Pinstriping Woes

Guys I did a thing I was hoping the drag marks were just minimal and drawn in the dust (which I know can make it worse) that had accumulated throughout my last ride, but I just washed my truck and some of the lines are still there. If I run my nail over some of the larger ones, I can definitely feel a groove which I'm assuming means it screwed my clearcoat. Most of them rub out/off though. What's the best way to try to clean this up? Get it buffed and waxed? And never go on trails that require me to hug the side wall because a 2000' dropoff is on the other side?

 

Wear it with pride! Shows you're using the truck for what it was actually built for

 

The downside of going dark color paint

A good wash and buff will clean up alot, up close tho it will still be noticeable

Not sure if this works very well but there's those diamond clear coats that places charge $1000-2000 for and it's like adding a glass screen protector but to your truck

I wanted to try it but I scratched my shit too much already to care lol

 

If it really bothers you you can wet sand it and buff the crap out of it. It doesn't look that bad, Black amplifies the way scratches look

 

Use some tooth paste on it. But there will always be a mark. Just the price we pay when venturing out.

 

That turtle wax scratch stuff works well. Not perfectly. But well enough

 

I’ve had those MANY times. Get some Meguiar’s rubbing compound with wax and apply small amounts to a micro fiber towels and rub them out in 3-6” circles. Do not press too hard otherwise you will get fade/burn marks... they should go away at least look a lot better than they do now. Only use rubbing compound on a clean truck. Wax afterwards with a good carnuba. Having a black paint job doesn’t help. Good luck

 

Going to the mall and dropping kids off at school?

 

Buff it, or get it professionally detailed. You'd be surprised what comes out.

 

I have those all over both sides of my truck. Use your truck to have fun. That’s what it’s for. Don’t feel bad about the scratches.

 

Not according to Toyota

 

I 100% agree that the black is not helping. I didn't even want a black truck, was adamantly against it because black show everryyything. One of the reasons I never bought a black guitar. Side note, anyways. But when I saw her sitting there, and she had the SX package...I fell in love with Zarana. I digress. To be fair I did only run her through a touchfree car wash, so maybe with a little more TLC I can take more out. I know it's supposed to be a "badge of pride" thing but I hoped to have at least 3 months of ownership before something like this

 

And yeah, no shit, I'm fully expecting to get some side eye when I take it in at 5000 miles for the first oil change. I need to dial it back a bit or else my truck is gonna have "warranty voided" written allll over it

 

I too have black and gnarly pin stripes. My gut tells me that Toyota paint is thin. My choice is to live with it and wear it with pride. If you get it buffed you'll be knocking down the factory clear even if it's a little. I chose not to touch it.

 

When did you ever get a scratch??

 

Here is good advice (I hope):

-If you use your truck off road you gotta accept pinstripes. Once they are there you can relax and enjoy your truck and explore cool places.

-Wax the truck with a good, thick (not spray-on) paste wax so it’s looks good enough for your day-to-day life.

-do not cut polish or wet sand the paint until such time as you want to sell or trade the truck. You only get one or two good cut-polishes before the paint thins out. Enjoy your slightly scratched truck (with a good wax job) worry free until you sell it. Then pay an auto-detailer to do a really good job of polishing out the scratches.

 

Clay bar, polish and then wax with a buffer. That will take out a lot of the scratches.

Also...With Toyota Care your 5,000 mile service does not include an oil change. The 5K is basically a tire rotation and checking most of your fluid levels. Toyota's oil changes are every 10,000 miles. Most dealers stick to what is laid out in the Toyota Care program. Every so often I see on TW that someone received a 5K no charge oil change. Most dealerships charge you if you want the oil changed at 5K intervals outside of the 10K and 20K free oil/filter Toyota Care program.

 

This is kinda my current way of thought. I gotta come to terms that with a black truck, everything is gonna show up. Even though I dived headfirst into offroading and didn't expect pinstripes so soon, it's a thing. I'm trying to tell myself "get over it you sentimental sap". I really wanted to get my truck properly waxed before heading into this sort of territory, but hindsight is 20/20. When I bought this truck, I planned on having it until the wheels fall off but realistically see myself trading it in around 6-8 years for a 4x4....so I can realllyyy f*ck it up apparently

 

I'm aware of this and hoping that my brutish good charms can hook me up with an oil change. Regardless, even if I have to pay, the oil is getting charged at 5000 miles. Part of me wishes I could hover over the service dept while they do it, because I'm currently at 1600 miles and have been offroading 4 times so far and I want to know what that oil color and metal shavings look like after another 4000 miles and "X" amount of trips

 

I’d say you have the right idea. Letting it go will get you to places you can’t go if you’re worried about the paint. My truck is scratched to hell, but I’d pay twice the cost of a full paint job for all the great experiences it’s afforded me out in the wilds.