synchromesh

Hey, all!

I seem to love this car more and more with time... to the point that my girlfriend thinks I'm more interested in the car than her, LOL. Nonsense, I told her... it's just new car craziness on my part.

So the annual road construction ritual is in full swing in Montreal; in fact, it actually seems more extensive than it has in past summers, with every major highway undergoing some sort of facelift. This of course brings ROCKS, dreaded rocks...

So... being fed up of getting ulcers every time I heard a rock bouncing around the front of the car, I bought the bug/rock deflector at Mazda (the "Form-Fit" one). Real easy DIY installation (the only bit I didn't like was having to break the plastic hood seal retainers... if you're not careful, you can damage/rip the hood seal), and I even got some compliments today at work on how it looks

Only problem... do I have to remove it when I wash the car??? How about when waxing?? It hugs the hood pretty snugly, so there isn't much room to slide a waxing cloth underneath the deflector. I'm wondering if I shouldn't have waxed the front end of the hood before I installed the thing...

Any thought, experiences with deflectors welcome... thanks in advance!

Mach 1

Hmmmm........it would appear to be fairly obvious that to wash the car properly or wax underneath the bug deflector would require one to remove it first.

Dam, Im not even a rocket scientist and I could figure that one out...

leafsboy

How's it going Montreal?

Although you don't want to hear this, I think you will have to remove it if you want to fully protect that paint with a nice even coat of wax. If you fail to remove the hood protector, in time you may notice a colour difference between the non-covered and covered areas of the body.

How much of a gap exists between body and accessory piece? try measure that, and one you figure it out, see if you can find a towel to fit. Another suggestion, look for different waxing products. Are there any pour on liquids that perhaps can seep down under the hood protector?

Let me know.

By the way, I am from the east (Toronto) and I hate that time of the year. I am in BC right now, and I have to say that we get very little of that hear. I feel for you.

--Go Leafs Go!!!

bmorton

I have the same deflector on my P5. I don't bother taking it off for regular wash/wax jobs, but a couple of times a year I'll remove it for a thorough cleaning. It doesn't seem to collect much dirt underneath it so I don't worry about it staying on.

Sure glad I have it. I remember cursing Montreal roads the day I got a big dent in the hood of my Jetta when driving on the Decarie. After 17 months with my P5, however, I only have two tiny chips in my hood. A worthwhile investment.

DoBeR

I got mine installed with my car from Mazda. When I waxed my car I figured I would go all out and take off the bug deflector and clean and wax underneath. Well that was just a big pain in my ***. It came off nice.... However when I went to put it back on, the little plastic plugs they put into the hood, kept spinning with the screw. I couldnt get the screws to thread back into the plastic plug.

jjac28

i have the 3m tape on my hood. it's transparent and looks ok.
i had lots of chips on my previous mazda so i decided i needed the best protection yet so i got that new tape. it seems to be working fine and deflects the little stones.
but i wonder how long the tape will last...
when i'm waxing the car i wax it too.

synchromesh

You're right, leafsboy, I don't like what I'm hearing... I can see the point for removing it when waxing, but washing I'm not so sure. I'm planning to use Mother's Gold Carnuba Liquid Wax, with some new cloths that I bought at Scrappy Tire, so I'll see how that goes.

Okay, let's get technical for a moment (and don't be shy to contribute, Mr. "I'm no rocket scientist"):

There are four screws holding the deflector in place. I don't know how many times they can be unscrewed and screwed back in before they strip (the hood is not exactly the thickest of materials). Secondly, I'm sure the hood seal won't like being tampered with that often (the screws have a washer that directly contacts the hood seal). Next, I had to place the 3M adhesive strips that came with the mounting kit onto the hood itself... I don't imagine that I can remove those too often before they lose their adhesiveness. I wash my car every two weeks, so I'm not sure how often I want to be playing around with the bug deflector...

