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Interior & ExteriorDiscussions about the interior, and exterior of your vehicle.
This is a discussion thread titled "Hood Shields / Bug Deflectors (Sequoia)", within the Interior & Exterior forum, part of the Technical & Vehicle Assistance Forums category.
Does anyone here have a bug deflector/hood shield installed on their Sequoia? I used to have a Ford Expedition with a really nice one that did not require any drilling and sat high off the hood so I could clean underneath it easily. This is what I am looking for with my Sequoia. Any recommendations?
I went to the Toyota parts center at my local dealership and they stated their deflector required drilling. This is not an option for me.
I had a factory one installed on my 2001, it stood off the hood about an inch or more. I'm getting a custom painted one on my new 2002 tuesday, I will let you know who makes it and how it looks.
heatmiser, I had mine installed as an option. It does sit off of the hood about 1" but I don't know if holes were drilled or not. Not much help here, sorry.
Originally posted by heatmiser
Does anyone here have a bug deflector/hood shield installed on their Sequoia? I used to have a Ford Expedition with a really nice one that did not require any drilling and sat high off the hood so I could clean underneath it easily. This is what I am looking for with my Sequoia. Any recommendations?
I went to the Toyota parts center at my local dealership and they stated their deflector required drilling. This is not an option for me.
heatmiser,
Why are you opposed to drilling holes? I have a Toyota hood protector on my Tundra. It did require drilling two small holes (3/8") on the underside of the hood to secure the ends. A rubber bushing goes in each hole and they expand into the holes as the bolts are tightened. I installed mine myself and also put some silicone caulking all around the holes and bushings. The protector is very secure, and I do not anticipate any problems.
You have to secure the ends of the protector somehow. I tried another protector that had clips on the ends. The clips kept moving, scratched the paint, and were not very secure.
To me, drilling the holes was the lesser of two evils.
I am not opposed to drilling holes but would prefer not to. Which one did you purchase for your Tundra? How did it attach to the hood through the middle section? Since the Tundra & Sequoia's hood drop down in the middle it make it more difficult to support that section. The clips I saw on a Toyota deflector did not look very good when installed. You could see the clips in between the top opening in the grill.
Originally posted by heatmiser
I am not opposed to drilling holes but would prefer not to. Which one did you purchase for your Tundra? How did it attach to the hood through the middle section? Since the Tundra & Sequoia's hood drop down in the middle it make it more difficult to support that section. The clips I saw on a Toyota deflector did not look very good when installed. You could see the clips in between the top opening in the grill.
heatmiser,
I understand your apprehension about drilling into your Sequoia. I felt the same way, which is why I tried a hood protector with clips first (some no-name brand from the local truckin' store). It didn't work very well, so I decided to get the Toyota brand from my local Toyota dealer. It was expensive, $170, but well worth it. I think you can find them cheaper now if you shop different dealers or online.
The middle of the protector has clamps that attach it through the top section of the grill in two places. (You do not have to remove the grill. There are some brands that attach between the grill and the metal part of the hood. You loosen the grill, slip the protector and retighten the grill, sandwiching the protector in between. This one was not like that.) The two clamps are attached to the protector, to a metal bar that runs across the center of the protector. That gives it the strength and rigidity. On the protector for the Tundra these clamps are hidden by the protector itself, so when you are looking at it head-on you do not see the clamps.
Just had mine installed. It is a Lund clear with color matched paint on the under side. It has to center metal clips and two drilled holes on the outer edges. Love the looks, but worried about the paint lasting. The installer says they have a warrenty to cover chips.
How do the center clips work on the Lund deflector? I knwo the wedge into the grill but can you see them in the grill once installed? If you have any pictures that would be great!
I understand your apprehension about drilling into your Sequoia. I felt the same way, which is why I tried a hood protector with clips first (some no-name brand from the local truckin' store). It didn't work very well, so I decided to get the Toyota brand from my local Toyota dealer. It was expensive, $170, but well worth it. I think you can find them cheaper now if you shop different dealers or online.
The middle of the protector has clamps that attach it through the top section of the grill in two places. (You do not have to remove the grill. There are some brands that attach between the grill and the metal part of the hood. You loosen the grill, slip the protector and retighten the grill, sandwiching the protector in between. This one was not like that.) The two clamps are attached to the protector, to a metal bar that runs across the center of the protector. That gives it the strength and rigidity. On the protector for the Tundra these clamps are hidden by the protector itself, so when you are looking at it head-on you do not see the clamps.
