Automotive Passion Mud Flap (Arch Guards) Review

[F87source]

Credit: F87Source



Introduction:

In this product review I will be taking an indepth look at the Automotive Passion BMW M2 mud flaps (Arch Guards) - in ABS gloss black plastic, however this review should be applicable to all the BMW mud flaps that Automotive passion sells. I will also explain why I believe these are the best mud flaps on the market today!

If you’d like to purchase some mud flaps here’s the link to all the mud flaps that Automotive Passion offers: https://automotivepassion.net/cat/ar...rds-mud-flaps/



Disclaimer:

Damage/Injury Disclaimer: Any information, guidance, technical advice, coding advice, tuning advice, datalogging advice, installation instruction, calculation, experiment, safety information, or product installation demonstrated in my reviews is to be consumed and or done at your own risk. I will not be responsible for personal injuries, injuries to others or any living being, or any damage to your car, or any property damage.

Monetary disclaimer: I do not make commission, or profits or any kind of monetary gain from the sale of the Automotive Passion Mud Flap (Arch Guards).

Sponsorship disclaimer: The way my reviews work is that I determine what product that I want to buy and actually use on my own car, and during this process the product that I end up choosing is what I believe is the best option on the market. I then reach out to the company offering the product and ask them if they would be willing to sponsor me in a review, if the answer is yes then I write a review, if the answer is no I would end up buying the product (sometimes at a later date) but I would not make a large review about it. But the critical thing is that I reach out for a sponsorship and not the other way around, this means that the products I am reviewing are actually things I believe in and would use on my own car. This also means that I am not being paid to review something I do not care about. Would I do a review if a sponsor reached out to me? The answer would depend on if I believed in the product, and I would make it clear in my review if this were the case. But at the time of writing this review, such an interaction has not occurred yet.


Time of writing disclaimer: everything I am writing about in this review is described at the time of writing and may not be updated in the future, so there is a potential that things are no longer accurate in my comparisons as parts are changed and upgraded as time passes.


Bias and comparison disclaimer: Throughout this review I will attempt to be as unbiased as possible while drawing comparisons to other products.


Mistakes and Inaccuracies Disclaimer: Throughout my review I will try to be as factually accurate as possible, but there are always chances that I make mistakes and write things that are incorrect/false. If this is the case please point it out to me and if indeed it is true that I am incorrect, I will correct these mistakes and apologize for them. Afterall I am only human, so mistakes can and will inevitably happen.


Subjective Disclaimer: Please note, these reviews are also written in my own opinion, so when I am comparing different products to determine what I see as the best, there are many factors that I go through to form this opinion. Obviously there will be disagreements between people, so I will do my best to objectively determine what I deem to be the best, but at the end of the day it is still just my own opinion whether it be right or wrong. Take whatever I say in my reviews with a grain of salt.



Image Credits:

Images and videos used in this review are all property of their rightful owners as credited below each image, I am just using them for the purpose of this review but if you (the owner of the image) would like them removed please let me know via pm. Otherwise thanks to the respective image owners (I made sure to credit your online name and link where I found the photo) of the photos, without you this review would be so much more bland.



Review Disclaimer:

First and foremost I would like to thank Automotive Passion for agreeing to sponsor me for this review. Despite this I will remain as unbiased as possible during the review. Please note, the dynamics of this relationship was that I reached out for a sponsorship review and not the other way around, this should demonstrate how I truly feel about these mud flaps - in the sense that I truly believe it is incredibly useful in protection our cars from rock chips, tire sling, rubber marks etc. In fact I actually have these mud flaps installed on my own m2 as of now, and I really like the way they fit and look on my car.


Why Do You Need Mud Flaps?:

I know what you guys are already thinking, why would anyone want mud flaps on a sports car, aren’t they only for rally cars? Well the answer to your question is because these BMW’s - in particular the M models like my m2, have extremely wide wheels with sticky tires on them and extremely flared out fenders (in particular the rear) in order to fit these wider tires. This is a problem especially for the front wheels because when they pick up road debris like: gravel, small sticks, sand, mud, grit, and pretty much anything in between, then these tires will fling said debris up and alongside the car. Well this is where the problems begin, this flung debris will then hit the side of the car in areas like the side skirts and doors, but in particular those large flared out rear fenders. The result is that the clear coat and paint can become chipped away and damaged over time resulting in corrosion - especially if you drive in a winter climate where road salt is used. This is why BMW applies PPF on the rear fenders straight from the factory:


Credit: shb5007 https://f87.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh....php?t=1805445


But that’s not all, if you have nice aftermarket side skirts, or M Performance winglets on your car - the debris flung off the front tires will absolutely impact them and damage these items as well. For example here are my M performance winglets:



Credit: F87Source


Credit: F87Source


It might be slightly difficult to see on the glossy finish, but the leading edge of my M performance carbon fiber winglets are absolutely battered with rock chips and this has left deep pitting. If it wasn’t for the PPF I have on the leading edge of the winglet, the clear coat might be completely damaged and one of the deeper pit marks might have actually cracked the carbon fiber. So that’s the amount of debris being flung from your tires, and why mud flaps are a must have on these cars. I also have a lot of rock chips on my side skirts and fenders - but I can’t get a good image of them because they reside right between the side skirt and my winglets.


