Just put the Hood Deflector on

That looks great!

 

Previous poster is either a leftover from the "racing stories" thread the other day or a troll.

Your car looks mahvelous. Simply mahvelous!

 

I've got one but haven't installed it.

I've got a question.

Is this a permanent install, or can the thing be popped on and off for washing and waxing underneath?

 

I had the hood deflector installed by the dealer at purchase. It comes off easily enough with a screwdriver, but I've left the clear nubs stuck on the hood for fear of wrecking the paint. If you haven't installed yours yet, Godiva, I would suggest seeing if the nibs could go on 'upside down': attached to the deflector, instead of the hood. They should work the same, with the advantage that you could remove the 'Dali moustache' completely.

 

I have a similar one on my Toyota Tacoma truck...I suspect you will find when parked that it will begin to hold leaves and other such things that will drift into the very large area contained between the deflector and hood. Fortunately, on my truck the deflector is only 5" deep so it is reasonably easy to get in there and clean things out. Hopefully, the designed the Pri one to be more effective in allowing water and debris out.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(hyo silver @ Jun 16 2006, 02:24 PM) [snapback]272416[/snapback]</div>

I can tell you from experience that that is a terrible idea. I tried doing it once and learned my lesson.

If the deflector is flexible enough to allow the bumpers to touch the paint when it deflects, the bumpers will rub holes in the paint. In my case (Bugflector II on a Jeep Grand Cherokee) the holes went through the clear, through the base, through the primer, and all the way to bare metal. If there is any chance that the top of the bumpers will touch your paint, you do not want to install them reversed, on the deflector instead of on the hood.

With a really stiff deflector, you don't need the bumpers at all. The deflector on my Prius is about three times thicker than the one on my Jeep, and I probably didn't need to install the bumpers at all. The same is true of the deflector on my Acura MDX. Try a few tests and find out - push on the deflector, or stick some silly putty on the bumpers and drive at high speed to see if the deflector gets anywhere close to the bumpers. If yours is anything like mine you can probably skip installing the bumpers. Just about everyone on the MDX forum tosses the bumpers because the deflector is so stiff.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(priusenvy @ Jun 16 2006, 06:48 PM) [snapback]272482[/snapback]</div>

Ah, thanks all.

Yes, the first thing I thought of was installing the bumpers on the deflector instead of the hood when I read the description. Then I thought.....if the deflector moves or bumps or vibrates...they'll wear the paint, as another post said they would.

If I can install it without any bumpers at all, that is the way I'd like to go. I'd like to take the deflector off every few months and do a good detail with a dual action polisher. School is out Wednesday so I'll have to work on this.

Thanks everyone.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Godiva @ Jun 16 2006, 06:47 PM) [snapback]272520[/snapback]</div>

congradulations, you've made an already ugy car even uglier!

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(powrfuel @ Jun 16 2006, 09:24 PM) [snapback]272530[/snapback]</div>

What's worse? A black deflector on a black car or a black car with rock chip pock marks all over the front hood?

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Kross @ Jun 17 2006, 04:56 AM) [snapback]272631[/snapback]</div>

I own one (black), I love it (got rid of the Range Rover) but it's still ugly and the 'defletor wing' my stop stone chips (every car gets them) but I doubrt it's helpin gas mileage at all. Toyota did sustabtial wind tunnel tests and if it helped, they would have added it...besides it's BUTT UGLY..IMHO

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(powrfuel @ Jun 17 2006, 10:14 AM) [snapback]272650[/snapback]</div>

Has anyone tried the 3m paint protectors, the clear plastic that adherers with water. It's expensive but it seems like it would work and look great. It's also available for the front bumper.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(goody @ Jun 17 2006, 10:10 AM) [snapback]272663[/snapback]</div>

Yes, I had it. Expensive but worked fine. My hood and bumper were replaced and instead of having the film reinstalled I'm trying the hood deflector. Why?

Well, the plastic is soft and easily shows swirls making it hard to detail the car. Plus the line where the plastic ends always shows wax. And I've heard after a few years it starts to lift at the edges and then really shows.

I can install the deflector myself, I can uninstall it myself. And it's way cheaper.

 

Kross, looks good to me.

I have had defectors on my cars for years and they are a lot better looking now than they used to be. I do wish they were away from the hood a little more for cleaning, etc. I once tried a front bra on a Honda Civic but the clear coat started to "fog" under the bra. It cleared up after a few days without the bra, and that was the last time I tried it.

Is there any way you could show the install instructions? I am looking for the "right" delector for my Prius. Unfortunely, none that I have found online show the mounting instructions. I want a deflector that mounts in a way that needs no plastic tape to protect the hood paint from damage (no clips that are compressed on the hood surface), no doublesided tape to secure it, no drilling, etc. Is there such a product for the Prius? I asked a vender, AutoSeattle.com, about the "Form-Fit" deflector but they couldn't provide info about how it installs.

Later
Lanny

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(FL Buckeye @ Jun 18 2006, 10:16 AM) [snapback]273028[/snapback]</div>

Uh...what's left? How would you secure anything without one of those methods?

For this one there is clear tape protection for the hood under the six clips that clamp it to the hood. I much prefer this to any doublesided tape adhesive method.

I'm going to mount mine first and then see if the clear bumpers are necessary. The deflector seems pretty thick and I don't see it flexing much, so it seems there is no way it would ever touch the hood, I see no reason for the bumpers.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Godiva @ Jun 18 2006, 02:21 PM) [snapback]273123[/snapback]</div>

Ones I have had in the past used stainless clips that attached to holes already in the underside lip of the hood via nylon inserts, and stuck out far enough in the front for there to be clearance between the deflector and the hood for cleaning, waxing, etc. The one that was on my Honda Odyssey was from Honda and used this type of clip and two posts on the ends which attached to the hood with doublesided tape and you screwed the defector to the posts. I didn't mind that tape because if I ever decided to do away with the deflector the posts could be removed with no scratches left in the paint and it was still easy to remove the deflector for cleaning. I too wouldn't want doublesided tape that made the deflector permanent.