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Installed Mud Flaps On My C450...Not As Bad As I Thought
Yeah, I know what you're thinking...mud flaps on C450, how tacky! Well with Winter just around the corner, the snowy season here in New England can be brutal on a cars finish with all that sand & salt, so a little protection was needed.
Stock Mercedes mud flaps that will fit on a C450 (or the "Sport" version of a C300 or C400) cost about $220 plus labor...but if you order the Chinese knock-offs on ebay, they're only about $50...and the best part of the installation... NO DRILLING OR REMOVAL OF WHEELS REQUIRED...but you'll need a couple longer plastic fasteners for the rear mud flaps that can be bought at a auto parts store...and you might need to slightly ream the holes wider for just those two new fasteners (depending on the diameter of fasteners you buy) like I had to.
OK, first...(from top to bottom) here are the parts you receive with the mud flaps, the parts you'll have to remove from the car, and what you'll have to buy for the rear mud flaps. As for the supplied instructions, don't even bother...they are useless...
As for the front mud flaps, piece of cake...5 minutes each. just turn the wheels to make installation easier. Top portion of mud flap just snaps on the fender lip, two stock fasteners are reused, and the bottom requires you remove the stock round "cover" with a stubby blade screw driver, then you fasten it with one on the many screws provided with the mud flaps.
Now the rear mud flaps, a little more difficult, but you can still install them without removing the wheels. The large fastener (larger of the two) is the one that requires the new "longer" fasteners...and if necessary, you might have to ream out the hole in the mud flap and it's corresponding hole on the car. As for the bottom, it's a 10mm bolt that comes off easily.
And now the finished product...as a bonus, because no holes were drilled, I can easily remove the mud flaps in the Spring once the roads are in better condition. Not too bad, huh?
I have the same ones.. I've had them on my c450 since November of 2015 and keep them on year round because they actually blend in well with the car and the help with rock chips and keep the car a lot cleaner. I got mine from eBay. Easy to install and so far the haven't faded or warped in a year.. great buy for $50
They look entirely decent. Can you take a low angle pic from the rear? I'd like to see how far they poke.
BTW gungaslow, did you paint the side skirt trim silver or wrap them? If it was vinyl, do you know what color you used d to match the front splitter?
They look entirely decent. Can you take a low angle pic from the rear? I'd like to see how far they poke.
BTW gungaslow, did you paint the side skirt trim silver or wrap them? If it was vinyl, do you know what color you used d to match the front splitter?
The side skirts are wrapped with 3m gloss white aluminum.. they don't match the splitter 100% but are close enough..I've actually been looking for wrap that is closer but haven't found a 100% match.. Still looking if you have any ideas on a closer color.
Makes me wish I'd bought a black car! Does any brand offer other colors? Don't get me wrong; my C300 is also silver, and silver mud flaps would look terrible. But there are a lot of white cars, and white flaps would look much better than black.
Reminds me of when I bought my '94 Mazda Protégé. The only thing I really hated about the lowest trim level was the massive black rubber bumpers front and rear. The middle trim level got you body color bumpers, but the difference in price was major to me. Solution? So I got a black car!
They look entirely decent. Can you take a low angle pic from the rear? I'd like to see how far they poke.
BTW gungaslow, did you paint the side skirt trim silver or wrap them? If it was vinyl, do you know what color you used d to match the front splitter?
Those carbomwurks flaps look good, but it doesn't look like they give enough coverage to be effective. The eBay flaps don't look terrible at all and actually look aggressive from the side. Now if we had the carbomwurks guys make a quarter fender flap that follows under the bumpers like a DTM touring car we're onto something.
I'm not getting any chips on the side of my car yet, but I'm getting a surprising amount of marks in my front bumper down low, around the grill, at the hood latch, and even my back bumper. The marks are all the same, looking more like gouges than chips. It's almost like the paint is thick and funny, and when it gets hit, it deforms rather than flakes. My VW metallic paint would chip and flake, like the paint was thin and brittle.
Those carbomwurks flaps look good, but it doesn't look like they give enough coverage to be effective. The eBay flaps don't look terrible at all and actually look aggressive from the side. Now if we had the carbomwurks guys make a quarter fender flap that follows under the bumpers like a DTM touring car we're onto something.
I'm not getting any chips on the side of my car yet, but I'm getting a surprising amount of marks in my front bumper down low, around the grill, at the hood latch, and even my back bumper. The marks are all the same, looking more like gouges than chips. It's almost like the paint is thick and funny, and when it gets hit, it deforms rather than flakes. My VW metallic paint would chip and flake, like the paint was thin and brittle.
Paint scratch.com has been my friend.
Unfortunately, they won't ship to Canada. All the other c class flaps will ship here, but not this C450 model.
I found a few on Aliexpress that say they fit a W205 sport, but the photos don't look right at all.
Anyone willing to be the middle man - have them shipped to a US address, then forward to us Canucks - for a slight markup, of course.
Unfortunately, they won't ship to Canada. All the other c class flaps will ship here, but not this C450 model.
I found a few on Aliexpress that say they fit a W205 sport, but the photos don't look right at all.
Anyone willing to be the middle man - have them shipped to a US address, then forward to us Canucks - for a slight markup, of course.
Sucks they won't ship to Canada. Merc wants big bucks for flaps which also sucks.
Anybody found other alternatives that can be shipped to Canada?
Would like to have some on my C43 as winter is unfortunately here.
You should really try and fit a strip of clear stone chip vinyl to the body to prevent the edge of the flap rubbing through the paint. 3M make some and you generally get it with OEM stuff.
Yeah, I know what you're thinking...mud flaps on C450, how tacky! Well with Winter just around the corner, the snowy season here in New England can be brutal on a cars finish with all that sand & salt, so a little protection was needed.
Stock Mercedes mud flaps that will fit on a C450 (or the "Sport" version of a C300 or C400) cost about $220 plus labor...but if you order the Chinese knock-offs on ebay, they're only about $50...and the best part of the installation... NO DRILLING OR REMOVAL OF WHEELS REQUIRED...but you'll need a couple longer plastic fasteners for the rear mud flaps that can be bought at a auto parts store...and you might need to slightly ream the holes wider for just those two new fasteners (depending on the diameter of fasteners you buy) like I had to.
OK, first...(from top to bottom) here are the parts you receive with the mud flaps, the parts you'll have to remove from the car, and what you'll have to buy for the rear mud flaps. As for the supplied instructions, don't even bother...they are useless...
As for the front mud flaps, piece of cake...5 minutes each. just turn the wheels to make installation easier. Top portion of mud flap just snaps on the fender lip, two stock fasteners are reused, and the bottom requires you remove the stock round "cover" with a stubby blade screw driver, then you fasten it with one on the many screws provided with the mud flaps.
Now the rear mud flaps, a little more difficult, but you can still install them without removing the wheels. The large fastener (larger of the two) is the one that requires the new "longer" fasteners...and if necessary, you might have to ream out the hole in the mud flap and it's corresponding hole on the car. As for the bottom, it's a 10mm bolt that comes off easily.
And now the finished product...as a bonus, because no holes were drilled, I can easily remove the mud flaps in the Spring once the roads are in better condition. Not too bad, huh?
Do you recall the size fasteners you used for the back? I can't get the middle portion to fully insert. 🤦🏽*♂️