How are your Monster Mats?

[Alan]

Ah ha! Has your monster mat split right through at the base of one of the ribs?

Spot on Borris
Me being a tight a#*s I think I’ll hang onto them until next winter

 

[Borris]

Spot on Borris
Me being a tight a#*s I think I’ll hang onto them until next winter

I'm thinking of sticking a giant reinforced rubber patch on the underside. That should please us tight wad types. My other reason for doing this is that firstly there's nothing wrong with the other 99% of the mat and secondly I doubt if any new replacements will be any better.

 

[Jonathan Duke]

Approaching 50,000 KMs - Monster Mats installed from new (since January 2017) and still look to be in perfect condition.

150PS Manual Beach.

 

[Ocean Spirit]

Much of it is going to depend on the compound of the soles of your footwear. The softer material will be sacrificially worn out.

 

[Borris]

Update: I'm now on my third set of Monsters in two and a half years. The latest set split on the passenger side where they don't get any wear. The upstand flap that protects the carpet on the wheel arch had split off. Once again replaced free of charge without quibble by SMG Tonbridge.

The name implies a set of rugged mats that will withstand all sorts. The reality is that they are the worst rubber car mats I've ever had. Still as long as they keep getting replaced for free I'll persevere.

 

[Jonathan Duke]

Strange..... I gave my Cali a bit of a clean-out, after a drunken, muddy, music festival weekend a couple of weekends ago..... I've had my MMs in from day 1, and now have over 42,000 miles on the clock.... And after a power-hose / clean, the MMs still look like new.

 

[Amarillo]

Strange..... I gave my Cali a bit of a clean-out, after a drunken, muddy, music festival weekend a couple of weekends ago..... I've had my MMs in from day 1, and now have over 42,000 miles on the clock.... And after a power-hose / clean, the MMs still look like new.

We are still on our first set, but like Boris, the upstand on the passenger side has split off. Must be the stilettos Mrs Amarillo wears for travelling to campsites.

 

[Borris]

Strange..... I gave my Cali a bit of a clean-out, after a drunken, muddy, music festival weekend a couple of weekends ago..... I've had my MMs in from day 1, and now have over 42,000 miles on the clock.... And after a power-hose / clean, the MMs still look like new.

Yes it is strange, especially as the passenger seat is often empty. When it is it's usually occupied by my wife who is quite small but beautifully marked!

 

[MattBW]

May be a quality control issue rather than all mats being duffers.

 

[rippers]

Our VW monster mats where useless, lasted a few months the ribs worn/broke down and as the ribs where hollow the water got through to the floor, they also ripped between the foot rest. The rubber was made of far too soft compound on ours. Fixed them a few times with black silicon /tiger seal from underneath and eventually replaced them with the VW Rubber flat mats and they are still perfect and been taken with us onto our forth California now!

 

[SimonB]

Like @MattBW I also wonder about the quality control. It doesn't seem that they all fail, just a number of them. Unfortunately we don't have any idea of what percentage fail.
I wonder if storage could be an issue too. Are they stored in unsuitable conditions before being sold, possibly. We have had ours since October 2015 and they still seem to be fine.

 

[Trebor]

I purchased a set of monster mats when we bought our Cali. I liked the look of them because they looked well made and able to prevent any mud, water and grit getting to the carpets. Unfortunately, I have only driven 16000 miles and they have recently started to allow water through to the carpet beneath. One of the ribs has split where my left heel makes contact with the floor. Apart from this issue the mats are like new. Very disappointing.
I recently tried to order a new set but was told that they are no longer available. What are they supplying instead? Have you had trouble with your monsters?

Hi Borris mine are falling apart too after 20 k miles . Not very monster .

 

[Trebor]

Thanks. That is exactly the same as on mine. Until I can get new ones I have placed a plastic bag underneath.
I see that like me, you also have a manual gearbox Cali. Perhaps this issue only effects manuals. I am now wondering what to get to replace the now discontinued monster mats.

Mine dsg and just the same Borris . Think I’ll get some from LidlyAldi they’ll be better quality !

 

[Doorbundle]

Monster Mats (Hollow Ribs) drivers side footrest flap almost split off after under 4000 miles in under a years ownership and light use. Repaired (for now) using Weldtite Rubber solution and strips of rubber puncture patch. If this is successful I will reinforce underneath the join with Gorilla tape when set. Overall I am disappointed with the lack of longevity of this product that came with the Cali. Will replace them with ordinary mats which may be more flexible / durable.

 

[Sandyvan]

Mine just disintegrated, the rubber fell apart.

 

[larrylamb]

4 years and 22k miles, still like new. Guess it's a lottery.

 

[Borris]

Update: I had three sets of Monsters in three and a half years in our previous van. That van was a Beach manual and if it wasn't for the fact the two of those pairs were free replacements, I'd have given up on them long ago.

This week we are collecting a new Beach dsg. I have again asked for a set of Monsters purely as an experiment. With the manual the heel of my left foot was constantly in contact with the mat and acting as a pivot point when operating the clutch hence the wear/early failure on the Monsters. With the dsg my left foot will be idle therefore these mats should last forever. We shall see!

 

[Andy]

Update: I had three sets of Monsters in three and a half years in our previous van. That van was a Beach manual and if it wasn't for the fact the two of those pairs were free replacements, I'd have given up on them long ago.

This week we are collecting a new Beach dsg. I have again asked for a set of Monsters purely as an experiment. With the manual the heel of my left foot was constantly in contact with the mat and acting as a pivot point when operating the clutch hence the wear/early failure on the Monsters. With the dsg my left foot will be idle therefore these mats should last forever. We shall see!

My first set on my dsg wore through under my right heal. Will see what replacement ones are like & how they last.

Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk

 

[SimonB]

I'm still on my first set of Monster Mats. 26,000 miles over 4 years and 2 Calis and they are still like new. Both our Calis have been DSG. I always wear light, soft soled shoes for driving, it improves fuel consumption and I found in heavier shoes I sometimes got pedal overlap.
It doesn't seem to be a consistent failure of all of them so perhaps it is a quality control issue or different mixes of rubber when they make them.

 

[Teejay]

34k, DSG, 3 years old, look good as new

 

[Moose]

Driver mat fine, passenger started splitting on the fold on the inner wheel arch after 6mts so stuck it with gaffer tape, now separated completely suppose I really should have taken them back at the time

 

[TripleBee]

I have the original rubber mats from VW. 10 years, 142000 km, just some marks from the heels, but still in good shape.
If I wouldn't have cruise control, I think my heel would have been through the rubber already.
Just dead simple to clean with a jet washer.
Mine came without mats in the first place. I never thought of buying fabric mats. And certainly not in the pale grey like the floormat.

 

[Ocean Spirit]

Still good just under 21,000 miles and 2 years on.
Wear probably amounts to your shoes being harder material than the mats?

 

[Ocean Spirit]

38,000 miles now and just coming up for 4 years old, thought it might be worth an update.

 

[SimonB]

I've had mine since October 2015 and have done about 35,000 miles over 2 Californias and mine look like this too. The light grey carpet around it doesn't look so good though. Some marks from the reddish Somerset mud that never completely comes out.