Brush Guards and Tail Lamp Guards

[jgue467]

Yelp that is why I took mine off.It came with the 4runner when I bought it about 3 months ago.The tail light guards was hit and it dented my fender,and the brush guard on front mounted to the bumper and frame....the bumper looks crapy now with 2 holes drilled into it.Guess I will have to try and find another bumper......

Fill & paint it. But yeah glad you took that off, i laugh at folks with that crxp on - they just don't Think Ahead, i've seen several friends with them get into fender benders that should not have caused Any damage and it did, to their vehicles. Luck!

 

[white_n_slow]

Not to pee on your parade, but taillight guards are better known as "damage multipliers" to most folks on the interwebs.

Think about it this way: you back out of the driveway early in the morning and you forgot your coffee. You hit the mailbox at about 4mph. The mailbox goes straight for your taillight and cracks the housing... bummer! $20 and a stop by the junkyard, you're good to go.

Now same scenario with "taillight guards" in place. Your precious taillight housing is preserved! However the rear quarter panel has been crunched in and creased because the impact was diverted to the sheet metal mounting locations of the "guards." This is not a replaceable body part like a fender or door and will need extensive body work to repair. Two weeks in the body shop and $800 later, you throw your "taillight guards" in the trash and move on with life.

 

[Castaway]

I have a brush guard on my 4Runner, I did not put it on, it came with the truck. However I never took it off (I like the look and it helps me know where the front of the truck is).

My brush guard is bolted directly to the bumper, it does not have any of its own supports. DO NOT DO THIS!!!!
The stock supports are not designed to carry the extra weight and will tear apart. I have had to repair the supports once already and this weekend I am having to weld them back together in a different area, adding steel during every repair.

Personally, I am saving for a proper off-road bumper (probably Shrockworks) and would not even consider using another brush guard. But, I do live in MS which is still mostly rural so the chances of hitting large animals (deer, etc.) and regularly driving unimproved roads is substantially higher than other parts of the country.

 

[Hepar]

Personally, I am saving for a proper off-road bumper (probably Shrockworks) and would not even consider using another brush guard. But, I do live in MS which is still mostly rural so the chances of hitting large animals (deer, etc.) and regularly driving unimproved roads is substantially higher than other parts of the country.

I would still take it off. If you hit a deer, the brush guard isn't going to do anything. It's called a brush guard, not a deer guard.

 

[Castaway]

I would still take it off. If you hit a deer, the brush guard isn't going to do anything. It's called a brush guard, not a deer guard.

I disagree. I think that if I hit a deer the brush guard will cause more damage than the deer alone would.

I have considered this at length, and since I am at University, knowing where my front end is (within about 2 inches), is worth more to me than the possibility of hitting a deer. Especially because I only need to drive anywhere about once a week (groceries). Despite being MS, they insist on tiny parking spaces.

 

[Hepar]

I disagree. I think that if I hit a deer the brush guard will cause more damage than the deer alone would.

I have considered this at length, and since I am at University, knowing where my front end is (within about 2 inches), is worth more to me than the possibility of hitting a deer. Especially because I only need to drive anywhere about once a week (groceries). Despite being MS, they insist on tiny parking spaces.

My point was saying that it certainly isn't going to help.

 

[Castaway]

My point was saying that it certainly isn't going to help.

It definitely won't help.

 

[Scramble]

I'm glad I'm not the only one who resurrects old threads. :roll:

But yea, I'm saving up for an ARB front or similar.

 

[CallMeAnEngineer]

I bought a brush guard. I hate it. As soon as it contacts something at speed, it's gonna crunch right back into your grille due to the weak mounts.

 

[Brilliant]

I'm glad I'm not the only one who resurrects old threads. :roll:

But yea, I'm saving up for an ARB front or similar.

Haha... I was like whoa this is an old thread. Scramble must be at it again. :tongue1: