RPI Designs Splash Guard Installation and Review

Hey Guys,

I installed my RPI Designs splash guards about a week ago. I really didn't want to run splash guards, but I also didn't want to apply stoneguard to the entire side of the car. I noticed a lot of rock chips even at only about 1000 miles so I figured I would compromise and get these to save the body of the car. :shrug:

Installation.

FRONT

Here are the contents of the kit:
20150523_123028.jpg

You need to remove these three push pins. Use a thin flat head screwdriver. Start from the outside of the pin (where the notch/groove is) and work the screwdriver towards the center of the pin and pry it out. It is a two piece part - male and female - if you work the male part of pin halfway out, you can pull the whole thing as one piece by prying the female part out. The male part when all the way installed spreads the female pin end to hold it in place (sounds dirty lol).
20150523_122943.jpg
20150523_123342.jpg
20150523_123349.jpg
20150523_123442.jpg

Line up the splash guard to the holes with the rough side facing the wheel. The fronts will not fit on the rear and the rear will not fit on the front, so you shouldn't confuse the two. Once lined up, reinstall your 3 push pins (both the male and female install into the flap). Use the supplied U-clip to hold the top edge of the flap in place - the "teeth" end must go onto the metal side of the wheel well, not onto the flap.

Here they are installed:
20150523_124114.jpg


REAR

You have to remove the rear wheels to install the rear flaps. Once removed you will see 3 push pins that you will utilize. The kit makes it seem like there are 4 (since there is one re-usable one and 3 screws), but I'll be damned if I could find that fourth one...

Remove these pins (the entire bottom right one, and JUST THE MALE PART for the upper two):
20150523_125653.jpg

Like this:
20150523_125846.jpg

Where is the last one???
20150523_125658.jpg

Line up the flap to the rear (with the rough side facing the wheel again). You will reuse the bottom right push pin the same way as the front. The upper two on the outer edge will have the screw drilled into the female part of the pin (order goes cupped spacer installed onto the screw, screw put through the flap, spacer on the other side of the flap, screw into the female part of the pin). You may need to cut the spacer down a bit to make the splash guard sit flush with the wheel well - otherwise it leaves a gap.

20150523_130017.jpg

Here it is installed:

20150523_133733.jpg

I ended up just running the last screw into the wheel well liner to get it to hold, there was nowhere else for it to install into. I did not use the spacer for this, it has held up fine since and I didn't drill into something I shouldn't have on the other side

Finishing touches - the fronts looked good enough but I deliberately pushed the tops of the rear splash guards into the wheel wells (I didn't want it to stick out like the fronts). I used some thin double sided tape to help secure the flaps to both the front and the rear, and to make sure the top of the rear flaps don't move around too much.

Here are the pictures of them installed (the are actually hard to see in person as well)

Excellent write up and review.

Review:

At $50, the kit isn't really a bad price for splash guards. When you get the kit you will probably be disappointed with what you see - it just don't look very "manufactured". The cuts on the flaps seem good enough and clean - although mine came in a box marked with a "GM" label, so I suspect they are just modified from GM flaps. The hardware is simple, but the spacers look very cheap. All in all, they are all functional and do what they are supposed to, and you don't see the spacers once installed, so it doesn't really matter. The fact the flaps are thin make them seem cheap, but being so thin makes them quite stealthy, which I like. The only thing I would have really liked is a less shiny material on the back side, I wish it was a little more flat like the factory exterior plastic trim. Maybe doing a spray of Plasti-Dip would help before install?

Either way, 50 bucks is cheap for splash guards, and these are well enough designed to get the job done. I'd rather have some minor quibbles on fit and finish on the flaps than blasted sides and rear haunches. They really don't look that bad though, but they're definitely not 100% OEM looking when you get up close to take a good look. Installation was pretty easy though.

I'd say until something better comes out, if you don't want to mess around with modifying universal flaps, this isn't a bad route. My time is worth something, and up here in Canada we don't have the selection of parts like the USA does - I couldn't find a set of flaps that fit like the other tutorials did, we just don't have those parts up here in my city.

I can't seem to figure out how to make attachments not show up on the bottom of the post, and how to make the attachment links in the post show up as pictures, not a hotlink...so if anyone can help with that...?

Copy the direct link from a photo sharing site then place where you want.

I agree, don't look too bad at all. I decided to do the rockers, including behind rear tires, when I installed my suntek clear bra. Couldn't find flaps.

dfrost said:

I agree, don't look too bad at all. I decided to do the rockers, including behind rear tires, when I installed my suntek clear bra. Couldn't find flaps.

Click to expand...

The lower rockers seem to be taking the bulk of the beating, can't comment on the front of the rear fender (in front of the rear tire) as I did have stone guard put on there, why they didn't extend it down to the rocker at least is beyond me...I thought that was pretty much implied.

I do have a few chips on the doors, so the car is not immune. Keep an eye on it I guess.

I covered half the hood, entire front bumper, both sides from door crease down and behind rear tire and top of rear bumper.

RevvdMedia said:

Hey Guys,

I installed my RPI Designs splash guards about a week ago. I really didn't want to run splash guards, but I also didn't want to apply stoneguard to the entire side of the car. I noticed a lot of rock chips even at only about 1000 miles so I figured I would compromise and get these to save the body of the car. :shrug:

Installation.

FRONT

Here are the contents of the kit:
20150523_123028.jpg

You need to remove these three push pins. Use a thin flat head screwdriver. Start from the outside of the pin (where the notch/groove is) and work the screwdriver towards the center of the pin and pry it out. It is a two piece part - male and female - if you work the male part of pin halfway out, you can pull the whole thing as one piece by prying the female part out. The male part when all the way installed spreads the female pin end to hold it in place (sounds dirty lol).
20150523_122943.jpg
20150523_123342.jpg
20150523_123349.jpg
20150523_123442.jpg

Line up the splash guard to the holes with the rough side facing the wheel. The fronts will not fit on the rear and the rear will not fit on the front, so you shouldn't confuse the two. Once lined up, reinstall your 3 push pins (both the male and female install into the flap). Use the supplied U-clip to hold the top edge of the flap in place - the "teeth" end must go onto the metal side of the wheel well, not onto the flap.

Here they are installed:
20150523_124114.jpg


REAR

You have to remove the rear wheels to install the rear flaps. Once removed you will see 3 push pins that you will utilize. The kit makes it seem like there are 4 (since there is one re-usable one and 3 screws), but I'll be damned if I could find that fourth one...

Remove these pins (the entire bottom right one, and JUST THE MALE PART for the upper two):
20150523_125653.jpg

Like this:
20150523_125846.jpg

Where is the last one???
20150523_125658.jpg

Line up the flap to the rear (with the rough side facing the wheel again). You will reuse the bottom right push pin the same way as the front. The upper two on the outer edge will have the screw drilled into the female part of the pin (order goes cupped spacer installed onto the screw, screw put through the flap, spacer on the other side of the flap, screw into the female part of the pin). You may need to cut the spacer down a bit to make the splash guard sit flush with the wheel well - otherwise it leaves a gap.

20150523_130017.jpg

Here it is installed:

20150523_133733.jpg

I ended up just running the last screw into the wheel well liner to get it to hold, there was nowhere else for it to install into. I did not use the spacer for this, it has held up fine since and I didn't drill into something I shouldn't have on the other side

Finishing touches - the fronts looked good enough but I deliberately pushed the tops of the rear splash guards into the wheel wells (I didn't want it to stick out like the fronts). I used some thin double sided tape to help secure the flaps to both the front and the rear, and to make sure the top of the rear flaps don't move around too much.

Click to expand...

Thanks for the details and pics