[Tony407]

Got the OEM Ford deflector for the car in the mail today. Part # CM5Z-16C900-A.

Yes, I know. You're thinking: "Huh? A bug deflector install thread? Seriously, Tony 407...we're not that stupid & we don't need a tutorial on how to install a stupid piece of plastic on the front of our car!!" Believe me, I wasn't planning on doing one either and was content on just posting some pics of the final installed project. Except for one tiny, small detail: The installation instructions are wrong! I thought I would help prevent others from screwing the job up and having two useless holes underneath their hood like I do now. [mad] Please make sure this pertains to your install & instructions. Yours may differ from mine (why, I have no idea) so please just use this info as a guide and don't start drilling holes like I did based on someone's instructions (especially mine). There...disclaimer said.

Here's pics of both pages of the included instructions:

 

[Tony407]

Step 2 shows how you should position the deflector in place, centered on the hole in the middle of the underside of the hood. Fair enough. Here's a pic of the deflector in place:

Step 3 shows where to mark the holes and step 4 tells you to drill into the hood. Of course, be careful not push against the drill so hard that after you drill the hole into the underside of the hood that you accidentally drill through the hood itself. Here's pics of the holes I drilled:

 

[Tony407]

Steps 5, 6 and 7 demonstrate how they want you to use the included clips to hold the center of the deflector onto the hood. So I proceed to do just that and everything's fine so far. Here's how it looks:

Here's a close up of the clips in the center:

 

[Tony407]

If you've been really observant, you'll notice in the first picture in the last post that now that I've mounted the deflector with the clips, the holes I previously drilled are now pretty far away from the holes in the deflector. [scratch]

Yeah. Let's take a closer look:

Just for clarification, the holes in the deflector will not pull down far enough to allow me to screw into the holes I drilled into the hood as per the instructions. Thanks, Ford! Two holes in my hood I really didn't want or need. [smackbum]

 

[Tony407]

Well, here I have drilled two new holes into the metal in the correct position:

Compare the old holes with the red Xs versus the new holes, which are in the correct place:

 

[Tony407]

Here's the screws in the correct holes:

Here's the deflector completely installed from the underneath the hood. I'm going to buy some touch-up paint and de-burr the holes and paint over them so they won't rust. Then I'll find some sort of rubber plugs to stuff in the left over holes.

If anyone has done this install, ends up doing it, or happens to notice some error I made in interpreting the instructions, please let me know. Otherwise, I'm calling Ford and telling them their instructions are wrong and ask them to pay for my deflector.

In conclusion: If I had started on steps 5, 6 and 7 and used the clips to position the deflector in place and THEN marked and drilled the holes as per steps 3 and 4 I would have been fine. Step 2 should have never been written, and they should have re-ordered the steps as I have just stated. Hindsight!!!

I'll take some pictures of the the deflector on the car tomorrow or later this week.

Tony

 

[lscrx]

I see what you mean, good luck getting more than an apology from Ford though. You could put some duct tape over the extra holes... pretty much the same color!

Posted via FF Mobile

 

[86524]

Thanks for posting this. It should be a sticky somewhere and I you should also send the link to this post to the Ford rep on this forum (Natasha).

 

[Tony407]

Thanks for posting this. It should be a sticky somewhere and I you should also send the link to this post to the Ford rep on this forum (Natasha).

How do you search for a member? I tried the advanced search to find a thread of hers somewhere but it said she doesn't exist.

Tony

 

[keishafgtx]

thanks so much! saved me from doing the same, was going to install mine in the last few days but never got around to it.. i guess my procrastinating worked out well this time.. thanks again!! good luck with ford!

 

[86524]

How do you search for a member? I tried the advanced search to find a thread of hers somewhere but it said she doesn't exist.

Tony

That's her real name, she's on here as Ford Rep or something. I'll see if I can find a thread with her in it.

 

[Johnwillyson]

That's her real name, she's on here as Ford Rep or something. I'll see if I can find a thread with her in it.

FordCustomerService

 

[86524]

Thanks, was driving me nuts trying to find an old thread, now I'm off to [sleeping]

 

[Tony407]

FordCustomerService

Thank you!

Tony

 

[RustySocket]

Tony,

Maybe a couple of these body panel clips would make the holes look better.

http://theclipssellers.blogspot.com/2011/04/ford-trim-panel-clip-qty-250.html

Ace/True Value hardware usually has these clips on the isle with all the specialty items in the little slide out boxes. I have used them to fill in holes after removing liscense plates and things like that.

Bummer about the instructions and thanks for the heads up. You do good write up's .

 

[Tony407]

Tony,

Maybe a couple of these body panel clips would make the holes look better.

http://theclipssellers.blogspot.com/2011/04/ford-trim-panel-clip-qty-250.html

Ace/True Value hardware usually has these clips on the isle with all the specialty items in the little slide out boxes. I have used them to fill in holes after removing liscense plates and things like that.

Bummer about the instructions and thanks for the heads up. You do good write up's .

Thanks, Scott!!! I think those will definitely do the trick. You rock.

Tony

 

[JasonM]

Thanks for posting this. Looking forward to the pics of it on the car to see how it really looks, too. I'm considering grabbing one of these for my new tuxedo black hatchback.

 

[2012silversel]

I'm interested in seeing pics too. I'm curious to see how the bump in the center of the deflector looks. The pics I saw made me go with 12" of clear film on the hood to protect from chips. Too bad about the extra drilled holes. I'd get some quality primer on those drilled holes before a rust issue develops.

 

[halfmoonclip]

I'm interested in seeing pics too. I'm curious to see how the bump in the center of the deflector looks. The pics I saw made me go with 12" of clear film on the hood to protect from chips. Too bad about the extra drilled holes. I'd get some quality primer on those drilled holes before a rust issue develops.

Twentytwelve, I've been thinking about some kind of stone protection for next winter. Where did you get your film? Is it hard to remove in the spring?

Had a bug deflector on a Dodge Raider many moons ago. It hurt the gas mileage, stones got trapped behind it (really buggered the paint), and it made the windshield washers go nuts. Not going that route again.
Moon

 

[2012silversel]

Twentytwelve, I've been thinking about some kind of stone protection for next winter. Where did you get your film? Is it hard to remove in the spring?

Had a bug deflector on a Dodge Raider many moons ago. It hurt the gas mileage, stones got trapped behind it (really buggered the paint), and it made the windshield washers go nuts. Not going that route again.
Moon

I had the film installed when I had the windows tinted. It cost $125 for the film so I'm not sure if it's a on-in-winter off-in-spring type of install unless you buy a sheet or roll and do the install yourself. I'd check with a local tint shop or 3M film distributor for material and installation instructions.