my fit just went through it's first fall/winter/spring here in mid-canada.. and it was MESSY (still is) because of all the crap they dump to attempt to give drivers more traction.

I have a stone chip right on the edge of a splash guard on the quarter panel.. heh.. as I was applying touch-up I noticed little sand/rocks caught in behind the guards.

now my question is do I have to remove and clean behind there regularly or is a few times a year good enough? is there any rusting issues I should be aware of with the holes used to screw the guards on?

perhaps I'll try without the guards this year because I'm not sure if they did a whole lot of guarding.. I still had huge buildup past the front guards although it was only limited to the lower rocker panel areas and not up the doors or anything. I'm not sure what the rear ones protect other than people behind me but with the hatchback design I don't think it matters since water mist and other crap is usually sucked up into the void behind the car anyway which does more to cover a windshield than a little splash from the 14 inch tires.

 

removing the sand and grit that got caught between the fender liner
and metal panel is a good idea...but not really necessary to do, imho.

it's really up to you if you want remove it and clean it up. while you're
at it, also clean the back side of the fender/quarter lips, but dont use
too much force as the sand thats in there could scratch the protective
coating. go gently with a soft bristled brush and soap.

 

That trapped "crap" is the starting point for RUST because the "crap" traps moisture and holds it against any metal near the crap. Taking off the guards and the plastic inner fender liners are so easy to take off on the Jazz/Fit that it only takes a few minutes to take them off. Then maybe a couple times a year, especially after the winter salt, blast the insides of the panels with some nice clean water to get rid of all the "nasty stuff" that collects there and you will be fighting rust and making your baby nice and clean again.