Ok so the other day i went offroading and the trail i was on was very narrow i had to cut it close with many trees and shrubs. when i was done i got out and saw some nice scuffs along my door panels and fenders from the tree branches and what not, i can buff them out with a good wax and what not but i would like to find a way to prevent them in the first place, i know the scratches build character, in fact we all call them colorado pin-striping, lol but some times i like my x to look clean, i know that 3m makes the clear bra or invsabra but that just wont cut it for door panels. is their any precut stuff that i can use for the fenders and door panels, looking for the same material and easy application. if any one has any ideas or web sites please let me know thanks.

if i remember correctly creepy can do that with vinyl but i think its going to cost some money.... the way i look at it is if you want to take it off road you know the consequences of what might happen

ya i know that it will happen i just would like to prevent it as much as possible but thanks

i know.... like i said pm creepy and see what he can do, i remember a while back he said somthing like what you described.....

Goodluck. Even vinyl could probably get damaged depending on how big the branches are. Once you get the first few you'll start to not worry about it too much or you'll just be having so much fun you'll forget about it. Theres no real proven way to avoid the scratches other than not wheeling. Sorry

Theres no real proven way to avoid the scratches other than not wheeling.

...or parking in parking lots
...or staying uphill from all the shopping carts
...or pouring your drunk ass friends out of your car and as they slide down the side of your car the rivet on their jeans does the job for the branches

I'm with you I'd like to keep the vehicle as mar free as possible but eventually it's going to happen so might as well be enjoying the ride when it does.

I've heard people talk of magnetic panels too, although I haven't seen any in use. They would probably be expensive too. Creepy is probably your best best.

A good wax job will help prevent the light stuff from getting to your clearcoat but all of these guys are right... it's pretty much unavoidable. There's always going to be a limb on the trail or a rock you kick up with your tires that just wrecks the paint-job and makes you sick.

But as the guys here will tell you... you have to pay to play.

i think the magnetic things would be good idea it would be expensive but you could use them over and over again

ok thanks guys, i just got the 3m scothguard paint protector film its the same stuff that the invisabras i got it for fairly cheep and unfortunately its bulk, not precut like i was hoping for but being the fabricator i am i think i can handle it on my own its just like window tinting, ive see many tests on strength online about it its its unusually strong and prone to tears so im hoping it will protect a little. ill let you all know how it goes and if its worth for those of you out their who want to keep the trials open but still have a nice truck at the end of the day thanks again everyone

i think it should work well for all the small stuff but make sure you miss the big ones....

ok thanks guys, i just got the 3m scothguard paint protector film its the same stuff that the invisabras i got it for fairly cheep and unfortunately its bulk, not precut like i was hoping for but being the fabricator i am i think i can handle it on my own its just like window tinting, ive see many tests on strength online about it its its unusually strong and prone to tears so im hoping it will protect a little. ill let you all know how it goes and if its worth for those of you out their who want to keep the trials open but still have a nice truck at the end of the day thanks again everyone


so how do you like the 3m scotchguard film stuff? has it helped prevent any scratches? has it held up pretty good? was it difficult to put it on?

To be honest.. it's rare that a branch will scratch your paint. 90% of the time the scratches you see are in the clear coat...


If you really want to eliminate the scratches, invest in a good buffer....


you can buff anything out with either a foam pad or a yarn pad

Just don't wash your truck ever you won't see the scratches...... Wax lol yeah right....

I can't see any scratches cause the mud covers it all up.

You can do like the guys did at Coal Creek with their H2's. I guess these pansies didn't want to get any mud and scratches on their vehicles so they used masking tape to hold sheets of thick plastic (probably 6 mil visqueen) over the body panels. When they got off the trails, they just stripped them off and had really muddy hoods, grills, undercarriage and wheels but spotless body panels. Looked really retarded.

Just do like I did, bash in a fender and you'll forget all about those pesky little clearcoat scratches ;)

lol that's the most ridiculous thing i've ever heard.

You can do like the guys did at Coal Creek with their H2's. I guess these pansies didn't want to get any mud and scratches on their vehicles so ... Looked really retarded.



well since you put it that way, its kinda hard to resist the masking tape and plastic... jk :)

I never looked into this, but there is some camo decal kind of stuff people put on their trucks - not sure what it's made out of or how sticks , but that may be an aftermarket route.

YEah the hummers at coal creek were funny....... and that camo stuff is just camo car vinyl.... I have used it before it just is like a giant decal you apply

^I was considering wrapping my whole truck in camo actually.

I saw a Chevy truck with all over camo decal at the convenience store on Sat. It looked pretty good.... if you needed it for hunting which was what he said it was for.

Mossy Oak would look sick with herculiner

http://www.camotruck.net/gimp/xt/xt2.jpg