Bothered by your car’s unsightly display of splattered bug guts? Bug deflectors are an effective tool for protecting your vehicle’s appearance.

If you have ever taken a road trip, your vehicle has probably met a few bugs along the way. Windshield wipers are useless when it comes to clearing bug gunk. In fact, they usually streak and cloud your glass, making it even harder to see.

When you’re on vacation, going to the car wash is the last thing on your mind. Besides wasting valuable time, getting your car washed isn’t cheap. Last time I was over at the local “Clean N Care” I got roped into buying the “deluxe” package, which cost me $29.95! My head started spinning just thinking about how much money I will spend on car washes this year.

Bug deflectors are a good investment. With the money you would spend on a few trips to the car wash, you could buy yourself a bug deflector, which will then save you time and money.

Worried that bug deflectors don’t match your car’s image? You can find a variety of bug deflectors to match your style. They range in size, shape, color—you can even find chrome bug deflectors. Adding a sleek smoke colored bug guard can add unique styling to your ride.

They are extremely easy to install. You won’t have to pay installation fees. It will help having a friend assist with centering the guard, but besides that you can install by yourself in a matter of minutes.

An important step that most people forget is cleaning the hood. You don’t want any dirt of grim on the surface where you will be applying the adhesive. You can use an alcohol pad or a degreaser product for this step.

Once the area is clean, make sure it is completely dry. Deflectors come with a variety of mounting pieces. What’s great about bug deflectors is that there is no drilling involved. That’s right, just a strong adhesive will be securing the guard, so there won’t be any nasty holes in your hood should you decide to take it off.

Your bug guard kit should come with its own mounting pieces. Some products come with circular pieces that are sticky on one side and Velcro on the other. For some guards you will just use heavy duty 3M tape. If yours comes with the Velcro system, make sure the two pieces are stuck together and unpeel only one of the backings. Stick them (together) onto your hood. You do not want to apply the pieces to the guard and the hood separately because it will be nearly impossible to line them up straight.

This is where the friend comes in handy. After all the sticky pieces are attached to your hood, you are ready to stick on the bug guard. It helps to have someone eyeing the placement from a distance to make sure it goes on straight. You can also make little pencil markings on each side to check if it is aligned.

The installation is almost complete. You just need to attach a few small rubber bumpers behind the ends of the bug guard. These will stop the edges of your deflector from hitting your hood at high speeds.

You’re done! It was that simple. And bug deflectors are constructed from quality stainless steel or scratch resistant acrylic, which means you won’t have to go replacing it anytime soon.