Scratch protection

New to the forums here but I've been lurking in the non member fashion for a bit. Just picked up my Gen3 Tacoma and I'm enjoying it so far.
I'm looking for opinions/suggestions on paint and scratch protection while off-roading. I'm looking at the 3m Scotchguard film and wondering if that will do the job. Just looking for something that will prevent brush scratches and protect my currently shiny new vehicle. Thanks in advance.

 

Didn't you know pinstripes are in .

 

I've heard that

 

Hey brother welcome. I'm fairly new to the shiny new truck game too. I got a couple quotes for 3m along the sides where pin striping occurs and it was astronomical. Maybe you're one of those dudes on here who has "fuck you" money and can drop a few grand on plastic film. I was not.

But like @Bkoger43 said. Pinstripes are in. They are a badge of honor. Plus unless you go SUPER HARD all those little scratches don't even get through the clear coat. So once a year drop a couple hundred bucks and either compound detail it yourself or pay a place to do it for you and ride around in a scratch free truck for a couple months until you go bush whackin again. I have a brand new 2017 I got in November. It made it till Feb until its first stripes. I call them Trail Kisses. I love that truck, but I won't baby it. If you do come up with a inexpensive solution though let me know, I'm interested.

 

A couple hundred bucks over a few years will easily cost the same as 3m clear bra.

I have a DA polisher and the correct detailing items to get rid of any pinstriping but if you're paying to get it done every year, it would behoove you to just get the 3m.

 

I was actually looking at the 3m Scotchguard stuff you can just buy in a roll and apply yourself. I think I can get it from $30-50 depending on the length and width. Cut that up and trim to fit wherever I decide to put it. I know it won't be too long before she is scratched but if I can prevent a few, why not?

 

I'm can say, I'm not in the "FU Money " category either. I'll sob a little when the scratches come (not if) and then do the detail every once in a while. Nice Inferno by the way. Once you see that color, it makes you look back at it in parking lot every time! Lol

 

My experience with scratches and that stuff is:

I applied it to my tailgate along the top for grabbing gate to close.
I was putting branches in the bed of my truck and scratched the hell out of my gate.
It also scratched my 3M film bad and the thing is there is no fixing the film, the paint can me polished but the film has to come off and be replaced. Works well for chips but don't waste your $$, embrace natures pin stripes or stick to the pavement..

 

Line-X Body Armour and never worry about scratches again.

http://www.linex.com/specialty-automotive

 

If you want to do paint film use Xpel. It has self-healing capabilities.

 

x2. End story.

 

My advice is that you don't use any paint protection film's. They look horrible overtime especially if they get scratched and dinged up. They also cost quite a substantial amount of money.

If you were looking to help protect your paint against offering hazards I would look into Line-X. It's likely going to be just as expensive and a permanent solution that likely won't get damaged overtime.

Another problem with the paint protection film is that after many years of being on they can damage your paint when you remove them especially if you don't buy a very high-quality product to begin with.

I removed P protection film off of my ford F250, and it damage the paint. I had to have the hood repainted. Totally defeated the purpose of having it. I won't ever put it on another car ever again.

 

Where I am at, there is no avoiding pinstriping. Trails are overgrown and it is just the name of the game. The only way to avoid scratches is to not offroad.

With that being said, I completely understand the desire to keep an expensive truck looking nice! In fact, I was so worried about it, that on my first offroad group trip, the trail leader said, "Just go outside, throw a rock at your truck and get it over with!" The first time I took my 2015 on a trail I cringed as the overgrown branches screeched their way down my shiny black paint job. That cringing quickly went away and now I wear my scratches with pride! In fact, my kids named my truck Scratchy.

I ride with a lot of guys, and many of them have tried various things to no avail. The only thing that does any good is waxing before a trip. It seems to help some. Other than that, acceptance is the answer IMHO.

Sean

 

Great pic!

 

New to the forum and new Tacoma owner. Just bought a 2013 Tacoma 4x4 w a-trac and rear diffs. I live in Arizona and know all about the pin striping. Wanting to keep mine pin stripe free as long as possible. Soooo, after reading, I tried CARPET TAPE. Yep. Looked awful but took it off road in major thickets and everything with a thorn rubbed against my truck. Got home and took the tape off and success. Worked great. Stayed on perfectly while off road. Next time I’ll cover more of the truck. Highly recommended for random off road adventures. Hope this helps.

 

I am speechless.

 

The Line-X suggestions don’t seem so bad now do they!!

 

New owner here. I plan on taking my new rig out to Big Bend for a week so I was looking at putting some protective film to keep from scratching the sides of my truck (ocotillos are a b). I was thinking about buying a couple of rolls of 3M (or similar/cheaper product), quickly installing it myself, then removing it completely when I get back as I live in Houston where there are no cacti. I don't want to commit to a longer term armor solution at the moment and I see where film products cause their own paint issues. I do know that the tight trails in Big Bend Ranch State Park will gouge your paint to pieces as my F250 wore its pin-striping loudly and proudly for several years. Would like to to keep this truck looking good for more than 1 month.

Any downsides to this strategy? What is a good alternative to 3M if I am only going to leave this stuff on for a week?