In addition to this, if you use a lot of tire shine, or track your car a lot, then you know all about tire sling or rubber from your tires ending up all along the side of your car - which is not fun to clean off (especially in the case of melted rubber).


Now these are some of the issues that can happen from debris being flung up from the front wheels, we haven’t even spoken about debris from the rear wheels yet. Because BMW tapers in the rear bumper quite a bit near the bottom (especially on the m2 - whether this be for aesthetics to to allow better air evacuation from the fender), and this allows the rear tires to kick debris up at the rear bumper as well (just like we discussed above) - which can again damage it or make it extremely messy to clean.


Credit: Motortrend https://www.motortrend.com/reviews/2...term-update-5/


In all of these cases we have just discussed, mud flaps will be an excellent solution to all of these problems.



Automotive Passion Mud Flaps:

This is where the Automotive Passion Mud Flaps come into play. First let me share some images of my Automotive Passion Mud Flaps. I have the gloss black ABS version, but they also sell a carbon fiber variant as well if you’re interested in a different finish.



Credit: F87Source



Credit: F87Source



Credit: F87Source



So right out of the box this is what you will get when you order the front + rear set of mud flaps:

1) 2 of the smaller front mud flaps
2) 2 of the larger rear mud flaps
3) 5x replacement push rivets (NOTE: you will only be removing 4 push rivets from the fender liners - 2 per side, I suspect they give you an extra one incase you damage one or you mess up like me and punch out 3 rivets instead of 2. Because once you punch out the center pin it falls into the fender and you won’t be able to recover it so they are kind of single use. Pretty much you have 1 backup in case you make a mistake - so do not make the same mistake I did by punching out too many push rivets, but I really do like how they included this extra push rivet).
4) 4x Spacers (these are for the rear mud flaps)
5) 4x screws (these are for the rear mud flaps) that are longer than stock to accommodate the spacers.
6) 4x rubber washers (these are for the rear mud flaps)
7) A business card for Automotive Passion.


So this is what the mud flaps look like and what they come with. Next I would like to examine what makes these mud flaps the best on the market.



What makes these the best Mud Flaps on the Market?:

So the next and most critical question, what makes these mud flaps the best on the market? To answer this question I will be going over a multitude of things, so let's begin:

1) Car specific: Each mud flap was designed to be completely specific to a particular car’s fender. What this means is that fitment is absolutely perfect, and you will not need to do any kind of trimming or fussing with your car’s fender liner to get these to fit. For example the little notch on the front mud flaps are designed to perfectly slot into the fender liner so that the top section can sit between the fender liner and the fender, and the bottom section can sit in front of the fender liner all while the push rivet holes perfectly line up with the holes in the fender and the fender liner:


Credit: F87Source


Credit: F87Source

Note: In this second image I am using a scissor jack purely for additional support, my car is actually being held up via the center jack point using a hydraulic floor jack that is locked into position with my AGM Products jack rod (review here: https://f87.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh...php?p=30320596). So when installing your mud flaps make sure you use the proper lifting equipment if you choose to lift your car up for the install.


2) These mud flaps are completely plug and play: What this means is that these mud flaps do not require you to drill any holes or cut anything on your car. All you do is remove some already existing push rivets and slot these mud flaps in place with some additional 3m VHB tape and put in new push rivets and you are done. You don’t even need to drill holes in the mud flaps like with other brands, all of the holes are already pre drilled for you. This makes installation extremely easy and quick.

Note: These mud flaps also do not require metal support brackets like some competitors out there, this means that there is no chance of these metal brackets potentially corroding over time and leaving your mud flap at risk of falling off.


3) Has a rear mud flap option: Automotive passion includes the option for rear mud flaps. Now this doesn’t sound all that special but it is actually quite a big deal, since the rear fender liners are recessed by a few cm’s relative to the fender itself. This means that you cannot slot the mud flaps between the fender and fender liner making install via this method impossible and you require a spacer mechanism with extended screws instead. A result of this installation hurdle was that a lot of manufacturers do not offer rear mud flaps for the m2 (or other BMW models). So the fact that automotive passion has created the necessary spacers and included longer screws so that they could offer rear mud flaps for these BMW’s is actually quite a big deal, as there are not many alternatives that do so.


Credit: F87Source

As you can see from above the rear fender liner is recessed from the fender itself, so you will require a spacer to make the mudflaps line up with the fender. This is why not many companies offer rear mud flaps for these BMW’s, because they are not easy to design (requires material flexibility and consideration of screw hole movement when the mud flap flexes a certain amount), and then you have to design the spacer and find self-tapping screws of the appropriate length and diameter, then account the spacer’s length in mind as well. So it isn’t a fun job to undertake overall, and that’s likely why not many offer rear mud flaps that fit well and are plug and play and don’t require crazy brackets that take up a lot of space.


