splash guard question and opinion

bingee · 10-09-2009, 03:13 PM

I just bought a new Z4 and I am highly considering putting the OEM splash guards on. I usually do not like the look of splash guards but the protection they offer can be unbelievable. I reluctantly put them on my C6 Corvette but was happy I did. Two years with no stone chips AT ALL, and you barely noticed they were on. Does anyody have any pictures of the oem guards or any others installed on their Z. Or does anyone know where you can get them cheaper than BMW asking price of 170.00! Opinions are appreciated!

mikeinaustin · 10-09-2009, 03:23 PM

i see them here for $152.

http://www.trademotion.com/partlocat...egoryID=149932

imho, they would look better if color matched.

teagueAMX · 10-09-2009, 03:24 PM

Are you buying or leasing?

Some don't like splash guards, but I think they're OK.

BlueZ4AZ · 10-09-2009, 04:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bingee

I just bought a new Z4 and I am highly considering putting the OEM splash guards on. I usually do not like the look of splash guards but the protection they offer can be unbelievable. I reluctantly put them on my C6 Corvette but was happy I did. Two years with no stone chips AT ALL, and you barely noticed they were on. Does anyody have any pictures of the oem guards or any others installed on their Z. Or does anyone know where you can get them cheaper than BMW asking price of 170.00! Opinions are appreciated!

I didn't put them on my C6 Corvette because I hate the way they looked and I'm not putting them on my 2009 Z4 becaue I hate the way they look.
I live in AZ where we have stones everywhere and I still had no stone chips after 25k miles with no splash guards on the C6. However, I was always careful when driving, to totally avoid or at least drive very slow through the areas in the road where there were lots of stones. Sometimes annoying to the person driving behind me, but one's gotta' do what they gotta' do.

bingee · 10-09-2009, 04:58 PM

I'm not leasing, I bought the car and I agree I think they would look better color matched so maybe I should wait and see if anything comes out aftermarket . I will not be driving the car much (being delivered) until almost Spring again anyway, but I don't thing the OEM would look bad with my Space Gray, especially since the wheels have black accents. Does nobody have these installed that has pictures? Also thanks for the link to the cheaper guards-I can see this will be a helpful forum!

teagueAMX · 10-09-2009, 05:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bingee

I'm not leasing, I bought the car and I agree I think they would look better color matched so maybe I should wait and see if anything comes out aftermarket . I will not be driving the car much (being delivered) until almost Spring again anyway, but I don't thing the OEM would look bad with my Space Gray, especially since the wheels have black accents. Does nobody have these installed that has pictures? Also thanks for the link to the cheaper guards-I can see this will be a helpful forum!

Since you're not going to be throwing a lot stones, you could get the clear plastic film that you apply directly to the lower quarter panel. The manufactures are using them on new cars, and I believe companies like Autosport have them available for the general public. The good thing is they are fairly cheap and yu can replace them when they marked up.

bingee · 10-09-2009, 07:13 PM

Yes, I have gone that route before. However, the decent kits for the areas covered run around 70.00. To keep them looking good they constantly need replacing every 12-18 months and then theres the pain of install each time, hence the reason I lean towards the guards. I would never choose to have them on if they did not serve a good purpose but I had two nice cars without them and both got chipped up in the rocker panel areas and wheel wells. I think I am leaning towards these so if anyone is interested to see what they look like I'll post up when the car arrives.

MDLFCS · 10-10-2009, 02:46 AM

I had concerns as the black splash guards did not match my sky blue paint.

It would be nice to have the mudflaps in molded-in kind of color, but either way, there are no holes to place the flaps on. I rather have the holes done at the factory to have better corrosion protection, especially when they get painted over.

I would look into having the film to put on, even though it requires replacement when they get beat up.

jannisa · 10-10-2009, 09:34 AM

The original mudflaps I have seen make the car appear like a tractor but they would sure serve their course. After almost 8.500km on my beauty I haven't had any chips yet so my guess is that the geometry quite protects the paint. Plus if you have options on roads and avoid the tricky onces I suppose you will be covered without the flaps.

10-09-2009, 03:13 PM	#1
bingee Enlisted Member 6 Rep 31 Posts Drives: BMW Z4 Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Pennsylvaia iTrader: (1)	splash guard question and opinion I just bought a new Z4 and I am highly considering putting the OEM splash guards on. I usually do not like the look of splash guards but the protection they offer can be unbelievable. I reluctantly put them on my C6 Corvette but was happy I did. Two years with no stone chips AT ALL, and you barely noticed they were on. Does anyody have any pictures of the oem guards or any others installed on their Z. Or does anyone know where you can get them cheaper than BMW asking price of 170.00! Opinions are appreciated!
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10-09-2009, 03:23 PM	#2
mikeinaustin First Lieutenant 42 Rep 362 Posts Drives: 2010 z4 3.0 crimson red Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: austin, tx iTrader: (0)	i see them here for $152. http://www.trademotion.com/partlocat...egoryID=149932 imho, they would look better if color matched.
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10-09-2009, 03:24 PM	#3
teagueAMX Colonel 62 Rep 2,087 Posts Drives: Some are road worthy Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: So Cal, USA iTrader: (0)	Are you buying or leasing? Some don't like splash guards, but I think they're OK. Last edited by teagueAMX; 10-09-2009 at 04:25 PM..
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10-09-2009, 04:58 PM	#5
bingee Enlisted Member 6 Rep 31 Posts Drives: BMW Z4 Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Pennsylvaia iTrader: (1)	I'm not leasing, I bought the car and I agree I think they would look better color matched so maybe I should wait and see if anything comes out aftermarket . I will not be driving the car much (being delivered) until almost Spring again anyway, but I don't thing the OEM would look bad with my Space Gray, especially since the wheels have black accents. Does nobody have these installed that has pictures? Also thanks for the link to the cheaper guards-I can see this will be a helpful forum!
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10-09-2009, 07:13 PM	#7
bingee Enlisted Member 6 Rep 31 Posts Drives: BMW Z4 Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Pennsylvaia iTrader: (1)	Yes, I have gone that route before. However, the decent kits for the areas covered run around 70.00. To keep them looking good they constantly need replacing every 12-18 months and then theres the pain of install each time, hence the reason I lean towards the guards. I would never choose to have them on if they did not serve a good purpose but I had two nice cars without them and both got chipped up in the rocker panel areas and wheel wells. I think I am leaning towards these so if anyone is interested to see what they look like I'll post up when the car arrives.
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10-10-2009, 02:46 AM	#8
MDLFCS Private First Class 14 Rep 168 Posts Drives: 2009 Zee Four 35i Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Alaska iTrader: (0)	I had concerns as the black splash guards did not match my sky blue paint. It would be nice to have the mudflaps in molded-in kind of color, but either way, there are no holes to place the flaps on. I rather have the holes done at the factory to have better corrosion protection, especially when they get painted over. I would look into having the film to put on, even though it requires replacement when they get beat up.
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10-10-2009, 09:34 AM	#9
jannisa Lieutenant 55 Rep 546 Posts Drives: Z4 Sdrive35i Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Greece iTrader: (0)	The original mudflaps I have seen make the car appear like a tractor but they would sure serve their course. After almost 8.500km on my beauty I haven't had any chips yet so my guess is that the geometry quite protects the paint. Plus if you have options on roads and avoid the tricky onces I suppose you will be covered without the flaps.
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