Loker - what is this? What are the lockers?

Each novice motorist sooner or later asks a question: locker - what is it? Lockers (fenders) are special plastic or metal molded casings that protect the wheel arches of the car from the mechanical impact of the external environment (sand, stones). In their form, the lockers completely repeat the wheel niches, snugly adhering to them.

Purpose of use

In connection with the fact that the wheel arch of the car is considered to be the most vulnerable zone of the bottom, the locker (what it is, everyone knows, even remotely familiar with the car business) was created directly to protect it. They protect these points from gravel, sand and stones flying from under the wheels. If the car is not installed lockers, it threatens deformation of the body, namely the wheel arches.

Typically, the production of the car installed regular fenders. They come in two main varieties: solid and liquid. Both of them perfectly protect the wheel niches of the car from sandblasting, which can easily remove paint and protective coating from the wheel arches. However, even if the car does not have a regular underwing, the possibility to install them is provided additionally by many modern services. Taking into account the fact that almost every car is equipped with special holes for locks, work on their operation is facilitated at times. And if there are no openings for plastic liners in the wheel arches with the design of the machine, there are two ways of installation: the use of liquid locks presented on the market in a wide range, or screwing plastic liners with self-tapping screws. The latter option, according to some motorists, is threatened with subsequent corrosion at the screwing points, but if properly anticorrosive treatment is installed, this can be avoided.

In addition to the main function of protecting the bottom from mechanical damages, locks also contribute to an increase in the degree of noise insulation when the car moves along poor routes (gravel, sand, mud, loose snow).

One hundred percent of the meaning of the word "lockers" (close, protect) justifies itself when using this type of protection of the bottom of the inhabitants of modern megacities, where roads are watered with various chemical reagents that aggressively affect the paint and varnish covering of cars.

History: locker - what is it?

Initially, the fenders were constructed of metal and had a rim made of rubber. Their installation was extremely simple. The disadvantage of the first known version of the tailgate was only one - they protected only the upper part of the wheel house, without having absolutely no effect on its lateral surfaces. Which, of course, "screamed" that the products require substantial refinement. In addition, the first lockers produced by the automotive industry were not sufficiently designed in terms of the fact that the rubber fender was rubbed against the inside of the wing during the movement, resulting in damage to the paint and rusting of the wings. And the further the "traumatized" coating, the deeper penetrated the corrosion. There are even cases when, due to the use of locks, parts of the wings fall off.

After the structural improvements, the material was changed to fiberglass, and a little later they were made of low pressure polyethylene. There have also been attempts to create liners from the polystyrene that is convenient in processing, but they have proved unsuccessful due to the fragility and unreliability of the material used when used at low temperatures.

Just a few years ago, locks began to be produced from high-tech materials such as polyvinyl chloride and ABS-polymer.

Moreover, the shape of the fender cover of the last issues has such that completely cover the wheel arches, leaving almost no gaps to hit the litter.

Assortment and cost

In the modern car market, the locker (what is it, we already found out earlier), or rather, their sets, are presented in a wide range. They are produced by a large number of both domestic and foreign firms. The most modern models have a special polymer coating, which is responsible for the longevity of the service of products, and the high quality of molding, when there are no gaps in the wheel arches after installation. Depending on the material used in the production of the material, shape and size, the price of locks of different brands may differ by a factor of 1.5 or 2. And regardless of the name of the manufacturer, it is strongly recommended to purchase the front and rear lockers only with the trademarked brand name, which ensures that the goods are original and not counterfeit. Preference should be given to branded goods due to the fact that the lifetime of counterfeits, no matter how qualitative they are, does not exceed two to three months. While branded products are characterized by a long operating time (up to several years).

Ideal material for the production of locks

Every day motorists increasingly prefer fenders that are released from low-pressure polyethylene, otherwise called a thermoplastic ethylene polymer or high-density polyethylene.

Models made from the above material are characterized by increased elasticity, strength, flexibility, respectively, durability. They successfully tolerate high, low temperatures and their differences (-60 ... +80 degrees Celsius). Easy enough polyethylene lockers, having a low weight, cope with small strokes, and if there are small cracks or scratches, they can be easily repaired by brewing.

High-density polyethylene is valued not only by consumers, but also by producers. This fact is explained by the ease of processing and shaping with the help of vacuum, without the use of directly human physical labor.

About liquid fenders

As mentioned above, the locker (which this is known to every car enthusiast) can be both solid (plastic) and liquid. The second type of tailgate is innovative means created on the basis of rubber resins, bitumen and polymers. This kind of chemical reagents serves to handle wheel arches, which contributes to their protection and increase of noise insulation. As a result of applying chemicals to the niches, a special protective layer is formed, directly reflecting the meaning of the phrase "liquid lockers". What it is, you can understand, only by comparing the above-mentioned means with the falcon slats. Their use, as well as the use of plastic products, localizes mechanical damage, does not allow the corrosion of wheel arches directly.

Pros and cons of the installation of fenders

Depending on the choice of liquid or hard wing fenders, the location of the advantages and disadvantages of their operation changes. This is due to the fact that, while liquid lockers should be checked and updated several times within one year, the plastic liners do not need to be renewed for a period of several years, which affects the costs. It can not be said that the liquid wing fenders are 100 per cent justified, they are not full-value substitutes for solid ones, but they can be an excellent alternative, provided that the modern manufacturer has not yet released lokers for a particular brand of cars. They are also great for use by car enthusiasts who believe that the installation of plastic locks (if there are no special holes for them on the wings of cars) is threatened with corrosion.

Of course, the right to choose what kind of locker (which is what we found above), belongs only to the owner of the car. Although the very presence of this kind of protection of body elements pleases.