I just came back from a road trip to Miami using the 4runner. Towed a trailer with 5 motorcycles on it round trip and the runner handled it with no problems (that's a different thread though).

Before the trip I was considering purchasing a clear bra to protect against bugs and chips. HOwever, that was going to be a buttload of money (around $700), an amount I didn't consider worth it. I read here on one of the threads about duplicolor shield, a spray on bra that could be washed off after use.

I decided to give it a try for this trip and I am pretty happy with the results. Here is my experience with it:


Application

Obviously, it goes on the hood and front areas to protect against the brunt of particles and objects hitting your car. I also applied it to my mirrors.

It comes in a aerosol spray can. It sprays on like spray paint but it seems to have trouble "sticking" initially. I masked the headlights and other areas I didn't want it to stick to since I didn't know if it would stick permanently to non-painted surfaces (like plastic on the headlights). Takes about 30 minutes to spray the front and I used up almost the whole can.

Protection

After the initial trip down to miami, I noticed a lot of bugs and stuff sticking to the front. They washed off along with the bra. There weren't any chips or anything from rocks and debris. I don't know if I got lucky or if the bra protected me from them. All I can conclusively say is that it protected well against bugs and grime you normally get hit with on a long trip.

Removal

The weird thing about this stuff is that when you swipe it with you fingers it comes right off, almost like dust but a bit more sticky. If you pour or spray water on it, it doesn't come off at all. I removed it with soap and water and a sponge; you'll probably have to throw away the sponge when you're done since it gets all black. But all and all it removed easily with no sticky residue left over.

Overall

I recommend this stuff for long trips. It went on easily, provided good protection and was easy to remove. I'll have pics up within a day or two.