Help needed-splash guards
Senior Member
Joined: May 2009
Posts: 583
From: Shenadoah Valley, Virginia
Ok thanks for the reply. I am going to start looking for my own Generic mud flaps to see what I come up with. But right now I am off to the dealer in 30 mins to get those door lock and interior light issues taken care of.
Senior Member
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 8,143
From: a meadow south of Atlanta
Interesting you should ask. I received my latest Consumer Reports last week, and it has a big article evaluating about a hundred cameras. I have torn out about thirty camera sales ads since that issue arrived, and am trying to find the best compromise of camera quality and price. Maybe soon.
I can give you a 'heads-up' that, the way I did mine, very few people will even be aware the flaps are there, so the photos won't show much unless I get down close to the flaps. The flaps are black, the 1" molding I put around the wheel wells is black, I painted the bolts/screws black, and I sanded and painted the parts of the fenders that were showing inside the wheel wells black. The total blackness tends to hide the flaps, which only extend down 2 1/2" (front) and 3" (rear) below the OEM splash guards. The post I made in this thread back on May 15 outlines what I did.
Newbie - Just Registered
Joined: Jul 2009
Posts: 7
From: WV
Cracked Splash Guards
I've had my Max for 10 days, just noticed both my front splash guards have developed a crack. It's on the same face as the screw, but is ~2" away (to left) from the screw. Wondering if others have seen this?
Senior Member
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 8,143
From: a meadow south of Atlanta
Is the crack to the left on both guards? I would have thought the crack would be to the left on one side of the car and to the right on the other?
As of the time I added REAL splash guards (which I made from hard rubber SUV-type splash guards I purchased at Pep Boys) to the face of my OEM guards, my OEM guards had no cracks. But they are now hidden behind my real splash guards, so I can no longer see them to check for cracks.
But there should be no question that Nissan must give you two more front splash guards, as ten days does not quite meet the designed life expectancy for these guards.
If no other person here has these cracks, it is possible your car may have been mishandled during transport (or by the dealer), and the front wheels somehow ended up being driven over an edge, allowing all or part of the weight of the front half of car to drop onto the front splash guards for a moment. That would cause a crack. Or worse.
Many moons ago, I drove a '55 Pontiac just past the end of a concrete pad and had my front wheels drop into a ditch, ruining my front mud flaps (they weren't called 'splash guards' back then) and scratched both quarter panels.
Senior Member
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 8,143
From: a meadow south of Atlanta
09Sam - I finally bought my new camera last week, have read half the manual, and know how to take photos with it. I am now reading the part that tells how to get those photos into my computer (technology comes hard for those of us nearer age 100 than age 50). I hope to soon be able to post photos of my svelte, discrete, functional, stylish flaps which I discussed at length in my post in this thread back on May 15th.
Newbie - Just Registered
Joined: Jul 2009
Posts: 7
From: WV
Is the crack to the left on both guards? I would have thought the crack would be to the left on one side of the car and to the right on the other?
As of the time I added REAL splash guards (which I made from hard rubber SUV-type splash guards I purchased at Pep Boys) to the face of my OEM guards, my OEM guards had no cracks. But they are now hidden behind my real splash guards, so I can no longer see them to check for cracks.
But there should be no question that Nissan must give you two more front splash guards, as ten days does not quite meet the designed life expectancy for these guards.
If no other person here has these cracks, it is possible your car may have been mishandled during transport (or by the dealer), and the front wheels somehow ended up being driven over an edge, allowing all or part of the weight of the front half of car to drop onto the front splash guards for a moment. That would cause a crack. Or worse.
Many moons ago, I drove a '55 Pontiac just past the end of a concrete pad and had my front wheels drop into a ditch, ruining my front mud flaps (they weren't called 'splash guards' back then) and scratched both quarter panels.
As of the time I added REAL splash guards (which I made from hard rubber SUV-type splash guards I purchased at Pep Boys) to the face of my OEM guards, my OEM guards had no cracks. But they are now hidden behind my real splash guards, so I can no longer see them to check for cracks.
