No matter which car one may drive, car mat is a must have accessory. The commonly used ones are the fabric or rubber mats. Both are reasonably good but they don’t hold good in the rains when water and muck frequent your car as often as you. Besides, the water accumulated on the mat may also lead to your heel slipping. The fabric mats are also prone to fungus formation due to the dampness. Another drawback of these mats is that, always there is some area of the carpet which is not covered by the mat and can not only get dirty but is difficult to clean too. Well, 3M seems to have an answer to all these problems. We try out the 3M Nomad series of mats and find out why they are so good.
The Nomad series of car mats was developed by 3M to overcome the above mentioned issues. These mats have a meshwork of poly vinyl fibrils with a rubber base at the bottom. Dust and water goes through the meshwork and settles in between the top and bottom layer. The lower rubber layer prevents the contents from leaking onto the car’s carpet. The beauty is that the top layer remains dry at all times. These mats have anti-slip and anti-skid property and do not allow growth of fungus. Being odourless, they dont emit the typical rubbery smell. They are easy to clean too, turn them upside down and the dirt will come out. They can be washed and are also flame resistant (checkout the video below to see how the 3M Nomad mats work better than regular mats, video courtesy Youtuber reptile641).
[youtube:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XIOPninOXIY 540 375]
Available in a choice of black, grey, beige and red, you can choose the colour as per your cars interior theme or whichever appeals to you more than the other. We opted to go in for the black colour as its gels well with the all black interiors of our car.
The installation procedure usually takes about an hour. It will also depend how many mats are required (5-seater or 7-seater car). The mat size is customised to the footwell size of the car. This means hardly any carpet is exposed and the fit is nearly as good as the original carpet.
After you choose the colour, the mats are cut from a large roll. Measurements are taken for each mat and they are cut in accordance to the footwell. Before the final cut is made, the mats are tried in the car to fine tune the cutting. We were given the option, if we want the rear mat in a single piece or the conventional three piece. We opted for a single large mat. In some cases, where the transmission hump is too high, a three piece cut is recommended for better adaptability to the floor.
Once the 3M Nomad car mats are in place, the interior appeal is greatly enhanced. It gels so well with the surrounding that it looks like the carpet. We have been using the mats for quite a while now and it’s evident that these mats are much superior to the regular ones. With moderate usage, these mats are expected to last for a good 3-4 years, which is nearly the time you would change your car. Cost varies from car to car depending on how much quantity is being used. For a Maruti Suzuki Swift, the entire set costs Rs. 3890/- (without tax). The cost is certainly more than the regular ones but is well worth, as these mats are far superior in all areas than the usual mats. This is highly recommended as a must have accessory for your car.