Windshield Banner Refresh

August in Minnesota is bringing us super hot days and substantial rainstorms. Yesterday, after the rainstorm, I did a wet install banner refresh on my Jeep XJ.

It's hard to juggle multiple vehicles and one of them is bound to be neglected. There is a brand new black Gran Turismo banner on my black Jeep, a nice black one that doesn't look too defeated on my Mercury Cougar...but my old green XJ had a tattered matte black banner that was seriously neglected.

Very old Matte black windshield banner that needs a refresh.

An old banner doesn't do it's job and light starts coming through small sections (so I put some stickers on the inside to help).

Banner from sitting inside - sunlight will come through all the small sections of wear and be distracting. Temp fix with groovy stickers.

Before pealing the old one off, I borrowed some windshield crayons from the kids and marked the level. This lets me apply the new one and have it at the same level without guessing.

After pulling off the old vinyl (which was easier than I thought given the condition), I got ready to install and started pulling some banner options from our vinyl lab.

But wait...it's over 80 degrees at lunchtime...so, Montana tells me to stop and move the Jeep to the shade. Definitely not a good idea to install in these conditions. Even a wet install would have the water evaporating immediately and the vinyl stretching like crazy.

Too hot and wrong time of day to install in August!

After I moved the Jeep the skies started clouding up...and it poured. Summer thunderstorm! When the weather broke, I took advantage of the raindrops and did the quickest, easiest banner install. I had the height the banner should be pre-marked (on the inside so no worries with the rain). Nature supplied the water, and Montana lent a helping hand to align it and squeegee from the opposite side. And, also during the rain break, I changed my mind on the color (once, again) and went for a copper shade.

Key Points:

• Change your windshield banner seasonally for best coverage.

• Mark the height inside with a window crayon/marker before removing the old.

• Work in the right conditions. If the weather is too hot or too windy; wait.

• Having a friend or partner help with the actual install portion.