Roof quality

[joeandmaria]

Today in Wisconsin it was finally nice out. So I took my king cab Titan to a touchless car wash to get the salt off. When I started going through the air drier, I heard a loud bang. My heart dropped, and I quicly pulled forward.

I got out of my truck and everything looked ok. I realized it must have been the air pressure that made the roof flex and make a popping sound.

When I place my hand on the roof of the king cab, I can push and it flexes quite easily. It is almost like it should have another support internally. It almost felt as thin as a soda can.

Being Sunday, I quickly drove to a dealer to check another Titan out. It seemed to be the same. Has anyone else noticed this? Needless to say I wont be going through an air dry carwash again. Please check yours out and let me know your opinions. A crew cab coud be different.

Joe

[bvstone1]

My Tundra Access cab is exactly the same way. Haven't had a problem yet.

[FLfinfan]

The Frontiers are the same way, unless you have the one with the roof rack. With the rack they put some type of support structure in the roof for loads that will be on the rack. I know mine (with rack) is alot more solid than a coworkers without (roof rack).

[joeandmaria]

I would hope they would be sturdy enough to withstand the air pressure of a carwash though?

[Deepwater]

Originally Posted by joeandmaria

Today in Wisconsin it was finally nice out. So I took my king cab Titan to a touchless car wash to get the salt off. When I started going through the air drier, I heard a loud bang. My heart dropped, and I quicly pulled forward.

I got out of my truck and everything looked ok. I realized it must have been the air pressure that made the roof flex and make a popping sound.

When I place my hand on the roof of the king cab, I can push and it flexes quite easily. It is almost like it should have another support internally. It almost felt as thin as a soda can.

Being Sunday, I quickly drove to a dealer to check another Titan out. It seemed to be the same. Has anyone else noticed this? Needless to say I wont be going through an air dry carwash again. Please check yours out and let me know your opinions. A crew cab coud be different.

Joe

I noticed the same thing today and I'm not going threw those type of car washs any more. I'll use ones with a differant drying system.

[Briarman]

Originally Posted by joeandmaria

I would hope they would be sturdy enough to withstand the air pressure of a carwash though?

Lord, I certainly HOPE so...I've put mine through a similar wash five times in the two weeks I've had it, and I hear the usual commotion on the roof during the forced air dry (my Frontier w/roof rack always sounded like hell breaking loose at that point) but it never occurred to me that it might dent the roof...I would imagine all contemporary trucks and SUVs have thinner sheetmetal and plenty go through the wash every day...now I'll be paranoid!

Let's hope we get some feedback from Yeti on this-he owns a car wash, and was very helpful with advice in the 'Car Wash Vs. Do-It -Yourself' thread, currently on page 4 of the forum...

[consideringtitan]

The piece of junk 03 Ram QC does the same thing as well. Also, my old 89 Acura Legend used to do the same thing.

[BudmanHemi]

All vehicles use the same metal nowadays. Its the cheapest way too do it, and it passes safety laws. Its thin!! I know cause i deliver it. I deliver for peice of **** dodge. LOL All sheetmetal for any vehicle is the same except for hummer. its alittle thicker but not much. Its just braced huge. A car wash will not dent your hood. Dont worry about it. Might sound like hell fire, but your safe in there.

[Albert1234]

When I went through the touch-free "laser" wash, I heard a metal fatigue squeal (kind of like the noise a ship's hull makes on tv) when the blow dryer came on. It was at night and I looked the next day but didn't see any damage. The other thing I noticed was that the nozzle arm cleared my driver's side big tow mirror by what seemed like mere millimeters.

[BearBrawn]

I remember 70s model cars that you could actually "sit" on without denting the metal...

When did these flimsy bodies come about?

About the same time all the steel mills were shutting down?

[bighawaii]

its funny that most all cars and trucks are made so flimsly lol i really got a laugh well not to big, when i seen what my sons little pissy 98 s-10 done to a 2000 tacoma, his front fender was only scratched but the tacomas whole dirvers side cab and front fender was creased in about a 1 1/2 '' . go and smack a s-10 (dont mention i said to) and see that they are made like a freakin rock but moves even slower lol.

[bestatchess]

Originally Posted by FLfinfan

The Frontiers are the same way, unless you have the one with the roof rack. With the rack they put some type of support structure in the roof for loads that will be on the rack. I know mine (with rack) is alot more solid than a coworkers without (roof rack).

I don't think the Titan roof rack would put any load on the middle of the roof? The grooves for the roof rack run along the side edges, where they would (hopefully) be directly supported by the side roof pillars, and not by the flimsy sheet metal.

[FLfinfan]

I didn't know the Titan had a roof rack. At least not one like the Frontier has (big tubular rack with "CREW CAB" on it). Do you have pics, this is interesting. I have never seen one, unless it's the rack that also attaches to the bed of the truck.

[bestatchess]

Originally Posted by FLfinfan

I didn't know the Titan had a roof rack. At least not one like the Frontier has (big tubular rack with "CREW CAB" on it). Do you have pics, this is interesting. I have never seen one, unless it's the rack that also attaches to the bed of the truck.

I haven't seen one as of yet. I thought that there was going to be a roof rack for a crew cab like that.