Prevention best practices for a new Tacoma?

Just bought a new 19 TRD Off Road and am thinking about what could be done to keep it nice for as long as possible. Any suggestions?

So far I'm thinking about:
PPF
Ceramic coating
Fluid Film frame

All feedback welcome and if you know of any good shops to do the work around Northern Virginia... send them my way.

Someone once told me "Invest early in your Tacoma and it'll take care of you". Can't argue with that.

 

Do all that, plus don't fall victim to the I need to mod this that.

Time shows us that stock vehicles stick around longer and are worth more money at parting ways

 

Keep it clean.

 

I wash the undercarriage and fluid film my truck twice a year.

Don't know about ceramic coating, but I believe a thorough "clay bar" and application of a sealer and wax is a must for a new vehicle.

I do this also twice a year and my paint looks good so far- four years and 50k miles later.

I also am planning on keeping my truck for as long as possible, so regular maintenance per the owners manual now will go a long way when it starts to matter- 10-15 years from now.

Good luck and welcome to TW.

 

PPF=Partial front end done. Make sure they do the headlights
Fluid Film=Done
Ceramic coating=Zero interest, way overpriced

 

Heated pressure wash the frame every year, coat any rusty areas/wields with paint or rust converter, then apply mavcoat or fluidfilm over the frame.

 

Fluid Film. Toyota should offer it complementary at the dealerships.

 

Just drive it. It'll last.

 

Not in the rust belt it won't.

 

dealers here in the western fringes of the salt belt have not ever heard of the FF, that is why I never heard of it before TW came along, the dealer checking my alignment was aghast at all the FF and other CF product oozing everywhere over the front suspension and underneath the cab, they thought it was leaking somewhere and wanted to wash it all off!

the purest of NE/IA truck right here, that is not a garage queen, entering its 23rd winter battling the mid west salt monster, only thing gone to rot so far is muffler/exhaust, caught the fuel tank skid in time to get blasted and powder coated, currently working on removing the garbage Tacoma paint coating BS underneath and modding with higher quality stuff more chip resistant 3x
couple of spots on various body panels have popped up over the years but dealt with in a timely matter as i could find

got some oohs and ahhs today at this HF (old pic) from a former Toyota truck/tacoma guy who was surprised this was a NE/Western IA truck, said it was a fine specimen of the old style

#hardcoretacolife



and thanks to @Shellshock for spotting a new-to-the-public product called Salts Gone, my efforts could be MUCH easier in washing off all that salty garbage spread out for the minuscule inch of snow and drizzle, some winters are harsh like last year, and some are not


^^^ pure road salt in treads picked up on dry streets



^^^ FF overspray in action fighting salt spray. trying the stuff out for the 1st time ever, looks like a winner! as long as it doesn't wash off easily with my routine hand hosing at the local ghetto wand wash


OP, this truck has never been parked in a heated garage, nor has it ever been waxed or anything until this year
and i hope the heck i am not stuck as the lone 'survivor' that had no crutch from here to Chicago, which is the furthest east i have been during the winter with this truck
but so far during my time on TW no one has yet come forth from these parts to be my peer and compare notes or whatever

 

Agree...….

 

For coating and/or film check out Automotive Quality Solutions in Sterling.

 

OP there's no mention which state you are in. You can't go wrong with Fluid film. Once applied you need only spray the undercarriage once the salt is off the roads. Here in Maine that's around June! Spray FF every year, truck should last you awhile.

 

I did PPF and ceramic coating on my 19 TRD OR, did ceramic on my 15, 16, 17 (CP), honestly its not worth the money and doesnt add to resale. I'd skip it and stick to just doing your own ceramic coating, which is what I did for my 19 (CQ UK 3.0), lots of easy to use great products these days or just a good sealant/wax. Then fluid film 1-2 times per year, regular maintainence and good to go.

 

Couldnt be more wrong, tons of DIY coatings that are far superior to any sealant or wax and costs the same if you do it yourself. PPF on the other hand for a tacoma/truck is wasted money especially if you choose to offroad with it, a street queen sure, but cost to value I wouldnt spend the money for a tacoma, it is however the best protection from a paint/trim standpoint.

 

Look into rp-342 (cosmoline) for frame.

 

That's what I use

 

Is this like wool wax? I was thinking of using that next year instead of fluid film, heard it doesnt stink.

 

Keep it in the garage when you're not driving it.

 

I don't know what that is but we've used it for our pool furniture. It's lasted 5 years at a time. I sprayed my truck before winter and used 3 cans. I figure it'll last 3 years.