The Truth About Scratches

[earthgirl]

This is my 3rd and final Jeep Wrangler. I plan to grow old with it (it's my dream jeep) so I look at every little imperfection as character. Of course if it got dented bad or some hail damage while it is young, I would probably get it fixed but I don't want to stay up at night worrying about it. Hopefully, we both age gracefully.

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[roaniecowpony]

Film cost alone is around $1300-$1500 for a full Wrangler.

When I looked at getting it done, I just said forget it, I'll have the thing painted if it's scratched beyond buffing out.

 

[VKSheridan]

Maybe I’m missing something but doesn’t buffing, bricks or compound lower the unaffected areas to the depth of the scratch? I’ll wash and sometimes wax my Jeep so that it doesn’t look abandoned but I don’t get emotional over trail scars.

I‘m not a fan of those that “trim the trail” with hatchets and chainsaws. Its akin to those guys that stack rocks or alter the climb to keep from scratching their lower shock mounts. Don’t like the risk? Don’t take the trail but don’t make it about as “challenging“ as a dirt road in Kansas.

 

[Hard Rock Jeep]

Do the deep scratches, dents and bent armor underneath my Jeep count against me at resale? You know, if I were to sell it, I bet the reason the buyer wants a Jeep like this is to do just what I have done. Use it for its intended purpose. With 600 miles on it, I took it to Arizona and put the first paint scratch on it. To this day, when I see that scratch, I think fondly of running that trail and how well my bone stock Jeep performed. It is a Jeep. Enjoy it.

 

[Dusty Roads]

* It’s not going to buff out.

* Ceramic won’t help with scratches. It will help with surface contaminants.

* To really prevent them, you need full paint protection film.

* PPF is always expensive. Painfully expensive. Like $5-7k expensive.

* Scratched plastic will remain scratched. You can’t fix it or heal it.

* The hardtop is painted. If you scratch it, it will remain scratched.

* Waxing and polishing can cover scratches temporarily but won’t remove them. An orbital buffer won’t remove them (unless they are extremely superficial).

* When you drove through that brush, you damaged your paint. Call it character if you want. But you damaged your paint and reduced your resale value.

* If you really plan to use your Jeep (and you should!) your options are 1) white paint so scratches are hard to see, 2) not caring (good luck with that, deep down), or PPF. That’s it. There’s no ceramic shortcut or anything.

* Driving carefully when near brush can really help. You’ll avoid many scratches, and the ones you do get won’t be as bad.

* There’s nothing wrong with caring about your paint. Just don’t let it stop you from enjoying your Jeep.

Thank you for attending my TED Talk.

We just call it West Texas pin striping. Mesquites, Prickly Pear, All Thorn and Spanish Daggers play hell on a paint job. Just something you have to expect out here.

 

[KILROY_]

First blemish worry? Hell the KO2s took care of that in the first month of ownership, throwing rocks at everything in sight! I looked at the chips in the door hinges and said, "yep it's going to happen." Touch up paint took care of that.

As for avoiding excessive trail damage I went the route of self-healing clear bra on the fenders and grill and MekMagnet trail armor for trail season.

 

[roaniecowpony]

Do the deep scratches, dents and bent armor underneath my Jeep count against me at resale? You know, if I were to sell it, I bet the reason the buyer wants a Jeep like this is to do just what I have done. Use it for its intended purpose. With 600 miles on it, I took it to Arizona and put the first paint scratch on it. To this day, when I see that scratch, I think fondly of running that trail and how well my bone stock Jeep performed. It is a Jeep. Enjoy it.

Yes.
Scratches, dents, and bent armor are like that beat up old shotgun your dad left you. You see the good times when you look at it. Other people just see the dents and scratches.

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