cdisam

I got my new E320 CDI on July 31st. One of the "extras" I got with the deal was installation of mud flaps. When I took it to my dealer to have it done, the service tech said that the mud flaps they ordered from MB don't fit the car and he ordered the W211 flaps. He said the front ones fit perfectly but the rear ones don't and the tech would have to make a modification to make them fit. I was wondering if anyone else has ever heard of this. The dealer service dept. claims that they called MB and they said that they know that the rear flaps don't fit exactly but it is up to the tech to make them fit. ????
I can't believe this! Any thoughts or suggestions? Is MB parts/service really this bad? I am thinking of going back to my Jetta TDI. Also, does anyone know where I can order OEM mud flaps that will fit the W211 perfectly?

glojo

Okay you live in the US, and I live in the UK, but our vehicles are still both made at the same location. You are being 'fobbed off'. What a load of rubbish. Mud flaps are a very common option over here and they should fit PERFECTLY.

I realise that I have the estate version and you have the saloon but that is not the issue. My flaps fit perfectly without any 'bodging' and I would certainly expect the saloon version to fit in the same fashion (in fact my wife has just reminded me that we had a courtesy car that had mud flaps) Do NOT let them convince you to have an OEM set. Another US member wanted mud-flaps and his dealer told him they looked ugly and would spoil the looks of the car!!!!!! Could it possibly be that it might take an hour or so to fit these 'necessary' items CORRECTLY?????

You ordered Mercedes-Benz parts and that is what you should get.

If you do a search under mud-flaps you will find a picture of mine showing just how well the flaps blend in with the lines of this splendid vehicle.

Sorry about the rant, but I hate it when dealers come out with such pathetic excuses.

Good luck and if you want any pictures to show your dealer please do not hesitate to ask.

John
Rainy old Torquay

cdisam

Thanks very much for your thoughts. It just confirms how I felt about what the dealer was telling me. Are you saying that I can get another brand (non OEM) mud flaps for my sedan? The dealer said that the ones they have only fit perfectly on the W211 wagon but not the sedan. Very strange, isn't it??

glojo

Is he saying the front wheel arch of the S211 is different to that of the W211????? Estate = S211 saloon = W211

We had a courtesy E-class saloon that had genuine Mercedes-Benz mud flaps, but once again I must emphasis that I live in the UK.

PART NUMBER for saloon mud flaps
Front B6 652 8214
Rear B6 652 8215

Estate car
Rear B6 652 8216

Regards,
John
Night time in Torquay

cdiken

My CDI should get here any day now. The dealer says mudflaps for the rear are not available and that they tried, unsuccessfully, to "cut to fit" rear mudflaps for a gas E320 for the CDI.

I walked around the lot and found a CDI parked next to a regular E320. The CDI has different panelling inside the fender well, the panelling lays flush where the regular E320 has a lip. The CDI also looks like it has some sort of vent slots there.

I wonder what is different...maybe the fuel tank is there or something that requires different panels.

If anyone finds something, or a suitable aftermarket, please post.

KB

justin w

You are definately being bull****ed...

I am here in the UK, just taken delivery of a 270CDI saloon, with dealer fit mudflaps - I can take photos if you require...

Perfect fit but expensive - £155 fitted (about $260).

You will find them in the accessory price lits (here is the UK one):

Set for front, Classic/Elegance black B6 652 8214 £24.00
Set for rear, Classic/Elegance black B6 652 8215 £24.00
Set for rear, Classic/Elegance/Avantgarde black B6 652 8216 £29.00

Fitting is about an hour (£80)....

Keep pushing....

glojo

Hi Justin,
Sorry to read about the charges for mud flaps. Am I right in thinking that you ordered the mud flaps after placing your order?

The reason I am asking is because if when you ordered the car, you also ordered mud flaps the dealer should only charge you for the mudflaps which are very reasonably priced at £24 front and either £24 or £29 for the rear (depending on model) The price on mine was simply added onto the order form.

If you order the COMAND option I would dread to think of the labour charges they might charge if indeed they started to charge labour for the fitting of options?

I totally agree that there appears to be something 'suspicious' abot the US dealers response concerning the fitting.

There are different body mouldings on the Elegance and Avantgarde, but these are simply names for 'Sports' or 'Appearance' packages.

US readers can read about the differences on the Mercedes-Benz web sites and then decide what part number is relevant to their vehicle.

Photographs of my rear mud flaps are sadly only relevant to owners of the estate car, but surely if they can make mud flaps that fit perfectly for the estate, they can also make them for the saloon. (As they have clearly done for Justins vehicle)

Regards
John
Was a sunny morning, but clouds are 'a' looming in Torquay

JimPurdy

I installed the mud flaps on my gas E320 and the rear don't fit quite as perfectly as the front. There wasn't any cutting or modifications. Only you will notice the little space where the fit isn't perfect. The installation does not require any drilling or special tools. I jacked up each wheel, removed the wheel, and installed the mud flap with the enclosed instructions. The instructions are complete and easy to follow. I found it took more time to jack up the wheel and remove it than it took to install the mud flap. I would recommend buying the mud flaps from the dealer and installing them yourself.

Jim

pa28pilot

Hi folks,
While ordering my E320 CDI, i brought up the topic of mudflaps. My dealer proceeded to explain that he had heard many a tale of problems arising from them in wintertime. Specifically, he said they cause accumulations of ice with little clearance for the tire, such that turns cause the sidewalls to be damaged by the ice.

