So angry - defeated by OEM crossbars

Brand new 4Runner Limited. 1,000 miles.

1. Have to pop off the plastic cover on rear of roof rack. One is already loose (why?).

2. The other one is super stiff, so I put massive dents in the car trying to prise it off with a screw driver

3. The crossbar is supposed to slide to the front. Doesn't slide. Half break my arm knocking it down.

4. The crossbar is supposed to screw into place. Screw as tight as it gets, crossbar still completely loose.

5. Instructions completely useless, don't give instructions and doesn't mention what to do with two random bits of plastic that came with.

I'll do a separate review about my new 4R at some point but ... not impressed. It already rattles like a tin can inside (loose panels etc.). It's way too heavy. Way too little torque. And then thinks it's ok to chug me up steep hills with 1,800 revs. Good for big American roads and mall cruising maybe. Not for the real rugged terrain I'm dealing with. Buyers remorse. Sorry.

 

Can't wait to hear your review.

 

In regards to the dents, I would check and see what a qualified PDR tech could do in hopes of getting those dents taken care of. Especially on such a new vehicle.

 

This is why you google before doing things to your vehicle. Find out possible problems.

 

Great - I am expecting a lot of love coming on the 4R forum and trashing the 4R (actually won't trash it but the build quality isn't good enough and generally just isn't suited to my use case)

Meanwhile I will enjoy spending more $$$ replacing the HT tyres that came with this offroader, for some reason

 

Thank you - I'm on a third world island with no qualified anyone, but will ask around and see.

 

I've had two and the build quality was amazing. Best two vehicles I've ever had.

 

Sorry for your trouble, Keeps. Even if you find PDR guy, he can't get to that area without dropping or creasing headliner. At that point it wont be worth of savings on this repair. That happened to other people on this and t4r.org forums. Seems that sheet metal is way to thin for any pressure Perhaps you started on the wrong foot with this vehicle. Put on some good all terrain tires on and take her off road. Thin sheet metal aside this truck will not let you down.

 

Little late, but place a towel up against cover to avoid scratches and use hair dryer to heat up cover, that helped me alot. Even better, they make cheap plastic tools to do this job that have a bend to them and much less damage to car.

also for the crossbars themselves, ive had same issue with them still wiggling after tightening down. They really have to be perfectly aligned on both sides. I used a tape measure and marked with tape to align.

 

Any future projects, definitely google first. Every job has been done and many pitfalls have been listed to avoid and save you a headache

 

You pry towards you not up and with a plastic trim tool. That definitely sucks. My OEM went on in 20 minutes. I first watched a YouTube video. I feel for you. I’m actually about to take mine off and replace it with a Sherpa roof rack system.

 

Can we see what that random piece of plastic looks like on the flat side?

 

I’d be interested in knowing which new SUV has good enough build quality for you.

Sorry you’re having a bad day.

 

No, the lack of torque sucks on American roads too. And it's not really an off-roader. You should have looked at a Rubicon, they have much better gearing and come with off-road tires straight from the factory.

 

Damn. So sorry… for the 4Runner.

 

X2. You did it wrong, don't blame the truck.

 

X3 have removed the factory roof rack on these without any damage. OP should have searched here or watched a YouTube video to know what NOT to do. Rookie mistake.

 

hmm...did you even test-drive the truck before you bought it?

I installed oem roof bars and it literally took me less than 5 minutes. I didn't use a plastic pry tool either, just a flathead and a microfiber towel. No dents, scratches, etc. I'm really curious what the plastic piece looks like after you took a crowbar to it...

 

A couple of tips for TS:

1: Next time you do one of these projects, check out a youtube how-to first. This is what I did when I added cross bars on my last 4runner and it went very smoothly. If I hadn't researched it first I might have screwed it up.

2: If you are in the middle of the project and things aren't going well, just stop what you are doing and take a break/re-think your approach/seek advice. Charging forward when you are both frustrated and not really clear on what you're doing is how things get broken.

P.S. Your 4runner has plenty of power for "rugged terrain". You might want to re-evaluate your approach to driving.

 

Where are you at??

 

I have the OEM rack and cross bars. I got the cross bars for aesthetics more than use. So far no movement on mine. I hand wash mine and hand towel dry roof also and have not noticed any movement maybe I am just lucky. My cross bars appear set at factory recommendation for wind noise. There is a sticker on there and that’s where they are set.

For your dents one idea might be to park in sun on hot day and put some ice cubes on dents. I know people who had success with dents from hail storms doing that. Obviously depends how bad they are.

Best wishes, spend some time on this forum. I learned a lot prior to my purchase and there are a lot of great people here offering their experiences and advice.

 

For future reference it’s very easy to remove the side rail end covers with a paint can lid removal tool and a plastic curved trim tool. Maybe also a couple of putty knives.

For my 18 ORP I put masking tape over the roof area to protect it in case the tools slip. I also taped down a layer of thin cardboard. *Don’t pry against the roof metal at any time*. I used a thin putty knife to open a small gap between the cover and its base plate at the rearmost clip location. (Two clips, see the photo with blue tape at the clip locations). I actually used two putty knives, one on top of the other. Then inserted a paint can lid removal tool between putty knife and cover to lever up on the putty knife and pop up to disconnect the first clip. With a large gap opened up I then used a plastic trim tool to slide and locate the other clip and pull up against the plastic to remove the other clip and the cover came right off. See the photos for reference.






BTW, those mystery plastic pieces are rubber bumpers inserted in the tracks at the front.

 

ElectroBoy comes through once again.

 

When did the "best vehicle ever" play any part of this?

 

You can literally pop those covers off with your hand if you understand how they snap in. That's on you for going all Grape Ape on them with what appears to have been a fucking halligan tool.

 

Youtube is a pretty useful resource. Learn from others mistakes before you go doing something for the first time. Invest in some plastic pry tools and search youtube for *4runner crossbar removal* and watch 3 or 4 videos. Why did you keep going after the first massive dent? I would've been in the house after the first one. The two rubber pieces slide into the rear of the guide rails to act as a stopper. Good luck and hopefully someone can get those dents out for you. https://youtu.be/xYDTwXjSzUA

 

Sorry to read about your struggle, as has been said, YouTube and google will be your friend. The tires suck, I think Toyota uses them for gas mileage figures. The runner has its issues and not known to win many drag races, but it’s a proven vehicle, good luck and let’s see some Picts in the rough terrian.

 

It’s unfortunate that happened. I wore a nitrile glove for grip and was able to pull the covers off by hand.

 

In general, when removing plastic trim pieces from a vehicle, don’t use the body of the vehicle for leverage. If anything, put your fingers between the screwdriver and sheet metal. I just installed my Rago panel type roof rack yesterday and those end caps came off relatively easily once I figured out how that attach.

 

Not correct, a good PDR Pro will not need interior access. They'll be able to release pressure in the metal by gently hammering around the dents and then glue pulling to get the dent out followed by some careful finish work (finish hammer, knock down) to make repair undetectable. If there is no PDR Pro on the island with the OP, if it were me I'd be tempted to do the PDR myself. Of course, careful research and the proper PDR tools are pertinent to a successful outcome.

My wife had a golf ball strike in the roof rail of her 2 week old Lexus and I was amazed at watching the PDR guy work his magic to return the body panel back to factory perfection, without having access from inside the vehicle.