Roof damage from mini lightbar mag mount

[BrianB35]

I have a Whelen Mini Edge with the mag mounts and I'm having problems with roof damage. It's gotten so bad that I took my mini down. I will need to have a body shop clean, prep and repaint part of my roof. The magnent mounts are rusting and I fear if I put it back up on the roof it will just damage it again.

For those of you with mag mounts what have y'all done to prevent roof damage? I have no desire to do a permanent mount.


Thanks in advance.

[KB1OEV]

I have a large flat refrigerator magnet under a magnet mount antenna base.

If the base is rusting, you may want to replace it. If you are a bit handy, some new magnet mounts for antennas should be easy to convert to work on your light bar.

[FWDbuff]

what have y'all done to prevent roof damage?

Not have any lights at all.

[CaptOldTimer]

Why not bore holes and mount it direct to the roof?

[BrianB35]

I don't want to drill holes in roof of truck.

Why not bore holes and mount it direct to the roof?

[BoxAlarm187]

I don't want to drill holes in roof of truck.

Bite the bullet and do it. I've drilled holes in everything I've owned for 10 years (for RF antennas, not lights).

[tree68]

I don't want to drill holes in roof of truck.

Truck? Get one of those back racks. If you've got a cap, just bolt it to that.

I've done both. I don't like to drill holes on the outside "skin" of my vehicle, either.

[rellik74]

Thats a headach rack $150 and up

[firefightinirish217]

This warning is directly from a Whelen PDF on mini lightbars:

WARNING: The use of magnetic or vacuum/suction warning
lights on the outside of a moving vehicle is not recommended
and is at the sole risk of the user.

[BrianB35]

I have a roll up toneau cover so I don't know if the back rack would fit. I thought about getting the gutter mounting brackets for a full size bar and then design a bridging part and then mounting the mini to that bridging part.

[firefightinirish217]

Why don't you sell it and get a dashlight that has the suction cups so you can mount it high or low?

[Rice09]

What's happening, is the light shifting and moving around? What I did on my car is put a couple pieces of 3mm plastic inbetween to prevent scratches. I also take it off when I clean it to make certain I clean up any water etc from building up under the magnet. You should just have to keep on it. Other than that it's really not a big deal if you mount in other ways like drilling a couple holes.

[dmleblanc]

Does your department require you to have a lightbar on your vehicle? Because my suggestion would be just do away with the thing. Do you really need it? If a department wants volunteers they should not require them to damage their vehicles to participate.

[TonedOut1985]

All of my lights are internal window mounts, but I do have a magmount antenna for my mobile radio, and before I got this new antenna, my old magmount had a problem of scratching up the trunk on my car. So for starters, check the base, make sure the covering isn't peeling off. The slick paper is a lot less rough on the paint then the metal-on-metal you get from the magnet moving around ever so slightly due to wind, etc.

Also every now and then lift it up and wipe off any water accumulation you may have under there, that is a Very Bad Thing (tm)

[FWDbuff]

Does your department require you to have a lightbar on your vehicle? Because my suggestion would be just do away with the thing. Do you really need it? If a department wants volunteers they should not require them to damage their vehicles to participate.

If they want/require you to have them, they should provide the blue lights, as well as the cost of professional installation. That goes for radios as well.

[hwoods]

I have a roll up toneau cover so I don't know if the back rack would fit. I thought about getting the gutter mounting brackets for a full size bar and then design a bridging part and then mounting the mini to that bridging part.

It works....... I have operated vehicles with Racks and Bed Covers, the Cover will work. We had Whelen Edge Bars mounted on the Racks, and they worked out OK, plenty of Light, no problems.......

[Miller337]

I was issued a light when I became an officer in my volly dept. I have had it behind the back seat in two pickups now. Think I used once on a mutual aid call other than that it has never scratched the paint once.

[81haynes]

I am currently running into the same problem. I was wonderring about getting suction cups to replace the magnets but I am having trouble finding the right kind. Does anyone have any ideas of where to look?

[hwoods]

Suction Cups don't have the "Withstand all Hazards" holding power of Magnets. They aren't bad for small lightweight stuff on the INside of a vehicle, but I wouldn't trust them OUTside........

Note to the "Wacker Bashers"..... I'm also looking for something to hold a Mini Bar on top of my (Work) Pickup. Magnets that are on the Bar are too good, and the light is hard to get on and off....... Being in the Asphalt Construction business, I think my need for a YELLOW lightbar is kinds obvious......

[tree68]

Being in the Asphalt Construction business, I think my need for a YELLOW lightbar is kinds obvious......

Wacker....

I've seen some pretty extensive (and expensive) lighting systems on construction/utility vehicles. Do they really need all those lights?