blue_badger

Having fitted a full set of Heko wind deflectors to my Kodiaq I wanted to circle back on this topic with some feedback. Spoiler alert: I didn't get on with them. Installation was very straight forward. Each deflector came with a decent amount of quality double-sided tape ready applied as well as two metallic clips. I tried to get by without using the clips (which look a bit Mickey-mouse, more on that later) but no amount of sticky tape would hold the deflectors in their channels, despite liberal cleaning prior to installation and waiting 24 hours with the windows closed on a warm day afterwards. I think the problem is that my Kodiaq's window channels aren't simply an inverted 'U' as per the instructions; the outer part of the top section is not very deep and offers little purchase for the adhesive. I tried using more double sided 3M tape for the entire length of one deflector, and also some very thin 3M foam pads on another, but I just couldn't get them to stay put with the windows open. In the end I resorted to using the metal clips. They were easy to install and improved stability of the deflectors enormously, but I had to find the best placement for them through trial and error where the front deflectors were concerned. Each removal and re-fitment resulted in minor but permanent damage to the inner window seal thanks to a sharp little spike that's presumably there to stop the clip sliding out once the window is opened. This seems like a poorly engineered solution and I did wonder if the spike isn't supposed to be facing outwards, i.e. into the plastic of the clip rather than the rubber seal, but Heko's installation video was pretty clear. Anyway, they were in now, but the knowledge of such bodgery didn't sit well with me. Would that spike gradually slice the seal to bits? Or how about contact between a partially dislodged metal clip and the closing window on a frosty day, when the glass is super brittle? I'd already experienced water ingress at the clip points when hosing down snow foam - was that going to get worse too? Hmm. Once fitted I must admit they do look the part, complementing the other smoked plastics very nicely. The leading edge of the front deflectors do make the A pillar seem substantially thicker and the nearside deflector covers maybe 15% of the wing mirror from a driver's perspective, but they do keep the rain out well with the windows open a crack, at least at standstill. When on the move in moderate rain you get an area of low pressure behind the leading edge of the front deflectors, which actually pulls more water into the vehicle at speed than you get without deflectors fitted. Closing the window at this point causes the water to bead exactly in front of the mirror, which was a bit annoying too after a while. But by far the biggest distractor for me was the wind noise. We drove from Lancaster to Southampton on a rainy afternoon, and I'm sure the cabin felt substantially louder than before, regardless of whether the windows were open or closed. Was I imagining that? At the start of the return journey I removed front and rear wind deflectors from one side only in order to compare, and the difference was so stark that halfway through the trip I stopped at Norton Canes in order to remove the other side too. In doing so I noticed that the lower edges of the wind deflectors is filed into a very sharp edge, so that a closing window doesn't meet a square face on the way up, and that sharp edge had started to bite into the outer vertical seal too. Enough. In summary I think that I'd be happy to fit the Heko wind deflectors only without the metal clips and only if I didn't anticipate any significant motorway driving. But that's not realistic for me, so the rears are going to stay in my boot next to the spare wheel, ready for quick fitment if I ever do get around to spending a night in the Kodiaq Hilton.

Nice colour @Bap33 😁👍

Fantastic stuff everyone, thanks for what looks like overwhelmingly positive feedback in favour of Team Heko! I've opted for the tinted wind deflectors via a well-known auctions site which I linked to in my original post, and can't wait for them to arrive. Research subsequent to starting this thread has uncovered a couple of cases on a VW camper forum where the metal clips have led to gradual failure of laminated windows, but it's not clear if they were installed properly or if there were any other factors at play. Or if I need to worry about that where my Kodiaq is concerned - I'll probably just run without those clips if I can get away with it. To be continued. Thanks once again!

Hey Gang - I’m thinking of fitting a set of Heko wind deflectors to my new Kodiaq Sportline and would appreciate feedback from those that have gone before me, not necessarily on the Kodiaq, like @TheWanderer here and @JR RS here and @UrbanPanzer here. I’m particularly interested in any side effects on the car in general and the door frame in particular, because jamming extra material into the window channel and forcing it closed doesn’t feel like a well engineered solution. Then again I’ve not seen them up close and may be worried about nothing. My main reason for looking at wind deflectors is that I want a bit of ventilation in the car when I’m parked up in the rain, which might even include a cheeky spot of stealth camping. Our old Q7 was ace with a double mattress in the back, but I digress… Thanks in advance for any feedback, and apologies for the gratuitous tagging!