[RadiantRedTRD]

Im looking into getting a bug guard before spring here because im tired or going through a crap load of glass cleaner durring the warm months scraping bug guts off my windows. My question to those of you that HAVE a bug guard for the tundra is:
1.) What brand?
2.) Hows the quality
3.) Any added noise from these, rattles or annoying sounds
4.) Any negitive aspects (someone said they can take the paint off)
5.) Pics are a + as always!

And no im not really interested in the clear bra things. Im really only interested in comments from those who have a bug guard/shield/hood protector, what ever you wanna call it.

As always,
Thanks guys :tu:

 

[Barney_Fife]

i can see your point in wanting one but to me they are ugly....no matter what brand. ur truck is too nice for one but thats just my opinoin though. u can try to rain x the crap out of the glass so maybe the bugs wont stick as well?

 

[smack]

I will never get a bug shield again. Chances are they will destroy the paint they are near due to vibrations in the wind and rubbing. Once you get one you'll never be able to go without it unless you want to repaint your hood and maybe fenders.

 

[Barney_Fife]

I will never get a bug shield again. Chances are they will destroy the paint they are near due to vibrations in the wind and rubbing. Once you get one you'll never be able to go without it unless you want to repaint your hood and maybe fenders.

eh..they have some now that dont do that and mount better and stuff but they still look like chit

 

[dafoot]

I am on my 4th Tundra. The 1st. one did'nt have a bug guard. Result: chips on hood and front corners. I put the guard on the other 3. No more chips. I use the one from Weathertech. It covers the corners where the one from Toyota does not. If you live in a area where they use salt and sand, they are a must.

 

[RadiantRedTRD]

Yea they use a crap load of sand where i live, the roads are a mess and full of pot holes too because of the plow trucks. In addition, now im quite tired of using a bunch of touch up paint to fix the rock chips in the hood of my 30K+ truck from passing cars and those in front of me.

 

[RadiantRedTRD]

eh..they have some now that dont do that and mount better and stuff but they still look like chit

In all honesty i can live with the looks of the bug guard, i hated them at first but they don't bother me that much now. I cant stand to see any more rock chips in my hood though. I do a lot of long distance cross country towing and just hearing the rocks bang off my truck kills me. :fear2:

 

[mxsjw]

Click on this

over on the right, in "my details", next to "my garage".
Or eff it, I searched for ya. http://www.tundrasolutions.com/forums/tundra/95021-bug-deflector/
I think they look just fine and are completely functional.
It's sure saved the hell outta my paint and windshield.

 

[Barney_Fife]

In all honesty i can live with the looks of the bug guard, i hated them at first but they don't bother me that much now. I cant stand to see any more rock chips in my hood though. I do a lot of long distance cross country towing and just hearing the rocks bang off my truck kills me. :fear2:

i have a co worker with an OEM one on his limited and my truck looks so much better and cleaner than his..his looks funny..

 

[logsdon]

Hi. Long time lurker, first post. I just installed a weathertech bug guard (~$60) today. Install not too hard, but a few lessons learned (a few differences in the 2010 apparently--had to pick up some different fasteners at autozone). I see that some wouldn't care for the look of a bug guard--I think it looks great either way. I went for function over aesthetics--it is a truck. Let me know if you go this route and are interested in a few observations.

 

[JaredPointer]

im tired or going through a crap load of glass cleaner durring the warm months scraping bug guts off my windows.

I have had lots of different Toyota trucks with (and without) lots of different bug deflectors. Never have I had one cut down on the amount of bugs that got on my windshield. The one possible area that I can see that they would help would be cutting down on chips on the leading edge of the hood.

 

[RadiantRedTRD]

Hi. Long time lurker, first post. I just installed a weathertech bug guard (~$60) today. Install not too hard, but a few lessons learned (a few differences in the 2010 apparently--had to pick up some different fasteners at autozone). I see that some wouldn't care for the look of a bug guard--I think it looks great either way. I went for function over aesthetics--it is a truck. Let me know if you go this route and are interested in a few observations.

Yea id love to hear your thoughts on it actually. Thanks in advance.

 

[justinsfa]

I have an AVS bugshield and love it.... Its low profile and doesnt touch the hood at all... you actually have to disassemble the grill to install it...

Just make sure to mount the bump stops on the backside of the bugshield instead of on your hood (the directions show to stick them on your hood).

Ive never had my bugshield touch the hood.... no scratches or scruffs... And it protects your hood from rock chips... pretty much completely.


I can tell that alot of you that are downing the bugshield have never lived through a Southeast Texas Love Bug season.... or driven down the coast in the middle of the summer when the skeeters are flying in clouds....

I drove my truck around for 2 months without a sheild, and yes, there is a difference in the amount of bugs on your windshield. A substancial decrease for sure.

You can kinda see mine in my sig.

 

[logsdon]

Yea id love to hear your thoughts on it actually. Thanks in advance.

RadiantRed, glad to further discuss. Disclaimer up front, I haven't even driven my truck yet--I had knee surgery (ACL from hoops, not as young as I think I am) and on crutches for a few more weeks (thx to the recall, couldn't pick up the truck before surgery). My wife loves it though, and she's developed a lead foot. And it hasn't been driven with the bug shield yet--headed to town later today and we'll see.

