[AJ56]

Never bothered with mudflaps, they mess with the cars aero and look ugly as hell.

[salilpawar1]

Most cars (mass market or premium) don't come with mudflaps as standard fitment barring a few SUVs.

They are usually fitted as an accessory at the dealership either as an 'essential accessory' clubbed with other utility accessories like floor mats or even given away as freebies to sweeten the deal.

The reason why they are not opted for in high-end vehicles have been mentioned above (breakage due to low ground clearance, aesthetics, aerodynamics etc.)

[PaddleShifter]

Originally Posted by kiku007

Are you sure? Could you please share the relevant rule?

I tried searching on Google. So far, I have found that it is mandatory to have splash prevention system in two wheeler vehicles and all tourist vehicles. I am searching for more pages.

In the document links below, search for the keyword “mud” using find on page or ctrl+F option.

Link for two wheelers:

https://english.mathrubhumi.com/news...-mvd-1.4873471

https://icat.in/storage/app/public/u...1571461659.pdf

For tourist vehicles:

http://morth-roadsafety.nic.in/pdf/C...R-chapter5.pdf


Mumbai Traffic Offenses list (See point 44):

https://mumbaipolice.gov.in/files/PressRelease/1191.pdf

I am not sure about cars and it also doesn’t specify two or four wheelers. It simply says “without mud guard”

[salilpawar1]

Originally Posted by PaddleShifter

I tried searching on Google. So far, I have found that it is mandatory to have splash prevention system in two wheeler vehicles and all tourist vehicles. I am searching for more pages.

In the document links below, search for the keyword “mud” using find on page or ctrl+F option.

Link for two wheelers:

https://english.mathrubhumi.com/news...-mvd-1.4873471

https://icat.in/storage/app/public/u...1571461659.pdf

For tourist vehicles:

http://morth-roadsafety.nic.in/pdf/C...R-chapter5.pdf


Mumbai Traffic Offenses list (See point 44):

https://mumbaipolice.gov.in/files/PressRelease/1191.pdf

I am not sure about cars and it also doesn’t specify two or four wheelers. It simply says “without mud guard”

"Mud Guards" are usually fenders which are a part of the OEM bodywork made up of metal or plastic

"Mud Flaps" are rubber / plastic extensions attached to the fenders / mud guards / bumpers.

[JoshMachine]

I think mudflaps are good to have in India specially during monsoons, given the slush and the muck that gets thrown around from cars & bikes alike.
So from an utility point of view, there is a need to have mudflaps.

However, for the German marquees (or for that matter any other low GC cars), the mudflap is close to the ground and is prone to scraping & getting broken.
The OEM mud flaps on the A4 cost approx. 3k each, they are not standard fitment.

[Raghu M]

If they do not come with mud flaps, it's definitely a design issue. My 3OO did not have them, I made it a point to get them installed as a first accessory. India is a country with varying terrains. Everyone is speaking about rains. The mud flaps are not just to stop a jet of water, they are also designed to hold mud, slush and dust. Did you see a truck going around without the rubber flaps? It's not about looks when safety is involved. One truck can make an entire neighbourhood dirty with dust if there are no mud flaps. I believe the luxury car makers have to look at this seriously. Agree the flaps tend to break on speed breakers but can't they be creative to resolve this problem? Sure is not rocket science.

And it looks to be against the rules in the US. Check this out.

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/driv...ect-to-a-fine/

[Gypsian]

The mud flaps on low GC sedans while reversing on steep inclines ( mostly in garages or parking areas ) will get sandwiched between the wheel and the ground and consequently rips apart. Further one can imagine a mud flap on German sedans which do not come with mud flaps, they do look kind of awkward. But there are many German cars with mud flaps, we cannot generalize that no German cars have mud flaps .

[AKSarkar1]

Wow this is a very close observation!

I feel maybe these mudflaps are an inherently Indian accessory. Mudflaps are oftentimes pushed heavily by the SRs as a 'safety accessory' amongst other jargons used by them. Believe it or not SRs have also given me explanations on how mudflaps will 'improve performance and handling'.

I only got them installed in my VWs but most of the times they came with some sort of a discount or promotion. My Mercs on the other hand have not ever had mudflaps installed and to be honest it has not made any sort of a difference.

I feel in 2022 if these 'mudflaps' were truly a piece of safety kit it would come as standard on most of the cars. In Europe where some countries see a lot of rainfall every year, there too mudflaps isn't much of a hype.

[srini1785]

My theory (not sure if its already mentioned).

1. Body extends slightly beyond the wheels so no chance of spraying water on body panels.

2. Tire threads are designed to splash the water in coherent manner to the body underside and not on others.

Sie Germans, Sie kens everysings eh?.

[SRISRI_90]

WOW ! That's an interesting observation. I'd never even given it a thought.

Just checked the pictures of our cars .Surprisingly , both our current cars have mud flaps on both the front and the rear.

No, they're not German , but are Swedish and French Beauties.

[nissar]

I hate the look of mudflaps. My accord has an integrated rear mudflap that is structural. I had it cut it to appear as no mudflaps. After the delete i found there is only a little more body splash compare to before. To me this explains why many cars skip them.

[ThatCarGuy]

Not sure about the German ones, but the Koreans don't come with one either, and the ones existing in the cars are oddly called mudflaps where it doesn't service its purpose, and during rains, its so disgusting to have mud splash all over the front door and well as the rear bumper. So I did add extra mudflaps on my car, the inexpensive and the best accessory I have added till date, yes its not that good looking, but I can live with it.

[Porcupine]

That an interesting observation! I don't remember the last time I saw a German car with mudflaps. Till a few years ago they'd be mentioned on an "accessories" list, but nowadays even that has gone extinct given the fact that German cars these days have an 'options' list and fewer dealer fitted accessories,

[sidtan]

This is an interesting observation. What I've noticed is that many cars about 5-10 years ago used to have black plastic extensions jutting out (pointing downwards) from the left side of the wheel arches. These are usually very small (about 3-5 cm) and I always assumed they were serving as mudflaps. Is that what they were meant to be?

[Atharva14]

Muds flaps nowadays come as an accessory option in many cars. A small, subtle one yet doing the purpose doesn't actually ruin the aesthetics I think.

Mudflaps were installed as an accessory in my car.