I recently discovered, quite by accident, that my "low profile" bug shield, dealer installed, was making contact with the passenger side fender where the shield "curls around" the hood and follows the fender line.

When discovered, the shield had already "cut" into the paint to expose bare metal. Looks like a beautiful knife cut into the fender.

My dealer informed me that Ford has indicated to them that they (Ford) had a "supplier problem" with that bug shield (this is the ford low profile bug shield for the SD series). The shield warped prematurely during the manufacturing process and caused too tight of a clearance, generally on the passenger side.

When sitting, the shield has clearance, albeit very little clearance. BUT, while driving, wind pressure is enough to force the shield back, allowing oscillating (i.e. cutting) contact with the right fender.

My dealer tried pushing it off on the regional "authorized aftermarket distributor of Ford genuine accessories", who, in turn, "ponged" me back to the dealer saying it was the "new vehicle warranty" that should cover the repair. After a little ,
the dealer said they would take care of it.

Apparently, the holes for the bug shield are "pre punched" into the bottom of the leading edge of the hood, and are NOT drilled by the installer. Thus, the shield rests where it does.

YOU MAY WANT TO TAKE A LOOK IF YOU HAVE THIS SHIELD. Mine went 8 months before I noticed this. It was pretty hidden.

FYI !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

yeah,
Same thing happened to me but luckily I discovered it in time before it did any noticeable damage. A quick fix is to forciblt hold out the curls of the bug deflector, and drill some new holes and put some sheet metal screws in. This worked fine for me. If I had known that the low profile one was going to do such a lousy job keeping the windshield clean, I'd have bought the higher one.

F-350 reg cab XLT 5.4/4.10 gears auto

 

YOu don't mention the year of yours, but get a warranty fix on it.

 

Like yours mine is alos a 2003, but like I said I noticed mine right away and fixed it before it took the paint off

 

Can somone post a pic of this? I'm trying to figure out what I should be looking for.

Thanks

 

Stand right in front of one of your headlights facing the windshield.

Where the bug shield starts to "wrap around" the hood and starts following the leading edge of the fender, i.e. the shield is turning away from you, pull the bug shield TOWARD you, i.e. away from the windshield (a little bit), and check your metal under the lower edge of the bug shield.

You're looking for damage that looks like someone took a knife and started slicing on your fender.

Let me know if this helps.

If I had a digital camera, I would.........