Scratches Good or Bad

Ok everyone I have question.
I recently purchased a used 4 Runner from a dealership that was used as a rental. After getting it home and detailing it I’m noticing scratches and swirls. It’s not that noticeable only when the sun hits in in certain spots. On the side it looks as though it was taking off road and the scratches are low down the side. While I know that it is inevitable that vehicles get them it has always driven me crazy on any of my cars. The wife says it’s ment to be taken off road and it builds character. It’s just I didn’t put them there.
So I ask do you get upset when you get them in your 4 Runner or just say it’s an Off Road vehicle so what?
Thanks

 

I was a little upset when I got first scratch after off-road trip and even tried to buff it out. But after few more trips I gave up and consider scratches as a badge of honor : ) I'm a little upset now that my new 4Runner doesn't have scratches yet, I'm not going to deliberately scratch it of course but I wouldn't mind off-road marks.

 

If this was a new vehicle, or a certified used, I would expect the paint to be in stellar condition. But like your wife pointed out (smart lady by the way), it's meant to be taken off road and it does build character. Sure, I'd get mad if a scratch or dent was on my ride that I didn't put there, but that's the trade off when buying a used vehicle. We have to accept it "As Is - No Warranty".

 

If scratches on any of your cars drives you crazy, I’m surprised you bought it. The scratches were there prior to the purchase…

 

Oh, I still feel bad when I spot a new scratch on my 13 year old truck, but only for a seconds.
I have an attention span of a honey bee, and my mind wanders on to other things that are wrong with my truck.

 

Or were they? All the pieces are falling into place, don’t you see? It’s obvious. After you brought the 4Runner home, but before you detailed it, unbeknownst to you your wife took it for a little off-road spin, and she put the scratches in the side of the truck. It’s no wonder that she says it’s no big deal.

If they really bother you, have the scratches taken care of. I might consider it if the car could otherwise pass for new.

 

In my region, trail pinstripes are unavoidable. Often it's either skim the bush, or swamp the truck in deep water or roll the truck in an off-camber section. At the end of each wheeling season, I buff out what I can with scratch remover compound and spray some ceramic wax over it. That'll last until the next wheeling season when more pinstripes are added.

 

Badge of honor if you are into offroading.
But if bothers you too much, get a paint correction job and don't look at them again. Problem solved I think.

 

Mine is Black. It scratches when I look at it too long…….

 

Swirls aren't on any car when it leaves the factory, they're done at the port or dealer by being careless with dirty polish pads. It only takes a few minutes to wreck a perfect paint job, seen it many, many times.

 

This. I consider my pinstripes a visual record of it’s trials and triumphs. It’s a story. I don’t go looking to put scratches on it though.

In that spirit, there’s nothing wrong with having the paint buffed as best as possible so you can start on with a fresh page.

 

There absolutly are swirls on vehicles when they leave the factory. Paint does not come out of the guns and lay on the body perfectly. During the QA period some vehicles are polished to remove runs, nibs, etc. Yes the port can also cause damage as can the dealer. But yes, even factory wrapped and bagged vehicles can still require paint correction.

 

Some colors show scratches and swirls which will be there from brand new. My Barcelona Red Tacoma showed them real bad. I had it completely polished and then ceramic coated. The difference was astonishing. My Lime Rush 4Runner on the other hand, does not show any swirling though. I will still have it ceramic coated when I have the spare funds.

 

the first is always the hardest. When I see the scratches, I’m like dam that sucks, but it was fun.

 

Same here.

 

I just bought my 2015 with 110k on it. It was a rental for the first 3 years and has very clearly been ran thru countless carwashes that use the brushes.

i did a very quick cutting polish with a foam pad yesterday and while it got some of them out, it will need a wool pad and heavy cutting compound finishing it off with a polish with a soft foam pad.

On this vehicle im not bothered by it due to age and mileage and knowing its something i can correct with more time.

 

I’ve always hated scratches from dumb reasons like when I opened my door and the wind grabbed it out of my hand into the chain link fence at work I was next to or scratches from stupid people in parking lots. Off road scratches/dents give the vehicle character and it’s honestly what they’re made for. With all that being said, I still try to avoid any trail rash if possible but don’t lose sleep over it when it happens.