Have any of you heard such a thing before?

glojo

It is certainly entertaining reading all the various excuses that your sale people are prepared to come up with to stop owners from choosing to have mudflaps fitted on their own vehicles. HOW can this so called accumulation actually come into contact with the SIDEWALL of the tyre????? The mud flap is only preventing objects leaving the actual tread of the tyre and hitting the lower bodywork.

Looking at this logically, and using the sales persons same arguement, what is to stop ice from accumulating in the actual wheel arch??????

In the UK I believe the Avantgarde has similar body mouldings to the US sports package, my vehicle is an Avantgarde. I accept the rear wheel arch may be different from that of the equivalent saloon, but the front wheelarch is identical, my mudflaps fit perfectly. NO mud accumulates (If it did then a quick hose down would soon remove it, as it would in the wheel arch)

Jim had minor fitment problems with his vehicle (Jim is a very knowledgeable person whose opionions I value) Is there any other differences between US and European wheel arches that we are not aware of??????

Regards
A mild Autumn morning in Torquay

JimPurdy

I used to live in Upstate New York and I have seen a lot of snow and ice buildup on cars. The snow can build up in the wheel arches but I can't see how it could damage the tire sidewalls. I owned a Volvo wagon when I lived up there with mud flaps that didn't collect any snow or ice. The Mercedes Benz mudflaps do have a small lip that could possibly collect some ice but it would be easy to remove it just by kicking the back of the mud flap with your foot. The mud flaps are not rigid and they don't even collect much mud and debris on that lip so I don't forsee any problem with snow and ice.

glojo

Hi Jim,
As usual we are in total agreement. I have attached a couple of pictures just to see if there is any difference in our body moulding (the car's)

JimPurdy

Glojo,

Your mudflaps look just like mine and the mounting is the same. I wasn't that enthused by the little clamps that they provided but they have held the flaps in place for over a year now. From your excellent pictures you can see where the lip that could collect debris is and how far away from the tread of the tire (tyre ) and that it should not have any effect on the sidewall of the tire.

Jim

glojo

Hi Jim,
Totally agree, the flaps look slightly wider than they really are because the wheel\tyre (tire ) is at a slight angle.

Touching my wooden head we have never had a problem with them falling off. They are slightly vunerable though when reversing to close to a kerb when doing a 'three point turn' Or as is more technically known as turning the vehicle around in a street using forward and reverse gears

Right who said I was 'cranky' come own up???? (Spartan)

Regards,
John
A sunny nice day in Torquay

jrthiele

When I got my car, two weeks ago, I had the dealer install mudflaps. The front fit and the rear didn't. I returned the car the next day and showed them the rear mudflaps. The installer showed me that they didn't fit very well and he had "adjusted" them as best he could. From what I could see he had done a good job with poorly fitting mudflaps. I searched and found this post and realized I was not alone. With that, I decided to live with it.

Yesterday, I was in the dealership and the Parts Manager asked me how I liked my car. I said I liked it very much except for a few odd shortcomings like the misfit mudflaps. He said they had the same thing happen last week on another car and that he'd been doing some research. He then presented me two different sets of rear mudflaps. We took them out to my car. The first set, with same part number as used before (6 652 8215), didn't fit again. But, lo and behold, the second set, with a different part number (6 652 8218), fit perfectly.

They immediately took my car into their shop and fitted the new rear mudflaps. The original fronts (6 652 8214) and the new fronts (6 652 8217) looked identical and we left them alone. Thanks to Wilsonville Mercedes for taking good care of me on this one.

Upon futher inspection, I noticed that the molding in the first set said "Classic 6 652 8215". I'm not sure what the "classic" means but apparently the US E 320 CDI is not yet a classic. The Parts Manager thought that the new parts (6 652 8217 and 6 652 8218) were for the "sport" option and was surprised they fit my CDI. While I had the car in Germany, the locals all referred to it as Avantgard even though it didn't have the logo on the fender like the local MB's. Maybe this part number is for the Avantgard in Europe and fits the standard model here in the US?

At any rate, I now have mudflaps that fit and I'm happy about it.

levind

Great info! Thanks for your persistance.

SAguirre

Thank yo for the information.

I had not seen this thread before and I was already talking about mudd flaps on another thread. So I got an idea on price from the other one and the part numbers from this one.

"Thanks a bunch for the heads up on price! I just ordered them with my dealer and they wanted $59 for each set. I got them down to $90 plus tax. So really, thanks a bunch.

Also, since the other thread popped up, I had my dealer order (6 652 8214) for the front, and then he ordered both the (6 632 82150 and the (6 652 8218) for the back. Since they do not stock them, I want to make sure that they fit and have the other part waiting so I don't have to.

Thanks again,

Steve


So thanks for all the info on the rear part numbers. I hate not having the correct part numbers and stuff!

glojo

The European Avantgarde is best described as the 'Sports' model in the E-class range. (Excluding the E55 of course)

The Avantgarde has a number of standard fittings including the skirt type moulding, bi-xeons, white dials, sports suspension, five spoke wheels etc. My own CDI is an Avantgarde but has the optional twin spoke wheels.

I am pleased to hear that your patience has perserved as I have been stating all along that I am pleased with how my flaps are fitted.

Bye for now,
John
A cool, misty morning in Torquay