An Easy, Reconfigurable Way to Get Wiring to the Roof

[@rebekkahfisher5079]

So easy!! We’re all looking for complicated answers to complicated problems but this proves how most of us overthink and get lost in the weeds- best video and solution I’ve found! Shared with everybody!

[@overlandme]

As usual, any technical video you post is very useful for a lot of people. U r an inspiration, thanks for sharing.

[@STGcamcorder]

I’ve been rocking a similar setup on my wrx. If paint damage is a concern for you(although its very minimal), I recommend wrapping over the A pillar with ppf prior to placing the magnets.

[@JenMarco]

I like it! I injured my neck just watching the clip you inserted on how you broke your windshield, but this solves my problem! Thank you!

[@BobaFatt316]

This video is just what I needed! I'm running a light bar to my rack this weekend, I ordered the KC lite wire hider, it looks good! Thanks for the recommendation

[@softroadingthewest]

I would be very curious to hear what you think after you've done your install. I probably would have ordered that as well had I known about it, instead of my magnetic idea. Good luck with the project!

[@chrisfoster882]

Awesome, answers my dilemma.

[@davenason6040]

Perfect timing adding lights to my roof this weekend. I'd like to add that when you trim the cable ties use a pair of nail clippers they won't be as sharp due to being more rounded off compared to the wire cutters.

[@softroadingthewest]

Ohh that's a great tip. I do indeed have a *ton* of sharp little cut off cable ties in all kinds of places around my car. Perhaps I can still clean them up with a nail clipper!

[@1cdelay]

Perfect timing on this video! I just ordered a light bar and have been trying to find the simplest way to run the wires!

[@softroadingthewest]

Nice, good luck with your install!

[@danblackfield8928]

3 years later, still helpful, didn't even think about that. Thank you! LTT (Linus tech tips) released magnetic arches that could be similar or better solution, too. Small are about in the same price range.

[@andyberryman3148]

I'm trying to find a light bar solution for my 2006 Freelander 1 that involves minimal drilling through the metalwork and I have to say I found this incredibly useful! Thanks mate.

[@dahlenadventures]

Nice find! I could see so many uses for those!

[@softroadingthewest]

For sure, this is just how I used them, but the potential for other applications is pretty wide.

[@adamgerald849]

Hey man, thanks. Ordering some lights to put on a roof rack on my 2007 Dodge Nitro. I've used magnetic supports for cabling (like you said, IT stuff) but did not know they made any these small and low profile. Drilling a hole might look better, but I'm not gonna put a hole in my roof, no way no how. I just ordered me some, and I'm really glad I found your channel. I'm fixing up my 4WD 6 speed Nitro to go traveling with just me and my dog for vacation next year and I'm fixing her up right to go offroad and camping. I just subscribed because you're posting exactly the kinda stuff I wanna see. Thanks brother.

[@brianscott9001]

Love it when people think outside the box. Great idea thanks for sharing!

[@feminazislayer]

From a guy who's done all kinds of projects this is freaking genius.

[@slol144]

tape or decal to save the paint. This helps as I'm wiring in a dual battery and doing the light harness as well. Thanks for the solution for NOT adding yet another leak.

[@softroadingthewest]

Good idea! Good luck with your install.

[@jampakdd]

Damn bro that intro was about 10x more awesome than I was expecting from some random youtube video about truck lighting! Props!

[@jgetscensored7837]

That KC wire hider looks like the way to go. Thanks for the tip.

[@4points4x46]

This is a pretty good idea very original, thank you. I think it would be great if SUV manufacturers would include just a little gap in the windshield where wires could be ran and kept tidy. The only truck that does this is the third GEN Tacoma ( that I’m aware of ) but wouldn’t it be nice if SUV builders did the same across the board? Thank you for your video.

