Wrapped the roof

So, I really like Nautical Blue, but man does it get blazing hot after sitting in the sun. So, while planning a two week car camping trip I decided to go ahead and have the roof wrapped in an attempt to help control the heat. While the jury is still out on the looks (It's growing on me), it was absolutely successful in mitigating heat intrusion into the cab. After it was applied, I hit it multiple times with a thermo gun over 3 days during the hottest part of the afternoon and consistently read 28-30 degrees cooler on the roof surface compared to the hood. Getting in the cab, it is now noticeably more comfortable and the cabin cools down more quickly.

I tried to get as close a match as possible to the OR silver valance.



Here's a shot before I put the roof rails back on.

 

I kind of dig it, looks wise. I think the silver compliments the blue nicely

Coming from a magnetic Grey Tacoma, my white 4runner stays noticeably cooler. I also run 20% tint, which cuts down on heat in the sun quite a bit

 

Not a bad solution, I don't blame you for doing it.

I love the nautical blue, my favorite dark 4Runner color, but I chose white because of the hot desert sun where I'm located.

 

I've been wanting to wrap the roof and hood on my original paint 89, but I'm afraid after a summer here in Riverside, CA that the vinyl will never come off.. Anybody have experience with wraps and heat?

 

Interesting. Thats why the fj40 and some old LR Defenders had a white roof. I have dark green and it sure does get awful hot, the sunshade only does so much.

 

I might have to try this

 

I think it looks cool. Nice job.

 

Nice job. I just reading about a guy on the facebook 4Runner group complaining that his black 4Runner's air conditioning in Arizona wont cool off the 3rd row seats.

My comment - black vehicle suck in hot desert climates. White really is the only way to go.
I'll have to link this thread to him.

 

Great idea and it looks really good!

 

Thanks guys, I'm pretty happy with it! I am a little concerned that it won't last too long since it's such a large horizontal surface getting blasted by direct sun at 7k elevation - will definitely keep an eye on it. Worst case scenario I pull it off in a couple years and do it again. Wasn't exactly cheap, though...

White is by far my favorite 4Runner color, especially on the 5th gen. Unfortunately, my dealer didn't have a white one on the lot when I was ready to pull the trigger so I went NB. Have to adapt!

 

And just to clarify, I took it to a local shop to have it done. I pulled the roof rails and rubber weather stripping pieces before I took it in to save them some time. Took about 3 hours all in.

 

Looks great. Did you put something on the top of your headlights too or did they come like that?

 

Very Nice
I dig it

 

I like it. Looks sort of like the Maybach of 4runners

 

I like it. When parked I usually keep the rear window and sunroof cracked on blistering days, but that's not always an option.

Any photos from a pedestrian vantage point? I'm curious how it looks when standing next to it.

 

Thx! Nothing on the headlights - just the reflection off the housing maybe?

 

I'll grab a pic tomorrow. I'm 5'10" (just) and can't see the roof/wrap when looking broadside. Front on, I can see a few inches of the wrap, but it seems to blend with the silver of the valance and almost plays with your eyes a little. It's actually kind of a cool effect. I did notice a few quick double takes when cruising down the interstate.

 

What was the $$? (If you don't mind) I'd like to compare to what they want here down south NM. Haven't priced it yet but curious.

 

Here are some pics dead on. Pretty subtle, actually.

 

Looks good!

Also curious about the price if you don't mind sharing.

I have a full length roof rack up top. I'd like to get the roof wrapped so that I can just leave it and not worry about cleaning under a rack.

 

Sure, it ran me $450 at a shop here in SF. Pretty pricey, I think, but worth it to me. I checked with a place in ABQ, too, he wanted $350 - cheaper, but factoring gas there and back and basically a whole day of my time, it was worth the extra $100.

 

Not as bad as I thought!

 

Yeah, I was ok with it. I also didn't mind spending the extra $$ to keep it local - was a small shop & the guys were super cool. 100% pro work, too.

I initially planned to get a full length rack and then add some type of reflective 'floor' to bounce the heat off. Turns out the lead time on the rack I was looking at was 10+ weeks & I needed something sooner. Plus, the rack (plus reflective floor) would have been a lot more $$.

 

How long is the wrap supposed to last?

 

Looks really good OP - great job.

 

Cool

 

Now you need to wrap or paint the front part of the hood scoop to highlight the silver. I also think you did a great job on this. Wouldn’t look good on mine I don’t think but it’s pretty killer on dark blue.

 

Good question, not sure. I'm guessing with such a large horizontal surface getting blasted by UV at 7k elevation, that it won't last more than a couple of years. Will definitely have to keep an eye on it.

 

Thanks! And yep, strongly considering doing the hood/scoop to tie it all together.

 

What is the manufacturer name for the roof wrap please?

Thanks!