Lycos

The dealer installed them on my car.

Are they really necessary? Do they really protect the car?

I can't decide if they make the car look better or somehow worse?

Wonder if I can take them off and put them on my wife's Odyssey.

thanks.

Yaron2

do a search on this .... many threads and discussions are already available on this topic

agean

take them off. personally, i think they're ugly, but thats just my opinion. they will, however, scratch your car. if you're planning on adding a kit later, they will have to be removed, and will leave marks behind.

i say take them off now before any permanent damage is done.

juniorbean

iTrader: (5)

I don't think they look that bad... and they definitely do keep some road/tire grime off of the bottom of your car.

However, as mentioned above.. they can scratch your car. If you want to keep them I suggest you remove them and place some felt in between the flap and the car so your paint does not get scratched.

Another thing to keep in mind is that if you plan on getting a bodykit you'll have to remove the mudflaps.....

ScotTLTypeS

Unless I'm mistaken, if the dealer installed them when the vehicle was purchased, then they are covered under warranty. Mine were installed by the dealer when purchased, and I plan keep them on and check for scratches when I get near the end of my warranty period. If they scratched the paint, then they should repair it under warranty...

agean

scott - that sounds good in theory, but im not sure if it will work.

say you have a factory wing installed. if you remove it, will they fill the holes under warranty? it may be the same deal, they installed the mud guards, but they don't intend for you to remove them. they may not take responsibility since you're technically "modifying" the car. i'd check with the dealer first.

but if you're right, thats a damn good idea

Lycos

Hmmm. I did research and didn't realize that they could damage the paint. That may make my decision easier.

I was just wondering what all of you thought of the looks and if the car looks better with them on or off.

roadman

Aren't the mud guards installed with screws. If you remove them I think that you will have to fill these in as well.

They may not look that great but they do a decent job of keeping the dirt off the side.

agean

thats a personal decision lycos, you'll find people here with both opinions. on my ABP i thought that the black mud guards didnt make the car look as smooth.

its up to you though. a big determining factor should be your paint color, they'll blend in more on a dark color.

juniorbean

iTrader: (5)

They attach in the wheelwell... so there's nothing to fill should you remove them.... there are pre-defined holes that are used

copland007

The damages caused by my mud guards were covered under warrantee but only after a very long debate (read- me without car for 2+ weeks) between me, the dealer and the district warrantee rep.

-copland007

WiLz

IMO, unless u have a black car, the mudguards dont look good. the car looks much cleaner without them. there is however someone who painted them the same color as their car...that looked somewhat better.
just get the bodykit!

Bomb

get rid of them and quick. If they stay on your car too long then you decide to remove them its going to be tough to get that dirt out. It will make the car look much nicer. If your worred about dirt to your fenders, just get a dirty rag and whip down all dirt every 1-2 days depends on what color car you have and where you drive

Aki's TL

I agree with most of the guys...

Remove them and replace the screws.

I drove around with them on for two years. But after I dropped my TL w/Eibach Pro-kits the front mud guard always scraped when I drove over a speed bump - that sucked - Also, with the drop - the guards to me looked (Oji-san poi) - "old man like" in Japanese......
So, I decided to remove them - I think the TL looks more natural without them - mainly because the guards are an ugly flat black - if the guards were the same color of the car then it would not look as bad.
And yes after removing the guards I did spot some areas on the body where the painted had basically come off.
I live in Cali so we have very little rain to worry about.... I see you're in seattle -

asloudasitgets

mudguards? are you serious? they are the hideous things on the planet. god damn boy take those things off immediatly. for the love of god.

pianoman41

I'll take the counterpoint and say I have them on my car (and also on just about every car I've ever owned) and find them very useful. If you live in an area with dirt roads (I do) or in places that get snow & slush (I do) they are a paint-saver. They keep the car much cleaner and protect the paint from rocks, sand & salt getting tossed up from the tires (especially in the front). And personally I don't think they look that bad.

Now it is true that the mud guards will cause marks on the paint if left on, but since I don't ever plan on taking them off no one will see it anyway. And for those that are concerned about the crap that builds up behind them, when I'm spraying down the inside fender splash guard with the hose I just shoot in behind them and flush the stuff out. I've never had a problem with rust-through or rot with any of my cars with mud guards.

That being said, if you ever want to have the OEM body kit on the car, don't put mud guards on the car or take them off ASAP because the aforementioned marks in the paint will show quite prominently.

PAW

I agree. I had them on my white '91 Legend. They blended in with the black lower trim. I've got them on my Anthracite TL. They look OK. They don't really stand out. I need to pull 'em, sand the edges smooth and maybe elongate the holes to shift them away from the paint. They do help keep the dirt, snow, slush, winter rocks (oops! I mean sand) off the lower quarter panels. I'm keeping them.

AcuraTLFan

I took the mudguards off my WDP TL, and it left some deep scratches...but the car really get's dirt and mud on really easy. I usually use tire shine and i do wipe off excess..but everytime i drive it always get over the doors..

To stop it from scratching u can use a dremal or a sander and sand part of the side that comes in contact with the paint.

What you u guys think of a TL with a bodykit with modded mudguards to fit the bodykit ? Yuck? alright?

Explorer

Re:Your Question On Mud Guards

Very 1st thing make sure all four mud-guards are made from Acura!

If your not going to install any lower body skirts/mods
I suggest you get them installed there great for winter and if your driveing down un paved roadways.

All four mud gaurds will protect your factory paint job for a few more extra years , thats for shure.

and I wouldnt worrie about paint fade/ or mud gaurd scratches if your not ever going to take them off.

I have all 4 on, and to tell you the truth for car care/paint protection you cant ask for more, get them installed and forget about them.

Regards
Explorer's remarks on the mud gaurd question

numbaonexstunna

man, mine came with mudguards too, and when i had to put the kit on, i took them off and u can see an outline of where they used to be...i guess dirt got in the crack and it scratched it a little bit