Bug Shields, Clear Bras, etc

charlier180

charlier180

New member
When I purchased my 4Runner new almost 6 years ago I purchased the Toyota Bug Shield. I also thought about a clear bra for the front of the vehicle but wondered how it would hold up and whether it was worth the cost or not.

While I was washing and waxing my 4Runner last weekend I noticed some interesting things about my 4Runner.

First of all, the hood on my 4Runner (including the front edges) does not have any chips or scratches. Given it's life in the Northeast where stones/gravel are used a LOT in the winter by road departments that was surprising.

Second, when I waxed the Roof of the 4Runner I noticed 3 or 4 scratches in the roof where it appeared that rocks or other objects had scratched the roof. (No I have not driven under low hanging trees.)

Lastly, I noticed a number of small dings in the frontal areas of the 4Runner as well as a number of large dings as well. These dings, especially the large ones lead me to believe that a clear bra would have not afforded much, if any, protection from the stones that caused them.

So here are some questions for other owners:

- How long have you owned your 4 Runner or what year is it?
- Do you have a bug shield on your 4Runner? Is it Toyota OEM or aftermarket?
What kind of shape is your hood (including the edges) and roof in?
- Did you have a clear bra installed on your 4Runner when it was new?
How well did it actually protect the areas where it was applied?

Personally, for me, the bug shield was worth the cost for the job it appears to have done all these years. On the other hand I think a clear bra would not have been a wise investment for me as it would have done little/nothing to protect against the types of stones that have hit the front of my 4Runner.
 
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I've had my 4runner (03 with 136k miles) for about a year, no bug shield or clear bra. I've got several chips on the hood that probably could have been prevented (were there when I bought it). As for the clear bra, I did some extensive research right after I had the bumper and hood on my old Mustang repainted. I've seen videos of them taking high powered BB guns and shooting the bumper repeatedly, then removing the clear bra and no damage done. The clear bra does offer protection against rocks, maybe not a lot, but it more than likely would have helped.
 
I had an aftermarket (AVS) bug shield on my 2007 since it was new. I took it off a few weeks ago. What a mistake! First off, the shield did nothing. Maybe it kept stuff off my hood, but not the windshield or roof.

The real damage was done by the shield itself. It installed via two screws on either end above the headlights, and a long tab which is inserted in between the grille and the hood. It requires you to loosen the grille a little to slide it in, then re-tighten it. When I removed it, there was a ton of little bits of debris which got wedged in there, despite me washing my truck meticulously and regularly. This debris caused the paint to be eaten away along the edge where the tab was inserted into the space between the grille and hood.

Also, three years of having a quarter inch wide piece of plastic between the grille and hood warped my grille, and now it doesn't sit against the hood anymore, there is a small space.

I got all the rust off, and used touch up paint on the spots. Most of the damage was behind the grille on the hood paint, but some of it is visible above the grille. I'm hoping in the next few months the grille returns to its original shape. It really bums me out. If I had taken the bug shield off periodically and cleaned way down in there, it may have saved the paint, but the grille would still have been warped.

So a $60 piece of easily scratched plastic not only didn't do anything to help protect my vehicle, it caused several hundred dollars worth of damage to my vehicle. I've been using the touch up paint gradually and in thin layers, soon I'm going to apply some clearcoat then see if I can buff it out somehow. If the grille doesn't go back to its original shape, I need to replace it, because stuff will get into the space again.

I wouldn't recommend a bug deflector.
 
i just got my truck recently and have been considering a bug deflector mostly to save my windshield. I get A LOT of bugs and debris hitting the glass and most of it doesn't come off w/ the washer fluid. So you don't think the deflector helped keep the windshield clean at all?

I have always considered the clear bra to be too expensive relative to the cost to re-spray a bumper.
 
It didn't work. I am always cleaning bugs off my windshield. But even if it worked, it ruined the paint where it was attached! Not worth it!
 
Bought my car new in May 08. Got the Bra installed same week. I have the Extended hood, bumper, grill, side mirrors, under door strips. There is no damage to the paint or front whatsoever. Looking at how pitted my front windshield is, I can only imagine what the paint would look like if it wasn't for the bra. I think it's worth every penny and much cheaper than any non OEM paint job. It has faded a bit over 27 months, but I can live with that. If it fades too much, I'll get it redone. Mine came with a 7-year warranty. After 7 years, I think another $500 will be well worth the investment for me.
 
Owned my 4Runner for almost 4.5 years, Feb 2006. Of the 30k, I have on it, easily, probably 18k of them were driving in Sierras to snowboard and the front end has been pounded by sand, pebbles, salt, or whatever Caltrans uses to keep the highways open.

I have chips on leading edges of hood, fender, A-pillar, roof, mirrors, bumper, just about everywhere but the back hatch. I even have a chip on the very pointed part of the fender above the headlight. The rubber/plastic rain strip that runs down the A-pillar near the windshield is pitted from rock chips. I've concluded that film would keep my hood in better shape and big areas of the sheet metal, but nothing will prevent damage on the leading edges. Luckily the 4Runner is silver and it's not very visible from more than a few feet away. But close enough the paint looks like swiss cheese.
 
audiqtr said:
Bought my car new in May 08. Got the Bra installed same week. I have the Extended hood, bumper, grill, side mirrors, under door strips. There is no damage to the paint or front whatsoever. Looking at how pitted my front windshield is, I can only imagine what the paint would look like if it wasn't for the bra. I think it's worth every penny and much cheaper than any non OEM paint job. It has faded a bit over 27 months, but I can live with that. If it fades too much, I'll get it redone. Mine came with a 7-year warranty. After 7 years, I think another $500 will be well worth the investment for me.
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i like the idea of the clear bra running the length under the doors too. i have thought about this for a while but not sure where to but that piece. did you install it yourself?
 
My 04 had the clear film on when new. I bought it when it was 4 years old, now it's 6.

It's held up great. No nicks/scratches/chips anywhere where the film is. They didn't put any on the little trim piece right below the headlights so it's easy to tell the difference of what it would've been like everywhere without it. Not that there's a tonne of chips there, but the difference is noticeable.

I live in northern Alberta, lots of winter driving on gravelled/salted roads which are punishing to paint, even with city driving.

I've heard over time the film can "yellow", mine still looks good and clear. My truck is silver so I imagine it's the hardest color to tell if the film faded or yellowed.

Overall, I'm happy. I'd never put a plastic deflector on. I had a chev pickup with one, same as the OP, the grill eventually warped because of the pressure of the pinch between the hood and grill. Looked awful, chrome was peeling and all. Also did a good amount of damage under the deflector on the paint of the hood. I'll never do one again
 
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