The Truth About Scratches

[Steph1]

Very best paint protection and it costs $100

I always have it with me and will not hesitate to use it to avoid paint scraches from branches.

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[Jim1964]

I firmly believe that a good coat of dirt/mud will sacrificially protect my paint and body from almost all things.

Reminds me of some friends I used to ride ATV’s with. Some would wash after every ride, even when we were camping and riding every day. I told them they were washing off the protective mud coating, and the day they see me washing mine it’s for sale.

Which I pretty much did, in actuality. And mine looked no different from theirs when sold or traded. Of course those are plastic bodies.

But washing is just not important to me for an off roader.

 

[jessedacri]

We were up there in June. Nobody there on a weekday except for a couple dirtbikes. When we were airing up on the other side, 3 jeep 4 doors were pulling in to run it downhill.

I'm planning on running Holcomb and John Bull this year after I get some tires and a lift.

Weekdays are the best up there, or if you're here on a weekend plan on starting your trails at daybreak and you'll see nobody in either direction. I had done John Bull with my usual camp friends on Saturday morning and got stuck behind a big group of Toyotas who kept breaking down, then another buddy with a built Montero came through Sunday and I led him through the squeeze to Little John Bull east then up through Gold Mountain backwards out to pavement (I flipped the rig around for that pic as the view was too good, haha). Certainly a bit of thought and careful work getting that Montero through as everything was torn up from the rain.

John Bull and Holcomb are IMO much more fun and fulfilling than Gold Mountain, but you can't beat the scenery up on GM especially as rain rolls through the mountains.

 

[Punknhed]

obviously the OP has no experience with ceramic. it does actually help protect the paint. I polished mine out, and ceramic coated it with the Blackfire coating. Now if i drag a tree branch down the side of it is it going to scratch, yes obviously. Does it help when i go to clean the Jeep, yep sure does. Bugs dont stick like they did before i did the coating. I guess im odd, i do like running my jeep on the beach or off road, but i also take care of it, and clean it. some do some dont i do lol

 

[Vinman]

I bought a brand new shiny Rubicon in late 2002, after the first trip when it was a month old it looked like somebody washed it with a garden rake instead of wash mitt.
Wheeling became a lot more fun after that

 

[Mudduck]

obviously the OP has no experience with ceramic. it does actually help protect the paint. I polished mine out, and ceramic coated it with the Blackfire coating. Now if i drag a tree branch down the side of it is it going to scratch, yes obviously. Does it help when i go to clean the Jeep, yep sure does. Bugs dont stick like they did before i did the coating. I guess im odd, i do like running my jeep on the beach or off road, but i also take care of it, and clean it. some do some dont i do lol

I think the OP was saying that yes, it does help with surface contaminants IE bugs, dirt, iron build up, dust etc and yes it makes washing easier, but those are the limitations of ceramic coatings. Wax/Polish does the same thing just requires it more frequently.

I dont like ceramics, or waxing/polishing. So Raptor was for me and I get 0 scratches.... I just wash and spray with Aerospace 303 and dry it off.

 

[kah.mun.rah]

Nothing that a little WD-40 can't hide.

 

[Jazzicon]

I just bashed mine on a rock…so scratches won’t feel as bad when they happen.

It’s like if someone stubs their toe and you smack them in the head with a frying pan to make them forget about the toe pain ??‍

 

[CaJLMetalHead]

I am a cheap bastard so I went with Plasti Dip... cheap especially if you buy by the gallon, and if you apply a thicker coat it really protects against scratches... you can easily touch it up.... or peel it off later if you change your mind.. also.. you can be quite sloppy with the application since you ran rub off any overspray..

I went with Raptor Liner for the bed and it is great... I will eventually paint my entire JL with Raptor Liner..

 

[X-Treme]

It's all made up and the points don't matter

I choose #2, the first few are the hardest, and then it's smooth sailing.

I absolutely could not do this with my WRX, and I had to sell it because of that. I was so meticulous about the paint and keeping everything pristine that I couldn't enjoy the vehicle. Somehow the Jeep fits in the category of "tools" in my brain. It's my adventure tool and for it to show wear is acceptable in the same way having wear on a table saw or drill doesn't break my heart.

I've also noticed that even after so much attention to keeping the WRX perfect, after 3 years it was spotless save for ever so slight swirls in the top coat from inevitable wash marks (try as I might with two bucket hand washes, it's hard to be perfect) It makes almost zero difference to the next buyer who immediately drives it through an automatic wash and goes about their day. It didn't fetch any more money than it would have if I had driven it through an automatic wash each week. I guess the moral of the story is, enjoy your rig, your way. and if you can manage to convince yourself that it's a tool it's quite rewarding.

(edit: I didn't mean to compare "love marks" to brush stripes here, but here we are)

I have to agree with this also. I had a beautiful Turbo Blue TTRS that i babied and hated taking anywhere that someone might park next to me and knock their door into mine and give me dents. I didnt enjoy the 3 years that i owned it because it was a like a liability to me. My JLURXR doesnt give me the same anxieties and i am enjoying driving it, leaving it at the grocery store and accepting the pin stripes i receive while wheeling it. It changed my view of what owning and enjoying a vehicle should be . I have never been happier!

 

[Jim1964]

Very best paint protection and it costs $100

I always have it with me and will not hesitate to use it to avoid paint scraches from branches.

Bring a bunch of batteries if you’re going where I’m going. Don’t get me wrong, I’d LOVE to have you go ahead of me.

What’s happening in many places though, is the SxS evolution. They are the majority of traffic and the trails accordingly are growing in. For mile after mile in places.

Maybe someone will start making a front bumper mount for one of these:

 

[Steph1]

It’s a shame that trail carers dont clear the trails of branches. A lot more enthusiats would most likely go knowing their Jeeps won’t get all scratched up.

 

[PhoenixM3]

Ceramic coatings are one of the biggest detailing scams ever perpetrated on the car buying public. They are marketed as some kind of protective coating but as noted above they do NOTHING. A $20.00 wax or sealant a couple times a year will work equally well, which means not at all against scratches and surface damage. And save a lot of money for gas. And beer.

I’m with you. I’m old school and use clay, paint polish, and a good carnauba wax with a Porter Cable buffer.

 

[Don_TLR]

Scratches,, Please keep hands and feet inside the vehicle at all times

 

[roaniecowpony]

obviously the OP has no experience with ceramic. it does actually help protect the paint. I polished mine out, and ceramic coated it with the Blackfire coating. Now if i drag a tree branch down the side of it is it going to scratch, yes obviously. Does it help when i go to clean the Jeep, yep sure does. Bugs dont stick like they did before i did the coating. I guess im odd, i do like running my jeep on the beach or off road, but i also take care of it, and clean it. some do some dont i do lol

I had a clean Gen 5 Camaro that was Ceramic Pro coated 2 years before it was hit in my work's parking lot. It stuffed the quarter panel pretty ugly. There was paint transfer from the other car's bumper(?). I took it to the best paintless dent removal guy I know, Beach Cities PDR in Huntington Beach. He made it look new again. No scratches were in the clearcoat, let alone through it. I'm sold on ceramic for what it can do. Is it armor plating? No. But it's a hell of a lot better than some people think.

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