Not sure if this topic has been discussed, but it seems like splash guards on the new Max is just for show. Everytime I wash my car and take it for a spin, I come home to find tiny droplets of dirt splashed all around my car. I stopped using any tire shining fluid (e.g., Tire Wet, etc.) and it has helped reduce the residue (maybe I put on too much), but there are still splashes all over. Last night, I was driving on a highway that undergoing construction and it left this grey residue on the driver and passenger doors. This is my 4th car and have not had this happen before because those splash guards actually seemed to work. Just wanted to know if anyone else is experiencing this.

 

Yeah, tire shine is for high school boys. I stopped using it a while ago. Don't get me wrong, I love the look after a good wash, but the first couple of days afterwards are always a disappointment with the residue left behind.

 

Yes they are practically worthless as good as t*t* on a boar. Lightonthehill created his own: http://forums.maxima.org/album.php?albumid=1507

Maybe if we all place deposits he'll make some for us...

 

no matter how much or how little i put on i hate tire shine, only because after hours washing and waxing my car, as soon as i take it out for a drive all little black dots allllllll over the car .

 

About the only thing that can get me over that is when the car get's crapped on by several birds at once. I stop hating the tire shine then...

 

I have to believe that the splash guards are designed to be replaceable. After they have been beaten up from pebbles and such, install a new one. At least this is my hope.

 

I installed splash guards and they look very much like the ones done by lightonthehill. A hint though if you plan on installing as set. I used the original screws to secure mine but finding the right place to put the holes was a challenge. What I finally ended up doing was to put chalk on the screw heads and once I had the guard placed where I wanted it I pushed the guard against the screw heads and the chalk marked it where I needed to drill the holes. I installed the drivers side guard and was happy with the placement so I removed it and used it as a template to drill the holes in the one for the passenger side. The front guards can be installed without removing the tires by turning them out of the way but the rear ones are a little harder without removing the tires.

 

I have found that I can get an excellent shine without slinging residue all over the car with this product by Meguiar's.

Armor All also has something similar but it doesn't have as much of a shine.

 

MaxLoverAz - Thanks for the plug! But forget about me making more mud flaps. Maybe when I was younger; say back when I was nearer age 70. I think I was fairly healthy back then, but then I don't remember that far back very clearly.

Sorry the pictures were not any more definitive. Those were the first photos taken with my new camera - the first digital one I have ever owned. My previous camera was from the 1980s.

When looking at the photos of my flaps, be aware I have 1" wide, 1/2" thick hard black protective rubber molding around the entire outside edge of all four wheel wells. That molding makes it harder to clearly see the flaps.

I designed these flaps to exactly catch everything coming from the tire that would hit the side of the car. For the front, having the flaps reach just a quarter inch further to the side than the sidewall of the tires, and 2 1/2 inches lower than the front OEM splash guards works well. For the rear, the flaps only need reach to the side exactly even with the sidewall of the rear tires (because, behind the rear tire, the side of the car slopes in, out of the way of debris) and 3 inches lower than the bottom of the rear OEM splash guards.

The rear flaps should be around 9 inches wide, in order to cover the full width of the rear tires, else they will look strange when viewed from cars behind you.

There is another thread here somewhere where I explained in detail how I made these flaps. I will find it and reference it here later.

Once I got these flaps on, I was again able to have tireshine without it globbing up the side of the car.



EDIT - The thread where I explained how to make unobtrusive mud flaps for the '09 is entitled (strangely enough) 'HELP NEEDED - SPLASH GUARDS', and I just bumped it back onto the front page. On that thread, go down to my post on 8-28-09 (on page 2).

 

Just picked up a '10 and I went through some puddles yesterday. I think they are defiantly just for show.

 

I dont think they are worthless. I hit some wood on the highway last week and the mud guard took the hit instead of the tire. Its cracked so I'll be ordering a new one. I just hate people who just throw furniture/wood etc on the back of a truck most of the idiots dont secure the #@%%!

http://www.courtesyparts.com/76856n-...-p-608114.html

 

After buying a new max i thought it was just me but it seems like the factory splash guards suck after reading this. After driving a few days i too saw splashed dirt on the lower quarter panels. When i picked up my car at the dealer i thought that they had sold the car to me without the splash guards. It was that noticable (that they looked ineffective) compared to my fourth and sixth gens.

These look more effective but a little ugly. Anyone tried them? http://www.ebay.com/itm/Road-Sport-Splash-Guards-6402-Pro-Fit-Splashguards-/351052412105?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&fits=Year%3A2013%7CMake%3ANissan%7CModel%3AMaxima&hash=item51bc5ab4c9&vxp=mtr

 

My personal feeling, the factory guards look like a simple body extension with no real application. The home made "splash Guards" shown here ( sorry , just my opinion) look like "mud flaps you'd find on a pick up truck.

 

You are always entitled to your view on this, and, had I not taken the time to carefully design and install these flaps myself, I probably would not have believed they could be so inconspicuous. This is mostly due to the fact this 7th gen has the lowest ground clearance of any Maxima ever built, and we can't see under it very well.

Pictures do not show these flaps well. You really need to see these flaps in person. I have had mine on for 5 1/2 years, and so far, nobody has even noticed them. Even after I mention them, the usual response is 'what mud flaps?', as they bend over trying to see them.

If done properly, they are flat black in color, and drop down below the bottom of the wheel well only three inches, and are virtually invisible. I tried to photograph mine for perusal by folks here on the ORG, and could not get a picture that really showed them very well, even from only a foot away.

By very sharp contrast, the mud flaps I always mount on my wife's trucks drop down anywhere from 12 inches to 18 inches, and are very visible from anywhere near the trucks.

 

I installed my mud flaps / splash guards after seeing lightonthehill's pics back in 2011. One of the first things I did on my Maxima. I haven't had any issues with dirt, debris or tire shine slinging onto my door. Best $20 I spent on this car!