WeatherTech Side Window Rain Deflectors – 5th Gen 4Runner

I’m not a neat freak by any means, but I hate the smell of lingering food from the night before. Imagine you had an unbelievably delicious takeout dinner, and then you smell the stale, lingering aroma in the cab the next morning when you hop into your rig to go to work. Ugh…way to ruin your morning.

This was a problem I encountered many times during the 2020 pandemic, when restaurants were forced to close indoor dining and offer only carryout to stay afloat.

Cracking the windows open a bit helped, but when I park my rig outside, leaving windows open was not an option for both weatherproofing and security reasons. I tried to do my part to support my local restaurants, but the problem of lingering smell eventually killed my willingness to buy to-go food. I stopped spending money on to-go food until I found the solution: side window deflectors.

With these, I can leave a crack open in all four windows without worrying about rainwater entering the cab or about thieves seeing my partially open window and attempting to open the doors from inside.

The Airflow Solution

Why WeatherTech?

WeatherTech is the biggest brand out there for weatherproofing accessories. Flashback to 2011, when I got my first car (a 1994 Jeep Cherokee) in Michigan, I knew I needed something to keep my carpeted floors clean. WeatherTech was the first brand I found, and I outfitted my Jeep with WeatherTech floor liners all around. That set of WeatherTech withstood the rain, snow, and mud like a champ! Since then, I have been a loyal WeatherTech customer and have bought WeatherTech products for every vehicle I have owned.

In addition to brand loyalty, WeatherTech also checked the following boxes on my list of required features:

• In-channel installation
• Minimum to no double-sided adhesive required
• Easy to install

Basic Inspection

These deflectors are shipped in large boxes and taped to the cardboard to ensure the products do not move during transport. Upon inspection, these deflectors seem and feel sturdy enough to outlast the vehicle. In addition, there are labels on the deflectors that remind the installer to read the manual before installation and include part numbers. The front pairs have WeatherTech stickers toward the B-pillar position, while the rears have double-sided tape pre-applied. Even though there is no indication of the passenger and driver sides, there is no way to mix them up because they only go in one way.

Note: The packaging of your product may be different from the photo.

Installation

I strongly recommend watching the WeatherTech installation video before you start. You can find the video here. For visual learners, the video offers general guidance on installing these deflectors. However, WeatherTech does not provide detailed installation instructions for the 5th Gen 4Runner, so follow the steps I took below.

Step 1. Prep and Wash 4Runner

I started by washing my vehicle thoroughly. I had just come back from a weekend camping trip, and my vehicle was caked in dust, so a complete rinse and wash are recommended. This way, not only will you have a clean vehicle to work on, but you will also be able to get a clean install. If you don’t know how to handwash your 4Runner, you can read about how Steve does it utilizing the 2-bucket method.

Pay special attention to the channels of your windows, especially if you drive with windows down a lot, or you drive behind your friends on the trail a lot. I used a clean, damp rag to wipe the inside of the channels a couple of times to remove trapped dirt, then I used the included alcohol wipe to run through the channels once before proceeding to the next step.

Step 2. Roll Down Windows

Start by rolling your windows down all the way. Then, push the forward end of the deflector into the channel toward your side mirror. Do not insert the whole deflector in yet; just insert the vertical part of the deflector next to the mirror. Make sure the deflector is sitting on top of the weatherstrip and not inside the channel.

Step 3. Insert Rear (B-pillar) Into Channel

Once the end is inside the vertical channel, bow the deflector toward you to create tension, then slip the rear (B-pillar) end into the B-pillar vertical channel. Leave about ½ inch between the channel and the deflector.

Take your time and be patient; rushing it will break the tabs on your brand-new deflectors.

Step 4. Insert Deflectors Into Window Channel

Going back to the front (A-pillar) end and working toward the rear, slowly twist and insert the deflector into the window channel. Be sure to gently apply pressure from the inside out to help keep the deflector sitting properly in the channel.

Step 5. Install Rear Window Deflectors

Now it is time to move to the rear. For some reason, the rears were a lot easier to install than the front. Start by peeling off the backing on the pre-applied adhesive; be careful not to touch the double-sided tape after the backing is removed.

Insert the rear end of the deflector into the window channel and then turn it at a slight angle. Then, insert the front end of the deflector into the frontal window channel. This should create something that looks like a slash.

Straighten the deflector and slowly push it up into the top window channel. When it is all the way up, apply slight pressure from inside with your fingertips to help set the adhesive correctly inside the channel.

Step 6. Apply Pressure To Deflectors

You are almost there! You can roll up the window now. Apply slight outward pressure on the deflectors as the windows roll up; this will help seat the windows and deflectors into the channel. You only need to do this for the first time you roll up the window after installation.

Finally, leave the windows closed for 12 hours for the deflectors to “get used to” the shape of your window channel, and you are set!

Initial Impressions

Let me start by saying these are pretty easy to install if you get the angles right. If you have prior experience with other types of in-channel deflectors, the installation process is probably similar, if not identical. One thing to note: be extremely careful and patient when installing the front; if it does not feel like it is going into the channel, do not force it. The edge that goes into the channel (I think it is called a flange) is thin, and forcing them into the window channel will break them.

Driving around with these deflectors proves they are more useful than simply a cover for you to crack your window open. During afternoon hours when the sun is setting, these deflectors will block off some of the glare from the setting sun in a certain direction that you are driving. At night, these do block some of the streetlights above, but that is not really a safety hazard and just takes a couple of days to get used to.

Operating the windows with these deflectors will also take some time for the window motor to adjust to them as well. I noticed that the first few times I rolled the windows up, it felt like something was getting in the way of the windows going all the way up. If your window stops rolling up, just roll it back down and try again. Usually, the window regulars learn to operate normally with the deflector inside the channel after a few tries.

Final Thoughts

With so many brands of side window deflectors out there, I chose WeatherTech because they are a big brand, and I have had nothing but good experiences with their products. I took a couple of camping trips and day trips through some rough environments with these deflectors installed, and so far, they are still holding up well. I have also sprayed them using a pressure washer during car washes, and the tension keeps them where they are supposed to be.

Although it took me some time to get used to having them, I think this is a good investment for those looking for quality products that let them crack their window open during the day to air out their rigs.