This is a pretty dumb question but why do only the rear discs have dust shields? Also, the rear shields make it difficult to polish the inside of the chrome rims so I thought about removing them. Would their removal cause any problems other than exposing the discs to elements more than they're supposed to be?

 

Good question my '03 has them on all 4. Without them if you get into mud and dirt, there will be galling as dirt gets trapped between the pad and rotors. The dust shield on the rear also acts as a backing plate for the rear e-brake. So without it the e-brake won't work.