[@VKSgtSLaughter]

Great idea, thanks for sharing brother! 👍

[@scottnewton4227]

Hey thanks for posting this buddy I was wanting to run a light around my roof cage on my Subaru and I didn't want to destroy or anything that you brought up and this is a perfect solution so you got my gratitude

[@richardburguillos3118]

Great tip. Funny, in the videos I didn’t even notice the cables running up the side of your windshield. I like your logic for using these vs a more destructive solution. Thanks for another great tip!

[@AmericanWanderers]

Glad I decided to check YT and spotted your very helpful video. I'm about to mount a 20 and 10 inch light bar to the roof of my RAM. Unfortunately Magdaddy delivery was too slow and I had to use a different vendor.

[@lavenderau6326]

Brilliant idea!!!! Mag Daddy pricey here in Australia ($100 +!! gasp) but found a local alternative. Finding a way to get the wires down into the engine bay been putting me off installing my light bar. Super easy and flexible install. Thanks mate!!

[@haydenyoung460]

What’s the Australian alternative??

[@garyarbogast6703]

I was inexplicably attracted to this video and found it very captivating.

[@pinzone4358]

Thanks Donald, you're thinking outside of the box again and providing solutions to problems. They might even work for Christmas lights on house gutters!

[@softroadingthewest]

Oh yeah! That's a great idea!

[@garypurkis7184]

Fantastic! im a rookie DIY for fourbies, just finally mounted my dual battery properly, trying to figure out my 40" light bar now and this is fantastic thanks!

[@nj4x4fever2]

Thank you for sharing the info, I’m sure this will help somewhere down the road.

[@RobertWitham]

That is an awesome solution! I have bookmarked that and will definitely be ordering some soon. I'm in a cargo van that is insulated but still has the ribs exposed. This will be really convenient for tidying up wiring inside the van.

[@softroadingthewest]

Nice! These little things have many possibilities for sure!

[@charliemoreno8244]

Great video. Exactly what i was looking for, and the GMRS antenna was an added bonus since i use one as well.

[@lkingwell]

I have exactly this problem and didn't event realise these things existed!. Many thanks...

[@therootedprogress]

Geez the strength of those magnets are crazyyyyy. They are really nifty. I think I would prefer the kc option. Just depends on what I'll be dealing with once we get our top mounted light bar, scene lights accessories for the rear. Thanks for sharing Donald! Wouldn't have known about these if it weren't for this video.

[@TobyCostaRica]

These would be great for keeping wires off the paint passed the windshield. I use a mag mount ham antenna mounted dead center of my roof and these would work. Thanks!

[@powerofyourbrains]

This is a perfect solution for our messy camera wiring - thanks, I'm glad I checked out this video! Not off road lights though; we definitely don't need those.

[@softroadingthewest]

For sure, one of the things I really respect about you guys is how you never let yourself get caught out after dark. :-)

[@powerofyourbrains]

@@softroadingthewest never 👍

[@TDubya811]

The wiring looks great as well!

[@tdg0101]

Good stuff as always. Thanks

[@eto2352]

brilliant find! just ordered some, thanks!

[@eto2352]

@softroadingthewest Just wanted to thank you again. Routing wires is a total snap, and I can take ideal routing without drilling. Also had some sensors and wiring that needed to hang temporarily and these tidy them up until I can rework them. Can't say enough about this find. So simple but so useful! I may get some more just to have on hand.

[@bangzoom8180]

Exactly what I've been looking for 👍

[@bah5310]

Donald pro tip. Take lineman pliers and twist off the extra cable tie piece. Eliminates the sharp edge left by cutting them. Nice find I think I'll order some.

[@softroadingthewest]

Interesting, I'll give that a try.

[@mariog3272]

Really interesting. Was looking for idea to mount light/wiring on the roof rack of my « new » 2009 Forester.

