Looking for opinions and pros vs cons of various bug deflectors.

I noticed some deflectors are installed with 3m tape and these seem to be flush with the hood.

Others are the old style which sit off the hood and most or all have the rubber bumpers to keep them from hitting the hood.

My main goal is to prevent rock chips in the paint on the front edge of the hood.

 

On my 13 fx4 I had an avs flush mount on my truck I was on there for 6 years about 5 years being on the truck the tape on the back start loosing up so I just added some new 3m tape and it held up great never cracked or broke

 

After reading several threads on this topic, I bought an Aeroskin II, which isn't installed yet.
3M automotive grade double sided tape is used through the industry, it works.
..........................Like other things, follow directions, it's all about the prep..
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AVS AeroSkin II

 

I would get the AVS Aeroskin IF I was not in salty road country. I have a fear of water/salt seeping underneath it, getting trapped against the hood. I have not picked out a shield yet but I have a Weathertech on my Equinox for over 3 years that I like. I love the look/design of the Aeroskin by I have my reservations.

 

I put the Aeroskin on my 2018 when I got it. I had it on my 2012 with no issues, but it was a POS on the 2018. Came off and beat the crap out of my hood. This was despite using the adhesive promoter and following instructions. Love the look, not going to keep a product that won't stay on. Just my 2 cents

 

I changed my mind on a bug deflector bc not sure how they hold up in a car wash. Some of them look cheesy.

 

There are 2 different AeroSkin deflectors.

The original one, glossy finish and no ridge at the back edge, was the one getting all the bad reviews on Amazon for coming undone and causing damage to the truck.

The AeroSkin II has a textured finish and an air-deflecting ridge at the back edge and seems to have much less issues with coming unglued from the hood.

 

I have the Weathertech hood deflector which is currently in my storage shed, destined for the trash bin if I can't get it to work this time. So far, the wife and I have spent over 4 hours trying to get it done. The plastic attachments they originally included were worthless. They were too short ; the tension from the curvature of the deflector won't allow them to stay in the hood holes. They sent me new ones after I called, supposedly re - engineered, but they do the same thing. I glued the tips of the fasteners together with contact cement and hopefully they will stay in the holes long enough to get the screws in. If not, I bought some plastic rivits at HF - another poster said he used aluminum rivits but that seems too permanent for me. So again, if this last attempt fails the deflector will be cut up for the trash and I'll eat the 54 bucks. Too bad that Weathertech can't get this right. 🤬

 

I went with the OEM hood deflector. Comes with all hardware needed for install and no drilling required. Was pretty simple to install and is very secure since it is bolted in. I think it looks great.