Just got a hood deflector and I'm curious as to what everyone thinks of the way it looks. Right now I'm not real sure about it, but it might be something that will grow on me. Feel free to give your honest opinion.

 

Hey, personally I do not like it, I think they belong on trucks. Just do not flow with the lines of the car. As far as looks though, kinda looks out of place but lucky with the color of your car it is not as bad. Personally I would rather just use the upper piece of a car bra that I can remove and wash under. But hey, if you like it that is all that counts and I will back you up 100 percent. This is just my 2 cents.

 

Doesn't look that bad to me. I have not seen one yet and it looks better than I imagined. Sure will help with the chips. May not look ba on my black max either. How much and where did you get it?

 

Hey, thanks for the input so far. I got it at autoseattle.com and it was $87.45 which includes the shipping.

 

I wouldn't put it on although i really need it. I see white specs here and there on my onyx hood. Looks better than most. And goes well with your sunroof one. Wasn't a bad price either. Keep it. Just don't get the window ones, too much. You Smoke looks great! Came out like a day after I bought mine. We have the 2 of the best colors.

 

Im sure they have painted ones too right??

 

Full Frontal Protection: Hood ClearBra in dark garage with spotlight (1 of 3).


Full Frontal Protection: Hood ClearBra in dark garage with spotlight (2 of 3).


Full Frontal Protection: Hood ClearBra in dark garage with spotlight (3 of 3).


The rest of full frontal ClearBra protection:
http://www.cardomain.com/memberpage/612165

 

I've never had a bug deflector in well over fifty years of driving, and have never cared for their looks.

Having said that, this one is not that bad. Probably the least offensive of any I have seen. The shading of the plastic matches the sunroof deflector, and goes well with the smoke. The shape tends to fit the form of the hood, also.

Living in the hot, humid miserable deep south, where summers seem to last forever, I have no choice but to have window rain deflectors. That enables me to leave all the windows down about three inches whenever I park. That way, I simply come back to a very hot car, not a sauna.

Because of the window deflectors (plus black hard rubber protective molding I installed around all my wheel wells for ding protection), I will not be adding a bug deflector; that combo would require me to purchase a personalized tag reading 'pimpmobile'.

 

I like it. I was thinking about getting one myself and was also concerned that no one would be able to make one that looked good. I also considered a bra, clear or otherwise, but that always seemed to me to be sort of like putting plastic covers over my couches so they would not get stained or worn out. Great idea if you want to sell your couch later, so someone else can enjoy how nice it looks, but in the meantime you get stuck with an ugly, uncomfortable cover. I've also heard MANY people complain that their bra rubbed the paint right off their car. Even high-end, expensive bra's couldn't help but stretch over time due to heat, wind, etc. and once stretched, the loose area would rub the car. Any thoughts?

 

[QUOTE=lightonthehill]...Living in the hot, humid miserable deep south, where summers seem to last forever, I have no choice but to have window rain deflectors. That enables me to leave all the windows down about three inches whenever I park. That way, I simply come back to a very hot car, not a sauna...[QUOTE=lightonthehill]...

Where did you get your rain deflectors?

 

its good. just use it whenever u make long trips.

 

russgriz - I ordered 'Ventvisors' thru my Nissan Dealer. He got them from AVS (Auto Vent Shade). Their web address is www.autoventshade.com, but I haven't checked that site. The company is actually located in the Chamblee-Norcross area (northeast Atlanta). Their phone number is 1-800-241-7219.

The dealer charged me $112 plus tax, totalling 119.84. The quality is good. Most folks seem to like the way they look.

BUT:

Due to the design and snugness of the '04 Maxima windows, these shades are designed to be installed on the OUTSIDE of the window frame. The shades are dark, so don't clash visually with the black window frame. Some folks, however, probably would not like shades installed on the outside of the window frame.

AND:

Be aware vent shades tend to slightly increase the noise of air rushing by the car at highway/freeway speeds.

 

ebay "buy it now" for USD$43.90
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...category=42611

 

No, no painted ones just the smoke color. I'm thinking just using it for trips like Silvermax04 said. Not being able to wax or dry underneath it when I wash the Max is kinda bothering me, unless I want to remove it everytime.

The clear bra is good except it would probably show more on the darker colors then the white seems too.

I was hoping it gave it a sportier look, which it does somewhat, but I'm not crazy about how it hides and cuts off the lines going down the front of the hood. It's a form fitted deflector so it hugs and fits the hood nicely. It will be great on trips. No window deflectors going on, that would be overkill.

 

Yes its good. Had it since I got my car (Aug 2003). Got it from the dealer as part of the deal .. though I had to pay for the part.. had the installation free... but realised later its no big deal to fix.. no stone chips on my hood as yet .. ( and most highway driving)

maxzma.. just make sure the rubbers (dont know what they are called officially) are fitted right .. the pointed end shd be up)

 

As mentioned above, i think they belong primarily on trucks. Not a fan of it on cars tho. If it does its job tho I guess thats better then nothing. As far as the window visors, i have them. Got them thru a local auto store. Your right with the off color, its the first thing i noticed. Also, if you get them, make sure you line them up right. I missed slightly and yeah it leaks. But they are still nice to have. I'd invest in them.

 

i have to say it doesn't tickle my fancy against the smoke. u also made a valid point about cleaning underneath it. my vote is to lose the hood deflector.

 

i have one on my spec v, they only made it in canada, so i had to send away for it. i say it doesnt look bad at all on my car.. i like it and it works as far as i can tell, u still get chips but it does block, alot from hitting the hood... good job i like it

 

I saw a hood deflector on a Silver 04. It looked lame. Too much contrast. However on a Smoke or Black max it wouldn't be as bad as it would blend into the front end. I had one on my last car, which was black, and it didn't look bad at all.

They just stick out too much on the lighter colours. The invisible bra products make more sense. There are some less expensive ones than 3M now. Pre-cut and everything. I was quoted $300CDN to do the front end on my car. Compared to the $500-700US that I keep seeing, I think thats a reasonable price for the product.

CM.

 

I have heard that the 3M scotchguard product is a killer options for bras and deflectors. I have a friend that spent 10k on his paint job on his CIVIC and wanted to proctect his hood from chips and had this 3M stuff put on his car. Its clear so you cant even tell its on the car and it works great for keeping chips from appearing.


ISK

 

Nuthin' like a $10k paint job on a $14k car!!

-Nate

 

I disagree. I have the 3M Clear Bra on a Silver SE and you have to look real hard to see the line where the plastic stops. My Max came that way from the dealer (he swapped my Max with another dealer to get the 6-speed that I wanted). He forgot to charge me for it and then tried to come back after we had a deal and get more money for it. I did not fall for that one.

I really like having it and would get one on any new car I buy in the future.

 

How much does the 3M Clear Bra cost? All it is is plastic, shouldn't cost more than $50.

 

The dealer was looking for about $250 (as I remember it from May 2003). I believe that is the installed cost, but others on this site probably know more accurately than my memory of refusing to change the deal we had for the car.

 

That's the going rate from what I've seen. I asked a local installer here to get my Smoke done, and IIRC he quoted me $225 for front bumper/hood and the back of the mirrors. The rear bumper is extra (for protection from those parking nicks, just in case).

I never got it done because I'm seriously looking at dumping the '04 for an '05 with Elite, but I don't wanna get raped on the trade.

-- edit --

Just dug up the old email... front bumper and leading edge of the fenders is $190, back of the mirrors is $70 and rear bumper is $190.

This was a local guy from a company called "seconday exposure" (se-ex.com). They have plenty of pictures of the installation and results on their site.

 

Sorry, I had to vote for you to lose it. I don't like the look, but it is not my car. If you like it, keep it.