Mod 21: Hood Scoop Decal

Bad pun intended. While I love the looks of the hood scoop on the 5th gen 4Runners, one of the most annoying issues I have run in to is glare. When the sun is rising or setting, that damn hood scoop just LOVES to catch the sun and blast it in to your eyes like a laser. It is mildly annoying at best, and utterly blinding at worst. Even with sunglasses it can be incredibly uncomfortable to drive with that kind of light hitting your eyes.

Enter vinyl wrap. I wanted a way to cover the most problematic section of the hood scoop without damaging the paint OR replacing the entire hood. Originally my plan was to buy a big piece of vinyl and just cut it to size. However, a company called ImportEquipment actually sells a pre-cut piece of vinyl for 5th gen 4Runners. While it is a bit pricey for what it is at around $35, it really takes the hassle out of trying to get a symmetrical cut that follows the hood scoop lines.

I decided to pick one up and installation was honestly more involved than I thought it would. I started by cleaning and prepping the surface extensively. I followed that up with some “application fluid” aka dish soap and water, and then laid out the piece of vinyl. While an argument can be made for a wet vs. dry application method, I found a wet application really useful for this install. Being able to reposition the vinyl extensively to get the lines to, well, line up was extremely useful.

If you are having trouble with hood glare, I highly recommend checking out ImportEquipments pre-cut vinyl to at least get some inspiration on how to remedy the problem. I have been running this for a couple of weeks now and with the white paint covered, the glare is virtually gone at every time of the day.