But there should be no question that Nissan must give you two more front splash guards, as ten days does not quite meet the designed life expectancy for these guards.
If no other person here has these cracks, it is possible your car may have been mishandled during transport (or by the dealer), and the front wheels somehow ended up being driven over an edge, allowing all or part of the weight of the front half of car to drop onto the front splash guards for a moment. That would cause a crack. Or worse.
Many moons ago, I drove a '55 Pontiac just past the end of a concrete pad and had my front wheels drop into a ditch, ruining my front mud flaps (they weren't called 'splash guards' back then) and scratched both quarter panels.
Are the guards dealer installed items? Perhaps the dealer didn't install properly (over torqued screw)?
Btw, mud flaps are functional...splash guards not so much.
Senior Member
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 8,143
From: a meadow south of Atlanta
Light - Both are cracked. To clarify, both are cracked 2" to the inside of the screw. Neither was cracked when I picked the car up so I know it wasn't handling (transport or dealer).
Are the guards dealer installed items? Perhaps the dealer didn't install properly (over torqued screw)?
Btw, mud flaps are functional...splash guards not so much.
Are the guards dealer installed items? Perhaps the dealer didn't install properly (over torqued screw)?
Btw, mud flaps are functional...splash guards not so much.
Easy call here: If the splash guards are shown on the factory placed (main) window sticker, they were installed at the factory. If, however, they are shown on the 'dealer add-on' supplementary sticker, they were installed by the dealer. You will find most splash guards were installed at the factory.
Until I added the little (I didn't want flaps that would be noticed) mud flaps to the front of the splash guards, every time I drove the car, the sides ended up covered with muck. I designed and placed the flaps so they would exactly block anything headed from the tires to the side of the car; but not even a half inch larger than absolutely necessary.
Neccesity is the mother of invention.
Senior Member
Joined: May 2009
Posts: 583
From: Shenadoah Valley, Virginia
09Sam - I finally bought my new camera last week, have read half the manual, and know how to take photos with it. I am now reading the part that tells how to get those photos into my computer (technology comes hard for those of us nearer age 100 than age 50). I hope to soon be able to post photos of my svelte, discrete, functional, stylish flaps which I discussed at length in my post in this thread back on May 15th.
Still waiting.....
Senior Member
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 8,143
From: a meadow south of Atlanta
Waiting is over.
I finally figured out how to use my newfangled camera.
I finally figured out how to download the photos from the camera to my PC.
I finally figured out how to crop the photos down to postage stamp size so they would be acceptable to Maxima.org.
I finally figured out how to put them into my Maxima.org album.
They can be viewed by simply going to the blue line near the top of this page and clicking on 'Photo Gallery.'
If my photos are no longer at the top, just scroll down (or search for) 'lightonthehill pix.'
Sorry it took so long. I'm about as technologically adept as Harold the Hawk. Harold flies in late every afternoon and watches my wife and I shoot basketball. He is huge, and not afraid of us. As he tilts his head and looks at me, I feel he is mentally drawing those butcher lines across my body. You know; the ones that read 'top sirloin', 'flank', 'brisket', etc.
Senior Member
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 8,143
From: a meadow south of Atlanta
In case there are questions about how I made those flaps, here is a copy of my post from back in May telling all. Do not overlook the part about the one inch wide, one-half inch thick hard rubber molding I have around the full length of all wheel wells. The combination of the black tires and that black molding tends to make it difficult to photograph the flaps and be able to clearly see the results. Remember, I am an amateur when it comes to technology.
For the front, I purchased a pair of Groboski Highland Long Life Duraflex 13" X 7" Splash Guards (very plain hard rubber things - $3.99 a pair) at Pep Boys. Similar things could probably be had at other stores. I trimmed 1" off the top of these flaps, then mounted them against the face of the OEM front splash guards, using the same screws that are holding the OEM guards on. I positioned them so the outside edges are vertical, and stick out about a quarter of an inch further than the outermost sidewalls of the front tires. I have them extending 2 1/2 inches below the bottom of the face of the OEM splash guards.
For the rear, I purchased a pair of Graboski Long Life Duraflex 15" X 9" Splash Guards (plain hard rubber - $7.99 a pair) at Pep Boys. I trimmed 5" off the top of these flaps, then mounted them against the face of the rear OEM splash guards, replacing the OEM screws with hex-head screws I purchased at Lowes (or any hardware), so that I could get a small socket wrench on them from the side (the rear tires are just two inches away, making the use of a screwdriver almost impossible, unless you remove the tires). I painted the hex head screws black so they would not stand out against the hard black rubber flaps. I positioned the outer edges exactly vertical, aligned exactly even with the outer edge of the sidewall of the tires. I have them extending 3" below the bottom of the face of the OEM splash guards. I selected the 9" wide flaps for the back because the bottom edge of these can be seen by motorists following behind, and the flaps would look wimpy unless they were about the same width as the tires.
One reason these flaps are hardly visible on my car is that I applied a 1" wide, half inch thick black hard rubber molding around the full length of the outside edge of all four wheel wells, and, because my car is white, and the white things still showing inside the wheel well looked stark when set off by the black molding, I sanded and painted everything inside of that molding with several coats of black enamel. The black flaps are sort of lost in all that other black.
For the front, I purchased a pair of Groboski Highland Long Life Duraflex 13" X 7" Splash Guards (very plain hard rubber things - $3.99 a pair) at Pep Boys. Similar things could probably be had at other stores. I trimmed 1" off the top of these flaps, then mounted them against the face of the OEM front splash guards, using the same screws that are holding the OEM guards on. I positioned them so the outside edges are vertical, and stick out about a quarter of an inch further than the outermost sidewalls of the front tires. I have them extending 2 1/2 inches below the bottom of the face of the OEM splash guards.
For the rear, I purchased a pair of Graboski Long Life Duraflex 15" X 9" Splash Guards (plain hard rubber - $7.99 a pair) at Pep Boys. I trimmed 5" off the top of these flaps, then mounted them against the face of the rear OEM splash guards, replacing the OEM screws with hex-head screws I purchased at Lowes (or any hardware), so that I could get a small socket wrench on them from the side (the rear tires are just two inches away, making the use of a screwdriver almost impossible, unless you remove the tires). I painted the hex head screws black so they would not stand out against the hard black rubber flaps. I positioned the outer edges exactly vertical, aligned exactly even with the outer edge of the sidewall of the tires. I have them extending 3" below the bottom of the face of the OEM splash guards. I selected the 9" wide flaps for the back because the bottom edge of these can be seen by motorists following behind, and the flaps would look wimpy unless they were about the same width as the tires.
One reason these flaps are hardly visible on my car is that I applied a 1" wide, half inch thick black hard rubber molding around the full length of the outside edge of all four wheel wells, and, because my car is white, and the white things still showing inside the wheel well looked stark when set off by the black molding, I sanded and painted everything inside of that molding with several coats of black enamel. The black flaps are sort of lost in all that other black.
Junior Member
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 47
From: New York
In case there are questions about how I made those flaps, here is a copy of my post from back in May telling all. Do not overlook the part about the one inch wide, one-half inch thick hard rubber molding I have around the full length of all wheel wells. The combination of the black tires and that black molding tends to make it difficult to photograph the flaps and be able to clearly see the results. Remember, I am an amateur when it comes to technology.
