WK2 MY14 No Mud Flaps- is it legal??
 

Took delivery of My MY14 Grand and while at a mate's workshop he said "Is that legal..thought all new 4x4 have to have mud flaps on rear to get compliance"
Well I took a look at the Australian Design Rules 42/04 section 14.2.5 which states "(not less than) 300mm (from the ground) for vehicles designed for off-road use"..Now I measured mine to the lower guard and it's 360mm (no mud flaps as delivered)..Question is Jeep delivering non-compliant unroadworthy 4x4 vehicles??

Every vehicle is complied before it is released to the dealers.

Which means the guy who did the compliance must have missed it.. 300mm and no more than 20º from where the tyre hits the road to thw bottom of the mudflap or guard. Problem is pretty much every vehicle on the road doesn't meet these regs!

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Yep or another $78.00 for Jeep parts..Geting a bit like inkjet printers...Cheap to buy but expensive for the consumables.

We've got a Suzuki Jimny as a second car and it's the same. Mud flaps are an optional extra that we didn't take so it was technically illegal from the day we took it out of the showroom.

It seems that nothing is black or white, only varying shades of grey. There are the rules they have to follow and the ones that don't seem to matter that much. When you see some of the blatantly illegal special JK's that some dealers sell mud flaps are the least of their concerns.

Need not be less?? what dose that mean?

I take this to mean dose not have to be closer to the ground then 230mm (car) or 300mm (4WD)

http://rvcs-prodweb.dot.gov.au/files/4204.pdf

Read that way sort of contradicts

http://users.tpg.com.au/klgreen/comm...4.2.1_Fig2.jpg

Another case of double speak?? If read "can be higher or needs none" then how high & how do you comply with 14.2.1 & 14.2.2 Fig 2 but then I'm confused..You really need to consider section 14.2 as a whole I guess...MY13 ( so I've been told) had mud flaps and MY14 none bit like how the front parking sensors have disappeared..The old "trim the extras....keep the price down" trick and pay a premium to get them back...and on it goes bash plates, tow hooks etc.

Wow I didn't know that there were design regulations for that sort of thing! But I'd say that even if it were technically illegal, I highly doubt that anyone would ever get pulled up for that. Now you've got me thinking about all those Merc and BMW suvs that never have mudflaps - just a full view of their massive fat boots (especially the X5s)!!

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Funny I was sitting behind an X5 yesterday afternoon after reading this thread and pointed it out to the wife. Under new QLD laws thats a hooning offence, get done twice and the cops can impound your vehicle! Would love to see a lawyers new X5 impounded :-)

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I agree, highly unlikely to get pulled for that, and even more so in high end SUV's that aren't likely to be modified.
However, once you add a suspension lift (for those with coils springs not fancy air suspension), then it'll be more obvious that you don't have them. I'd think that if you ever got pulled when when the car was stock standard that you could get away with blaming the dealer but once you modify the vehicle height then you'd not get away with that. It'd then be your responsibility.

The 2011-2013 WK2's come with mudflaps fitted as standard from the factory (it was listed on the factory build sheet I got for mine). Did they stop fitting these to the MY14?

Not in the beginning they didn't. The first group of WK's didn't have mudflaps. After about 6 months they started showing up.

I know of somebody in QLD that got a fine for not having rear mudflaps on a Toyota Landcruiser , the car did have a 2" lift

Not on my Trailhawk they didn't.... and the rear bumper is constantly grubby...

No Dave No!! Never point out a BMW to the wife!! Who knows what that could cost you!! :wink:

:D

Which model did you get? The Laredo never came with front parking sensors, only the limited & overland.

Kev.

I asked at the spares dept and it's a $500 option but eBay $365. Superchicken should be able to clarify, he sells Jeeps.

Well i just removed the rear mudflaps on my MY13.

Took off the winglets from the front air dam as well.

The front mud flaps were removed when the rock rails were fitted, so figured i might as well even it up.

Looks a lot cleaner, and I've also noticed a lot of SUV's without them - the missus tiguan doesn't have any.

Might be an issue after the lift… but I'm willing to chance it.

Why remove the front mudflap...Just cut a shaped hole to allow the rockrail to protrude through...Did this with the Commander and my mates have done the same with their WK2s and I'll do it with mine when I get my rails next week. I'll get a pic of how my mate has done it if you like.

Ah sorry mate - I'm not looking for them. I was asking your model WK2 as the comment you made about Jeep removing the front parking sensors was confusing me - they never have supplied the with the Laredo, only with Limited and overland.

It was more for my info - not kept upto date with MY14 features.

Kev.

I took the original rigid plastic flaps off mu 2013 Laredo and replaced them with flexible rubber ones. They are the same size as the original ones.

The flexible ones are far less likely to get torn off on a track...

Cheers
Numb Thumbs ;)

Kev..I take your point...First time I've owned a Laredo...I've always had Limiteds so it's the way I mistakenly phrased that post..Really meant to point out that Jeep sell the vehicles cheap and then hit you up for the options so to get a vehicle most of us want and consider essential costs a lot more than the list price...Should have left the parking sensor comment bit out and stuck with the reason for this thread...mudflaps and leagal issues.

Did the same with my WH & my Disco 4. Why the manufacturers make rigid mudflaps on an off road vehicle is beyond me.
I found with both vehicles that you only rip them off once......then its make up rubber mudflap time

Cheers, Craig

Took another look at Section 14.2 Fig 2 of the Vehicle Standard (Australian Design Rule 42/04 - General Safety Requirements) 2005 and
decided to take some detailed measurements subsituting 300 mm (offroad) instead of 230mm (car) as shown

Fig 2

http://users.tpg.com.au/klgreen/comm...4.2.1_Fig2.jpg



I measured mine at the 20 degree line as per fig 2 and this is the result (pic is a bit skewed so look slightly less but is a protractor measured 20 deg)


http://users.tpg.com.au/klgreen/comm...d_Flaps+20.jpg

1. 200 mm on the 20 degrees
2. 300 mm (section 14.2.5)
3. Guard is at 380 mm no load

Legal or not that is the question and what do I tell the lawman??..No rude suggestions...Seriously is Chrysler/Jeep puilling a fast one on us.???.

This is from QLD Vehicle Standards Code of Practice

Kind of clarifies ADR 42/04 Section 14.2.5 with the "does not exceed"

If you can remember, where did you get the flexible ones from.... What brand are they ?

Supercheap, and I cut them to size. They were the large off road ones from memory. I used the original ones as patterns. I have just finished the Davannah Way, Gibb River Road, TNami and Oodnadatta Track and they are still there.

Cheers
Numb Thumbs ;)

I didn't do Tanami but did the rest last year and my stock Jeep ones are just fine. They're roads, not tracks, whence it comes too ripping off mudflaps. Not sure they'd survive real high country type trails though.