How-To: RaiderFab Mazdaspeed3 GenPu Bumper Fitment Solution-Fenderwell only

The followoing guide is for the installation of the 2nd Gen Mazdaspeed 3 rear most bumper cover latch for the front bumper cover. You will need these tools for proper installation:


1. 10mm deep socket (use whatever ratchet you have be it 1/8, 1/2, or 3/4)

2. Phillips screw driver

3. Drill

4. 13/16 Drill bit. (I used a wood drill bit because they start easier and there's less chance of slipping. A step bit is also an option as stated in the Gen1 how-to.)

5. 7/8 Inch/22mm socket.



The first thing you'll be doing is removing the screws and push in tabs holding the fender liner onto the front bumper cover. Once those are removed you can do 1 or 2 things; either pull the bumper cover off of the bracket on the side or take off a few more push in tabs and 1 bigger screw under the hood that attaches the bumper cover to the frame. I did not do that. I worked with space I had with just pulling the bumper cover off of the bracket.


Once you do 1 of those 2, you will remove the bracket bolt closest to the fender well. You will use the 10mm deep socket for this part. Once that is taken out, you can assemble the bolt kit for the latch system.


Take the bolt included in the kit and thread the nut onto it roughly 3/4 of the way up. Then you will place the washer onto the bolt. Once those 2 parts are on the bolt, thread the bolt into the hole left by removing the bracket bolt. What's nice about this set up is that you have quite a bit of adjustment in and out for the latch. I have mine about 3 threads past the hole. You can feel the new bolt's depth simply by placing your fingers behind the bracket area. Once you have the bolt at the above depth, use your 10mm deep socket and tighten down the nut that was attached to the bolt. This will give the bolt stability.



Next up is figuring out just where you will be drilling a hole into your bumper cover. As @Raider has said before, a great method is taking a small ball of clay from a clay bar and placing it on the head of the latch bolt. Then you'll simply eye up the bumper cover line to the fender line and gently apply pressure to the bumper cover onto the bolt. When you pull the cover back off you'll see that the clay bar ball stuck to the bumper. That will be where you will place the center of the drill bit and drill out the hole. I did it a different way since it's been stupid hot here. I just took the bumper cover and pressed it hard onto the latch bolt until an imprint of the bolt head could be seen on the outside of the bumper cover. This can be done in colder temperature's as well, but you will need to use a heat gun to get the bumper cover pliable enough.



Once you have the hole drilled, place the Quik latch into the hole and tighten it on with either a crescent wrench or a 22mm or 7/8 inch socket. I used the socket since it was easier to get it nice and tight. Once you have the latch installed on the bumper cover, proceed to push the latch onto the bolt. If you placed the hole in the proper place, the lines of the fender and the bumper cover will be at their OEM spots.





Now, if you missed your mark by a little bit you can still fix this. You have about 1/4 inch leeway up and down once the hole is drilled. If you find that you need to move it up or down, I suggest using a dremel to carefully grind out the hole just a little bit until it's where you need it.


Aside from installing the latch and bolt, you can also elect to purchase the helper spring kit from Quik Latch which makes it easier to remove the latch but honestly, I don't feel like you'll need it for the fender latch.


Once everything is done, you can stand back, look at the superior latching system and give Mazda the finger for making us find a better way to keep our bumper covers attached.

 

quick note; my bumper cover brackets are removed due to working on the headlight area latch fix. DO NOT REMOVE YOUR STOCK BRACKET IF IT IS NOT BROKEN. YOU WILL STILL NEED IT.

 

nice write up there mike, seems easy enough.

 

Gotcha, so basically this fix is meant to be done with the OEM plastic/composite bumper brackets in place, but due to your state of working on the front latch solution, you did the pics/instruction w/o the stock bumper bracket? I'm guessing the stock bumper bracket has more than enough room for the stud hardware in its mounting hole? Gotta pic of how much room for stud adjustability there is from the backside of the fender (the threaded end of the mounting stud)?

Just a tip, using a stepped drill bit is definitely the way to go if you want a nice, clean hole. Faeker's way did the job, and the bits that are a little bumpy/mangled will be behind the latch flange, but if you have one of these, definitely use it:

3/4" was the perfect size for my latches. It made a nice, snug fit. And if you need to massage the exact mounting location, the same bit can be used in the 3/4" section by pressing in the direction you need to move the latch location. Just make sure not to go so far that the latch flange doesn't cover the entire hole.

 

there's more than enough room behind the fender

 

what size quik latch did you use for this I was looking on their site and it looks like they offer 22mm all the way up to 38mm.

 

the button latch is 1.5 inch and the bolt part is a special order that comes in the kit

 

Thanks for the research I just noticed one side of my bumper cover is sticking out this morning, ordered the kit and the latches!

 

Boxed and ship tomorrow!

 

Where do we find this in the store. Couldn't find the fenderwell fix.

Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk

 

https://mazdaspeeds.org/index.php?threads/3383/

crapatalk it sucks for free

 

UPDATE December 2022. RaiderFab is now a Quik Latch Distributor and will be selling the full kits directly in a matter of weeks! Will have black latches on initially, and will get all colors once some sales come in. Sign up on the website to be the 1st to know when open for sales!

Gen1 MS3 Full Kit (fenderwell AND headlight area latches:
https://raiderfab.myshopify.com/products/2007-2009-mazdaspeed-3-bumper-fitment-solution-full-kit

Gen1 MS3 Fenderwell Only:
https://raiderfab.myshopify.com/pro...eed-3-bumper-fitment-solution-fenderwell-only

Gen2 MS3 Kit:
https://raiderfab.myshopify.com/products/polished-2010-2013-mazdaspeed-3-bumper-fitment-solution

 

January 30th, 9 AM Eastern, Raiderfab.com will be open for sales!