shifts the condensation point on his back, so that there condensing water - which would otherwise have escaped into the cavities of the body - can be run down. In this respect, it would even be counter-productive to construct a hermetically sealed area here!

Can the brackets, which fix the rubber lip on the aluminum inner fwings, not be processed of stainless steel?

Unfortunately not. Stainless steel is is not stable enough for the sighting of the clips. In this respect, one should ensure, that the brackets should be protected from moisture with silicone, paint, undercoating, or other corrosion-protective measures such as fluid film or Mike Sanders-fat-lasting. This is particular for vehicles which are moved in the winter on salty roads. The transition from rubber to aluminum should be sealed here in any case.

Where are the S-clips in the case of plastic wheel-well liners attached?

Along the wheel arch it is specified there, where the marks in the plastic are placed. Not for all plastic wheel-well liners clips are essential!

Does every plastic wheel-well liner have S-clips?

Not all plastic wheel-well liners have clips. If the wheel-well is stiff enough to account for this, and with some clips are welded instead of guide jaws available.

Can the mud flaps, which is attached to some plastic wheel-well liners, be removed?

If mud flaps are mounted, they can also be removed. They are just riveted.

Can the standard mud flaps remain on my car?

Yes, then the wheel well-liner must be cut at this point if necessary, or some plastic wheel-well liners are to be dismantled.

H-approval with wheel-well liners / inner wings?

No problem, they are contemporary accessories. The inner wing is available since the late 50s. See also button "About Lokari".

Registration or ABE necessary?

No, the wheel-well liners / inner wings are interior parts. They don´t change the car's silhouette and the dimensions. For such parts ABE is not necessary.

Is the installation of wheel-arch liners / inner wings with flared wheel-well for spacers / wide tires possible?

Aluminum inner wings run high in the wheel house, and are constrained by independent flaring. In the plastic wheel-well liners there is the need for assembly. The space in the crimped area is in a way that it can not be mounted. But there are some vehicles for both options (aluminum or plastic), eg Opel Manta B.

I only drive in the summer. What is the advantage then of the Lokari´s?

Even in summer you will not be able to avoid even driving into a puddle or on a wet road surface. The thrown into the wheel-wells moisture stays there for up to two weeks. First dirt (eg on the lamp housing) that the moisture is bound and, secondly, water penetrates through the cohesion and adhesion in the seals, especially if the gums which become porous with age and almost act like a sponge. The inner wing keeps the water (and the rocks, which takes place even in summer) reliably far from these places. Furthermore, the condensation of moisture in summer is just one thing: go with a car, which was heated in the sun, through a puddle colder. In the sprayed areas immediately condensate is formed (eg a cold beer bottle out of fridge in the summer or a film of water on the mirror after a shower). This condensation occurs without inner wings on the back of the body cavities and provides for perforation corrosion from the inside out. With wheel-well liners / inner wings, the condensate falls from the back of the inner wing and not in the body. There it runs easy to the bottom. In the body cavities the inner wing provides so much less for condensate loss.

Does it make sense to equip an older vehicle with Lokari inner wings?

Yes, absolutely. By shifting the dew point away from the body the already existing corrosion is greatly reduced. Especially if the wheel-arch on the inside is sprayed with cavity sealing, the rust process comes through the lack of oxygen's degree to a stop.

I have rust on the wheel-well edge, but there is no wheel-well liner for my car, or only aluminum inner wings where the wheel-well in only a two-dimensional version is not overlapping. What else can I do?

Here helps the product "KAROS". A anti-corrosion wheel-well edge protection filled with grease, which is easily attached to the wheel-well. KAROS seales the double fold of the outside reliably, even if the grid already "nibbles". From the inside, you should make provisions in such cases, in any case, even with cavity protection.

Do the Lokari´s improve the aerodynamic?

It seems so. We have found out that i.e. an Opel Corsa GSI did run 4 km slower before using the inner fenders (tested with navigation). Vmax before installation: 198 km, then 202 km. Also we have received similar reviews of the VW Bus T4 owners. In racing, this effect is also known.

Delivery times?

We work with Containers. There is an approximately every 5 weeks delivery, i.e. the delivery time for products not on stock is between 2-6 weeks. Current models are usually in stock and you can see it in the inventory system with order. During the summer vacation = holiday, may increase delivery time up to 8 weeks.