Bonnet Protectors

[Dickie Knee]

I just wanted to know what people thoughts were on bonnet protectors.

Do you think they are a must have or do they do more harm than good?

Do you have one fitted?

Edit: I think they are a good idea but i don't have one.

[Febs]

Had one on the VS, but a bird hit it at ~170km/h and cracked it in half (half of it flew over the top of the car).

I'd like to get one for the VX but the genuine ones are pretty pricey..and the aftermarket ones I've seen seem pretty crappy.

[Ls1CorpCruiser]

Firstly I have never liked nor had bonnet protectors or headlight protectors until now.

Having now done 24,200k's in 2.5 months, mostly highway/freeway driving I can tell you I have had only 1 stone chip on my bonnet to date.

On the other hand my front bar is farked and will need a respray every 6 months at least to keep it looking new.

:D

need a front bar protector now... why cant they make White car bras????? :confused: :eek: :confused: :rolleyes: :(

[SV8VY]

I had one on and I thought they were ok ......they fall apart at 240 km :D :lol:

[JA SV8]

I have a bonnet protector and headlight protectors, they are good, no stone chips, but the bonnet one is breaking off!! maybe due to some higher speeds and rocks hitting it not sure. They are genuine and not cheap, but i figure if it can save my headlight (it maynot though) then it is worth it... and the bonnet dents.
Same with mud flaps, only put them on a month ago, shame as under the rear bumper is all scratched from rocks and stuff.

[cosmo vyss]

i have a bonnet protector fitted. it does protect your bonnet to a degree, however it is also a dirt and dust collector. imo you are better off buying yourself a car (hooter holder) bra they can be pulled on and off at will and provide more front end protection. i will be going this way myself.

[QIKMIK]

I took the bonnet protector off my Exec before the last dyno day and DROPPED NEARLY 20 rwkw!?! They are an essential mod that every one should do..... :lol:

Since removing the b/p, I have noticed quite a few more stone chips on the bonnet and not just on the leading edge. IMO, work well but look dorky.

Mick

[HERCULES]

Nah i think they look shit, id never fit one.
I know they do save your bonnet :D
On the VY SS we have no protectors, but on the VN we have headlight protectors.
They are good, dont get my wrong but no way id put one on a sports car.

[Capt Hollywood]

I've had two bonnet protectors on my VU but the ends seem to suffer from an aerodynamic problem known as 'flutter'. Up here in the 'good ol' NT where you can regularly sit on 160km/h the ends of the protector break off after while. It's happened twice to me and they both broke in exactly the same spot. I have two chips in my bonnet from the highway and both happened with a protector fitted. Bugger!

Cheers,

Hollywood :cool:

[MTC]

I've got a Charcol bonnett protector on my Patrol but yeah would'nt fit one to my clubby it's just not the look fo this kind of car :D

[VXEXEC350]

I have them (headlight and bonnet protector) on both my cars (VN & VX). I take them off and clean them every time I wash the cars. They are practically invisable. When I sell my cars I take them off, revealing bright shiney headlights, very few scratches in the bonnet and windscreen and new looking plastic in the boot.

ps it is amazing how bright shiney scratch free headlights makes a car look newer than it is. ;) :cool:
Pete

[VZSS250]

Here's an idea people....stop tailgaiting people on the freeway. My VX ahd done 30k and had only 1 chip on the bumper.

Bonnet protectors leave marks where they are fitted. And the look horrible. May seem crazy, but these days I avoid freeways to prevent stone chips at high speed. Then again I only drive on weekends.

[BLACK 346]

Mines in the shed, replaced by a car bra. Cant see the point in
protecting such a small area when the rest of the bonnet and
bar gets trashed. Neither look particularly attractive on the
vehicle, but at least the bra actually does protect the whole
front.

[FireyVT]

I used to have bonnet protectors on th VN. It depends on where you do your driving, the VN was mostly used for City driving and it didn't make a stuff of a difference. I should know as I took them off.

[clixanup]

I drive up and down the Western Ring Rd daily, and am very happy that I chose to get both bonnet and headlight protectors. My headlights still look brand new when I take the protectors off.

It is near impossible to drive along the Ring Rd and not get stuck behind some truck which is spewing sand or dust out of its trailer. In a previous car I was even bombarded with gravel by the truck in front of me.

Personally, I don't mind my car looking a bit dorky if that means it doesn't get as many chips 'n' dings. The headlight protectors have already paid for themselves at least once (that I'm aware of).

[Tre-Cool]

I've had two bonnet protectors on my VU but the ends seem to suffer from an aerodynamic problem known as 'flutter'. Up here in the 'good ol' NT where you can regularly sit on 160km/h the ends of the protector break off after while. It's happened twice to me and they both broke in exactly the same spot. I have two chips in my bonnet from the highway and both happened with a protector fitted. Bugger!

Cheers,

Hollywood :cool:

Been there twice myself. Same spot on the left hand side. Latest one seems to have lasted alot longer, probably because i have put another clip on the very ends to hold it down.

[muzza]

I've always had a B/P - hardly noticeable on a red car and keeps the chips off.

