TRC’s FENDER DEFENDER - Review

[Angus]

As a general rule of thumb, I touch my car as little as possible. 99% of the time this is not a problem- that’s what door handles, trunk hold grips and pop-up hood latches are for. But accidents happen! As hard as I try bumping into the front bumper or fender while topping off fluids/ changing air filters under the hood or brushing past the back bumper while taking items in and out of my trunk is sometimes unavoidable. Whats a detailing enthusiast to do? Enter TRC’s FENDER DEFENDER:





From The Rag Company’s copy:

“The Rag Company`s new FENDER DEFENDER™ microfiber suede protection towel offers detailers a safe, simple and effective tool against accidental paint damage while working in engine bays, trunks and other parts of a vehicle.”

*Bias Review Disclaimer* The Rag Company sent me this item to use and review at no-charge. Ok, now that bit of housekeeping is out of the way… Onto my review!


Construction

Weighing in at 250GSM, this 75/25 blended towel measures (just shy of) 24” x 36”:




...with rounded corners and a nice satin edge:



A unique feature about this towel is it’s made of 100% split microfiber ie suede. Anyone who’s applied a CarPro coatings will be immediately familiar with this material. Here’s a few shots of both suede’s side by side:






In Action


Recently the Fender Defender help me avoid accidentally leaning into the fender* while changing my cabin air filter.



*Don’t worry, the entire vehicle was first clean via N-914 WW

What`s nice about using a suede material for this application is how dense/ heavy it is. Unlike a typical microfiber towel, the Fender Defender towel does not easily slip or slide off once spread out. Even with the majority of the towel draping off the side, the Fender Defender stayed in place:



This is even more apparent when using the Fender Defender to protect my rear bumper:


Just look how little of the towel is sitting inside the trunk/ on top of the bumper:



Most of it is hanging off!





Worried about the towel coming into contact with your sooty exhaust pipe? Have no fear! Again, thanks to the towels weight it hangs straight down:



Close but no exhaust:




Conclusion

Although this towel is called Fender Defender, I actually think it would be better if the TRC re-named it “Bumper Buddy”- why? Because I use it way more to protect my rear bumper from being accidently scratched while loading/ unloading items in and out of the trunk. It’s a great tool this job alone and for $6.95 (SIX DOLLARS AND NINETY FIVE CENTS!!!) it’s a no-brainer to check out for yourself.

For me, this towel has earned a permanent place in my trunk:





Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed this review.

[atgonzales]

Angus

Nicely done review with great vids all professional

[LEDetailng]

Love the tape measure and magic trick gifs!


awesome review

[nickclark08]

Angus, you crack me up. Great review- super well done.

[Accumulator]

Angus- Yeah, loved that review! Maybe not so much the Fender Defender itself though. Well, OK...as long as it`s place on utterly spotless paint I can see it. Otherwise it`s back to "just can`t touch the vehicle". Though for protection from extreme damage it might be a worthwhile trade-off (e.g., elderly dog incapable of keeping its nails off the paint when jumping in/out).

Wonder how a side-by-side, real-world comparison between that and the usual MF Fender Covers (mine are from GG) would turn out. Not sure how you could ever do such a test though...

[Angus]

Angus

Nicely done review with great vids all professional

Thank you, Sir!

Love the tape measure and magic trick gifs!


awesome review

Thanks! I`m happy to hear it. Gave me an excuse to get creative with a towel that`s sole purpose is to just sit there...

Angus, you crack me up. Great review- super well done.

I do my best! Happy to hear you enjoyed the review and magic tricks on this one

Angus- Yeah, loved that review! Maybe not so much the Fender Defender itself though. Well, OK...as long as it`s place on utterly spotless paint I can see it. Otherwise it`s back to "just can`t touch the vehicle". Though for protection from extreme damage it might be a worthwhile trade-off (e.g., elderly dog incapable of keeping its nails off the paint when jumping in/out).

Wonder how a side-by-side, real-world comparison between that and the usual MF Fender Covers (mine are from GG) would turn out. Not sure how you could ever do such a test though...

Thanks! And all good points you made.

[Accumulator]

Actually, that "protection from the dogs" factor might put me in the market for one some time...last time a dog had mobility issues I had to improvise something along those lines. So nah, I`m not hating on it even though its *intended* use seems fraught with downside.

ALSO..hey, I`m spoiled; the techs who work on my vehicles GET IT and are OK with the no-touching. I gather that`s pretty uncommon...and the rare "oops!", well..it does happen every now and then. I just wonder if a fender cover wouldn`t *always* lead to marring just like a car cover would in that "in for service" situation.

[RaydiantDetail]

haha your reviews are awesome.
The magic trick videos had me dying.
I agree I would never want to use this on a dirty/ dusty car. It would be nice for final engine bay clean up or cleaning the trunk etc. towards the end of a detail to get in those finishing touches so you are not rubbing up against corrected paint in a bad way etc.

[HCF]

I picked up 2 of them awhile back. I`ve used them when working in the engine bay, placing them over the radiator cover area on my Challenger when I was adding some custom billet pieces and also light engine cleaning, car was already clean. I`ll continue to use them.

[JustJesus]

Love the GIFs. They cracked me up.

I saw the FD on TRC`s site once, and for the price, I got one. I intended to use it on a job, but didn`t get around to using it. I was worried that it would be too light and not hold well onto the fender (or whatever I was going to work on).