How many splash shields have you replaced?

[MAZDA Kitten]

Ughhhhh I hate this thing! Today I had to replace another one! And at $128 a pop (plus the nuts and bolts $17) I am wondering if there is any alternatives (like an alumium one or something??)
I had gone through three already!! :flaming

[ZeroChalk]

0? are you ripping it out because your lowered?

[Zoom Zoom Boy]

MK,

Is your car significantly lowered and you have been bottoming out? I haven't replaced a single one, but my MZ3 and MS3 ride at stock height.

[Krakor]

Or are you not seeing the curbs?

Ha!

Just kitting...

Did you get that one?

:chuckle

[btown-mazda]

I'm on my 3rd splash shield already. I feel you pain MK

[Cardinal Fang]

Still on my first one. Then again....I'm not lowered.

[MAZDA Kitten]

I have never bottomed out. I'm dropped on Tein S-Techs (2") and I have never hit anything (except an ice chunk like 2 winters ago but I replaced that sheild already). I dont know!

[MAZDA Kitten]

Or are you not seeing the curbs?

Ha!

Just kitting...

Did you get that one?

:chuckle

Nyuk nyuk nyukkkkk LOL
I've only drove into the curb once which caused my fake GV lip to crack in half. waaaaaaaaaaaaaa...

[06Touring3]

Mine is ripped (Thanks Whitby Mazda) but I have never bothered to replace it. ESPECIALLY not for $128

[skunk2]

im dropped on prokits and have had my share of scrapes and running things over but never had it destroyed. make sure when the replacement is installed that it's tucked in on the bottom portion of the front bumper so it does not get caught and ripped when you hit something.

[MAZDA Kitten]

Oh my bumper is cracked LOL I am so bad. I dont know how these things happen! The mechanics called me over so I got to see the car on the hoist and my poor car is so shalacked. They thought I hit an animal LOLLLl :chuckle

[skunk2]

what you need is a skidplate and a ram bar :)

[Darkfrosty7]

i've had to replace mine only once, and that was because i was stupid enough to drift in the winter with ice mashing it up. we should have a gb for a stronger one ;P

[cwp_sedan]

I damaged one on the Gardiner when I hit some object I tried to straddle. It damaged the metal support bar on the rear of the splash shield but I was able to bend it somewhat back in place. Other than that I haven't damaged it. I am no lowered though.

[dentinger]

i took mine off ages ago. havent had a problem since lol

[Hives]

if you keep damaging it, then just take it off. No big need for it anyway.

[Zoom Zoom Boy]

Oh my bumper is cracked LOL I am so bad. I dont know how these things happen! The mechanics called me over so I got to see the car on the hoist and my poor car is so shalacked. They thought I hit an animal LOLLLl :chuckle

Hopefully not a kitten... :) In any case, sorry to hear about the bumper and at least you weren't hurt if you did in fact hit something.

That said, to keep in the vein of some other threads on this forum of late, maybe you really should start complaining about Mazda's cheap ass quality, cost cutting and design. LOL

[MAZDA Kitten]

if you keep damaging it, then just take it off. No big need for it anyway.

Really??? I keep hearing otherwise. I thought it protects your tranny or something like that. :blush

[Flagrum_3]

Ughhhhh I hate this thing! Today I had to replace another one! And at $128 a pop (plus the nuts and bolts $17) I am wondering if there is any alternatives (like an alumium one or something??)
I had gone through three already!! :flaming

That's quite weird Kitty! I'm dropped on pro-kits, so not quite as low as you, but other then some battle scars on the plate :chuckle, it's still there! and in good shape.Oh and still the original :)

You sure you haven't been lowering the wildlife count in your area? :chuckle


_3

[condor888000]

Really??? I keep hearing otherwise. I thought it protects your tranny or something like that. :blush

Honestly...a plastic sheet won't do anything. The metal case of the tranny would be far stronger.

[FLIPDADY]

I've seen many people running without the shields.

[Dreamliner]

Why not go to a junk yard and get one instead of paying so much?

[Thrizzl3]

what if you have half a splash shield lol?

[DumpInfo]

Am already on my second one. At the time I wasn't lowered and now am so hopefully the cycle doesn't continue often.

[froggy]

took mine off when I did my oil change. like said above if you hit anything hard enough to punch a hole in it it's not going to protect anything. More than anything it's probably there to act as an aerodynamic aid to reduce turbulence under the car. So that the air doesn't swirl and eddy when it comes under the front bumper into the engine bay. It probably does work and It might save you 0.1 % or something on gas mileage. for $128 you'd have to drive a lot to make that up in gas savings

[McGuyver_3]

awww i cannot vote
I replaced 0 lol mine lasted pretty much 3 3/4 the lifespan since i owned it. When i replaced my clutch is when i ended up just leaving it off lol

[SL3VIN]

I have a 2004 Mazda 3 GT sport and I haven't gone through a single one... still on the original. Just drive carefully and watch out for the curb when you park.

[mazda lover]

Why not go to a junk yard and get one instead of paying so much?

good point, if you can find a M3 in the junk yard..

[froggy]

Hmm I wonder if there are other members on here who have taken there's off as well and might be willing to sell there's? If I decide not to put if back on for the winter I'll probably end up selling it if anyone needs/wants one.

[bluemazda3]

gone thru 0 and on prokits..

[condor888000]

My only concern with leaving it off is if the wheel well plastic flapped in and hit something. It's fairly flexible.

