How to fit wind deflectors to your car

 By Lawrence Minnie

They may have gone out of style, but wind deflectors are still readily available from your local auto accessory store. We take a quick look at installing these retro, yet still functional accessories.

A louvre by any other name

“What are wind deflectors for?”, I hear you ask. Well, in the automotive styling heydays of the late 80’s and early 90’s, these clip-on devices were less of a style choice and more of a necessity. Back then, only very expensive luxury cars had air conditioning, and if it rained, well, you’d find yourself staring at a set of misted up windows in no time.

The best way to demist your windscreen was to crack your windows open a little, but then you would end up with a wet arm and a soggy interior. Enter the wind deflector: now you could not only open your windows and not have water drip down onto your door cards, but at low speeds you could do away with the terrible wind noise as well.

Nowadays even entry level cars have air-con, and with new, streamlined body designs that track air and water away from window openings, wind deflectors are no longer needed.

But there are many impressionable youngsters out there (and maybe a few old school guys) who like the look of these deflectors, so you can still buy them, for old and new cars alike.

In a few easy steps, we’re going to show you how to attach a set of wind deflectors to your ride in just a few minutes.

1. Get yourself a set of wind deflectors from your local spares and accessory shop. Make sure they will fit your make and model.

2. Thoroughly clean the window trim piece were the deflector will attach.

3. Give the area a once over with a soft cloth and a little bit of acetone.

4. Peel up a small portion of the double sided adhesive tape on the deflector.

5. Position the deflector, and begin pushing it against the trim piece as you remove the backing tape, section by section.

6. Ensure that your window still closes properly, and that the deflector is properly attached.

Repeat these steps on the opposite side and enjoy!