Coming to Grips with The First dirt/scratches on New Rig

[702tripgen]

I was just extremely fortunate to acquire a 2005 limited V8 4Runner 4x4 that is in pristine condition. It has 35,000 original miles on the odometer. True to life older ladies vehicle the whole nine yards.

I've always enjoyed going off road taking the kids the dog into the desert up in the mountains etc. For some reason I am having an issue coming to grips with the inevitable damage that will occur on this particular vehicle. Almost like taking a unicorn and cutting its horn off. Lol

For you guys that have been able to buy brand new 4Runners, how do you get over the fact that you are going to start damaging it when you take it off road?

All of my past vehicles have always had existing scratches when I got them so it was never an issue for me.

How do you guys breakthrough and just do it?

 

[mistervague]

Here's how I see it: once you get the first scratch or dent out of the way, it's a relief because you no longer need to worry about it. This applies to cars, guitars, etc.

My 2019 TRD Pro has tons of kind-of bad pinstripes. Most of them happened at one particular spot on a family trip. We were up in the Sierra doing some 4x4 camping and came across a section of narrow trail that had a very long and very deep rut on one side, and tons of bushes on both sides.

The rut was so bad that I was worried if I drove through it, we'd flop. Two choices: stack rocks for at least a couple of hours while the family waits in the heat, or squeeze along the other side avoiding the rut by half-driving through the bushes.

I chose the bushes. Now, every time I see the passenger side of my truck, I am reminded of what an awesome camping trip that was.

 

[Syr4RinNC]

Yea it’s tough but that’s the breaks when enjoying the vehicle and using it to it’s potential - I just got some bad ones this past weekend
- consider off road protection - bumpers
- either leave the scratches, learn to polish and detail yourself or pay the $150-200 to have it buffed every so often

 

[patkelly4370]

I bought my 17 last November. 20k miles on it. Pristine Metallic Midnight Black paint.
Day 2 I had "Arizona pinstripe" down both sides. Week before Thanksgiving it got rockrash on right front fender.
Scratches and dings are going to happen, even to mall-crawlers.
Do YOU want to be having fun with your kids, on YOUR terms, or have that first mark happen anonymously in a parking lot?

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[CollinJ]

I’m sure I could do worse than this but it’s made it easy to not sweat the little stuff in life.

I take mine offroad and certainly put it through it’s paces so things like this I just expect to happen. I popped the dent from the plastic and stitched the gash up with zip ties for now haha

 

[BlackCloud]

Damage to equipment in use is ok. Take every reasonable precaution, but sometimes you lose that knife, a crampon rips your pants, a marmot bites a hole in your tent, and a branch falls on the T4R.

What is totally unacceptable is some self obsessed ass clown who dings your door in the parking lot.

 

[spartacus]

Big fan of Goat armor.

 

[Wild Thing]

Memories, Light the Corners of my Mind...

Consider that some scratches are badges of honor, representing good memories... Not my 4R, but on my main rig pictured there are a set o' dents in front of the rear driver's wheel well. I've left that for over 5 years, from a WY huntin' trip with Dad in which, exhausted and cold, I backed my Polaris into the truck while carrying Dad's buck back to camp. Every time I look at it and consider repairing it, I think of huntin' with Dad.

Some things are better left alone.

 

[patkelly4370]

My Grandpa bought this 1968 F100 new in 1969. I remember that day, was visiting when he drove it home from the dealership.
He gave it to me in 1968 and it's been my daily driver ever since.
There was a dent in the bed, I asked Grandpa what happened. He told a story about City work crew and a backhoe. I'm not saying I don't believe Grandpa, but he liked to drink. All the time.
So after 30 years I gave up looking into fixing Grandpas dent. So I owned it.

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[ppknut]

My new 2021 wasn't a week old when I scratched the wind deflector with the garage door. I'm still irritated at myself. But it will pass....

 

[AuSeeker]

I know a guy that buys a new truck every 3 to 4 years, he's an avid hunter, fisherman and treasure hunter, he does some hard 4 wheeling while out in the wilds to pursue his aforementioned passions, to protect the paint he gets a vinyl wrap done on each new truck, then when he goes to trade it in or sells it to get a new one he peels the scratched up vinyl off and the paint looks brand new.