[@proteus5]

Great idea! Here are a couple of other ideas for hiding the wires... 1. Mount the lights on the front bumper instead of the roof so all wiring will be inside the engine bay. 2. If you must have the lights on the roof, don't make the wiring permanent (since you don't need the wiring when the lights are not on). Mount a plug on the roof rack and a plug inside the vehicle. When you need to have the lights on, crack open a window and run a cord to connect the 2 plugs. Pipe foam insulation can make a weather-proof seal for the window.

[@officialWWM]

Wow, those things are cool! What a great idea!

[@RikySongSu]

I have the KC lights solution and it also works great. As you said, creates a channel for you to shove wires in and gets mounted to the windshield with 3M sticky tape.

[@softroadingthewest]

Had I known about this product, I'm sure I would have tried that first instead of these magnets. Good to know it does indeed work nicely. I may end up trying that one day as well.

[@RikySongSu]

@@softroadingthewest yeah definitely. It's a pretty thin chanel so it probably would hold one and not two of your wires going up. I think you went with the right decision for your set up given the flexibility of magnets and the amount of wires going up to your roof.

[@Royaltouchgrass]

Thank you young Bobby singer

[@om617yota8]

Outstanding. That's going in the mental bag of tricks!

[@STinGa157]

Thanks for this and your other videos. The magnets are an unexpected bonus. I copied your awning design and expanded it. With my large family, I am currently sporting a prototype that will hold a 16x16 tarp. Keep up the great videos.

[@softroadingthewest]

That's awesome, glad the awning idea gave you a starting point. 16x16...wow!!

[@robertkile9357]

Awesome! Thank you for the quick tip video!!

[@JonDZ_Adventuring]

OOOoooouuuuuuu! I can see alot of uses for these! Thanks Donald!

[@softroadingthewest]

Right? I was pretty happy with this find!

[@GrizzlyPath]

Nice! I did something similar using the kind that double sided tape. I bought like a 100pk for $5 on Amazon. Although not reuseable like yours, they’re cheap and a bit lower profile.

[@danhohman]

Well aren’t those clever! I can think of all kinds of different uses for these! Thanks for sharing with us!

[@DodkoTheFirst]

If you are worried about the paint you can buy transparent stickers for MTB (mountainbike) frame against scratching (small rounded patches of strong elastic transparent stickers). Just google it or go to nearest bike shop. BTW very nice elegant convenient and easy solution to complicated problems. Thats why i love all your videos of simple hacks many of them implemented to my 2010 Impreza Camper.

[@softroadingthewest]

That's a great tip - thank you!

[@bezaproductions8106]

Awesome Donald 👌!!!!

[@dolfowolfo1]

Just a heads up, magnets like this will eventually push through your clear coat, flaking and eventually rust if left on for years. Not a big deal for use and abuse vehicles but a heads up for those new shiny cars!

[@edwardmorgan9411]

Awesome, great video!

[@djdtone1981]

Thanks for this tip! I'll do this if I ever put lights on the roof.

[@macdaddy8011]

Thanks for the idea.

[@rdporter81]

Thanks for the video. Why do you say roof like that though?

[@hdhellion4128]

I would suggest the putting felt under magnet for those who are worried about paint and scratches.

[@aarontracy5160]

Those look great for dent removal

[@ignitionoffroad5028]

That’s awesome! So simple and tidy. Love it!

[@softroadingthewest]

SO fast and easy! It's a good thing too, because I simply do not have the patience to mess with running wires in some hidden way up through the interior, haha.

[@seabeejb]

Have you shown your comms set up? I'd like to see how people set up their radios. I haven't seen to many people talk about that. I need some ideas. Thanks in advance and love your channel.

[@KJ-yq5gm]

I been trying to figure this out and bam you have a solution, thanks! how is this solution holding up?

[@softroadingthewest]

It held up fine until the car was totaled by a lady who ran a red light. :-( The wires didn't budge in the accident though. :-)

[@99Stutz]

I know next to nothing about electronics, so forgive a stupid question: how do you turn them on? Don't you have to run wiring into the cabin for a switch? If so, how does that work? Or is there an outside switch, or a switch on the lightbar itself?