[MAZDA Kitten]

That's quite weird Kitty! I'm dropped on pro-kits, so not quite as low as you, but other then some battle scars on the plate :chuckle, it's still there! and in good shape.Oh and still the original :)

You sure you haven't been lowering the wildlife count in your area? :chuckle


_3

LOLLLLLLLL nahhh I'm an animal lover! I stop for mice (when its safe). :whoa

Well next time its fakked up I'm just gonna leave it off. Pssshtt..

[Dave_The_BMXER]

Ya mine is long gone. Never came with it when i got it.

[wikdslo]

It IS there for a reason.

Hunks of rock and Ice? May not help MUCH, but I'd much rather a large hunk of stone smash off my plastic splashguard rather than my transmission housing directly.

For smaller stuff? I'd much rather have small stones stay under my car than bounce up into my engine bay and get into the serpentine belt system.

Otherwise, it helps to keep your engine bay cleaner.

[p-o-g-i]

I'm still using the original shield. My '07 is lowered on h- tech's. So far; so good... (knocking on wood).

[Wes08M3]

The most important function of the splash shield (at least IMO) is to protect the OIL PAN. The oil pan on our cars is aluminum which can be easily cracked (more easily than a steel oil pan anyway). If a large rock or chunk of ice were to hit the oil pan and cause it to crack and the oil leaks out... well you know what would happen with little or no engine oil.

So the splash shield does provide extra security. Better to pay $128 than pay for a new motor.

[marvin24k]

None yet (keeps fingers crossed)

[wikdslo]

Doesn't someone make an aftermarket skid plate? I won't buy one since I'm riding stock height... but for those of you who are lowered, even the lumps in the road made by buses where they stop can wipe you out pretty good.

[froggy]

Doesn't someone make an aftermarket skid plate? I won't buy one since I'm riding stock height... but for those of you who are lowered, even the lumps in the road made by buses where they stop can wipe you out pretty good.

you can see if one of those diamond plate truck skid plates will fit under there, but those will probably cost much more than $128, and might require modification to fit. They will also be much heavier but if you intend to rally race with your 3 then i'd get it otherwise screw it

[jaimie08mazda3]

alright lets start this off. 1st one i got from the dealership when i bought the car lasted erm maybe 7 months so i had to buy another one. then i had my car smashed so they had to put on a new one. sooooo im on my third one woohoo.

[jaimie08mazda3]

OHHHHHHH and one on a rental mazda3 :D. but see whoever said that it helps it from rocks hitting it.. not true. i went right into a stone and it killed the tranny lol

[Wes08M3]

OHHHHHHH and one on a rental mazda3 :D. but see whoever said that it helps it from rocks hitting it.. not true. i went right into a stone and it killed the tranny lol

lol must have been quite a large stone

[jaimie08mazda3]

yea it was.. going down a 10 ft ditch hitting a large rock and a tree. wow

[Wes08M3]

Pretty crazy. I don't think any kind of skid plate would have helped you there.

[jaimie08mazda3]

nope.. thankfully it was a rental car so i didnt care as much haha

[Luxury_Tax]

Still on my first, but it has some pieces missing from when I slid last winter and ended up partially mounting a curb. The damage is not that noticeable though. If the dealership says something when I turn in my lease, then I may have to replace it, but otherwise I'm keeping quite. I'd rather save my $128.

[Shawn]

I wonder how much to make a CF shield? Mine is cracked and cut, but not ready to replace it yet as it still bolts up.

[wikdslo]

OHHHHHHH and one on a rental mazda3 :D. but see whoever said that it helps it from rocks hitting it.. not true. i went right into a stone and it killed the tranny lol

It's a splash guard, not the shield of Herakles...

You went into a ditch.

I'm referring to hunks of asphalt on the road, random hunks of ice, etc.

Not coming to a dead stop on top of a boulder because you slid off the road.

[marvin24k]

It's a splash guard, not the shield of Herakles...

You went into a ditch.

I'm referring to hunks of asphalt on the road, random hunks of ice, etc.

Not coming to a dead stop on top of a boulder because you slid off the road.

:chuckle

[jaimie08mazda3]

It's a splash guard, not the shield of Herakles...

You went into a ditch.

I'm referring to hunks of asphalt on the road, random hunks of ice, etc.

Not coming to a dead stop on top of a boulder because you slid off the road.

oh i know i just was having fun with that statement :P. and hercules i think you mean:chuckle. well with teh first one i bottomed out onto manhole... it was stupid.

[wikdslo]

and hercules i think you mean:chuckle.

I hope you're joking with that statement too.....

[jaimie08mazda3]

not really. Lets just what happened was the scariest thing i ever encountered. well one of them anyway. 4:30 AM hit black ice and go 10 ft down into a ditch with a rental car. its amazing though how much these cost! With this one the rock smashed the transmission and the Radiator and broke the axle with the tree

[Flagrum_3]

I hope you're joking with that statement too.....

I don't think he knows who Herakles was, as probably many here have not read the fables :chuckle

Also to add to your list of objects; i.e; asphalt, ice etc; ...Watch out for large discarded tuna cans folks! :chuckle


_3

[mzkaye729]

What the hell !? $128 per splash shield !?

I think I'll just leave mine alone even though the passenger front side splash shield is cracked and hanging dangerously...

[Fayvir]

Just cracked my first one :( off a ditch going up a steep driveway..it's dangling now..=\

[Cab0oze]

Ummm... never. I have no idea how you guys keep losing these things. Although, if you dont do your own oil changes, they will periodically lose your mounting hardware. When i bought my 2004 mz3, it was down to 4 bolts. I went to home depot and got an extra one to see if it fit ok - it didnt really so i didn't buy more, but it did do the job, and I never lost it.
The one on my speed is still there too...

Why is there no poll option for 0?