Watch For Losing This Piece Of Your Truck In Carwashes, It’s A Known Problem
Automatic car washes are really handy, but sometimes they can cause damage to vehicles. Fortunately for me, I've never had any serious damage, but I almost lost a piece of my vehicle yesterday. It turns out it's a known problem for my specific truck.
I was at my favorite car wash, Tommy's Express on Central Entrance in Duluth. I love this car wash because it's fast and there's hardly any waiting. I have a membership for unlimited washes, and it scans my license plates and lets me roll right in. It's pretty slick.
I've been there dozens and dozens of times getting car washes, but this time as I was exiting I noticed something flopping down my driver's side window. Puzzled, I pulled into a parking spot outside of the car wash to see what was going on.
The roof drip molding had come loose from my truck and it was barely still hanging on. Fortunately, I had noticed it. It wasn't hard to pop it back into place, but it had me wondering if this was a common problem. I happen to know the manager of this car wash, and he told me that it's something that even the manufacturer is aware of.
I found online forums discussing the same issue. Toyota Tundras built between the years 2007-2021 can lose the roof drip molding from the blower dryers at carwashes.
The high-speed wind can lift the molding and pull it out of its channel. You can order new weather stripping from your Toyota dealer if you lost it. They may also have a fix for you as well.
Many people suggest using some adhesive or locktite where the clip meets the rubber molding. I'll be trying that before I go back to any automatic car wash with my 2020 Tundra.