Gouges and ding / dent

What... Should I do. And how much will this cost to fix? And where should I go? I am thinking I don't want this half assed so the whole tailgate will need to be redone.

I was helping a friend load a large two person recliner thing into my truck. I loaded the one end onto the tailgate and went around to the other side to help her. Little did I know that there was a metal frame underneath this piece of furniture and I apparently didn't load my end far enough onto the tailgate. Therefore, the metal frame caught as we tried to push it in.

So bummed. I know a truck is a truck but I only got this in October and I've been wanting a Taco for like 8 years.

 

Aww sorry to see that! Just take it to a good body shop and have it refinished should be around 300-500.

 

I'd imagine that you are looking at an entire repaint.

What you might be able to do it order a paint pen from Toyota for Super White and then obviously clean the area well and paint it in then try to do some wet sending and polishing to get it even.

But a tried and true fix by a pro is going to be a total repaint.

 

Put a sticker/decal over it. After quotes from 400 to 700 to redo the entire tailgate I said f-it and put a $4 sticker over my scratch.

 

If the cost gets too great you may be able to find a take off tailgate being sold on here or on someplace else like craigslist and ebay.

 

Scratches in paint that go all the way down to the metal need to be repaired. If not repaired properly it will lead to corrosion and rusting.
So what was once a smaller issue to fix is now a total replacement. So even if someone just sloppily takes a paint pen to the scratch, it's much better than nothing. So paint first, then put a sticker on there.

 

Shit happens. It can be fixed, so no reason to be bummed out. It's gouged through to the metal, so it will need to be sanded, high fill primer, and paint. It's best to blow in the whole tailgate.

Bring it to a shop (or three) and get quotes. Don't necessarily pick the cheapest one. Do your research, check their work quality and go from there.

BTW, nice truck!

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/2016-Toyota...ash=item4b044d6245:g:JCYAAOSwc1FXa-7V&vxp=mtr

And if it is higher than "icegrill" quoted, you can find a new one on ebay.

 

If the third gens fit I'd be tempted.

I'm doing the whole tailgate; it must be done. I was thinking though... Since the whole tailgate will need to be painted... Doing some fab work and frenching the license plate. Thoughts? My friend's dad welds. I've wanted to do this on my last truck. I even bought a steel license plate box. I know they are usually on shaved bumpered and lowered S-10's, but why not.

 

Go for it!

 

I say yes if you are going to eventually add a high clearance bumper. Looks cool!

 

You are correct. For the record, I did clean and paint my scratch/ding...and then put a sticker over it.

 

Just bought my frenched license plate kit off Ebay...



Post an image of the angle / location you think I should go with. I'm kind of torn because I like them all except for the strict vertical ones...

I like either



Or the original pic I posted with it straight on left side.

 

For perfection no choice but to repaint. For passing use dr color chip and build up the layers.
For good fill first with glazing putty, the dr color chip paint
Wet sand
Buff out
Polish
Wax