Dealing with roof racks

[Snowman]

Well I am thinking about getting a roof rack for my truck so I can put a basket on top of my cab for hauling things. My concern though is that I know some people leave those racks (Yakima, Thule, etc.) bolted onto their vehicles for some time and I had one a long time ago on a Sentra and when I took it off there were marks in the paint on the roof from the feet of those racks. They weren't big scratches but just outlines of the feet and then some dirt that had gotten underneath them over time and seemed to be permanent. Does anyone have any tricks or advice on how I might be able to put something underneath those feet so that if I did get a rack I wouldn't worry about having marked my paint when I take it down from time to time??? i just don't want to feel like I have to put it on and take it off after each use.

[Pete-FWA]

First thing that came to my mind was to use one of the clear plastic paint protection films. Cut it in small enough pieces that you can put it only where the feet will rest on your paint surface.

Downside: you will see those little patches of the material on the roof

I have seen people put cloths under the feet, but they don't grip as well and the cloth will leave its own marks on the finish.