I had a black '09 Tacoma which I just traded for a '15 4Runner. I found the Tacoma to have a very "soft" clear coat that would scratch very very easily. After a few years I found that the paint had lost most of it's shine and looked dull all the time.
Knowing all this from the Tacoma, when I bought my 4Runner I bought Mag Grey, hoping the colour wouldn't show scratches as much, and went with the paint protection film (which I do with all me vehicles with great success). I also did the paint appearance protection, which is really just a heavy duty waxing but it comes with a warranty against paint damage and fading from acid rain, bird droppings, age, etc. I'm trying to avoid the paint issues I had with the Tacoma by preventing them from even starting on my 4Runner.
I only have 7500kms on the 4Runner, but so far so good!
You may want to look into how to properly polish/buff the paint with a DA polisher. Here's a picture of the test spot I did before doing my 2009 Camry after the paint had gotten pretty faded/oxidized.
You can see the difference in the reflection between the left and right sides of the trunk there. That was when I first bought the car, and it had been through a lot of neglect. After polishing the whole car basically looks new again.
It needed a lot of work to get the paint back into good shape. Now I just try to wash it every few weeks, wax it every couple of months, and then polish it maybe once a year to take out any swirl marks, paint impurities/contamination, and oxidization that has accumulated.
I am not sure if the white on my 2009 Camry is the same as a 4Runner, but it is definitely a very soft paint. This means it picks up impurities very easily, and they do not come out just by washing. Claybarring is the answer to that, and if it is real bad then polishing does the trick. Here is a picture from the original detailing that shows how much impurities are gunked up in the paint on the left, and the paint on the right has been claybarred which removed the majority of it. Polishing was required to bring the shine back though, so keep in mind that claybarring can scuff the paint and polishing may be needed. Also, this is on the lower part of the car below the doors, so it tends to see more dirt and grime from the road which is why it is so bad.
I'm 100% positive that your Tacoma "looking dull" is a similar type of situation, where the paint had just become oxidized and needed a little love with a DA. With a little work it could have been brought back to like-new condition I'm sure.
I think a polisher costs ~$100-150'ish (I forget exact costs, been a while since I bought, but I have a Porter Cable DA), and then some pads are going to run about $30-50 depending on how many you get (I like to have two of each, and recommend Uber pads but there are many out there that work fine), and some polishing compound (I love Meguiar's Ultimate Compound, costs about $10). I usually apply wax by hand, because wax tends to get soaked up in the polishing pad and a lot goes wasted as a result. I use carnuba wax for dark paint, and then synthetic glazes for light colors. There is a lot of info out there on how this is done, but I just thought I'd give a little info on it for anyone who is interested.
Sorry I don't have a 4Runner yet, looking to buy one this month or next, and I'm just doing some research on paint durability before purchasing (because obviously I'm a little into detailing vehicles
). I really love the Nautical Blue, but I am a little concerned with the reports of how easily damaged the paint is. I might stick with white just because it is easier to keep looking good in the long run, and then any paint matching on down the road is a lot easier to do as well.
