[khoj]

Err sorry to drag this out but 3M matting has been available for donkey's years now and has been extensively sold in B2B channels, institutional sales etc. followed by the furnishing stores. From what I remember the emahendra site too has been selling these for the better part of a decade now. This product did not exactly set the furnishing retail market on fire 'cause it was marketed as a better doormat and well there was a Universe full of cheaper alternatives.

I bought these for the first time nearly two decades ago from a furnishing store, usage being as longish foot mat/carpet(for the want of a better word) in our office entrance and common passageways. From there home was next and much later (in my case) in to the car's trunk as a boot mat.

It is only now after the opening of the 3M car care centres coupled with the boom in the automotive market and a change in profile of the car owners themselves (younger, more receptive to new ideas, with higher disposable incomes so on and so forth) that these have started becoming popular.

Nevertheless, it is good of you to have put in your review and also on Sankar's part to have provided the link. It will go a long way in helping involved car owners in having cleaner cabins and avoiding foul odours that come glove in hand with dirty interiors. Here's the link again for convenience sake http://emahendra.com/68-matting

Originally Posted by KarthikK

Thanks. I stand corrected Nomad came later than the others. Just that they probably are better now than other brands were.

Thanks for the link Sankar . This will be convenient for people who want to choose the required length and do DIY jobs themselves.

[sameerg001]

Though the mats are great no doubt for everyday use. I guess you paid a bit too high price for the same, Recently i got the same mats universal size for i20 for 800/-, They do fit in quite well and for the price paid, I find them bang for the buck.

Much better then those 3d and fabric mats, If we look at practicality purpose.

Cheers,
Sameer

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by sameerg001

Though the mats are great no doubt for everyday use. I guess you paid a bit too high price for the same, Recently i got the same mats universal size for i20 for 800/-, They do fit in quite well and for the price paid, I find them bang for the buck.

Much better then those 3d and fabric mats, If we look at practicality purpose.

Cheers,
Sameer

That's also too much actually. Most local furnishing shops will give you per metre, and you could cut it yourself and save almost half that price.

But 3m being 3m, commands a premium while offering a better quality of material and custom-fit workmanship. Whether the extra money paid is worth the difference in quality is a matter of individual perception. You could happily get the car washed at the neighbourhood shop for 100, while others could pay 500 for a 3m foam wash- Its individual tastes which makes them decide which is more value for money.

[ashphil]

Thank you Karthikk for this lovely review. Just what I need for my Gypsy!
Regards,
Ashok

[moralfibre]

Karthik, your thread couldn't have come at a better time. The rubber mats in my Swift have two holes in them due to wear and tear. This is the first time I came across a need to replace mats in any car that I have owned.

I am against 3D mats because they are stiff, difficult to take out of the car without dropping things, very very very very expensive for something under the foot. Aesthetics aside, I don't think those mats at Rs. 5,000 ++ make sense in the car.

Coming to the 3M mats, I have seen similar mats being used as door mats at my workplace. When the house keeping staff decide to clean them up, it kicks up a dust storm. Wouldn't frequent cleaning be required as the mats by design seem to be a storing place for all grime and muck? How good is the grip when the shoe sole is wet? I had a bad experience when my foot slipped over the floor mat once.

[KarthikK]

Originally Posted by moralfibre

I am against 3D mats because they are stiff, difficult to take out of the car without dropping things, very very very very expensive for something under the foot. Aesthetics aside, I don't think those mats at Rs. 5,000 ++ make sense in the car.

I absolutely agree. They are very good-looking and ambience-enhancing, but they are not practical in any sense. Even the beauty of 3D mats is gone after 1-2 times of taking out the car with clean mats. The dirt just stays there until you wash them again.

Coming to the 3M mats, I have seen similar mats being used as door mats at my workplace. When the house keeping staff decide to clean them up, it kicks up a dust storm.

And that, is the difference between 3M products and other imitation products. 3M Nomad will not drop the impurities it absorbed unless you physically take out the mats and turn them upside down and shake. From what I have observed of 3M v/s non-3M noodle mats, 3M is slightly thicker and has more layers of the noodle loops. To test this, pour a full glass of water into a non-3M mat (regular footmat). If you press down with your shoe, it will pickup the water and become wet. Doing this with a 3M mat, your shoes will still be bone dry.

Wouldn't frequent cleaning be required as the mats by design seem to be a storing place for all grime and muck?

