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Tesla Model 3 OEM Mudflaps

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Hi All,

I received my tesla mudflaps for my model 3 a couple months ago when i got the HW3.0 retrofit.

They said it would be as easy to install as ikea furniture so I agreed to install it myself.

The past weekend I took a shot a installing it and I will definitely say it is harder than most IKEA furniture, not in terms of complexity but in terms of frustration and time involved. One of the bolts have to be fastened at the bottom of the car which is very difficult without lifting the car. The two front bolts are very hard to screw in even with the nuts properly aligned with the holes. After installation, i also noticed the front top of the mudflaps do not completely cover the side skirts of the car, even though the design of the mudflaps seem to suggest it should be covering the entire side skirt. I tried tightning all bolts as hard as I could, but the mudflaps still do not cover the top of the side skirts by about half a cm. I'll try to get some pics later today.

Eventually, after 1.5hrs, I finally installed both mudflaps + splashguards, which is when I realized another jarring issue.

The ground clearance from the bottom of the flaps to the ground is barely even 2 inches. This means, on the slightest bumps, speed humps, pot holes, or just road debris, the mudflap would rub against something and I would hear a scraping sound from inside the cabin. I am now considering just removing the splash guards and only leaving the plastic mudflap on. It just sucks that after all the effort of removing it, I will need to spend the same amount of effort to remove the splash guards from the mud flap.

I just wanted to check how many of you canadian M3 owners received the mudflap/splashguard kit from Tesla and have installed it? And did you install the splash guards as well or mudflaps only? Are they worth installing and do they impact range?

Thanks.
 
I received them mid-winter and concur that it wasn't as easy as Ikea furniture. I gave up and took it to the service centre and had them do the install. And found the same thing as you - too little ground clearance. Every time I had more than just myself in the car I'd scrape on every bump in the road. So when I went back and had them remove the extension portion of the mud flaps but leave on the top part.
 
I got a rock chip on a rear fender a few days into ownership so I went ahead and tried to install the splashguards myself (mudflaps pre-installed on delivery). Fought with the damned plastic clips for about 15 minutes until I gave up. Had a technician coming to install the roof rack already so they charged and extra $25 (iirc) to put them on.

The ranger agreed they are a pain in the ass to install.

They do bottom out when going over bumps but honestly when they wear out too much I’ll just replace them. Not sure if they really help for rock chips and general spray/dust but honestly it’s not too big a deal.
 
If you really want to protect your car, you should get rid of these mud flaps and buy one set of those: EV Mudflaps par Antirouille Bolduc

The owner of this company has a youtube channel where he shows how the Tesla mudflaps fill up with dirt and rub against the paint of the car to damage it.

His mudflaps go higher (and he puts a small piece of PPF between the car and the flaps), and they cover much better the area.

Especially if you live where there is dirt roads or where they use sand with salt during winter time, you are way better with his offer.
 
I just fitted the free Tesla mud flaps. Not a doddle but really not too hard. And yes, they scrape when cornering or going over bumps. Considering cutting a strip off the bottom - anyone tried that?
 
I just installed both guards and flaps on my 2021 3 SR+, and it was made a lot easier by removing the wheels. That being said, it was still a battle. I agree that siliconing the top might be a good idea to prevent spray. They are fairly flexible so I'm not too worried about the "scraping" that others are talking about. I drive on some rough roads here and haven't noticed anything.
 
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For those living in Vancoucver area (LML), do you think mudflaps are necessary? We usually don't drive out of town during winter, maybe couple of times to Whistler only. I just don't want to make more issue with dirt pile-up underneath the flaps as I don't have PPF.
 
I installed evsmartparts.com mud flaps.
Close to the ground but do not make noise since they are 2 ply and flexible. Fronts do all the work.
DSCN0074 (2).JPG
they have a cool video of how they work in the snow and slush.
They make a cool radar detector mount too.
 
I thought they were super easy to install. Didn't have to lift the car just turned the wheels to gain access on each side. if you're not using 1/4" shorty socket you're doing it wrong and will have a bad time. I will be removing them to pull off the long part of the flap because they do drag pretty bad. The shorties look like they'll be good enough for me.
 
This is a rather old thread, so my post might not be useful to previous posters, but may benefit others. So:

And yes, they scrape when cornering or going over bumps. Considering cutting a strip off the bottom - anyone tried that?

My 2021 M3LR came with front mudflaps installed by Tesla when I picked it up in Toronto. The splash guard extensions (and installation instructions) were left in the trunk.

The mudflaps by themselves looked a little small to me, so I thought about adding the splash guards, especially since the instructions say:
Note: Splash guards are recommended if you drive on roads where salt, sand, or gravel are commonly used to improve road conditions.

However, as has been confirmed in this thread, I felt that they were too long and would likely scrape the ground often with suspension travel.

I found that the rubber material that the splash guards are made of can be cut easily with a sharp utility knife. After marking a guide line, I cut slowly with a sawing motion, with the splash guard held flat on a scrap piece of particle board shelving. I took 29 mm (1 1/8") off the bottoms. I then shaped the cut edges to match the original, using the knife and a sanding block with coarse sandpaper.

I think this will work fine. The ground clearance is now about 8 cm (3 1/8").

I didn't have any trouble removing the mud flaps, attaching the splash guards, then re-installing.

mudflap1.jpgmudflap2.jpgmudflap3.jpgmudflap4.jpgmudflap5.jpg
 
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I just installed both guards and flaps on my 2021 3 SR+, and it was made a lot easier by removing the wheels. That being said, it was still a battle. I agree that siliconing the top might be a good idea to prevent spray. They are fairly flexible so I'm not too worried about the "scraping" that others are talking about. I drive on some rough roads here and haven't noticed anything.
which ones did you buy that are "flexible"? appreciate it, thank you :)