2010 mudflaps OEM or aren't they?

I just got some mudflaps for the 2010 from the pruis chat store. I threw out the package but recall they did say toyota on them. They were easy to install, but required drilling a few small holes through the inside edge of "plastic" fenders. I suppose self tapping would have worked, but a small hole had to be made also thru the fender liners so the end of the screw didn't push away the liner from the fender. No need to take off any of the wheels. They are a bit on the small side but from the pix the euro ones looked much bigger than I wanted. I simply wanted functional mudflaps to keep some of the wet road mess off the lower part of the car. They are functional.

 

Drilling is only in plastic, not metal, and takes no time.

 

We recently bought the Euro style mudflaps from PriusChat. Stickers on the bubble plastic bags say "Toyota Accessories", "Toyota Motor Europe", Made in France.

 

I just installed today Toyota 2010 OEM flaps bought from Toyota dealer on ebay. They are smallish and overpriced, but look nice (kind of hard to notice). Very easy to install, but require drilling small holes in plastic for extra screws.

 

For some unknown reason Toyota USA does not recognize mudflaps. When I bought my 04 I had to order them from a Canadian dealer where they were standard equipment. When I got my GIII I bought the euro style and they were made in France. Guess they don't have any mud around their So Cal headquarters.

 

My question is...Do the mud flaps actually work? From the pics they look very small and I'm wondering if they actually keep the sides of the cars clean? From what I remember from the mud flaps I put on my 08 the side of the car still got a little bit of debris splashed on it? Can somebody post a pic of the usa mudflap vs. the european mudflap, thanks!

 

Sure they work, but they don't keep ALL the mud off the rear fenders. I suppose you could get some at a truck stop that would be totally effective, but (without any scientific basis), I bet they would play havoc with your fuel efficiency.

 

These will work. They are 24" x 24", just cut them down a bit to fit your Prius.

 

You don't need to drill the rear ones. If you press on the screw as you turn it, it will make it's own hole. On thin ductile material like the inner fender plastic, that method leaves more material for the screw to grip. I used a small ratcheting right angle screwdriver and didn't have to take the rear tires off to get a good shot at the holes.

I bought the Euro size flaps first and they looked to big for my taste, I exchanged them for the US sized flaps with no hassle at the Prius Chat Store. A good place to buy Prius stuff.

There was nothing wrong with the Euro sized flaps and some may prefer them, there is no doubt they give better coverage.

 

I got mine from the Toyota Dealer - they had them in stock. They are the smaller ones which I like because they are barely noticable. They are severly overpriced and both front and rears came with screws for where there wasn't a screw hole. They also came with and metal clips to place over the plastic that the screws screwed into.

I have a Dremmel tool with a 90 degree attachment that allowed me to drill a small pilot hole for the new screws. Total time was 12 minutes to install all 4.

 

Just installed the euros tonight & love the way they look. Didn't drill, just self-tapped them. Although the middle screw for the rears was tricky since the tire was so close. I just used a long screwdriver.

We live off a gravel road and have gravel driveways, so aside from the constant mud and rain (yay pacific nw!), I hope it will help reduce the gravel from dinging the paint-- something that's started to happen with my truck.

Eric

 

just got my US versions from Prius chat, they did say toyota on the bags. they look very easy to install. they come with the self taping screws and the metal tabs they screw into. a very easy install for sure. I also plan to add a bit of black silicon caulking to help secure them and to coat the screws and the metal tabs.