White with gloss black up top. It’s a combination that works on full-size luxury SUVs and works especially well on a Lincoln Navigator. This client’s truck already had blacked-out wheels. What it needed was a roof and pillar treatment to tie everything together. A tuxedo top is exactly what that is.
What the Client Wanted
The Navigator came in from the factory in white. With a set of black wheels already on the vehicle, the client wanted the upper half to match. A tuxedo top applies gloss black to the roof and all pillars while leaving the body panels untouched. It’s a focused, contained job that delivers a visual return well beyond its panel count.
The appeal is in the contrast. White body, gloss black roof, black wheels. Three elements working together instead of one thing fighting the others.
Why 3M 2080
We installed this tuxedo top using 3M 2080 Gloss Black. 3M 2080 is a cast vinyl film. Unlike cheaper calendered films, cast film is manufactured in a way that eliminates internal stress. On a tuxedo application with compound curves at the A-pillars, tight transitions around roof rails, and spoiler edges, cast film conforms cleanly, holds tight to recesses, and won’t lift over time.
For a gloss finish specifically, there is no margin for error. Any bridging, tension, or sloppy edge work shows immediately in the reflection. That’s not a reason to avoid gloss — it’s a reason to make sure the installer has done it before.
What the Installation Required
A tuxedo top looks simple. Getting there isn’t. Every pillar on a full-size SUV is a different profile with its own challenges.
The A-pillar wraps from the front glass edge around a compound curve down toward the mirror area. The B and C pillars have trim edges, reveal gaps, and weather seal transitions to navigate. The roof on the Navigator spans a large, highly visible surface with a rear spoiler, roof rails, and glass edge transitions at every corner.
The goal on all of it is the same: clean, tucked termination points where the film ends behind trim pieces, inside door jambs, and along seals rather than at the face of the panel. When the edge work is right, there are no visible endpoints. It reads like it came from the factory that way.
We’ve done this same treatment on a GMC Sierra 2500HD Duramax and a Cadillac Escalade 600 using the same 3M 2080 Gloss Black. The approach is consistent. The result is always specific to the vehicle.
The Result
The tuxedo top pulls the Navigator into a coherent look without touching the white body at all. The high-gloss black roof against factory white creates a sharp, intentional contrast. The roofline visually lowers. The profile reads purposeful instead of tall and boxy. Paired with the black wheels, every dark element on this truck now points to the same decision.
This is what a well-executed color change wrap application can do even at partial scope.
Why AZ Rag
AZ Rag is a 3M Preferred Installer based in Knoxville, TN. You can verify our certified installer credentials directly. Our team is trained on 3M materials and accountable to those standards on every job. For a gloss application where the film surface shows every flaw, that level of precision is what separates a tuxedo that holds up from one that peels at the corners in six months. We do this work on daily drivers, show trucks, and high-dollar luxury vehicles. If the geometry is demanding and the stakes are high, we’re the right shop for it.
Get a Quote
If your vehicle already has black wheels, a tuxedo top is probably the highest-impact upgrade you can make without repainting anything. Request a free quote and we’ll walk you through exactly what’s involved.