As for Jared's comments above about the effectiveness (or lack thereover), I can't speak to it intelligently. I live in farm country and many trucks have the bug shields. Maybe I'm just following the herd, but then again not too many farmers around here with Toyota trucks. This is only my second truck--didn't have a shield on that one ('77 Chevy farm truck.) I didn't worry with washing it much and lived with caked on bugs.

Spring is bug season around here. Windshields are coated daily by the bugs and the shield was bought for that reason (plus any protection from rocks would be nice.) I figured it would be a $60 experiment (vs >$100 for OEM.) I can always remove it. And I hadn't even heard of the 3M film before. I'm interested

The shield was easy to install (once I got the longer 1/4" fasteners (~$2)) at Auto Zone--despite standing on one leg or using a bar stool. The instructions are a little out of date. The '10 Tundra grill removes a little differently (actually easier) and I didn't need to remove the black screen in the top of the grill. The install kit comes with a nylon removal tool--nice add to the tool box for installing the GBS for the OEM alarm(mad props out there to all who've paved the road for newbies like me.)

 

[blove]

when i bought my 07, it had a dealer installed Wade bug shield.

i didn't like it, so i took it off...40k miles.

the paint on the hood and fenders are all but ruined from it.

 

[joe bob]

I have a 2010 DC. How does the Weathertech bug shield look and does it use tape or bolts to mount? At $60, the price is not bad.

 

[logsdon]

I have a 2010 DC. How does the Weathertech bug shield look and does it use tape or bolts to mount? At $60, the price is not bad.

Mounts with 2x 1/4" plastic fasteners--you can see one hole each on the left and right underside of the hood. The guard wraps under the hood outside the grill. Have to take the grill off though (it extends between the hood and grill for support.) Fairly quick and easy (only mistake I made was popping two grill corner fasteners...got replacements at the local dealer--was needing to go get new fasteners at auto zone anyway (ones that came with not long enough, see earlier post.)) Wish I had read justinsfa's post about putting the plastic bumpers on the guard instead of the hood:sad3d:

Just make sure to mount the bump stops on the backside of the bugshield instead of on your hood (the directions show to stick them on your hood).

He's right, the instructions show you (and not very definitively) to put the bumps stops on the hood...will look to redo that.

when i bought my 07, it had a dealer installed Wade bug shield.

i didn't like it, so i took it off...40k miles.

the paint on the hood and fenders are all but ruined from it.

As for the bug shield doing more harm than good, jlove's post worries me. I'll keep a close eye on the trade off of cost/benefit and remove it if I see damage.

 

[justinsfa]

I have put 70k miles on my truck since I installed the bugshield.... i could take it off tomorrow and you would never have known it was ever there.... there is no contact with the paint or hood, even at highway speed.... zero....

Logsdon, I dont know why they write the installation directions like that.... it doesnt make sense to me at all.

I put 150k miles on my tacoma with a Stampede brand and it caused no damage either....

I wont own a truck without a bug shield.... When I first was stock, I literally had to clean my windshield daily to see, NOWWWW i dont.... Still have to clean my grill out though....

 

[logsdon]

Logsdon, I dont know why they write the installation directions like that.... it doesnt make sense to me at all.

How hard will it be to remove the 3M plastic/rubber "bumps" from my hood? Use dental floss or something (similar to debadging)? Will it hurt the paint? I guess that's my biggest fear. They've only been on for 48 hrs.

I'm assuming I can run by the auto zone and get suitable replacements and this time stick them TO the guard vice hood. Any guidance on where on the bug guard to put the bumps? I looked at the guard and tried to guess where highway speed air could push it down far enough to contact the hood.

 

[RadiantRedTRD]

RadiantRed, glad to further discuss. Disclaimer up front, I haven't even driven my truck yet--I had knee surgery (ACL from hoops, not as young as I think I am) and on crutches for a few more weeks (thx to the recall, couldn't pick up the truck before surgery). My wife loves it though, and she's developed a lead foot. And it hasn't been driven with the bug shield yet--headed to town later today and we'll see.

As for Jared's comments above about the effectiveness (or lack thereover), I can't speak to it intelligently. I live in farm country and many trucks have the bug shields. Maybe I'm just following the herd, but then again not too many farmers around here with Toyota trucks. This is only my second truck--didn't have a shield on that one ('77 Chevy farm truck.) I didn't worry with washing it much and lived with caked on bugs.

Spring is bug season around here. Windshields are coated daily by the bugs and the shield was bought for that reason (plus any protection from rocks would be nice.) I figured it would be a $60 experiment (vs >$100 for OEM.) I can always remove it. And I hadn't even heard of the 3M film before. I'm interested

The shield was easy to install (once I got the longer 1/4" fasteners (~$2)) at Auto Zone--despite standing on one leg or using a bar stool. The instructions are a little out of date. The '10 Tundra grill removes a little differently (actually easier) and I didn't need to remove the black screen in the top of the grill. The install kit comes with a nylon removal tool--nice add to the tool box for installing the GBS for the OEM alarm(mad props out there to all who've paved the road for newbies like me.)

Sorry to hear about the surgery hope you recover quickly, and thanks for all the help, rep points sent. :tu: