Damage without Splash Guards - Pic

I saw this on the LeafOwners Group Facebook page and thought it worth sharing. The comment read "This is what happens when its dry". I ordered the Splash Guards from Fontana today and hope to have them installed before taking delivery. Anyone else getting their new LEAFs peppered by gravel???

Is the rear wheel splash guard just behind the wheel, or also something in front of the wheel?

In front and back of the front wheel also?

To my eye/mind there is a disconnect between the pictured paint damage
and the installation of mud/spray guards. I don't see where wet or dry
anything is applicable.

Mud/spray guards mount at the after end of a wheel well opening. Their
intended purpose -- not always realized in the real world -- is to prevent
spray and sand/gravel from being thrown up by the wheel, here the front
wheel, against the rocker panel, the long piece under the doors, and possibly
a flare in the rear body panel at the rear wheel well.

The damage, hopefully only to the paint, is forward of the wheel.
It can not have come from an absence of mud/spray guards.
I see two possibilities:
* a hit/scrape in a parking lot, etc.
* a major paint system malfunction

In either case, this kind of damage to an only-days-car would most likely have
caused a near physical pain to the owner...
and an intent to commit murder.

Maybe they are talking about mud/spray on all the other cars???

garygid said:

Is the rear wheel splash guard just behind the wheel, or also something in front of the wheel?

In front and back of the front wheel also?

Click to expand...

The car has some stuff bolted to it in front of the wheels as stock...I just noticed it today. Be right back with photos.

Is that really chipped paint? Or is it tar - mud tossed up?

Does the car in question have the protection package?

Wow, makes me glad I'm getting the splash guards!

Rokeby said:

To my eye/mind there is a disconnect between the pictured paint damage
and the installation of mud/spray guards. I don't see where wet or dry
anything is applicable.

Mud/spray guards mount at the after end of a wheel well opening. Their
intended purpose -- not always realized in the real world -- is to prevent
spray and sand/gravel from being thrown up by the wheel, here the front
wheel, against the rocker panel, the long piece under the doors, and possibly
a flare in the rear body panel at the rear wheel well.

The damage, hopefully only to the paint, is forward of the wheel.
It can not have come from an absence of mud/spray guards.

Click to expand...

Dude, you is lookin' at the photo wrong.....that is the rear of the car.

Here are the stock flaps, in front of each wheel. Big one on the fronts. Tiny one on the rears. Don't know what purpose they serve other than maybe helping to stop your tires picking up rocks thrown up by other vehicles? :?:

mwalsh said:

Dude, you is lookin' at the photo wrong.....that is the rear of the car.

Click to expand...

Guess that comes from never having seen a LEAF in real life ...
you know, Tier 2, Nissan Tour not due 'til March, etc.

OK -- deep breath, count to 10 --

I'm still suspicious. Damage is too high and outside, and in too irregular a
dispersion to be clearly from a lack of mud splash guards.

I'm sticking with parking lot rash or OEM paint issues...
and add backing into something... it's the rear of the car, right?

Rokeby said:

I'm sticking with parking lot rash or OEM paint issues...
and add backing into something... it's the rear of the car, right?

Click to expand...

I gots me some mud there, but I'm not going anyplace near gravel!

I believe they are aerodynamic aids to reduce the drag of the tires. Which makes me wonder how much drag the mud flaps add...

mwalsh said:

Here are the stock flaps, in front of each wheel. Big one on the fronts. Tiny one on the rears. Don't know what purpose they serve other than maybe helping to stop your tires picking up rocks thrown up by other vehicles

Click to expand...

mwalsh said:

Here are the stock flaps, in front of each wheel. Big one on the fronts.
Tiny one on the rears. Don't know what purpose they serve other than
maybe helping to stop your tires picking up rocks thrown up by other vehicles?

Click to expand...

Those little dealies are aero aids. They deflect air from in front and from the
center of the car from hitting the tires, and then getting sucked up into the
vortex/maelstrom of swirling air in the wheel wells, outboard of the wheels,
and even downstream of the wheels. IIRC, if they are done correctly, they are
worth something like a 5% MPG/eMPG increase.

mogur said:

I believe they are aerodynamic aids to reduce the drag of the tires. Which makes me wonder how much drag the mud flaps add...

mwalsh said:

Here are the stock flaps, in front of each wheel. Big one on the fronts. Tiny one on the rears. Don't know what purpose they serve other than maybe helping to stop your tires picking up rocks thrown up by other vehicles

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

This is the reason I skipped them. Things like this can really add drag and mess up the flow of air. If the damage on the car is from normal driving and rocks being kicked up then Nissan is going to have a huge CS issue, it makes no sense.

EVDRIVER said:

Things like this [mud/spray guards/flaps} can really add drag and
mess up the flow of air.

Click to expand...

At least on the Prius, no one has been able to identify/value any
aero/MPG reduction due having the guards. It would take serious
computer simulation and wind tunnel time -- $$$ -- to do so.

This is not entirely surprising. The air flow right behind the wheels,
at least in the computer simulations that I have seen, is a real mess.
It is swirling, turning back on itself, being pulled up over the tire, etc.
An aerodynamicist's worst nightmare. Apparently adding the guards/
flaps doesn't make it any worse. Remember, if they work properly, the
air dams in front of the wheels are deflecting air around the tire in
something like a parabola. Arguably, the guards/flaps are in this
"wind shadow."

EVDriver,
The small flaps that MWalsh posted photos of are not the optional Nissan mud flaps. I thought every LEAF came with the small ones.

I have posted photos of my optional mud flaps on this thread:
http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=27&t=2258

mwalsh said:

Rokeby said:

I'm sticking with parking lot rash or OEM paint issues...
and add backing into something... it's the rear of the car, right?

Click to expand...

I gots me some mud there, but I'm not going anyplace near gravel!

Click to expand...

Mike, Dude, your English suddenly went south on this thread! Was there a Wine & Cheese party at the end of work today? :lol:

Randy said:

EVDriver,
The small flaps that MWalsh posted photos of are not the optional Nissan mud flaps. I thought every LEAF came with the small ones.

I have posted photos of my optional mud flaps on this thread:
http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=27&t=2258

Click to expand...

Yes, I know, I meant the large ones.

It would be very disappointing if the paint chipped that easily - hopefully that's just some road tar.

I have a Silver leaf with the same symptom...but there is no damage...just road grime...which I am able to wash off. BTW I do not have the splash guards.

I really can't tell if the there is any damage on the car in the photo...however on my car there is no damage after 400 miles.

What would be telling is someone who has the splash guards to see if they are seeing any dirt gather in the same area. Something tells me that the splash guard will not completely eliminate dirt collecting in the area.

Glen

There are times when mud guards/flaps aren't going to cut it:


Early Gen II Prius pulled out of a ditch by 4x4


Rally car.

That's my car guys. It is just road dirt. Wipes right off. But looks terrible on the white car. They told me it would be a long while before after market mudguards are available. They are using them all for those who ordered. So order up front. I think you will be happy you did.

I think the aerodynamics lead to it being more pronounced on the leaf. The back end tapers behind the wheel.

-Jeff