Recommend Paint Finishes for Daily Driver Off-roaded Trucks/Vehicles

[Auggie]

I've been recreational off-roading my black full-size truck whenever I have a free weekend, but during a narrow trail excursion with overhanging brush, I came out with massive horizonal scuffs stretching from the front fender all the way to the taillights.

Took several hours of buffing with Meguiar's 105 followed by 205 to get all of it out, but I'm afraid this will not be the last time I hit a trail like this. And with black paint, the "free pin-striping" horror is amplified.

Not sure if expensive ceramic coatings would survive the rough off-road beatings. For the time being, I just apply car wax after polishing out the scuffs and wait for the inevitable brutal trail run to redo the panels, but if there's something that will provide tougher protection but can be polished out as needed, I'm willing to give it a try.

[Big Dave]

In Australia we call them Bush Pin Stripes. I've never been able to apply anything to prevent them. But I haven't tried a ceramic coating. Removing the ceramic coating to correct the paint if it happened again sounds like too much of a chore. There was a company here that sold molded plastic panels that secured with magnets to the side of the vehicle, but they were expensive. I'm curious to see what others recommend.

Dave

Sent from my F8331 using Tapatalk

[PaulMys]

No LSP is going to survive that kind of abuse, ceramic or not.

Either don't go down those trails, get an old beater truck to do so, or just live with it.

[Mike Phillips]

Here's pic




I've seen worse.

You could hack down all the branches that overhang the road before driving through those sections.

Help yourself and others too.

[Auggie]

Either don't go down those trails, get an old beater truck to do so, or just live with it.

I try to avoid those trails, but sometimes there's no way around it on a narrow mountain with the possibility of other vics back down the trail.

I've got too many vics to begin with (4), so getting yet another toy to play offroad is not an option.

[Auggie]

I've seen worse.

I didn't take photos of the worst of this, which was on the passenger bed side.

You could hack down all the branches that overhang the road before driving through those sections.

Help yourself and others too.

Yep, this was just what I was thinking this past weekend of trail running: hauling my cordless hedge trimmer when confronted with severe overgrowth. This is the only viable option at the moment.

[PA DETAILER]

Only thing that comes to mind is magnetic sheets over the body panels. I know they come pre-cut, but for Jeeps only.

I would imagine PPF would show scratches also?

[pilotpip]

You're not going to get anything good enough to make it look show quality if you're wheeling it.

I've resigned to polishing my truck in the spring, after hunting season, then putting a good sealant on it in the fall for winter. A coating wouldn't help, and would cost me a ton of money.

I'll echo the others. If you want to wheel, buy an old jeep Cherokee XJ on the cheap if you need a rear seat and go at it.