BTW - you really dont need headlight protectors on VY-VZ as they have polycarbonate lenses - any rock that will break them would not be stopped by a poxy piece of perspex.

Did VX have polycarb lenses too?

But, having stated the above, I hope they dont go yellow in the sun after a few years as some plastic lenses do - in that case, H/L protectors may be of some use.

[Blackcrew]

I found it protected the bonnet,but the windscreen copped the deflections.

[OscarTheGrouch]

I voted that I think they're a good idea, but I don't have one fitted.

I had one fitted on my previous vehicle and the condition of the bonnet after 80,000 kms was much better than the one I have now (which has only done 30,000kms) - they definitely make a difference in saving your duco.

Having said that, I hate the way they look - it ruins the lines of the car. Besides, it's not foolproof. The guards and front bar and everything else will still get chipped, so what's the point? You may as well just get the paint spruced up every couple of years, it's not that expensive...

(Headlight protectors are probably a different story.. but I had them on my old VN and didn't like them at the time either.)

[clixanup]

BTW - you really dont need headlight protectors on VY-VZ as they have polycarbonate lenses - any rock that will break them would not be stopped by a poxy piece of perspex.

What about the pitting you get from driving on freeways? A mate has done ~130K km in his VY1 - mostly country travel (without protectors), and his headlights are so bad that I'd be amazed if they could pass roadworthy.

[muzza]

Yeah - good point Clixanup - I haven't got them on my VY, but I have given it some thought.

I haven't noticed any on mine yet - despite a recent 5000 km trip to Qld and back.

I was thinking those flexible Skinz ones may be good and virtually invisible - also better if they stay cleaner than the Aunger ones.

[Knight Phlier]

Has anyone used the 3M Protection Film? I seen this fitted to a Corvette on its bonnet and bumper and you couldn't see it at all. It is supposed to be real strong film that is scratch resistant.

[COSMOS]

i have both on my car BUT i have sprayed the bonnet protector cosmo to match the bonnet. Had a mate do it on the underside so the paint never gets scratched. If some here will host i will take some pics of it.

I think it looks horn because the nose looks meatier. Its a good quality job and if it ever breaks i will replace it with the same setup.

My headlamp protectors s*^t me to tears - they were a freeby from the dealer but i suspect they are coming off at the next wash (sometime in Summer)

t

[brock05]

need a front bar protector now... why cant they make White car bras????? :confused: :eek: :confused: :rolleyes: :(

I beleive that car -bra australia is starting to do coloured bra's i would give them a try. I also know that Robco do coloured ones but there quality leaves a bit to be desired.

[Padina]

Yeah I had them fitted by Holden for free when I got my car. Both the headlights and bonnet protector are genuine, and they do their job. I'm on the western ring road 2 hours a day, driving to and from work, and it is true, being stuck behind a truck, you wanna keep your distance untill you see a chance to overtake. Thats when they really come in handy. Now approching the 80,000 ks on the clock, and the headlights are still like new. Few chips on top of the bonnet, but some things are unavoidable, and nothing a good cut n polish cant fix. :D

Even though they do collect leaves and crap, its easy to pull them out when you park you car, if they havent been blown out while driving that is. I also take them off when washing the car, only takes a minute anyway, its not a big hasstle.

Car bra's I would touch with a ten foot pole. I used to own a Honda prelude '88 model before I traded it in for my VX. The owner before me had a bra on it for who knows how long, and even though he didnt tell me when i was buying it, I could tell by the color difference on the bonnet a couple weeks later.

Where the bra was, it was much darker, where as the rest of the bonnet was all faded from the sun. It looked terrible, and even with an expensive cut n pollish, it only looked even for about 2 weeks. :mad:


Cheers...

[SSbaby]

What's worse IMO is car bras. Why fit them when it covers the whole of the car's face? It's disrespectful!

Taliban car.

[Heli]

Not had a Holden BP for years, they look dreadful on an HSV anyway, IMHO! But, I've had them on 4WD's for 16 years, until the current Prado. BP doesn't just flutter, the vibration goes right through the window frame and shakes the rear view mirror :rolleyes: Toyota couldn't fix it, so the bonnet protector went into the shed. Then the headlamp protectors seemed to obstruct the headlamp intensity, eventually I took them off during the ski season, and LO! we could see again ;) Headlamp protectors also consigned to the shed!

When the Grange was new I looked at putting protective 3M tape over the front of the car, but the installer hadn't got the pattern for the WK. By the time he got his act together, there were too many stone chips to make it worth while :rolleyes: But as an alternative to a car bra, the tape is a good way to go; it is very tough, clear, and stands up well to stones and other objects that are likely to chip the paintwork.

[SSFreak]

Maybe 3M should make a tape that covers the whole car. That way we won't have to worry about stone chips or scratches anywhere on the paintwork. ;)

[BLACK 346]

What's worse IMO is car bras. Why fit them when it covers the whole of the car's face? It's disrespectful!

Taliban car.

Why fit them you ask? To save me $1000 every six
months for a front end respray ;)