My wife and I were waaaayyyy off road this past Saturday morning. It's tough to go for a long distance (without looping or crossing) here in the Appalachians as a pesky river, creek, slide, tree, mountain, big rock or something else usually gets in the way. We do this all the time but usually it is a shorter distance ride of less than ten miles. When we left it was cold and foggy. Our plan was to take an old dirt road I remembered from a long time ago, come out on the hard road about four miles from a small town known for their nice restaurants and eat a nice dinner.

We got to the turnoff at the bottom of a mountain and started up. Well, the ceiling was about 800' AGL so it was not long before we were in the clouds and it started raining hard. Really no big deal though because the road had been improved over the years to hard pack gravel. We were just talking and enjoying the ride. After several miles the road turned to red dog and after that it turned to rocks, dirt and mud. I knew we were getting close to the turn off that would lead us to our destination. Well, in the fog and rain I missed the turn. We had only went about 100 yards (a tough, slick, steep mud covered 100 yards) when we came to a gate. I knew then we had missed the branch and backing up what we had just come down was not an option so we had to turn around. Problem is, there was, as is common around here, a rock wall on one side and a steep drop off on the other side. I got out, surveyed the place and told Mrs. 1engineer she would have to get out and spot (she had no problem with that, she is cool that way). The backup camera was useless because A) Fog and B) The sides and corners were the problem. I figured I had about two feet longer than the 4Runner length so it was going to take a bit of work. Well, I started backing up and going forward. Backing up and going forward. Cut the wheel. Backing up and going forward. Cut the wheel. Repeat. We had reached the half way point and had the nose headed up the mountain when the "Slip" part in the title happened.

I had backed up to within a few inches of an old stump that was protruding from the hillside. I shifted to go forward, and just as I started forward the rear end of the 4Runner slid down the hill in the mud. It only slid about six inches but that was enough to go BANG! Into the stump. Now we get to the "Ding" part of the title. I got out, looked, and I now have a nice dent below the left tail light. I told Mrs. 1engineer that was my bad and now we have a bit of character added to the 4Runner! Anyway, we eventually made the turn-around, crawled back up the hill and made the other turn. The road got much better after that and we went on and had a fine dinner. We took the interstate back home that night and had a great time that day doing what we love: Getting off the beaten path.

The next morning I went out and surveyed the damage. I loosened the lower bumper cover bolts, pulled the tail light, removed the plastic bumper spacer there and pushed the dent back out. I then re inserted the bumper cover edge (the part that makes the long seam behind the rear wheel) into the channel, reinstalled the tail light and hey! We get to the "Fix" part of the title! The stump had rubbed some of the paint off the bumper cover when it slid across it and will require some minor paint work.

All in all we had a great day and accumulated a battle scar along the way. Thanks for reading and here are before and after pics in the driveway. One note: When I slid into the stump it hit with enough force that it moved the tail light a bit during impact. The tail light moved and then returned to it's original position. When I pulled it to fix the dent in the bumper cover I noticed a bare spot in the paint under the tail light from rubbing. Touch up and all is well.

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Very impressed with what you were able to do to clean the dent up (would never know it was there from the after picture except for the small paint scratch below.

If the Engineering gig doesn’t work out you could always narrate stories

So, what lift and AT tires you puttin' on?

Just do a Search if you're in doubt.

I hope I'm not that anal about my body and paint when I'm as old as you. That was valuable beer drinking time you wasted popping that cute little dent out.

What the hell was he thinking taking a stock 4runner offroad! Engineer's......

We should start a pool as to when he mods it....

This never would've happened if you had KDSS.

Fixed.

Shhhh. I have a face made for radio.

Good story. Good fix. Luckily you didn't tear or crack the plastic panel.

I was thinking of eventually (When Mrs. Ron4Nevada isn't looking) using a sawsall to trim the bottom 3 inches of plastic all the way around my truck - But maybe I wont have to.

This is the reasons I went w/ the TRDP. The TRD engineers designed it so it is mechanically impossible and against the laws of physics to slip or slide into any obstacle due to mud. Just kidding.

Great story and resolution to your predicament.

1e, I am not sure what your plans are for the "Paint Work", but if you are looking for a good/easy DIY solution, I have had very good experience with Dr. ColorChip. Granted, it has that "As Seen on TV" feel to it, but it is really easy to apply, and works well.

Dr. ColorChip Standard Paint Chip Repair Kit - Dr. ColorChip: Automotive Paint Chip Repair Systems

The color match is spot on, and you don't have to be careful when applying it, because the blending solution removes any excess or high spots that get on the clear surrounding the damage.

Here is how my rock chip turned out after applying 3 coats. If I did more coats, I could have filled it better, but I didn't have the time, and it looked really good as is.

I am sure the only valuable engineering time spent was calculating exactly how to kick it to pop it back out

I'll sell you my "A N T M A N" letters from Name Your Toyota to cover up that nasty scrape mark for cheap. Hell, they aren't even broken into tiny pieces like some of the ones in the Classified section....


PS- Your wife is cool.

My scratch and dent fixing technique.

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