[rockwind1]

my beautiful 2016 decked out rig has taken a beating out hunting,,, pin stripes galore. what is the best ceramic coating to combat that? is there a better system? mine is defintely not a pavement princess.

[AZ Craig]

I don't think ceramic coating alone will do what you want from my experience with it. It helps with keeping the car clean and makes the surface way more hydrophobic, but in general it doesn't really give you a hard protection layer to protect your clear coat and I think most of the crap that'll give you pinstripes would go right through a ceramic coating.

There is a product out there called GOAT Armor (GOAT - Go Offroad Armor Tech | GOAT - Go Offroad Armor Tech) which basically is magnetic stick on "armor" that is supposed to protect against pin stripes. It's a bit pricey though at about $600+ for a set for the 4Runner. Part of the beauty of it is that it is easily removeable from what I understand and not permanent. Some folks on the forum do have it I believe.

I thought about getting it but had already pin striped the crap out of my 2020 when I became aware of it. If/when I replace my truck with a GX, LC250 or 6th gen coming up, I'd definitely consider grabbing it when the vehicle is still brand new.

[rockwind1]

Originally Posted by AZ Craig

I don't think ceramic coating alone will do what you want from my experience with it. It helps with keeping the car clean and makes the surface way more hydrophobic, but in general it doesn't really give you a hard protection layer to protect your clear coat and I think most of the crap that'll give you pinstripes would go right through a ceramic coating.

There is a product out there called GOAT Armor (GOAT - Go Offroad Armor Tech | GOAT - Go Offroad Armor Tech) which basically is magnetic stick on "armor" that is supposed to protect against pin stripes. It's a bit pricey though at about $600+ for a set for the 4Runner. Part of the beauty of it is that it is easily removeable from what I understand and not permanent. Some folks on the forum do have it I believe.

I thought about getting it but had already pin striped the crap out of my 2020 when I became aware of it. If/when I replace my truck with a GX, LC250 or 6th gen coming up, I'd definitely consider grabbing it when the vehicle is still brand new.

thanks craig,, from past experience, i would advise against the magnetic stuff. i have actually used the magnetic stuff a few years ago and gave up on it. i'm in nevada and one big problem was the dust getting behind and all over it, plus it would blow off at highway speeds.

after getting some other info,, i am thinking a wrap might be best

[Bmnorm2]

Even professional grade ceramic coating will not prevent pinstripes.

Other than the body armor mentioned above, a clear Paint Protection Film (PPF) by 3M or comparable is your best bet. It’s not full proof, but I have it on my hood and it prevented paint scratches from rocks/gravel that hit it while driving on highway. It was a serious hit, and I found some dmg to the film, but no visible dmg to the paint.

Or a wrap if you want to change up the color too.

[TRD PANTHER]

Originally Posted by rockwind1

my beautiful 2016 decked out rig has taken a beating out hunting,,, pin stripes galore. what is the best ceramic coating to combat that? is there a better system? mine is defintely not a pavement princess.

I had my 2018 ceramic coated with paint correction done just over 5 years ago. It did help removing light scratches as shown over the past five years, with just a proper wash and light buffing with ceramic coating. Third pic is after washing it properly about a week ago. That’s after 6 months of only infrequently spraying it down. I would check with a professional Ceramic coating shop that does paint correction and they may be able to get most of it out.
As others have stated, ppf and GOAT armor. I would have bought GOAT armor as it would be less expensive and tougher than ppf. It would be nice to change up the color theme occasionally too. But due to the hassles of having it perfectly clean before applying, scratches and differentiation in the paint if left on too long and the possibility of one of the magnetic panels coming off, I passed. However, I would probably have it if my truck was scratched all over.
Now I have to get the dent in my door repaired and I have the same body moldings you have waiting to go on.
With Goat armor in one of many patterns and colors in the last pic.

[rockwind1]

Originally Posted by TRD PANTHER

I had my 2018 ceramic coated with paint correction done just over 5 years ago. It did help removing light scratches as shown over the past five years, with just a proper wash and light buffing with ceramic coating. Last pic is after washing it properly about a week ago. That’s after 6 months of only infrequently spraying it down. I would check with a professional Ceramic coating shop that does paint correction and they may be able to get most of it out.
As others have stated, ppf and GOAT armor. I would have bought GOAT armor as it would be less expensive and tougher than ppf. It would be nice to change up the color theme occasionally too. But due to the hassles of having it perfectly clean before applying, scratches and differentiation in the paint if left on too long and the possibility of one of the magnetic panels coming off, I passed. However, I would probably have it if my truck was scratched all over.
Now I have to get the dent in my door repaired and I have the same body moldings you have waiting to go on.

that looks pretty darn good! what is ppf? which type of ceramic coating did you go with? brand and how many years? did you do it yourself? which body moldings do i have that you are talking about? it looks just like yours.

[blksubykid]

I’ve given up and just embrace the battle scars

PPF - Paint Protection Film

[TRD PANTHER]

Originally Posted by rockwind1

that looks pretty darn good! what is ppf? which type of ceramic coating did you go with? brand and how many years? did you do it yourself? which body moldings do i have that you are talking about? it looks just like yours.

ppf = paint protection film as blksubykid stated in the previous post.
I had it done by an authorized Ceramic Pro dealer, which is the brand also and the 5 year plan.
The body moldings I was referring to are the strips that are in the center of your driver and passenger door.

[Too Stroked]

No currently available ceramic coating is going to prevent desert pinstripes - not even a professionally applied coating. They're simply not thick enough or hard enough to prevent real scratches. Sorry.

[honda250xtitan]

pro tip: avoid the dead branches, aim for the green ones ;)

[rockwind1]

Originally Posted by TRD PANTHER

ppf = paint protection film as blksubykid stated in the previous post.
I had it done by an authorized Ceramic Pro dealer, which is the brand also and the 5 year plan.
The body moldings I was referring to are the strips that are in the center of your driver and passenger door.

oh right,, how did you get yours off? i think i have to wash dust out of mine all the time. PITA

[TRD PANTHER]

Originally Posted by rockwind1

oh right,, how did you get yours off? i think i have to wash dust out of mine all the time. PITA

I am going to be installing the molding to protect against door dents from other trucks, SUV’s, etc.
I’m hoping it gives it a nice, little different look. I have had a couple door dings with my current one a dent that can’t be pulled out by a dent professional like my other one. I can handle some small scratches and nicks, especially from off roading, but can’t stand driving around with dents in my car from others.
Here is a video on ceramic coating by Ceramic Pro. What is Ceramic Pro? Adam Cote Gives You an In Depth Analysis | Official - YouTube If you do it, use a reputable company and product. I’m very happy I did it.

[rockwind1]

Originally Posted by Too Stroked

No currently available ceramic coating is going to prevent desert pinstripes - not even a professionally applied coating. They're simply not thick enough or hard enough to prevent real scratches. Sorry.

there is supposed to be some new stuff out called Icon Rocklear, it seems a little scammy though. like ceramic but 50 times thicker supposedly.

[TRDHULK]

Ceramic coating will not help with pin stripes. Depending on your color, it can brighten up the paint to where the pin stripes may appear more hidden, but ceramic does not protect the paint in this way.

I keep a Mossberg manchette on my rear molle panel. If I see a branch that's going to cause too much damage I'll stop real quick and take a few swings at it.