Actually 3M does a really good job at deflecting the rocks and preventing any damage to your hood...you should think that a thin piece of plastic won't stand up, but it does. And most 3M on the market today is backed by an excellent warranty so if it did ever fail, it would be a free replacement. My parents G35 still looks like new, same with my Fit except for the very top where there is no protection...
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Thank you - thank you!. I have been looking for a "hood deflector" since the day that I picked up my new Fit (8 months ago). I am a firm believer in the protective value of bug shields/air deflectors, and have used them on every car and truck I've owned for 20 years. Absolutely No One makes these things for Fits until your post. The big makers are Lund, Deflectashield, etc.
Like the other posters, I called 6 different dealers in my area and your Honda part number does not exist for American Honda dealers. So, after a few more calls to some West Coast area Canadian Honda dealers, I was given the following web site URL:
This site calls these shields "Hood Edge Protectors" made by "Focus". Don't look for Focus Air Deflectors with your search engine- all you'll find is air deflectors for shitty little Ford cars.
Carter Honda in Vancouver is supposed to call me back regarding a possible order with them (the parts guy didn't know if he could accept an American credit card order). If things don't work out with this dealer, I will order from shophonda365.com. The price for the Fit Hood Edge Protector is $99.95 on that site, I don't know what shipping will be to California.
I will report back when I get my hood shield ordered.
I don't know if your post was meant for me (doubt it) but I would be the wrong person to ask about car wash survival. I never trust my cars to "minimum wage" workers, and can always do a better cleaning job myself than any car wash. However, after using hood air deflectors on all my cars/trucks for 20 years, some of which have gone through an occasional car wash, I have never experienced damage.
We have a Lund brand deflector on my wife's Scion XB. It looks GREAT, works fine, and is not affected by the car washes where she takes her car.
manxman- not to you as you do not have one yet...just a general request.
Higher up in the thread there is mention that car drying blowers in car washes might snap these things off. I have seen other comments in other forums on the issue. I suspect much will depend on what blower is being used, the shape of the car and the shape of the bug deflector.
I would put one on or spanky new Fit we just took delivery of on Monday (joy!), if I knew it would be safe to go through the touchless wash. I will wash by hand for about 7 months a year but in winter I need to use the auto wash...I have also used the do it yourself bay but it is not very handy.
Hopefully this clarifies my obtuse post above...cheers.
OK- More news. I ordered my "Honda Hood Edge Protector" from Carter Honda in Vancouver, Canada, from David in the parts dept. The Focus brand of deflector advertised on shophonda365.com is not a Honda part, so the Canadian price of $99.95 is not the price of the Honda deflector.
I placed my order with Carter Honda for the actual Honda part, at the price of $111.80, and with their GST tax, the total, less shipping by UPS Ground, is $138.52. The non-Honda Focus brand of deflector might be OK at a $12.00 or so lesser price, but I decided to stick with genuine Honda parts.
Will post again when the part arrives and I install it.
manxman- not to you as you do not have one yet...just a general request.
Higher up in the thread there is mention that car drying blowers in car washes might snap these things off. I have seen other comments in other forums on the issue. I suspect much will depend on what blower is being used, the shape of the car and the shape of the bug deflector.
I would put one on or spanky new Fit we just took delivery of on Monday (joy!), if I knew it would be safe to go through the touchless wash. I will wash by hand for about 7 months a year but in winter I need to use the auto wash...I have also used the do it yourself bay but it is not very handy.
Hopefully this clarifies my obtuse post above...cheers.
viamede,
Nothing "obtuse" about your post. Regarding the car wash safety of these deflectors, I am betting that at least the Honda version will be fine. In the early days of hood deflectors, they were rectangular sheets of plastic that stuck straight up from the edge of the hood. They served as a barrier against bugs and rocks alright, but were extremely un-aerodynamic.
Today's deflectors are usually made from molded G.E. Lexan plastic that is used for military, law enforcement, and Paintball goggles, as well as for bullet-proof windows in armored cars. They are .aerodynamic, and are advertised as enhancing fuel efficiency, They also use little plastic soft pads that stick to the hood to keep the deflector from flexing backward enough to contact the hood and harm the paint. The pads also support the deflector to prevent over-flexing and breakage.
Since these parts are so readily available in Canada, you should be hearing from some of your countrymen with some good news about car wash compatibility.
I would have bought one for my own Fit IMMEDIATELY if they had been available.
