Weathertech hood deflector installed. . pic and thoughts

I put this on over the weekend and I'm overall very happy with it, but I did run into some issues.

It *would* go on in a matter of about 5 minutes from unboxing to cleanup if you trusted how it mounts and fits, but I didn't, and neither should you if you're planning on getting one and care about your truck

It's well made and looks to be heated and bent or pressed into the correct shape. Unfortunately no two are exactly alike I'm sure, and some of the bends cause the edge of the plastic (lexan?) to end up facing not the same way as the rest of the "line". They're all going to fit just a little bit differently.

The supplied mounting hardware would probably suffice, but it's not a tight fit and the deflector can be moved around a bit after install. I opted to modify a few plastic sheetrock anchors for (4) of the mount points, added some double-sided tape, and used (2) of the included fasteners on the remaining spots. The double-sided tape wasn't just to strengthen the install, but also to fill the space that permits the deflector to rock a bit when installed.

I also used the included clear rubber bumers strategically in 4 spots on the underside if the hood to prevent the deflector from hitting against the front edge of the hood when the hood is down. Without the 4 bumpers, my deflector definetely hit against the hood in 3 spots.

Additonally, I ran a length of black vinyl tape (electrical tape) along the whole front edge of the hood folded underneath with relief cuts on the curves to protect that front edge in case it does still rub somewhere. I imagine the tape will leave a sticky mess on the edge of the hood should I ever need to remove it, but sticky gunk cleans off. Scratched paint, or bare metal is another story

Last but not least, as I mentioned in the beginning the bends in the deflector cause the edge of the material to stick out in a couple spots and mine was hitting against the grille and headlights on both sides. It wasn't "crushing" into it, but hard enough that given the sharp edge of the deflector that long term I had definete cracking/gouging concerns.

I popped a sanding drum on my dremel, marked the spots, and carefully smoothed the edges on the deflector in the spots and took off just enough material that with the hood down, it didn't touch the grille anymore. It still rests on the headlights lightly, but not with a squared edge anymore, it's rounded off.

I know it sounds like a lot of work, but with only 5k miles on my truck, it was worth it.

With these steps, I believe I could pull this deflector off 100k miles later with no damage or wear to the truck at all.

How's it look?

-Rich H.

 

looks good to me. how about some closer pics so that we can see what you did differently in mounting?

 

I'm not a big fan. Mostly because I hear a lot of complaints about it chipping the paint on the hood.

But if you like it, then keep it.

 

Congrats on the install. I put an AVS unit on my Taco yesterday. It also had the 4 rubber stick on bumpers but I could not see where the shield touched the top of the hood.

I am like you did not care got the plastic mounting hardware and will probably change it out.

 

My AVS came with fasteners that were half the size of the holes in the hood so I replaced them all with larger ones. I stuck the bumpers on but all have fallen off already. No issues otherwise.

 

I tihink it looks nice on the truck. Love the color of your truck too. Good job man!

 

Where did you find the replacement fasteners?

 

I hate to sound stupid, but what does it do? What function does it serve, and if there is one, does it actually do it?

 

It also protects the hood from rock chips. Also it was mainly designed to deflect bugs from the windscreen. Some people buy it for looks. I will buy one just for the added protection.

 

I can see how it will come in handy. Went for a long road trip yesterday and my windshield was splattered with bugs and guts. A deflector would have been nice.

 

I bought mine for 3 reasons:

1) Keep the first couple inches of the hood from getting chipped up
2) help send the bugs "over" the windshield. I'm sure at best it just cuts down on the amt. that get to your windshield, but ever little big helps
3) looks

After installing it, it turns out there's another big plus. . . It makes it a LOT easier to get an idea where the front of the truck is when maneuvering.

Without it, the hood just kind of "drops off" and it's really hard to see where it ends. I'm 6' tall, so I imagine those of you that are shorter have a heck of a time seeing the front of the hood.

 

Yes, when I get a chance I'll shoot some pics showing mounting, and where I dremelled it.

 

Looks good and compliments your front end. Does it seem to be deflecting any bugs? I've had shields on trucks in the past and they didn't do a damn thing! Either way it still looks good.

 

Yeah, does it actually deflect bugs? If so, would be nice to have......just spent 14 hours on the freeway and it looks like 2 Aliens splattered all over the front.......guess I'll have to load up the AR-15 for another BUG HUNT!!!

 

Happy with the fit of ours as well. Just put one on our 2009 Prerunner Sport last week. First mod.
Based on what I read on this forum about the stocker we went with weathertech. At freeway speeds it doesnt budge. Very thick material. They even give you little bumper so put on the backside so if it hits your paint it wont damage it. Dont see those coming into use unless something breaks. Great quality and looks.