How important is the rubber roof stripping? (2 Viewers)

[BloggerL]

Another question for those wiser than me if I may.

I went for what would be considered an easy peasy adventure in the NJ Pine Barrens today. The Blizzaks gripped the loose sand like Spiderman grips the walls of buildings. I had a blast barreling down the trails. Lots of rapid dips in the trail, from six inches to 3 feet deep. Some of them were on the cusp of becoming jumps. It was an exhilarating, if bone-jostling ride, and my gear (including the drawers from Air Down Gear Up) passed the shaken baby test with flying colors.

However, I did have one somewhat odd casualty. Several rubber strips in the roof grooves, left in place by the dealer in between the roof rack mounting points, popped out. Here's one of them:

Anyone have a perspective on how important it is to have these in place? Do we need them to protect the roof channels from corrosion, for example? Can I just discard these?

Also, for fun, here are a couple shots of the Pine Barrens. Not quite Moab, but...

 

[bloc]

They are primarily there to prevent leaves and pollen collecting then decomposing there. Also having something blocking that welded/sealed body seam from UV is probably a good thing.. even though it is painted I’d bet it is more sensitive to sun damage than regular metal body panels.

The trick to keeping them in place is to make sure the body and strip are squeaky clean before they go in. Any decomposed stuff acts like grease and they seem to fly out.

 

[desmocruiser]

/\ I agree I think this is correct.

Another good question is what safe light adhesive etc. can be applied to keep them installed. Seems like T would have a campaign or product update to keep them in place. I have lost 2 on the 20’ (with roof rack removed) and the wife’s 15’ has 1 or 2 missing, just can’t catch it still enough to remember which ones.

 

[bloc]

Mine had one of the middle pieces missing when I got it, but I replaced it and they have all stayed put for another 50k miles. But like I said I made sure the tracks and strips were clean so the rubber would stick as well as possible with friction.

I’d be careful with any serious adhesive onto the paint there. It is over sealant for that welded seam and might not be as resistant to the paint pulling off if it is really grabby.

 

[BloggerL]

Interesting that others have had this issue. I wonder now if this is actually a common problem.

My strips fell out without any tampering on my part, just 10K after getting the truck from the dealer. So I too am thinking maybe a little adhesive might be in order. Maybe even just a couple dots of silicone sealant on each strip?

 

[kevinfoutch]

I’ve used something like this and I still lose mine. Perhaps less frequently that I used to. (I’ve ordered three sets from a local dealer over last five years - my last call went into a black hole as these parts are scarce for my 2011 now)

I’m running at 50% of those pieces currently and not in a huge rush to replace. When I did my Frontrunner rack instal, I sealed the exposed hardware extremely well, so hopefully I’m not running with scissors here.

I do not use automatic car washes, a common thief of these parts, but ymmv.

 

[BIC JET]

I had a 4Runner previously and never ever lost one. On my 2020 HE I have already lost one of the center sections that I noticed just the other day. On the 4Runner they were super tight as I ran the antenna wire under them. Sucks that this is a standard occurrence for us.

 

[04UZJ100]

Lost one with 6 miles on the truck.
Dealer ordered a replacement for me. Used clear silicone on the ENDS to secure them. Do not glue them to your roof seam. Trap water/debris and eventually rust.

 

[EverywhereBear]

I would lose some of these often on my 08 LX and could not figure out how or where. The dealership I service the truck at suggested it may be the high pressure touchless car washes. I finally used a bit of superglue on the ends and they stopped falling off.

 

[Jdfern]

I installed a Gamaviti roof rack, during the install it was recommended that I take the rubber strips out to prevent debris from collecting in there.
The logic is that if it is clear you can see what is going on and it dries quickly. When I pulled mine off there were pine needles, mud and leaves trapped in there etc.
I keep it waxed and clear, so far so good. Rubber or no rubber water flows through the channel so I keep mine uncovered.

 

[bloc]

Conversely my cruiser lives outdoors and if I left the strips out I’d end up with a science experiment under each of the factory rack legs as well as the tail end of the windshield side molding strips. The spaces under those legs are nowhere near big enough to allow leaves to flow through freely. Something being in those channels to block buildup is quite valuable in my case.

 

[ridetime]

I used 3M VHB tape on the bottom of mine. They haven't been a problem since.

 

[tbisaacs]

Just to pile on - I developed a leak twice in the area that I was missing this strip. Pollen and needles settled there and it started seeping into the cabin. No issues since replacing the missing strips.

 

[Noracenumber]

I have less than 5000 miles on my 2021 and parts are already flinging off of my roof. It sounds like a known issue that can be fixed with some RTV so not a bit deal but the dealer say it's not warranty and more worrying the clip is unavailable.

 

[CharlieS]

Love that you buy an almost $90K MSRP vehicle and they won't replace $50 in parts. It's stuff like this that gives dealerships a bad name.

 

[04UZJ100]

Dealer replaced mine when I showed him a picture of the missing vinyl in my garage with 6 miles on it.

Also had them order the first aid kit which I thought was missing but found out is not standard equipment like it is on the LX.

 

[Noracenumber]

Dealer replaced mine when I showed him a picture of the missing vinyl in my garage with 6 miles on it.

Also had them order the first aid kit which I thought was missing but found out is not standard equipment like it is on the LX.

Thanks, I will try again but it's not a huge deal either way. If they want to blame the high pressure car wash that's their call. I will make my own decision regarding which dealer I give business.

I am wondering about this clip that they claim is not available.

 

[BloggerL]

I reinstalled my strips today using RV sealant. I chose to take a thorough approach to my use of sealant, to avoid trapping water, as I'm not worried about having to pull them out and strip paint. I don't see my Front Runner roof rack ever coming off.

I think, in my case, the dealer may be at blame, or least partial blame, for the strips falling out. They had botched the rack installation twice--first by losing a mounting part inside vehicle, which they were not able to retrieve and had to re-order, and second by mounting the wind fairing upward instead of downward, which turned the rack into a sail against the wind. It now seems that they also poorly cut and fitted the rubber strips around the mounting feet of the rack.

 

[bloc]

I am wondering about this clip that they claim is not available.View attachment 2550452

They need to try harder or get someone with more than 3 months experience to do the lookup. Every part on your rig is available from toyota. Even some that didn’t come on it, like the strut spacer!
This should be 75596-35030