Molded mud flaps arrived

[jebinc]

I thought for certain I was going to go with the ones from the Group Buy (the flat ones), but looking more at these China/eBay ones, I think I like these better. They definitely are molded better, fit better, and provide a more integrated OEM look. I might pull the trigger on these. But the only thing holding me back is that I found these:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07TWD1M7...&colid=JOIK1DIX35IR&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it&th=1

They have them in Blue, which is my car's color. But not sure how well they'd match the DBM color. Has anyone purchased these colored ones?

--Cintoman

I suspect they aren't painted with the Tesla blue as only Tesla approved body shops have Tesla paint. I think you might be better off the the black Chinese ones (if you wanted molded flaps) than a slightly mismatched blue set as that would really stand out more as "not right" than standard black that most others have.

 

[Striker3000s]

I suspect they aren't painted with the Tesla blue as only Tesla approved body shops have Tesla paint. I think you might be better off the the black Chinese ones (if you wanted molded flaps) than a slightly mismatched blue set as that would really stand out more as "not right" than standard black that most others have.

Tesla blue is just a paint code. Anyone can mix that color of paint.
That being said, I agree, it probably not actually mixed from the paint code and could be just different enough to stand out. I would go black.

 

[Plug-n-Play]

Received my TapTes yesterday. I'll install them tomorrow but they are basically exactly the same as the ones we've already seen from eBay/Amazon. Right down to the stamping marks.

So yes, no need to drill technically, but I feel that it's a bit of false advertising as a self-tapping screw does go through the plastic wheel well liner. In any event, it looks like it's just the very edge that would touch the paint, so I'm not sure if I'm going to PPF or not. I'll put some thought into it this weekend.

 

[jebinc]

Received my TapTes yesterday. I'll install them tomorrow but they are basically exactly the same as the ones we've already seen from eBay/Amazon. Right down to the stamping marks.

So yes, no need to drill technically, but I feel that it's a bit of false advertising as a self-tapping screw does go through the plastic wheel well liner. In any event, it looks like it's just the very edge that would touch the paint, so I'm not sure if I'm going to PPF or not. I'll put some thought into it this weekend.

Definitely misleading advertising, at a minimum. Then, the recently doubled the price based on interest (probably from this site). I decided to say, ..|.. to that and got them on Amazon instead. They are due to arrive today!

 

[sceptic]

I thought for certain I was going to go with the ones from the Group Buy (the flat ones), but looking more at these China/eBay ones, I think I like these better. They definitely are molded better, fit better, and provide a more integrated OEM look. I might pull the trigger on these. But the only thing holding me back is that I found these:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07TWD1M7...&colid=JOIK1DIX35IR&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it&th=1

They have them in Blue, which is my car's color. But not sure how well they'd match the DBM color. Has anyone purchased these colored ones?

--Cintoman

If you get them please post how hard they are to install - the pics they have showing unscrewing a screw and then replacing it (along with a ?2nd one) looks nothing like what I see in my car - there is a ?plug where they show a screw and nothing above it where a second screw would go???

 

[jebinc]

My Chinese molded flaps just arrived and the toxic smell when I opened the box was overwhelming. I put then outside to degass… Anyone else notice this?

 

[Plug-n-Play]

My Chinese molded flaps just arrived and the toxic smell when I opened the box was overwhelming. I put then outside to degass… Anyone else notice this?

My TapTes kit came from China (by way of NJ) so I think the NJ smell cancelled out the China smell LOL.

Seriously though, mine was fine. Box was good, plenty of bubble wrap, and they gave me more push pin fasteners and screws than I needed.

I put it on my MSM Performance and it actually fits nicely and looks like it belongs on it. I don't think I'll put the flat ones on when I get them at this point, but if those are better for snow, maybe I can swap them in and out for seasons, I don't know. I guess I have options.

I could post pictures but it looks like all the other MSM ones out there - but if someone wants to see something specifically, let me know and I'll snap a shot.

As for efficiency, I don't drive with precision like it sounds like some of you guys do - my efficiency varies day by day and things like weather, temperature, road conditions, and traffic are all variables that feed into the equation so unless someone wants to go to a runway / closed circuit and run some tests for us with a controlled environment, I really don't think you'll see too much empirical evidence to sway one way or the other. Driving with your window open, or with a sack of rice in the trunk, or in colder weather is likely to cause more variance than mud flaps behind the wheels.

Oh yeah - I didn't realize TapTes jacked the price up. That's pretty sneaky, unless the initial price was an early bird sale or something. Glad I got mine at the lower price point, to be sure.

 

[jebinc]

My TapTes kit came from China (by way of NJ) so I think the NJ smell cancelled out the China smell LOL.

Seriously though, mine was fine. Box was good, plenty of bubble wrap, and they gave me more push pin fasteners and screws than I needed.

I put it on my MSM Performance and it actually fits nicely and looks like it belongs on it. I don't think I'll put the flat ones on when I get them at this point, but if those are better for snow, maybe I can swap them in and out for seasons, I don't know. I guess I have options.

I could post pictures but it looks like all the other MSM ones out there - but if someone wants to see something specifically, let me know and I'll snap a shot.

As for efficiency, I don't drive with precision like it sounds like some of you guys do - my efficiency varies day by day and things like weather, temperature, road conditions, and traffic are all variables that feed into the equation so unless someone wants to go to a runway / closed circuit and run some tests for us with a controlled environment, I really don't think you'll see too much empirical evidence to sway one way or the other. Driving with your window open, or with a sack of rice in the trunk, or in colder weather is likely to cause more variance than mud flaps behind the wheels.

Oh yeah - I didn't realize TapTes jacked the price up. That's pretty sneaky, unless the initial price was an early bird sale or something. Glad I got mine at the lower price point, to be sure.

NJ - Yeah, I know that place all too well. I think Newark and Elizabeth have the best toxic smells going, so you’re probably right that they cancelled out those from the Chinese flaps. Mine came with an abundance of hardware and pins as well. Will attempt a removal of the current flaps and installation of these tomorrow.

 

[Plug-n-Play]

Oh one other thing I noticed on the TapTes site - in addition to the new price doubling, they no longer say "no drilling required". I guess someone must've complained to them.

 

[jkoya]

I thought for certain I was going to go with the ones from the Group Buy (the flat ones), but looking more at these China/eBay ones, I think I like these better. They definitely are molded better, fit better, and provide a more integrated OEM look. I might pull the trigger on these. But the only thing holding me back is that I found these:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07TWD1M7Y/?coliid=I162EOH1VSA3K5&colid=JOIK1DIX35IR&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it&th=1

They have them in Blue, which is my car's color. But not sure how well they'd match the DBM color. Has anyone purchased these colored ones?

My Nissan 350Z came with painted mud flaps the same color as the car (LeMans Sunset Orange). The inside of the flaps looked terrible after a couple of years because all the paint was chipped off. If you go the route of the painted mud flaps, be aware that if you want them looking brand new, you may have to protect them with PPF. I just got the black ones from ebay to avoid this from my past experiences...just MHO

 

[Cintoman]

Tesla blue is just a paint code. Anyone can mix that color of paint.
That being said, I agree, it probably not actually mixed from the paint code and could be just different enough to stand out. I would go black.

Agreed. I ended up going with the matte black rubber eBay/China ones. They should come in a few weeks.

--Cintoman

 

[jebinc]

Agreed. I ended up going with the matte black rubber eBay/China ones. They should come in a few weeks.

--Cintoman

They are not rubber, but rather thinner flexible plastic-like material.

 

[jebinc]

Installation of Amazon-sourced molded mud flaps made in China

I received my flaps on Friday, 8/2/19. I selected an Amazon supplier that had them in stock and who got them to me two days after ordering. The first thing I noticed when opening the box was a strong toxic odor from the flaps - so strong that I put them outside over-night to degas. The installation was very straight forward and didn't take more than 1/2 hour to do all four, and that includes the time it took me to remove a set of flat plastic flaps. Overall, the fit and finish is fairly good. I will say that the thickness of these molded flaps is less than OEM molded flaps you can find on Honda or Subaru vehicles. Not sure how that may affect the long-term viability at this point. Attached are some picture of these flaps installed on my MSM LR AWD M3.​

 

[tkc9789]

Installation of Amazon-sourced molded mud flaps made in China

I received my flaps on Friday, 8/2/19. I selected an Amazon supplier that had them in stock and who got them to me two days after ordering. The first thing I noticed when opening the box was a strong toxic odor from the flaps - so strong that I put them outside over-night to degas. The installation was very straight forward and didn't take more than 1/2 hour to do all four, and that includes the time it took me to remove a set of flat plastic flaps. Overall, the fit and finish is fairly good. I will say that the thickness of these molded flaps is less than OEM molded flaps you can find on Honda or Subaru vehicles. Not sure how that may affect the long-term viability at this point. Attached are some picture of these flaps installed on my MSM LR AWD M3.

How do you compare these to the ones from Tsolutions?

 

[jebinc]

How do you compare these to the ones from Tsolutions?

Each have there pluses and minuses. I ran with the Tsolutions for about two weeks, and will do the same with these - then I will decide which ones I want on my M3 before the fall rains (Seattle) and winter whether sets in. YMMV.

 

[Plug-n-Play]

Just posting some pics in case it helps:

 

[Kilotango74]

Does anyone have pics on a white car. All these seem to blend in because of the darker colors.

 

[WilliamG]

I feel like I don’t like these molded flaps on the MSM. They would look great on black, though.

 

[jebinc]

Just posting some pics in case it helps:

Nice shots! It seems like only MSM owners buy these or the flat flaps, based on all the photos posted!

 

[SDKoala]

For those of you who have installed these, are they actually doing their job and keeping the paint behind the tires cleaner? Those are always the worse spots to clean from the caked on mud and dirt.