Hope this helps.
Good Luck,
Jeff
Jeff, did you install this same type of bug shield on your tundra. They must have redesigned the end clips unless it's just a different mounting for the sequoia vs. the tundra.
Originally posted by akauth
Jeff, did you install this same type of bug shield on your tundra. They must have redesigned the end clips unless it's just a different mounting for the sequoia vs. the tundra.
alan
Alan,
In that post I was just describing how the center section of my Toyota bug shield attached. I still had to drill holes for the end brackets, which I had described in an earlier post. Maybe I confused the issue. I just assumed since WalterMitty said they had to drill his sequoia, that the bug shield was the same as tundra's.
In that post I was just describing how the center section of my Toyota bug shield attached. I still had to drill holes for the end brackets, which I had described in an earlier post. Maybe I confused the issue. I just assumed since WalterMitty said they had to drill his sequoia, that the bug shield was the same as tundra's.
Jeff
My reason for asking was that I have one of the original Tundra bug shields and if they've updated the hardware I want to spend the money for the hardware and update mine to the latest version. Even drilling a hole is better than my current mount.
In my version there are three or four clips that fit into the front grill (pinch fit) and two metal clips that slipped onto the hood and clamped (not into a hole)
This is solid, but I think eventually the metal clips will go through the protective tape and scratch the paint.
I'd rather have something that is entirely bracket fastened and not pinching on paint.
I'd hate to have to spend the $120 for a new shield just because the bracket were changed and the old plastic won't fit to the new bracket.
Too, it might be that I keep the clips and just replace the tape from time to time to ensure the clips don't cut through to the paint. That's kind of a bother though to cover a poor initial design even if it has been revised to a better method.
I just wanted to make sure you were talking about a tundra with the end brackets (plugs).
Originally posted by akauth
I just wanted to make sure you were talking about a tundra with the end brackets (plugs).
Feel free to clarify.
Alan
That is correct. I was talking about my hood protector for my Tundra. It does have the plugs that the end brackets are bolted to. I am not sure if that hardware would be interchangeable with the clips you have, but it is worth a try.
I have the tundra and the toyota reflector came with the truck. It is bolted on via a bracket on each end of the hood. In the middle it also has brackets that mount under the grill. A couple of things to look out for: The design is such that right above the middle brackets the reflector actually rests on the chrome part of the grill. I knew it would be only a matter of time before the reflector would scratch or dent the chrome so I went to autozone and picked up a door jam protector for about $4.00 and cut it up and put it over the hard edge of the reflector. Now the door jam was pretty hard plastic but not nearly as hard as the reflector and so far no problems.
I may change this out later for softer rubber or felt. The other area to look out for is the toyota emblem or rather what it mounts to. I didn't notice this until recently but the reflector also rests on this area and has already removed some of that dark paint. I can fix this as well but I guess it ticks me off a bit as they made me buy this reflector so I expect it to mount without damaging the truck. So I am not sure if the toyota unit for the Sequoia is the same as the tundra but its somthing to look out for if you are picky about scratches like me. I *hate* scratches, but even more so when the dealer causes them
Taking advantage of the respite from the winter weather, I saw last Saturday's sunny skies as a perfect opportunity to take the Big Green Mean Machine to the carwash for a much-needed bath.
After sitting in line for 30 minutes, it was finally the Tundra's turn to get all the road crap washed off. All was going well as it went into the carwash tunnel with the Bugshield in one piece. Problem was, it came out of the carwash tunnel with the Bugshield in two pieces.
After a protracted complaint to the manager, who did little to appease my feelings other than to point to the standard "We are not responsible....." disclaimer hanging on the wall, I brought the truck home satisfied in my resolve never to do business with them again, yet frustrated at the realization that it isn't worth the hassle of taking them to court over a $100 part.
Which brings me to my current dilemma: Actually, I've never really been a big fan of Bugshields in the first place. But this one came with the truck when I bought it, so I never did anything about. So my decision now is, do I replace the Lexan shield, or remove the whole gazackus altogether?
A cursory examination reveals that the Lexan is simply screwed on to brackets attached underneath the hood, so removing it is no big deal. (This is a 2K1 SR-5, BTW). The problem is with the brackets themselves; they appear to be held on with something that is crimped on to the leading edge of the hood.
Has anyone tryed to remove these brackets? Can it be done without hurting the paint? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?
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Hood Shields / Bug Deflectors
