Hello everyone... I am new to the forum and also a newb to Fords. I just purchased a 2012 Ford Fiesta in September. I live in Minnesota and we are having an especially difficult winter.... yesterday I washed the car and then after I was driving heard a noise from the back. I pulled over and looked and there is carpeting type material that I guess was on the inside above the wheel/tire and it came loose and is now rubbing against my back tire... I was getting an oil change today and asked them to look at it. They said they tried to put it back up but they couldn't so it needs to be replaced. It is 170.00 for replacing just the one side... when I got home today I looked at the other side and it is also coming undone! Unfortunately I am under and extended service plan so it is not covered... SO.... anyways.... my question is...

#1) what the heck is this carpet stuff and do I really need to have it there?

#2) can I just take it off and live without it?

My brain just cannot justify spending 350.00 on carpeting above my tire! Please help!

 

Since no one has replied so far, I will try to possibly answer your questions.
First I am not sure just what you are describing as "carpet like material" could possibly be in there. Usually there is a plastic splash shield to help prevent the splashed material from going up into parts that cannot be easily cleaned out. Could what appears as carpet looking material be road dirt frozen and look like carpet material?

 

Hello there dear... and thank you for your post..... I called the dealer and they said that that they are called Fiber Rear wheel well liners... it is a tough carpet material that they said is for noise reduction. I asked them directly if I could just take them off and they said that they recommend I keep them..... BUT.... I assume they are going to say that because they want the sale.... I cannot find much information about them.... I found only one other forum that someone said to take them off "just because" so... I am still unsure of what to do

 

If it were my car, I would take it out and leave it alone. but as everyone knows there's always a compromise that has to be made. if you think that you could live with a little road noise then go for it. usually they put that kind of stuff on the inside or make the inner fender wells out of a thick plastic that holds the fiber liners in place. I'm thinking that someone may have put that on in reverse.

 

I do not know at this point just how they are held in place. Until that is known , I can't help but wonder why I would want more "stuff" inside the wheel well that will hold more ice and snow than a smooth plastic liner. As Grindman stated, if it is for noise reduction, it might not be a bad move to have them removed for the winter if you think the vehicle isn't that noisy. What do you think?