When I was out looking to buy a 4Runner I noticed quite a few of them had faded paint on the hood. In fact the one I bought is that way too. The paint looks great every where else but the hood looks terrible. I was going to have it repainted but I got to thinking why it happens to the hood more than anywhere else. It cant just be the sun since the rest of the paint still looks good so Im thinking it has to do with the engine heat. Im guessing that it doesnt happen when its going down the road but more so after youve parked and the engine is hot just sitting there causing convection heat to bake the hood. Im wondering if you cut holes through the hood for a functional scoop if that would help. I know the modified hood scoop doesnt do much while driving but what about after youve parked with a hot engine? It might allow the heat a way to vent without fading the hood's paint. What do yall think?

 

Does under your hood have the heat sheild on it? If not get one and repaint the hood if you want. a funtional hood scoop can reduce temps under the hoods while moving plus if done right you can turn your intake into a true cold air giving you more power too. Header wrap or ceramic headers help with under hood temps also

 

Heat sheild? I guess not. I mean, I dont know what it looks like but I dont see anything like that on the bottom side of my hood. Is it common for people to remove those because Ive seen a lot of faded hoods on 4Runners out there?

 

my 4runner one got burned/ripped so i took it off. so that might be a factor if a lot of people take theirs off, but i doubt it has much to do with it. What color paint was it?

 

Black.

 

My black 96 has no problem with the paint on hood even w/o the insulation. Still looks good even after 197,xxx miles. If may just be a bad paint batch. The 2000 I just bought the clear coat is coming off from the door handles and a little on the rear hatch.

I'd say just find a hood/w a scoop and repaint it.

 

heat rises, so a hole in the hood will allow it to escape at rest.

 

On my hood the clear coat was pealing and I wanted a scoop too so I did it! https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f116...runner-152779/

 

A heat shield is a must if you really want to protect the paint over time and a few holes in the scoop won't allow enough heat to escape to avoid having a shield in place.

 

I would bet money on it that its the missing heat sheild that is meant to protect the hoods paint just like what his problem is. Missing it will heat and crack the paint. Could be better paint used in new modles but still the heat sheild is there for that reason

 

Mine had the insulation and the paint still faded. The roof looks the same way.

I imagine it's a combination of the sun and the heat from under the hood. So, some sort of heat shield and keeping waxed would probably go a long way.

I'd do it but I personally don't really care....