[@softroadingthewest]

Not a stupid question at all. I didn't understand any of this either until I started messing with it. :-) The cables going to the roof just bring the power to them, via relays which are mounted under the hood. Separate wires run from the relays to switches I have mounted inside the cabin. The switches in the car use a very low-voltage signal to tell the relays what to do, and the relay does the actual connecting or disconnecting of power between the battery and the light. In my Auxbeam lightbar install/review video, I touch very briefly on this around 7 minutes in, and have a basic diagram, but I'd recommend just watching a couple of dedicated videos about installing aux lighting. Once you start wrapping your head around what each component does, it starts feeling a lot easier to understand.

[@99Stutz]

@@softroadingthewest That makes sense. How do the switch wires get from the engine compartment into the cabin though? Is there an existing hole to feed them through?

[@softroadingthewest]

There is on mine. This may be different from car to car, but my Forester has a pass-through protected by a rubber grommet. (actually it will show up in the video coming up this weekend as I'll be doing a light install and running a new switch circuit into the cabin). Anyway, a bit of research should turn up what the options are for your particular vehicle. I myself learned about this pass-through point via a forum post somewhere.

[@99Stutz]

@@softroadingthewest Thanks a lot. Really enjoy your vids. I'm a fellow Eugeneian and whenever I see a Forester I'm like "Ooh, is that softroading?" lol

[@softroadingthewest]

Haha, honk and wave if you do spot me! :-)

[@jimvargaco.6344]

Magnet mount CB antenna... magnet mount wire solution. Great!

[@Rowganlife]

thanks for the idea.

[@levipatterson2736]

If you need to remove the magnetics how would you do that since you can't simply pull it off

[@softroadingthewest]

Oh they'll come off with a strong enough pull, or sliding sideways. If I remember right, these are rated for a 15-lb pull. Five of them working together holding down the wires is super strong, but one by one, you can overpower them. :-)

[@salgonzalez908]

Freaking awesome idea.

[@TheAdventureZombie]

Very cool, you better believe I'll be using some of those on my rig. Great find! I'll probably shoot some plasti dip on the base of mine so it's not right on the paint though.

[@softroadingthewest]

That's a great idea!

[@TheAdventureZombie]

Thanks!

[@slol144]

you can put a clear tape/decal where the magnet sits to keep the dirt from rubbing into the very thin clear/paint. I usually wrap the roof with with a clear because muddy bikes and SPDs

[@johnsontrucks8806]

They look awesome and normally that exact what I’d be looking for but I just bought my first nice car (04 xt forester ) and the paint and everything is minty not a scratch or piece of trim out of place and personally I think that’s a little ugly , better then filling into my roof tho

[@dougsfan9984]

That is brilliant! Thanks mate!

[@truthhurts228]

Great video! A question: do you feel that running the roof light wire inside the windshield trim rubber was a factor in your shattered windshield during the towing incident? Just curious. Thanks much!

[@softroadingthewest]

Oh no, not at all. Those wires weren't "inside" anything...they were just passively laying in a channel that already existed and sealed over with some silicone, definitely not creating any kind of force or impediment to anything. With that concentrated impact, it would have cracked regardless. No, the windshield damage was down to one thing and one thing only - my stupidity (and my skull) haha. :-)

[@mastarce]

Not bad but why did you run the individual lines up to the roof? Why not get a single tube to put them in, then zip tie it. Would look cleaner and offer more protection.

[@softroadingthewest]

They were assembled at different times. Wasn't worth disassembling to re-run them through a single larger tube. I now actually have a third bundle running up with them. I appreciate the ability to add/remove one bundle without affecting the others. I also considered running everything through some kind of plastic tubing or conduit, which could be another approach, but that would've really had to be bulky to fit everything. Ultimately when you step back away and look at the car as a whole, I find it barely even noticeable. Yeah, up close you can see what it is, but nothing on my car looks great up close anyway, LOL. :-)

[@bruceyyyyy]

Clever product!