The bit about the discoloration I REALLY don't like, leafsboy... the reason I got a deflector instead of a bra was to avoid just that problem!!

bmorton, you're right about Decarie... yuck. Well, picture most of the highways around Montreal being worse than when you drove on Decarie... This is why I was looking for some kind of "nose armor", LOL. Other than that, Montreal is doing pretty good weather-wise... just avoid the highways if you can.

jjac28, I've seen some cars at work that have that 3M tape. I almost wish I would have noticed it before I bought the deflector... it seems similar to the stuff they put on the lower section of door sills to avoid rock chips.

I'm planning to wash the car this weekend (long weekend in Quebec, woohoo!), so I'll let you all know what I find.

Thanks for the help, guys...

Mach 1

I guess youll have to weigh your options and come to the best conclusion for you, depending on how clean you want the car versus the ease of removal and installation of your particular hood shield.

Ive only had one of these in the past, and my particular model went on and off very easily with velcro strips, so removing it wasnt a problem. I dont care for the hood shields that much (it seems like it actually was deflecting debris into the windshield) more than anything else.

If the hoodsheild is going to be a problem to remove and install repeatedly for whatever reason, then leave it on and wash around it the best you can, except when you wax the car, then maybe take it off then (once or twice a year). Or if it is really a problem to remove and replace due to crappy design/hardware you can wax around it. Its all up to you man........

See, that wasnt too difficult was it............

jjac28

i didnt know that the 3m tape existed. the salesguy told me about it when i was purchasing the car. it's something very new
it's good stuff

Trogdor

I use to have one of the deflectors on my car but over the last winter, when my (acursed) sister was driving the car (*grrrr*) somehow it snapped in half. This can happen when it gets too cold and a rock hits it or something.

My deflector fit nice but after four years it rubbed the paint off the front edge of the hood and right in the middle of the hood there is a big worn patch. All the paint was rubbed off, not just faded due to the sun.

In other news, does any one know where I could get another bug deflector for a '98. Despite the problems of rubbing, it still looked mean, and I just made some eyebrows for the head lights but they don't look the same with out the deflector. Mazda discontinued that model so I was wondering if anyone else has tried to fit another type on (like a Civic or Accord).

Mach 1

I had one break on me in the cold also. That combined with the gas milage penalty and it deflecting things into the windstream right into my windshield, I decided not to ever get another one. I can live with a few paint chips, your gonna get them anyway.

synchromesh

Hey, all... recovering from long weekend partying in Quebec

So I spent part of my long weekend giving my car some SERIOUS TLC on Saturday, like 9 hours or so. I waxed the car for the first time (which is actually my first wax job ever, actually)... whew! what an arm workout, LOL!

It wasn't really a pain to remove the deflector, but I certainly wouldn't want to do this every time I wash it.

I tried to observe what Trogdor said about paint rubbing off. The deflector has a curved lip at the front that cups around the very front edge of the hood. I can't tell how much pressure is being placed on the edge of the hood when it's closed, but the paint rubbing is something I'll only observe after a while, I guess (or rather, I hope I won't observe that).

Incidentally, I can no longer close my hood the way I used to. Normally, I lowered it by hand until it latched, and just pushed down on the front edge to lock it. The deflector won't let me do that anymore. The only way I can close my hood now by letting it drop maybe 6 to 8 inches from above the latch point. Is there any harm in doing this?

Thanks, all... hope you all had a good weekend

mnkyboy

Anyone have recommendations where I can buy a formed hood deflector for my P5? I had a magnabra, but it only lasted 6mths before it started to crack. My moonroof deflector has been working great.

Trogdor

I'm pretty sure you can pick them up at the dealership. The newer sedans and the P5 still have the part in stock and the front of the P5 hasn't changed yet.

mnkyboy

I called the dealership, and they said Mazda doesnt make the part. I also contacted www.mazdastuff.com, no go there also.

Its possible they didnt look hard enough, do you have a Part#?