4) Flexibility: The ABS mud flaps that I have are extremely flexible, and here are some video clips showing this:


Credit: F87Source


Credit: F87Source


Now the benefit of having this flexibility is in the form of better fitment, because they are able to conform to the fender (which is not straight, they are actually curved) perfectly and allow a cleaner look (no gaps whatsoever). The flexibility also allows them to absorb impacts better, since they are able to give and flex rather than be extremely stiff and brittle. So the probability than any rock impact shatters these mud flaps is little to none.


5) Size: these mud flaps are the absolute perfect size - and I will use the image below to explain what I mean.


Credit: F87Source

Now what I mean by this is that they are narrow where they need to slot into the fender liners (on the right side of the holes you can see the distance to the edge is very small) - this means that they do not stick into the wheel well very far meaning that you don’t reduce any wheel and tire clearance or increase the chance of rubbing (which is super common if you have wider wheels, this is especially true for track cars). This is a massive benefit compared to some of the competitor mud flaps which are really wide blocky square designs and require you to use a plastic screw deep into the fender liner area to secure the mud flap.

But if you notice the outboard region left of the holes are very wide, this gives you the perfect amount of outboard coverage to stop debris from striking the car. The mud flaps also have a bit of extra underhang as well, so protection from rock strikes flying outwards to the outer fender from under the car is also adequate.

So overall, the sizing of these mud flaps and the overall shape is perfect.


Rear:


Credit: F87Source


Credit: F87Source


Credit: F87Source


Front:


Credit: F87Source



Installation Tips:

Ok next I would like to talk about installation and any tips that I have, but first you should watch some of the videos below that automotive passion has posted and this will give you a really good idea on how to install these mud flaps:

Front mud flaps:
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/x7Wq8ZVhI-E

Rear mud flaps:

Now here are my tips for install:

1) The first thing I need to mention is that I could not for the life of me get the rear mud flaps on without taking off the rear wheels, I just didn’t have any tools that were short enough to screw in these rear screws. I could take off the stock bolts, but the provided screws (that are longer than the factory screws to accommodate for the spacer) were too long and there was not enough space between the head of the screw and the tire so I could not fit any tools to screw the screw in (especially since these are self tapping plastic screws and not machine screws, so I could not thread them in by finger). So I suggest just putting the entire car on jack stands and removing the rear wheels before starting the install, this will also allow you to turn the steering wheel without having to start the engine - and you will need to do this to get access to install the front mud flaps. If you don’t want to do this, then at the very least you will need to jack up the rear of the car to remove the rear wheels to install the rear mud flaps. Then when the car is back on the ground you will have to start the engine to rotate the front wheels to full lock so you can install the front mud flaps.

2) Next you will need to do some surface prep on the front and rear fenders before installing the mud flap - this will allow the 3M VHB tape to adhere better and prevent the mud flaps from scratching any paint.

a) The first step is to clay bar the painted surfaces on your fender where you anticipate sticking the fender liner to it. The reason why you need to clay bar this part is because of the amount of debris that will generally hit this area of the car due to the tires (this is also why these painted surfaces are so badly chipped up).

b) The second step after clay barring the surface is to degrease it from any wax or ceramic coating. If you have only used wax you can use simple green or concentrated dish soap to clean off this area. If you have used ceramic coating you might need to use something more potent like silicone remover. Afterwards rinse it off carefully with water.

Note: For the front fender you should also clean the area between the fender liner and the fender. This way when you slot the mud flap between the liner and the fender you do not scratch the paint on the fender by rubbing dirt or debris on the painted surface.

c) The third step after degreasing is to clean this area with isopropyl alcohol to remove any residue left behind by the degreaser.

d) The last step will be to let this area dry and then apply the 3M VHB tape. Then install the fender liner and the associated hardware (push rivets for the front, screws for the rear).


3) One more useful tip is that you don’t need special punch tools to remove the front push rivets. You can use a very small hex key to push out the center rivet. This will prevent any damage to the fender liner or fender that may be associated with using a sharp punch tool or a nail.




Actual images on my M2:

Now I would like to wrap up this review with some images of the mud flaps on my m2:

Credit: F87Source


Credit: F87Source


Credit: F87Source


Credit: F87Source



Summary:

So overall the automotive passion mud flaps are an excellent product fit and finish wise, and IMO are the best mud flaps that you can buy for the m2 or any other BMW. I would highly recommend buying this product if you are a BMW owner, because it offers much needed paint protection for these vehicles.

[F87source]

Automotive Passion has given me a discount code to share with you guys: ap20237

Disclosure: I don't make any comission or money of any kind if you use this discount code, and I don't know how much discount it offers either. But I hope it is helpful for those of you who want to buy some mud flaps