AVS

Has anyone put the outside mount AVS, ( Auto Vent Shades ) on their 5th gen. I have them on my 3rd gen and really like them. I want the outside mount, not in channel.
I'm just wondering. In the event that they ever have to be removed, for whatever reason, will they come off easily and not leave the original window trim all buggered up?
My Runner color is MGM, so I think they would look nice and blend in well. I DO like what they are intended to do. They work very well on my '98 ltd.
BTW, from Amazon they are only $40.00.

 

I did.. went with the low profile ones..
no issues so far.. if you do need to remove them it's held on by adhesive..it should not damage the trim, perhaps just leave behind some sticky residue..

 

Thanks for the input!
I can't say I've ever seen any " profile " options though.

 

they sit pretty flesh to the window..
hope this helps..

 

Yes, thanks for the pic. I'll research it closer before making a choice.

 

I have the regular (not flat) profile ones. I like them. They are useful for me for camping venting and just cracking tge window when its raining.

They’ve been on almost since new, holding up great. They also help with diverting the salt spray blow-by that tends to streak the line of sight to the driver side mirror on the newer 4runners.

 

Thanks! I just ordered a set today. I got the outside mount because of the ease of installation. Yes, I have used them before, and they have performed well.
I had no reservations about putting them on my 3rd gen, however, I'm just a bit more protective on my 5th gen SR5.

 

To my eye, either the regular or low profile ones go well with the 4runner lines. I also got the outside mount because I didnt want to deal w the possibility of reversing window issues

 

Not sure what you mean about reversing window issues

 

With the visors that go inside the window channel, sometimes the safety sensor in the window motor will sense too much pressure and reverse the direction of the window, right as it’s seating at the top. Most people say it goes away after it breaks in.

 

Kinda why I chose the outside mount. I put the channel mount on my wife's "98, and have not had a problem yet, however, we do not use hers often. It's a '98 with only 135k.

 

If you want to take off the corny AVS logo, use some sticker remover or googone. Let it soak for a few minutes and it comes off with a little rubbing.

Btw, the AVS low profile set are the way to go.

 

I have never been a fan of the in the channel AVS or any other brand , I just did a set on my Pro , they look pretty good and work well I have had these on 2 other 5th gens and never had a problem .
They bestest thing for me getting the AVS Logo off , they use to use a cheaper logo paint and you could just use some wax and grease remover and the white lettering would come right off , now take a little more effort to get it off

 

I did have that issue with mine the first couple days after installing them, however I've had the in channel ones installed for over 2 years and I can't remember the last time I had a window issue.

Once the visor is fully seat that problem goes away. I think my issue is that I installed them in late March before it was warm, so the adhesive didn't stick as good as it could have.

I think the in channel ones look cleaner, and I like that there's no adhesive on the door frames that I would have to remove eventually. Years ago I took them off my old Grand Cherokee that had them, and I never really did get all that adhesive totally off.

 

Great looking Runner BTW!

 

did the same thing with the white AVS logo.. rubbed it off.. on a black 4R with tints all around, that small logo stood out lol..

 

I have also heard that the "In Channel " mounts can put unwanted stress on your window regulators because it is so tight.

 

I had the "outside" mount AVS ones. They were fine until a rock from a car in front of me broke the passenger side one... so I opted to remove them and have now gone with the in-channel Weathertech ones. I like these better, but I didn't really dislike the AVS, just wanted something even lower profile.

When I removed them they came off just easily enough (not super easy, as if they would blown off in a heavy wind!), and there was some residue left that took me a few hours to get off.

I was also a tad concerned about the in-channel ones scratching my windows tint, but that hasn't happened. I will say that on a scale of 1-10 on how much I like each, 10 for the Weathertech in-channel and 8 for the AVS adhesive mounts. I do feel far more comfortable that the in-channels won't get loose and blow off at highway speeds down the road, but I truly think they would have been fine for year had it not been for that rock.

 

Aside from my 2016 SR5, my wife and I have identical '98 ltd's.
I put the outside mounts on mine because it is dark green and the mounting flanges are not very noticable. I did, however put the in channel Weathertech's on hers because it is white.
One thing I have to say about the in channel mounts is that they are less likely to be torn off in an automatic car wash.
I, personally only hand wash my Runners, but she runs hers through the wash and has had no problems.