Some lady backed into me yesterday...

So it took everything out of me to not freak out when a lady backed into me in the parking lot at work! I usually park far away but yesterday I didn't,go figure! Luckily there was no damage but I'm already over protective of it as it is,now I just wanna cover it in guards and bars and anything that will protect it but then it will look like this!
What can I do to prevent damage from horrible drivers?? Lol

 

Sliders (real sliders, not tube steps) and steel bumpers are the easy ones. There are some clean looking options out there that won't make your truck look like a demolition truck, but it really comes down to how much you want to spend as they all add up really quick. Statistically, you're bound to get hit or hit something at one point or another, but we really try to keep them looking nice for as long as we can. I have a dashcam on mine too (forward and rear facing) just in case something happens while I'm away, but I know that someday I'll see something that wasn't there when I parked it and I'll have no clue where it came from.

 

Full exo-cage and rebel flag stickers will keep most people away.... German Shepard in the bed is a plus.

 

Yeah, I don't wanna over do it to where it will lose the look of a Tacoma and I know accidents happen but I haven't even had it eight months and already! If I wasn't in it when it happened, I'd be surprised if she left a note or anything. I definitely do want sliders just not sure I wanna do custom bumpers yet.

 

I think sliders are a good investment for people not offroading or people who do.

Plate bumpers are a bit excessive unless you off road imo.

You can get things like a avid bumpers

http://www.avidoffroad.com/cart/index.php/avid-products/avid-products.html

 

Sounds like a plan!

Definitely great ideas too! Thank you!

 

I own only a humble 2010 5-lug slug. The poverty special, if you will. None the less - I shared your fear.

I've been on the road for 30 years .. this was my first 'new' anything. Prior to this, I owned basic shit-boxes that i really could care less whether someone ran into it or not.. inflicting either cosmetic or serious physical damage to it.. wasn't perfect to begin with - unless it's a write-off, insurance would make them reasonably right.

In the short space of 4 years, my Tacoma was assaulted x2 from the rear by numpty's thinking that i'd run a late yellow and they'd close-formation follow.. they thought wrong. Both front and rear bumpers suffered additional cosmetic indignities by parking lot losers running up hard against them.

In dense highway conditions with over-capacity issues - kamikaze-dives for a 3/4 car length lane-change in front of you, i found getting increasingly, disturbingly more common.

Armor, front and rear, even on my humble little road-toad commuter with ARB front and Fab-Fours rear, appear to have encouraged better behavior on behalf of other drivers/parkers, and decreased the blood-pressure issues with me..

I like the battle-tankette appearance, personally... your own results/tastes may vary.

 

yup. someone scratched my front bumper two weeks ago. Not sure if someone back into it or a grocery push cart. Either way, ended up getting a bull bar as much as I hated them. I wanted the SOS front bumper but its a little out of my price range for now.

 

Regardless if I liked the look of armor or not,it's definitely on my list of needs! Ever since that day I decided I need to do what I can to keep my truck that I've slaved my ass off for in the best condition possible! So it will happen!! So many people talking and texting,apps,blah blah blah...it's bound to happen more now than ever,unfortunately!!

 

My attention has been brought back to this thread by someone giving my post above a 'like' .. so i thought i'd give a follow-up on it a few months further on down the road, so to speak.

Definitely an improvement in road-manners seen, with other motorists. The occasional numb-nuts will still ride my rear bumper - a quick double-tab of the brakes usually results in that person doing what amounts to a momentary panic-stop - and they don't usually come back closer for more.

I installed the OEM rocker steps in December - I no longer require carrying a can opener around to get back into my truck, with carelessly parked people beside me.. it's a good stand-off tool to make them give space, and keep doors off of my sheet metal.

Most noteworthy - since i put the bumpers on in August/October - I have noted more and more vehicles, of all types, also armoring up in this region. It may be a psychological thing where i notice it, because i've got them (just like you notice Tacoma's because you drive a Tacoma) but i think lots of people are growing tired of being cut off or otherwise interfered with in their daily drives, that they are taking proactive measures also.

 

I understand the Mars has awesome offroading & no people on it.

 

Still wanting to get sliders and such but have yet to get them, money has been tight but still on my list of to do things! I continue to park far away in parking lots as much as possible even though when I do it seems everyone purposely parks on every side of me anyway!
With everyone so distracted nowadays it seems to be a good investment to armor up!
Thanks for the update!

 

Sounds awesome to me