bug/rock deflectors for 2007

Has anyone seen a bug deflector for the the 2007 Sprinters? I have asked at the Dodge dealer where we bought the vans, and they sent us to Mercedes.... Mercedes said they can find them in their parts library. I have sent emails to online Sprinter parts people, but got no replies.

Any ideas?

The only ones that I've seen are the ones for the T1Ns, but they have been discontinued by the manufacturer (Lund).

On a side note, do these deflectors still work even with the Sprinter's sloped front?

I had 3M Paint Protection Film installed. I didn't really go in with the intention of doing anything but the hood, but when I picked it up, the installer had put the film on the headlights and custom cut and covered a lot of the front end parts of the van. Looks very good. Cost $400. When I called around, I found huge variation of cost. Should help with the rock chips. I've done this with a number of vehicles over the years and 200,000 miles later, the front end still looks good. The front end of my minivan without the film is peppered with rock chips from my northern winter-driving sandblasting of the front end.

From YahooSprinterVan: http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/sprintervan/message/9942?unwrap=1&var=1&l=1

Hi Folks,
I'm going to try to answer all your questions in one response rather than reply to each one to save time and space.

To Jim in Oregon, I would recommend going to the website www.xpel.com [T1N Freightliner hood area part number P5201-U.] This is the company we deal with for the patterns. From that site you can find a local installer. I do recommend getting professional installation.
The difficulty in the application is stretching the material around the compound curves. Invinceshield and Xpel both use 3M Scotchgard (new name for the Scotchcal) film. The difference is from the dealer standpoint; we download the patterns from Xpel and then do our own die-cuts. Invinceshield sends each pattern out. Invinceshield though has some additional pieces such as A-pillars and high roof protection. Invinceshield usually has more pieces meaning more seams. Take a look at each pattern on both websites and see what fits your needs or preference the best.

To Suzanne: The maximum width of the film is 24 inches. Therefore from the top center of the hood, about 9 inches are left uncovered. But, a second piece could be "butted" up against the other to get full coverage. There is a seam line no matter what. But most people don't see it unless you tell them that it is there.
Secondly, Will Mercedes conversion work? Since these are specific cuts for both Dodge and Freightliner, I don't think that the conversion to the Mercedes badges will work. That is a for sure with the Freightliner pattern. I'm not sure if the Dodge hood goes all the way down to the grill as the Mercedes does. Also, on the Dodge pattern, there is a cut out on the film for the Dodge Ram logo.

Just one additional point to HK Pierce's comments about the film. He is correct in all points, difficulty, stretching and use on colors. His comments about the high roof top piece is also correct. This area is flat enough the a hand cut template will give you a good pattern and decent results.

One last comment on color. The film is most visible on white. That is because the film is 99.5% clear. That 0.5% gives an off-white look. Not bad looking but a little different. You will notice it but nobody else will. That said, a little color variance is better that all those chips.

Quality. We have installed this product on high end cars such as
Porches, Mercedes, Audi etc and every owner is please and thankful with the results.

If anyone has any addition questions about this product, just ask and we will get back to you.

Karen and Tom Baldauf
'03 SHC2500 Brilliant Silver High roof

-----Original Message-----
Message: 3
Date: Sun, 29 Aug 2004 21:42:04 -0400
From: greentech <greentech@...>
Subject: Scotchcal/ Stonegard kits. #861

Marty-
I am a Sprinter owner and a source/installer for the 3M cotchgard paint protection film. I have the film for paint (8 mil) and headlight (20 mil) and can cut digital patterns for both the Freightliner and Dodge Sprinter vans. A word of caution though, self installation is not easy and not really recommended.

You can view my website at: www.impactautoarmor.com (NOTE: Website dead)

Hopefully this information will be of some help.

Karen and Tom Baldauf
03 140 Brilliant Silver cargo

_________________________

Message: 21
Date: Mon, 30 Aug 2004 00:15:16 -0000
From: "Marty Davis" <otbiker@...>
Subject: Scotchcal / Stongard

Does anyone have a source for the 3M Scotch / Stongard kit for the Sprinter? After 23000 miles, the hood is getting nicked badly. I used this product on our last four cars on the front edge of the hood, and it works wonderfully. With the angle of the hood on the Sprinter, the entire hood would have to be filmed.


Marty in Kerrville

Message: 6
Date: Mon, 30 Aug 2004 02:38:43 -0000
From: "swardcanoe" <swardcanoe@...>
Subject: Re: Scotchcal/ Stonegard kits. #861

Dom,

Those are good prices. But I have a question or two? Does the hood piece cover the whole hood from windshield down to the Grill if one installs the MB grill? That seems to be the major difference between the two Invinca Shields's kits.

I look forward to your reply.

Suzanne

Date: Mon, 30 Aug 2004 02:49:41 -0000
From: "hkpierce" <confirm@...>
Subject: Re: Scotchcal / Stongard

I bought Invinca-Shields over a year ago after all of my stone chip problems (some pictured in my postings). It has absolutely done its job. It is expensive, but no more than a new paint job on the hood as I can attest (twice over as mentioned in other postings). Any owner of a colored Sprinter is advised to protect the front hood paint, as the chips come fast and numerous, and the primer paint is a light grey. But be forewarned. Installing the film is a job for at least two people. The recommendation for professional installation has merit if you haven't done this job before and are a neat-knick. A little scretching is required, especially on the lower hood piece. The top hood piece is really difficult as the hood is concave at that point, requiring the film to be compressed and scretched in almost the same area. I learned the hard way on one side. Further, the two fender pieces are really tough to get to fit into the groove. But the other pre-cut pieces go on without a hitch.

I would recommend passing on the Invinca-Sheild top piece and
purchasing 24" stock from others (I posted in the Link section about a year ago the supplier I used). It saves a load of money. For the top piece, it is easy to make a pattern with paper and transfer the shape to the stock piece. It is about 23" from the windshield to the antenna. However, to work that high, I had to run some of my scaffolding boards through the driver's and passenger doors (windows down, put padding under) - be careful to have balanced people on either end of the board if you go this cheap route.

Appearance: the hood seam on my dark blue van is usually visible - but not as much when it is clean. With the exception of the two fender pieces, the other pieces are invisible. The top piece is normally only visible in the transition area on the sides and when dirty. Cleaning the hood is a dream - bug juice and bird guts come right off.

Since this posting and about 4 years of exposure, the film has stopped all chipping. However, the nicks in the film are visable, especially when I am waxing. Also, the bug juice doesn't seem to come off as easily as it used to. That may be related more to the polish as opposed to the film.


For headlight help, see the following link: