Gravel road damage!

If you knew someone in Canada you could get them to buy them and ship them to you.

 

Regrettably, I don't.

 

Get a Jeep

 

Slow down!!!!

 

I was wonder if the vinly Ford has on the 24+ F-150 would help or if that's why Ford installs that? The vinyl looks like it's cosmetic.

 

It also isn’t on the spot where the issue is occurring.

 

Now I see the forward section of the bed isn't covered.

 

That is pretty bad. Owned 2 tacomas and only the 1st gen showed a little of that.

Must be what happens when you take a Sport model off pavement.

 

I don’t own a 4th Gen, however most know that Toyota paint leaves quite a bit to be desired. Couple that with maybe the not so common sense idea that driving down a gravel road will sling rocks.

So we have an environment that is inherently detrimental to the paintwork we already know is somewhat fragile …. And the OP is surprised that this happened?

Yea there is PPF but it’s gonna get obliterated eventually. Mud-flaps will work and are probably the best money spent to try to remedy the issue but rocks will find there way around them. It is not the end all be all solution.

You don’t want rock chips? Don’t drive it.

 

Are those aftermarket fender flares? They seem to be painted. Mine get dinged, but they don't chip.

 

Bummer. OEM running boards prevent this.

 

The only way I was able to protect the sides of my 3rd gen for high speed gravel running in 4HI (and winter salt mix) was to adapt the rally car look. This becomes more of a problem with a change in wheel offset and wider tires. These splash guards do work well, are flexible and allow you to drill and mount to your desired fit. Look is obviously not the selling point but paint protection from gravel roads and salt they do solve. I use them during the cold snowy winter months and when I'm running gravel roads out in MT, WY, CO and UT.

https://www.fleetfarm.com/detail/ho...tFXLPJheI71NzAvFkoQOhc7W-9B7WHD2idrqb02L6goE4


another option a bit more expensive and with a size selection, but may look better

https://rekgen.com/collections/rek-.../products/rek-mesh-universal-offset-mud-flaps


Here is an example of the top product on my 3rd gen and how much lower and wider they are than the stock flaps. The oversized flaps prevents anything from reaching the painted surfaces.



.

 

Could you include a picture from a wider back angle so we can see how high up the damage goes?

 

I don't live on a gravel road, but I drive on a lot of'em. My go to body and fender guy says that all manufacturers are going to lighter water based clearcoat, and paint that does not hold up as well as earlier models. He won't use power buffer on new rigs because it'll burn thru in 30 seconds. The manufacturers really need to provide some protection for the susceptible areas of these rigs. But they won't do it as long as we keep buying them.

 

Vehicle manufacturers have been using water base paints for decades - nothing new...

 

If they're so awesome why you trade yours in

 

OP says has drove a 2008 on gravel for 16 years without any damage.

I drove my stock 97 for years on gravel without any noticeable damage. I did not experience gravel damage until I installed wider tires.

This seems like lots of damage for a stock configuration.

 

My 2022 SR has tiny tires buried deep inside the wheel wells. I drive on gravel all the time and there is no damage to my body. People want bigger and bigger tires that stick out and this is the result. Toyota should at least offer proper fender flare and mudflap coverage.

I will say I had tires that stuck out just beyond the fender flares on my 2013 4runner and had minimal gravel damage so I’m not sure what’s going on here.