[@softroadingthewest]

I was quite pleased with this find. I was tempted to buy more in other sizes, but that starts adding up quickly.

[@nicholasboudewijn1174]

Just ordered a light bar for my 2003 Buick Century lmao. Next up is a lift kit/big wheels

[@ospr3y]

Where do your wires go through the firewall into the cabin? I'm trying to determine the best path for my wire between my switch and relay on my SH Forester.

[@softroadingthewest]

There is a pass-through which is covered by a rubber seal. You can see this by looking at the firewall with the hood up...you should see a diamond-shaped patch of rubber that's maybe about 3" wide towards the driver side. That covers a hole in the firewall. You can punch through the center of the rubber piece, it comes out above and behind the gas pedal. (my next video, coming out Saturday or Sunday, will be some new lights getting installed and I'll be showing you this pass-through point in that video actually)

[@ospr3y]

@@softroadingthewest Awesome! Thanks for the response! Seems a lot better than trying to fit the wire through the grommet in the door. Did you modify the fusebox cover in the engine bay to mount your relay set-up? I saw it sitting nicely on the top in another vid of yours.

[@softroadingthewest]

It's not really modified per se, I just mounted my relays directly onto the fusebox lid, as it was a simple and convenient spot to put them...I couldn't find a better place under there without fabricating something, and I notoriously follow the path of least resistance, LOL. :-)

[@ospr3y]

@@softroadingthewest Lol good way of going about it! There really isn't any other good spot under there.

[@dangerdoberman]

Oh dang...that's tight.

[@Dennis-1367]

I actually wanted to ask for a video regarding this, guess you were faster, haha. This is an awesome idea, did not thought of it. I think if people want to prevent hurting their cars surface, you could just use some duct tape on the magnet so the connection is dampened a bit. Shouldn't influence the strength. Great video! trying to look for these in Germany now.

[@softroadingthewest]

Nice, glad you found it helpful! I have to admit it didn't even occur to me to put something like tape on them to prevent scuffing the paint...I might have to give that a try next time I need to fiddle with them. Good luck in your search (or finding something similar!)

[@midnightwaterdragon4725]

Yeh great idea or spray the bottom of them with black flex seal 👍🏼

[@Dennis-1367]

@@midnightwaterdragon4725 I actually found some neodym magnets covered in rubber, with fix points for cables on top. The rubber protects the paint AND keeps it in place. I once forgot to remove them when pressure washing the car, they didnt move at all.

[@jasonmcclellan6534]

How do you get them off if you can't just pull them off?

[@softroadingthewest]

If you put a piece of string or wire through the loop, that gives you a better grip and you can pull them off. It's just very difficult with only your fingertips on that tiny plastic loop. :-)

[@alanmtb9927]

Nice! Thank you!

[@Ioading...10]

Got these on Amazon with free shipping, thanks man!

[@kingofbaja5b]

i love video montage. you improved yourself a lot. if you do :)

[@SINYC02]

Can I not just have a battery mounted to my roof? Not. car battery, a smaller one capable of powering a lightbar.

[@kevinnorwood7355]

The price isn’t bad at all for how strong they are.

[@softroadingthewest]

You're right. It seemed like a little bag of nothing for twenty bucks LOL but ultimately they did not disappoint. :-)

[@thespig13]

Couldn't find the video of why your windshield broke

[@softroadingthewest]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/jIK0aHmtpJVgfac

[@michael_notMike_stillman]

Seems like the wire might get caught on branches and such???

