Rock deflectors...why?

[Carl_Sj]

I'm curious and I'm not trying to give anyone a hard time, but what is your goal in installing one of these? Obviously you want to protect the paint on the front of the hood. But why? With the deflector installed you can't even see that part of your truck. Do you think the truck looks better with the deflector? Are you trying to enhance the resale value, and will therefore remove the deflector when you sell it? Or is your goal to keep the paint as pristine as possible?

For the record, once in a while I get out the touchup paint and dab it on any rock chips on my vehicles. That's good enough for me. Maybe I'm the oddball here...

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[airline tech]

For me, I have never had one prior to my install or for that matter never owned a truck, my intention of installing one was to decrease the amount of bug splatter on the windshield with the added benefit of protecting the front of the hood.

Since my installation:
I can verify it does help SOME with the bug splatter on the windshield, as I have to clean them off less often - as far as the front of the hood (paint) protection, I can verify that the bugs I clean off of the plastic would be on the paint if it was not installed.
Would these bugs have pitted or damaged the paint ?‍

 

[Stevedbvik1]

Rocks, road debris, road salt, bugs, tree branches, owls, turkeys etc. All depends on where and how the Ranger is driven.

 

[DukeCanBuildit]

I think folks who use them are generally accepting of how they perform (or hope they perform) and how they look on their trucks. Some deflectors have lights incorporated into them and that alone might be a motivator for some.

I had a smoked acrylic one on my 4g Ranger in hopes that it would mean fewer bugs and stones hitting the windshield. I don’t really know if it made a difference or not and I was fine with how bad it looked. Well, until I caught one end of it with a pressure washer hose and snapped it off. ?‍ ?

 

[Loweredon33s]

I don’t like them at all personally. I think they make the truck look kinda cheaply accessorized.

 

[Frenchy]

@airline tech has it right. Big splatter is the only reason I would consider it. Depending on the vehicle and design of the guard it can look good or not so much....

 

[Grumpaw]

It will definitely help protect your hood edge from "peanut splatter" if you get caught behind an elephant with the run's........?

 

[airline tech]

It will definitely help protect your hood edge from "peanut splatter" if you get caught behind an elephant with the run's........?

Ironically I worked in India for a year , Elephants roamed freely, nothing like being in a traffic jam , due to a stubborn Elephant that refused to move out of the road. The cows also roamed freely but they stayed out of the way, in the city district they mostly hung around the dumpers (their food)

 

[RedDakooter05]

I got mine cause $8 shipped thanks to ford pass points. It's already deflected a few rocks that would have otherwise gouged the hood.

 

[mtbikernate]

for me, mostly to protect the leading edge of the hood. though a film put there can do the job most of the time, too.

bug splatter was secondary for me. if you've ever lived in love bug territory, you know that you want as few of those to splatter on your paint as absolutely possible. there's a reason why exterior protection policies often specifically exclude love bugs from them

 

[maxbottomtime]

I'm curious and I'm not trying to give anyone a hard time, but what is your goal in installing one of these? Obviously you want to protect the paint on the front of the hood. But why? With the deflector installed you can't even see that part of your truck. Do you think the truck looks better with the deflector? Are you trying to enhance the resale value, and will therefore remove the deflector when you sell it? Or is your goal to keep the paint as pristine as possible?

For the record, once in a while I get out the touchup paint and dab it on any rock chips on my vehicles. That's good enough for me. Maybe I'm the oddball here...

It is not clear to me from your post that you understand how these work. They do not simply protect the area directly under the deflector, but are supposed to help protect the hood entirely.

For me, it was windshield. Dealing with repairing chips is a pain.

 

[oldnslow]

For the record, once in a while I get out the touchup paint and dab it on any rock chips on my vehicles. That's good enough for me. Maybe I'm the oddball here...

I hope you are not an oddball, because that is what I do...

 

[Mtnbikes]

I'm curious and I'm not trying to give anyone a hard time, but what is your goal in installing one of these? Obviously you want to protect the paint on the front of the hood. But why? With the deflector installed you can't even see that part of your truck. Do you think the truck looks better with the deflector? Are you trying to enhance the resale value, and will therefore remove the deflector when you sell it? Or is your goal to keep the paint as pristine as possible?

For the record, once in a while I get out the touchup paint and dab it on any rock chips on my vehicles. That's good enough for me. Maybe I'm the oddball here...

I agree, but to each his own. I prefer paint protection film. I have it on the hood, front bumper, front 1/4 panels, side mirrors, and rockers. A much cleaner look and works extremely well.

 

[Friday yet?]

I hope you are not an oddball, because that is what I do...

Whelp.... there's at least 3 of us here.

 

[Crow_of_judgement]

I just put one on Shelly mainly because I like the look. If it will cut down on the number of lovebugs my windshield murders, I'll consider it a bonus

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