 

That could be on an isolated panel but I can't imagine finding a totally swirled vehicle under plastic by any manufacturer, but I'm most familiar with Ford. Not saying you're wrong just my experience is very different than yours, I've never seen it. I do know how places can f#ck up otherwise perfect finishes and have had it happen many times at my dealership.

 

As a detailer in the past I've seen it across the board. They obviously don't look like they have been improperly washed for years, but there are certainly enough swirls to do something about

 

I’d be careful about ‘rubbing’ too much on the paint, it’s very thin.

 

Just recently bought a 2023 Certified 4Runner Limited with 2,900 miles on it. The dealer gives you 7 days to drive the vehicle & return it no questions asked for a full refund if you are unhappy with it. I failed to notice a large scratch on the tailgate, shaped like the letter M. I would not be happy with a touch up. This was after about 2 weeks since I had the car. I went back to the used car manager, told him I wanted the tailgate repainted. He said it would cost apron $600. We agreed that I would pay$200 towards the cost. They had the car for 5 working days & gave me a free rental. They did a great job, & I am good with how things worked out.

 

I don’t get you guys who are so cavalier about pin stripes on the side of the car. Stone chips are one thing. They happen instantly and accidentally. But the pinstripes happen in slow motion. They are predictable and preventable.

 

I've had a few trails where the safest line added a stripe, and narrow trails with brush that scrubbed both sides. Scratches are part of off-roading in the woods.

 

Some might say there was no safe line. And calling scratches a “badge of honor” goes too far. Scratching your car is never good. I totally get the guy who goes out and buys a beater for the express purpose of beating on it. But the guys on this thread who are so proud of their scratches are driving pretty new vehicles, probably their daily drivers and not even paid off. You may be one of those guys who loves to go out there and pit your machine against the trail. (We’ll call that the toy category). And then there’s the guy who wants his truck to take him from point A to point B, and then back to A, reliably, and repeatedly. (The tool category.) Whichever category you’re in, damaging your vehicle is bad. When I see a guy with lots of pinstripes on his truck it makes me think he must be really rich to be able to be so careless, or really inept. It never occurs to me to offer to buy the guy a beer and hear the heroic tale of the time he scratched the crap out of the side of his 2 year old $50,000 4Runner.

 

Yeah, preventable by backing and going home! When you are driving in a group, the lemmings have ONE job, and that’s to keep going. Failure will lead to everlasting ridicule of the flock…piled up at the bottom of the cliff!


Seriously though, punching holes through some of the less used forest trails tends to put you in situations that kind of commit you. Sometimes you back up, which sometimes helps, depending on how deep you are. At least it’s better than the rock rash you can get out west.

All this wouldn’t really be fun without some level of risk. Even if it’s just financial risk in the form of pinstripes.

 

I agree, damage is bad, just like scars are bad. The idea is to avoid it, but not at all costs. Sometimes you like doing something, but it will expose you to risk.

I used to love blasting around on a motorcycle. The feeling it used to give was great, being in control, managing serious risk constantly..heck I even enjoyed riding in heavy downtown traffic because of the rush it could give you (if you are in the right frame of mind). It’s “king of the world”-level stuff!!!

But, as I got older and more imaginative of how one misjudgment could lead to a painful end (be it an end that’s instant, or takes many painful years), I decided to have fun in a different way.

It’s amazing that I can have a vehicle that allows me to do so much, and it costs as much as other “normal” responsible vehicles.

Balancing risk/rewards of pinstripes or other financial damage is fine by me. I’m not rich enough to afford those fancy SxS’s, trailers, and a tow vehicle to pull the lot, just to bounce rocks and break things. But thankfully, I have enough for one 4runner that will let me drive to work, do truck duty, travel duty, and off-road fun duty all in one package. I totally get why Sport Utility Vehicles are a thing!

 

I had a high school buddy whose dad was a high powered attorney. He had an upscale sedan as a daily driver. His hobbies were fly fishing and duck hunting, and he had a second vehicle that was devoted to those hobbies. It was older when he bought it. He kept it in meticulous mechanical condition, and ignored it cosmetically except for scraping the bird crap off it every spring and giving it a fresh coat of primer gray every couple of years. Even though he was what we would call rich, he would never use a newer vehicle as an outdoorsman’s tool or toy. He’d think it was stupid to buy a new vehicle and then depreciate it by thrashing it. And he was right.

 

I mean I get it… but it’s also a utility vehicle. You’re not taking it to car shows.

 

I carry tools to deal with branches.