[@softroadingthewest]

They seem to generally just brush past as I move through. Maybe if I got partway into an overgrown trail, then stopped and backed up, that might give a branch an opportunity to snag in there, but odds are it would be a pretty skinny branch if it was able to fit underneath the wire, and would just flex away anyway, or at worst pop off a magnet or two before pulling out. I think it would take quite a fluke to snag a branch big enough to pull up all the magnets and yank the wires out of their connections. If the magnets pop off it's no biggie, since they're zip-tied to the wire bundle...I can just put them back on. Have never needed to though. :-)

[@adventurebythemile]

Can they be used installing solar?

[@softroadingthewest]

I don't see why not, if you've got metal to stick them to (and don't mind putting something that might scuff your paint a bit). They just provide anchor points to which you can secure wires...should work with any wires.

[@ruansiebert]

brilliant

[@gringo3009]

Cool tip!

[@jorges2000]

Very cool

[@RedBeardRebass]

i would hope those wires are fused at least, with the potential for damage so high

[@itzpacman2272]

Hey how do they do in winter??

[@itzpacman2272]

I’m in Canada and get a lot of snow but am doing a budget trail build

[@softroadingthewest]

I saw no difference in snow, ice, and very cold temperatures over the course of multiple winter trips.

[@solosaga5091]

EXCELLENT!

[@RexyFan]

You ever had any issues with tampering ? Looks like someone can easily snip at your wires. I could imagine a drunk or an angry ex, just cutting through the exposed wire. Apart from that, I’m keen to give this a go. I currently have mine running through that windshield channel you mentioned at 0.43 and covered with black gaff tape. My car is silver, so I have the wiring on the roof covered with grey duct tape lol The magnets look like a better option ... or even that hidden trim your friend mentioned. Cheers New sub.

[@softroadingthewest]

I never had any tampering issues...no reason for anyone to do so. I try to stay on good terms with my ex, haha. :-)

[@RexyFan]

@@softroadingthewest Haha I’m glad to hear that lol But nah, I was just thinking of worst case scenarios. I actually looked up that kc wire hider, and it costs $85-$100 to have it shipped over to Australia. So I think the magnets will be the go for now. Thanks again.

[@dvonehrlich]

That's pretty cool gear, you could probably put some thin tape on the bottom if you were really worried about your paint. But that is who this would probably appeal to: people still making payments who don't want to take anything apart or drill any holes in there shiny new ride. Why didn't you just say I broke my windshield with my hard head? Haha

[@softroadingthewest]

LOLOL...I didn't want to distract from the topic at hand. :-) Tape on the bottom is a good idea. I imagine these would scuff a bit if they got slid around at all.

[@МассажистАндрейПИОНОВ]

Молодец! Хорошая идея 💡

[@irfanspace]

nice 👍🏼 , but question , did u ever wash your car , i know its your off road ride but plz cleaning is caring ❤️

[@softroadingthewest]

I wash it infrequently, because it just gets dirty again within a week or two. I have an extremely full schedule, and that's time I can spend doing something productive that won't just get undone within days. Funny thing is, it's actually relatively clean in this video...I usually run around with it even dirtier than this. * shrug * :-)

[@irfanspace]

@@softroadingthewest Great

[@challengeronrift]

Doesn't this scratch the paintwork on the car? 😢

[@fatherdaughteryoutubechann9559]

Maybe buy 2 Ten Packs and you can have the wires magnetized through the glass.. ONE MAGNET INSIDE THE WINDSHEILD TO HOLD THE MAGNET OUTSIDE THE WINDSHEILD. so its not sticking up high..

[@offroadxplorer]

If you use a sharp knife to cut the tails off your zip ties it will prevent the sharp points left behind by wire cutters. I can't take credit for this tip as I saw someone else do this!

[@softroadingthewest]

I have to admit it never occurred to me to try anything other than my wire cutters. I do indeed have sharp points sticking out of every zip tie in use on my car (and there are quite a lot of them here and there!). Thanks!

[@channelejg5862]

Alright for a quick job or if your not a perfectionist! Personally I’d spend more time and route the cables inside behind the trim.

[@seedsoutdoors3721]

Once I hear ruuf once I knew it would be a long video.