Stonemaster, I am not sure what type of bug deflector it was that came loose. It was on the vehicle when I picked it out on the dealers lot this August. I believe it to be a Nissan part. All of the MO's on that lot had that same style of deflectors on them at that time. They had Nissan printed on the bottom left edge. The plastic was thick and formed to the shape of the front of the vehicle. The bottom of it was about even with the line where the hood and grill meet.
What happened was, while driving at about 80 mph, the fasteners on the drivers side slipped off the edge of the hood allowing it to flap/vibrate in the wind. It slapped at the hood making a terrible sound. I pulled over immediately and looked closely at the deflector for the first time.
I had never bothered with a deflector on any previous vehicle, but as mentioned this came with my MO. I found it was held on with a "c" clamp type of affair pinching the edge of the hood and the clamp on the far left edge had slipped off. The deflector had not broken, it just came loose. I was in Toronto at the time, 900 miles from home, so I bought an allen key and attempted to tighten the fitting without pinching the edge of the hood too hard. I thought I had corrected the problem, but it slipped off another time or two before I drove home.
When I went back to my dealer, the service guy stated they had just learned of the problem with the original deflector and had ordered replacements which were now in stock. The way they caught the wind caused them to come loose over time. I watched the new one being installed and noticed the box said Nissan on it, so I believe it to be a Nissan part. It also says Nissan on the bottom left edge.
The new one sits lower on the front so it would cover the top 1/3 of the Nissan emblem but it has a cut out at this point. The bottom edge of this deflector is below the line where the hood and grill meet. It also has an upward flare to the top edge. I have since been on various shorter road trips and have had no further problems.
My dealer offered to touch up the scuff marks or paint the hood, but as the new deflector covered them I decided not to fool around with the factory paint.
Wayne P