Thanks for your post. I used your method to install splash guards on my 09 Max. My car did not come with splash guards. I purchased them separately without realizing that they were useless in rain and snow. In any case, after I received the splash guards, I did not wanna return them because I liked the way they look. At the same time, I wanted them to be useful. I went through some posts on this forum and bumped into your detailed post with pics and all. It was really helpful. I sure did not put in as much effort as you did
. I took the 09 Max splash guards and the Graboski Splash Guards (plain hard rubber) to a car hook up place. My main reason to go to this kind of shop was the fact that I needed to drill holes to install rear splash guards. I was not brave enough to do it on my own. I ruined my 2000 Maxima by working on it myself lol. I just advised the guy to make make Graboski Splash Guards hang about 3" for both front and rear. They charged me $60 for labor. Everything including 09 Max splash guards + Graboski Splash Guards + labor came out to about $200. He did a pretty decent job. They came out really NICE!! Thanks again.....I will post pics if anyone is interested.
Member
Joined: Jul 2009
Posts: 105
Hi lightonthehill,
Thanks for your post. I used your method to install splash guards on my 09 Max. My car did not come with splash guards. I purchased them separately without realizing that they were useless in rain and snow. In any case, after I received the splash guards, I did not wanna return them because I liked the way they look. At the same time, I wanted them to be useful. I went through some posts on this forum and bumped into your detailed post with pics and all. It was really helpful. I sure did not put in as much effort as you did. I took the 09 Max splash guards and the Graboski Splash Guards (plain hard rubber) to a car hook up place. My main reason to go to this kind of shop was the fact that I needed to drill holes to install rear splash guards. I was not brave enough to do it on my own. I ruined my 2000 Maxima by working on it myself lol. I just advised the guy to make make Graboski Splash Guards hang about 3" for both front and rear. They charged me $60 for labor. Everything including 09 Max splash guards + Graboski Splash Guards + labor came out to about $200. He did a pretty decent job. They came out really NICE!! Thanks again.....I will post pics if anyone is interested.
Thanks for your post. I used your method to install splash guards on my 09 Max. My car did not come with splash guards. I purchased them separately without realizing that they were useless in rain and snow. In any case, after I received the splash guards, I did not wanna return them because I liked the way they look. At the same time, I wanted them to be useful. I went through some posts on this forum and bumped into your detailed post with pics and all. It was really helpful. I sure did not put in as much effort as you did
. I took the 09 Max splash guards and the Graboski Splash Guards (plain hard rubber) to a car hook up place. My main reason to go to this kind of shop was the fact that I needed to drill holes to install rear splash guards. I was not brave enough to do it on my own. I ruined my 2000 Maxima by working on it myself lol. I just advised the guy to make make Graboski Splash Guards hang about 3" for both front and rear. They charged me $60 for labor. Everything including 09 Max splash guards + Graboski Splash Guards + labor came out to about $200. He did a pretty decent job. They came out really NICE!! Thanks again.....I will post pics if anyone is interested.
Senior Member
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 8,143
From: a meadow south of Atlanta
'Tomorrow' starts at midnight tonight; bmanbmv and I will be here waiting at the stroke of midnight. We're more excited than a couple of 5 year olds on Christmas Eve! Well, maybe not quite THAT excited, but we are looking forward to your flaps.
Junior Member
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 47
From: New York
As per my word, I posted some pics to "My Albums". Check out "Splash Guards" album to check the pics of the splash guards. Lemme know what you guys think. IMO, the guy could have done a neater job but then again you can barely spot the mud flaps...
Senior Member
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 8,143
From: a meadow south of Atlanta
Sorry for the slow response. I just finished watching the TiVo recording of a football game I recorded Saturday, but had not had time to view until overnight.
I see you had the same problem I did, in that the black flaps do not show up against the black tires and the dark underneath of the car, and are hard to photograph.
Your flaps are so compact they are almost invisible. They go about the same distance as mine beneath the OEM splash guards, but yours extend almost no further to the side than the OEM splash guards. I have my front flaps extending a little further to the side than the OEM splash guards in order to stop the road mess the front wheels were throwing all over the side of the car. The fact my flaps extend further to the side is not noticable on my car because I have installed a 1" by 1/2" hard black rubber 'ding guard' entirely around all four wheel well openings, and so the extra extension of my flaps to the side is sort of hidden by that wheel well molding.
I will be very interested to find out if your flaps are able to keep the side of your car cleaner. If so, then your project must be deemed a success. Your flaps certainly look nice.
Junior Member
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 47
From: New York
Sorry for the slow response. I just finished watching the TiVo recording of a football game I recorded Saturday, but had not had time to view until overnight.
I see you had the same problem I did, in that the black flaps do not show up against the black tires and the dark underneath of the car, and are hard to photograph.
Your flaps are so compact they are almost invisible. They go about the same distance as mine beneath the OEM splash guards, but yours extend almost no further to the side than the OEM splash guards. I have my front flaps extending a little further to the side than the OEM splash guards in order to stop the road mess the front wheels were throwing all over the side of the car. The fact my flaps extend further to the side is not noticable on my car because I have installed a 1" by 1/2" hard black rubber 'ding guard' entirely around all four wheel well openings, and so the extra extension of my flaps to the side is sort of hidden by that wheel well molding.
I will be very interested to find out if your flaps are able to keep the side of your car cleaner. If so, then your project must be deemed a success. Your flaps certainly look nice.
I see you had the same problem I did, in that the black flaps do not show up against the black tires and the dark underneath of the car, and are hard to photograph.
Your flaps are so compact they are almost invisible. They go about the same distance as mine beneath the OEM splash guards, but yours extend almost no further to the side than the OEM splash guards. I have my front flaps extending a little further to the side than the OEM splash guards in order to stop the road mess the front wheels were throwing all over the side of the car. The fact my flaps extend further to the side is not noticable on my car because I have installed a 1" by 1/2" hard black rubber 'ding guard' entirely around all four wheel well openings, and so the extra extension of my flaps to the side is sort of hidden by that wheel well molding.
I will be very interested to find out if your flaps are able to keep the side of your car cleaner. If so, then your project must be deemed a success. Your flaps certainly look nice.
Senior Member
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 8,143
From: a meadow south of Atlanta
Thanks. The sides of my car used to get dirty before I installed these splash guards. This is not the case anymore. I guess they get the job done. I am quiet satisfied with this fix. Nissan splash guards looks nice and then hard rubber mud flaps act as the real splash guards
Sounds like a successful project to me! I know it is nice to not have the side of the car filthy after even a simple trip to the restaurant, and this filth was inevitable if there was rain or mud or snow or sleet or anything on the road. The worst thing was the tire shine would sling off the tires and spread itself all over the side of the car. No more!
Senior Member
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 8,143
From: a meadow south of Atlanta
Other sizes will work, but molding wider than 1" can be more difficult to bend around the wheel well opening. I suggest continuing this black molding all the way to the bottom of the car, else it will not look right, especially on lighter colored cars.
If you are talking about the black rubber mud flaps, I buy the plain cheapo ones from places like Pep Boys and carefully trim them down to the smaller size we need on the 7th gen Maxima. The sizes to purchase and trimming/mounting instructions are in the sticky at the top of the 7th gen board covering the installation of mud flaps.
Briefly, for the front, I started with 13"X7" plain black flaps, trimming them down to around 12"X7", mounting them so the bottom edge is around 3" lower than the Nissan splash guards. Any lower can leave them vulnerable to speed bumps.
For the rear, I started with 15"X9" plain black flaps, trimming them down to 10" tall by 8 1/2" wide, mounting them so the bottom edge is around 3 1/2 " lower than the Nissan splash guards. The rear flaps have to be wide so they won't look funny covering only part of our 8" wide tires when viewed by drivers traveling behind us.
The key is to mount both front and rear flaps so that they stick out to the side EXACTLY even with the outer edge of the tire tread. Any further out looks funny, while any further in doesn't protect the side of the car from dirty water the tires throw up.
The sticky has more details.
Senior Member
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 8,143
From: a meadow south of Atlanta
I have bought several boxes of wider molding for straightline application along the sides of our trucks, and that wider molding is also the 'ProStripe' brand. I've never had any trouble with any molding.
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