Do bug deflectors work?
New User
Joined: Apr 2006
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Bug Deflectors and Bras
I personally don't care if folks use deflectors or not, as I believe strongly that people should do what they want. If we're talking everyday cars, the cars that people generally don't keep as long as they would a truck, then preservation may not be a major concern to the owner. Fine. No bug shield. But our trucks? We don't generally trade those off quite so often. We hang on to 'em longer, and most of us want to keep 'em looking good as long as possible. I will pose the challenge again. Take a look at the leading edges of vehicles without deflectors and compare 'em to vehicles with them. Paint erosion, chips, etc. I personally think deflectors look good, but aside from that, I feel that if a 45 dollar shield will help prevent a several hundred dollar repaint of the hood, then I'll opt for the former. Bras? One of the worst things a person can do to their paint.
Senior User
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 123
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From: Minford,Ohio
Everyone has their own opinon about this as you can see I had a contoured bug deflector on my last truck and took it off after about 2 year's of use it had already started to lose it shine and started getting a dull scratched look to it.I also didn't like how it affected the windshield washer spray when you were moving at highway speed's it didn't help deflect bug's and added to wind noise and resistance.It did protect the leading edge of the hood from rock chips and other road debris,although I liked the look's of it on my 94 f150 I don't like the look's of them on the new body style Ford's.
Logistics Pro
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 4,821
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From: South Dakota
FWIW I really like the deflector from Autoventshade, nice sharp looking deflector that doesn't contact the hood (on mine at least), and really doesn't need the rubber bump stops.
Does it work, I think it does as you can some times see the splatter from some of the bigger bugs that contact it. Does it keep the whole windshield clean, no but it certainly cuts down on the amount of bugs, not to mention it does a execellent job of protecting the leading edges of the hood.
Does it work, I think it does as you can some times see the splatter from some of the bigger bugs that contact it. Does it keep the whole windshield clean, no but it certainly cuts down on the amount of bugs, not to mention it does a execellent job of protecting the leading edges of the hood.
Tuned
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 297
Likes: 6
I agree that the current curved deflector shields only catch bugs that happen to hit it. But, I would argue that the shields help a lot with rocks. We have a 1999 F-150 with a Ford deflector shield and a 2001 F-150 without any shield, both with plus or minus 20% same total mileage. Both driven on the same roads and they are both on their original windshields.
The 1999's windshield has obvious small spots on it where things have whizzed by - the 2001's is a mess even though the worst of the rock hits have been repaired. Plus the 2001 has actual dents on the front edge of the hood where rocks have hit it not to speak of all the paint chips.
I think the bug shield is a good investment and will always be one of the first things I put on a new truck in the future. The newer ones have a curved upper surface that helps maybe more with bugs than the ones before without it. If you get one though, get a strong one otherwise it will break and crack with the first decent sized rock hit. I like the Ford branded ones a lot and they can be kept looking good with plastic polish.
The 1999's windshield has obvious small spots on it where things have whizzed by - the 2001's is a mess even though the worst of the rock hits have been repaired. Plus the 2001 has actual dents on the front edge of the hood where rocks have hit it not to speak of all the paint chips.
I think the bug shield is a good investment and will always be one of the first things I put on a new truck in the future. The newer ones have a curved upper surface that helps maybe more with bugs than the ones before without it. If you get one though, get a strong one otherwise it will break and crack with the first decent sized rock hit. I like the Ford branded ones a lot and they can be kept looking good with plastic polish.
Logistics Pro
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 4,821
Likes: 19
From: South Dakota
Originally Posted by umdstang
So
who has some pics of their bug deflectors, maybe the low profile ones, on a silver truck.
how do you think they will look on a silver truck?
who has some pics of their bug deflectors, maybe the low profile ones, on a silver truck.
how do you think they will look on a silver truck?
This is a Auto Vent shade (AVS) deflector.
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