Patent ID: 7654423

Claim:
A method for protecting a motor vehicle roof, the method comprising: positioning two long and narrow roof standoffs, having two opposite parallel long and straight sides and two opposite short ends, the ends connecting the sides, forming a rectangular footprint on the motor vehicle roof with the sides residing across the motor vehicle roof and with a first one of the roof standoffs residing on a front portion of the motor vehicle roof and a second one of the roof standoffs residing on a rear portion of the motor vehicle roof spaced apart from the first one of the roof standoffs to provide support for cargo carried on the roof standoffs with bases of the roof standoffs residing against the motor vehicle roof and downward sloping top surfaces of the roof standoffs residing opposite the motor vehicle roof, wherein one of the sides and a lowest front edge of the downward sloping top surface of each roof standoff resides towards the front of the motor vehicle roof and the opposite sides and a highest rear edge of the downward sloping top surface of each roof standoff resides towards the rear of the motor vehicle roof and the sloping top surface slopes continuously downward from the higher rear edge to the lower front edge and has neither inwardly nor outwardly protruding features, and wherein each elongated roof standoff comprises a roof standoff body and at least two spaced apart magnets embedded in the body near the base to provide magnetic attraction between the roof standoffs and the roof and additional downward force provided by the downward sloping top surfaces add to the attraction of magnets to the roof, thereby allowing fewer magnets to be embedded in the roof standoff, thereby allowing easier positioning and removal of the roof standoff; positioning the cargo supported by the roof standoffs; and securing the cargo to the motor vehicle roof.