 

[Wild Thing]

My Grandpa bought this 1968 F100 new in 1969. I remember that day, was visiting when he drove it home from the dealership.
He gave it to me in 1968 and it's been my daily driver ever since.
There was a dent in the bed, I asked Grandpa what happened. He told a story about City work crew and a backhoe. I'm not saying I don't believe Grandpa, but he liked to drink. All the time.
So after 30 years I gave up looking into fixing Grandpas dent. So I owned it.

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Great old Ford and story about your granddad. Gotta love that kinda stuff. Not to contradict an elder, the dents behind Wiley E. are inconsistent with a backhoe bucket. I operate a Kubota on my place and had it been the backhoe bucket, the teeth marks would be pointed downward with the bucket bulge above. Don't ask how I know this...

I think he didn't want to admit that a T. rex kicked the side of the truck on his way home from the local establishment.

 

[Oldmanb777]

The first scratch is the hardest. Especially when its some irresponsible inconsiderate sh*t that doesn't care. I was sitting in the wifes new GX when a ***** in an Audi slammed her door into ours. Put a nice dent in the new GX. Her response,,,,,,,, "oh sorry, i didnt see you there". As in its ok if you didn't catch me in the act, but since you did, guess i should say I'm sorry. ***** !!!!!:ybrick:
But the ones I did, are a badge of, "gee that was fun, honey. sorry, I'll put on a new bumper for you" :hatsoff: It just might have a winch on that bumper. Who knows.

 

[04rnr]

LMAO... looks like you need a new hobby

 

[LandCruiser]

I bought my 13 in February 2013 and in April some scrotal skin tag dented my front bumper cover at the Orlando airport when it was parked long term and didn’t leave a note.

It was only like $600 of damage to replace the cover, unfortunately I was stupid enough to let the insurance do it, and now the vehicle has a MAJOR collision advisory on Carfax, not that it matters at this point.

It sort of mattered when it was new.

 

[Nobody Special]

Great old Ford and story about your granddad. Gotta love that kinda stuff. Not to contradict an elder, the dents behind Wiley E. are inconsistent with a backhoe bucket. I operate a Kubota on my place and had it been the backhoe bucket, the teeth marks would be pointed downward with the bucket bulge above. Don't ask how I know this...

I think he didn't want to admit that a T. rex kicked the side of the truck on his way home from the local establishment.

Could have been a 12" trenching bucket flipped backwards so it scoops away from the arm, not into. :jaw:

 

[smpsmp]

I've always bought CPO cars, so always assume there's a random scratch somewhere. I don't even notice or look for the first scratch anymore especially with all the road construction that's been going on around me. Our highways and interstates are borderline offroading itself.

 

[Sp00ner]

Damage to equipment in use is ok. Take every reasonable precaution, but sometimes you lose that knife, a crampon rips your pants, a marmot bites a hole in your tent, and a branch falls on the T4R.

What is totally unacceptable is some self obsessed ass clown who dings your door in the parking lot.

So much this.

I'm also a bit of a car car nerd, in terms of washing/polishing/waxing/etc.

I come from sports cars, and mine were driven on time attack style tracks, and they weren't 'track cars'.

You're gonna get some rock chips. You're gonna get some rubber streaks, and if you're over confident you might get some more if you slide off track. The same is true of a 4Runner/Jeep/Tacoma/whatevs.

We buy these things not to be museum pieces, but because they're a tool to engage in a hobby, but that doesn't mean you just #SendIt into a stand of hawthorne trees like a clown. A 2 stage polish session, a good coat of wax, and a porter cable will keep bringing it back to like new in a TON of cases. Unless it's a black one, and then may god have mercy on your soul...

However, if you ding my fu&#ing door in the Costco parking lot I will drag your car into a ditch filled with farm runoff...

 

[stormydawg]

A couple of weeks ago I got up Monday morning with a bit of a fat head, didn't help that the wife was ragging on me. Go to load the dog up and have a head clearing walk in the woods, get outside to the truck ('19 Black TRDprem, not a scratch or dent, never been off road yet) and got to wonder how my rear bumper is sorta hanging off a bit on the driver's side. Mind, I park on the street, and my wife's car (VW Golf TDI) is parked behind my truck. I go back upstairs and kinda laugh while I tell my wife maybe it wasn't an uneventful drive home last night. When I go back to take another look, turns out I backed into her car and hit the passenger side of her front bumper with my rear bumper DRIVER's side. Knocked my plastic panel off but didn't do anything but a little scratch on the VW (amazing I didn't smash the headlamp cover). Some research and a warm day I managed to unbolt and re-secure the panel as good as new (except for my pride)...