Thanks for the repsonse. Some things I didn't know. I put one on the Matrix. The bumps will stop it being pushed down but will not prevent it being pushed up. My only concern would be a strong wind pressure from above and behind that might lift the deflector and cause the pins to snap where it is attached to the hood. However, I think it would take a lot of force (unless it was old an brittle) and that a lot of the air would flow under the deflector in any event. Frankly if the deflector snapped off I would be sad but get over it....if it snapped and damaged the hood I would need some therapy.
I understand your concerns with possible body damage, but I think that previous posts about car wash breakage might be in the realm of "urban myth" more than actuality. 1/4" thickness of Lexan plastic stops a .22 cal. bullet. 1/2" stops a .44 magnum. I have fired the shots that proved it to me. But high speed impact does not equal structural stress from bending.
You are right to be careful before buying anything for your Fit, but because some other Canadian posts in the future "My air deflector in my Fit went through 12 consecutive car washes and nothing happened to the deflector!", does not guarantee that your first car wash won't break your new deflector.
I am betting that if you get one of these for your Fit, you will be glad that you did. But I am betting your money. Good luck!
Received and installed my Honda Fit "Air Deflector"
As previously posted, on Friday, I ordered the Honda part no. 08P47-SLN-310. This part is only sold in Canada, NOT in the U.S. I ordered mine from Carter Honda in Vancouver, B.C., (604) 736-2821. I ordered from David in the Parts Dept. The invoice was for $170.80 Canadian, but in U.S. dollars the total was $153.91. For other U.S. owners who are interested, just find your nearest Canadian dealer in the province closest to you. They all have access to this part.
I will post a detailed DIY with photos during the weekend of May 26. I have to drive to Nevada for next week, and that will give me some road experience with this thing to report on. I will have a 50 mile drive up I-5 through the CA central valley, and am really interested in how this deflector performs in keeping bugs off the windshield.
I can't tell whether this thing is made of polycarbonate (Lexan, bullet proof), or acrylic plastic (breaks easily, not bullet proof). The color is transparent SMOKE, and it looks VERY good even with my BOM color. The attachment to the leading edge of the hood is EXTREMELY strong and sturdy- more on that with the installation post to come. I honestly don't believe that any car wash could break this thing off, unless it's a car wash in the middle of a NASA wind tunnel.
Most auto air deflectors mount with the whole deflector curving under the bottom edge of the hood, including the Lund brand deflector that I installed on our Scion XB. The Honda deflector for the Fit is different. The deflector is a wing that stands away from the top of the hood by about 1/2", and the only thing that goes under the front edge of the hood are some plastic mounting clips. The weather strip seal stays there and the clips go under it. Some deflectors have the annoying tendency to so severely change normal air flow patterns that the windshield washer stream goes right over the roof and the wipers tend to float and rattle on the glass. The Fit design allows air to flow both under AND over the wing. I expect my trip to prove that the annoying problems with some other deflectors are not present with this one.
Will post the DIY W/photos in the JDM Styling/Bodywork forum.
Thanks for taking the time to post this. I look forward to your install and report. Install should be easy, it sounds very similar to what I put on our Matrix. The wife is taking the Fit on a trip next week so I am getting nervous about flying rocks
Thanks for taking the time to post this. I look forward to your install and report. Install should be easy, it sounds very similar to what I put on our Matrix. The wife is taking the Fit on a trip next week so I am getting nervous about flying rocks
Maybe I can get some of the installation info. posted today- don't know but will try. Because of high shipping cost, customs duty fee, buying directly from a dealer at zero discount, the $153.00 price is over twice what you would pay if this were available from a U.S. manufacturer. Again, the Lund bug shield on our Scion XB cost about $70.00, so you REALLY have to WANT this shield badly. I wanted it badly.
viamede, the actual plastic structure of this deflector is more of a flat, wide rectangle that is clamped at 8 places around the periphery of the hood. It is not the recurved shape that curves completely around and under the hood edge. Therefor, breakage from severe bending and flexing is not going to be an issue. The strong mounting clips curve under the hood edge, but the plastic deflector sheet lays on top, parallel with the top of the hood. Think of the wings of an old biplane, with the bottom wing being your hood.
I live up in Alberta (A.K.A. land of the flying road stones). I had just the Honda one installed, I like it because it kind of matches my Mugen visors (not shown in this pic though)
The appearance of the Deflector on your Silver Fit backs up my suggestion in my Review/Install thread on the "Fit Bodywork & JDM Styling" forum, that the translucent gray color would look good on any Fit car color.
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