That is itself the answer. Since it is a storing place for grime and muck, you don't need frequent cleaning. The nomad mats have multiple layers of the noodle loops. The dust goes down underneath the layers and will be completely hidden. Nothing will be visible on the top of the mats even if used for weeks together. Another advantage 3M claims of this trapping is - none of the dust will get circulated when the A/C is used in the re-circulation mode. You can take them out and dust them once a week or so. The amount of dust they can trap and hide is incredible.

How good is the grip when the shoe sole is wet? I had a bad experience when my foot slipped over the floor mat once.

They have more than satisfactory grip levels compared to regular fabric or rubber mats. Since it (noodle pattern) is not a smooth surface, I've not faced any slipping issues at all. 3D would still be better on grip levels (I observe this on my Linea) since they have that ribbed area under the foot pedals.

[guyfrmblr]

Thanks for the excellent review Karthik. I have lost faith in the 3D Kagu mats. The driver side mat lasted for only 6 months in my car whereas the Hyundai OEM mat lasted for almost an year. I have no plans to change the mats for next 6 months since I have invested close to 5K on those Kagu mats . Please update this thread regularly. I'll plan for these 3M mats depending upon your usage feedback.

[IndigoXLGrandDi]

Originally Posted by KarthikK

And when fitted in the car, this is how it looks
Attachment 1078634

Attachment 1078635

Why are these three pedals in duo colours?
Have they been worn out that way or some other reason behind that?

[sameerg001]

Originally Posted by IndigoXLGrandDi

Why are these three pedals in duo colours?
Have they been worn out that way or some other reason behind that?

No, man these are the sports pedal which comes standard with punto 90hp sport

Looks awesome in person.

[IndigoXLGrandDi]

Originally Posted by sameerg001

No, man these are the sports pedal which comes standard with punto 90hp sport

Looks awesome in person.

But the pedal is half silver and half black. Hence I asked why are they in duo colours.
The Sports Pedals should be full silver.
Also from the pics it looks like there is some kind of unevenness on the pedal. The silver part looks higher than adjacent black part. Hence I thought the silver part might be worn out for that area.

[KarthikK]

Originally Posted by IndigoXLGrandDi

Why are these three pedals in duo colours?
Have they been worn out that way or some other reason behind that?

Originally Posted by IndigoXLGrandDi

But the pedal is half silver and half black. Hence I asked why are they in duo colours.
The Sports Pedals should be full silver.

That's not due to wearing out. They are not dual color either, the material itself is different - they are 80% metal and 20% rubber. The black part is rubber. The pedals have some amount of rubber to provide better grip for the shoes. Full metal pedals can be slippery and difficult to grip with wet shoes. Having a rubber strip along the length of the pedal solves that problem.

Also from the pics it looks like there is some kind of unevenness on the pedal. The silver part looks higher than adjacent black part. Hence I thought the silver part might be worn out for that area.

Nope, there is no unevenness. The silver and black part are both on the same level, otherwise the pedals will be an ergonomic disaster and will cause pain in the feet when using .

Those pictures were taken from an oblique angle (to highlight the mat fitting, not pedals ) and hence might look misleading. Here's a close-up picture of the pedals from my ownership review thread :

[HammerHead]

Thanks for sharing. Keeping in mind rainy season ahead, I would surely give it a try with these 3M mats. Right now I have official Fiat mats and I think they would help me cut out perfect shape/size out of 3M material.

Before deciding I would also check out how they are aesthetically.

[sagarpadaki]

What is the price per square feet of this mats? From the opening post i could only make out that the price is pro rate. But what is the cost of a unit ?

[aka_iitd]

Originally Posted by Sankar

Here are some pics of the mats in the rear..

Thanks Sankar
I got fair idea how to put these mats in order to cover all exposed area.
Present mats are very hard so they does not bend like the ones you have I your car.
I will check first locally to procure them if not possible then I will order them online

[ACM]

Seriously though practical they look too plain for the cost even considering the magical properties.

The biggest advantage that I see in these is that you could just replace the Driver side mat every year as that is the one that fades fast in most cars and the other mats to stay in prime condition for many years. I don't think just the driver side mat will be available for the 3D Kagu. So that is where one saves a fine package.

The other observation is that replacing the factory fitted mats each year is quite a bit cheaper as an option than getting a really high quality mat that lasts for years.