Tips to avoid trail stripes / pinstripes when off-roading?

[jaroddf89]

Any tips to avoid pinstriping when off-roading? I know they’re to a degree unavoidable. I was considering a full body ppf (con being very pricy) or potential an armor like mek magnet if i can get similar protection at a fraction of the cost (con being I have to reinstall every time and lack of coverage in some areas). Any other thoughts or recommendations are appreciated!

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[BCKMRKR]

Semi-related: what do people use to remove/mitigate them or similar ones you seem to get when someone gets too close with a shopping cart / bike handlebars / etc.

 

[Madman1133]

I use ppf and it works amazing. Paid 4800 but no scratches. Honestly if I did it again I might just try to do it myself and maybe only the hood and sides. I’ve been on Arkansas trails and no damage.

 

[contented]

Any tips to avoid pinstriping when off-roading? I know they’re to a degree unavoidable. I was considering a full body ppf (con being very pricy) or potential an armor like mek magnet if i can get similar protection at a fraction of the cost (con being I have to reinstall every time). Any other thoughts or recommendations are appreciated!

Branches, etc that are thin and flexible generally won’t leave a pinstripe. The bigger and more rigid they get, the higher the chance for striping. Personally, I won’t go where pinstriping is a possibility. Light striping comes out with rubbing compound.

Re: paint protection films, it’s a personal decision. I put partial coverage on my two previous cars, but didn’t on the Bronco and probably won’t use it again. You can get a lot of scratches repainted for what full ppf coverage costs.

 

[Oldhippie]

Pruning shears and chainsaw…

 

[jaroddf89]

I use ppf and it works amazing. Paid 4800 but no scratches. Honestly if I did it again I might just try to do it myself and maybe only the hood and sides. I’ve been on Arkansas trails and no damage.

Yea that’s a steep price. I could finish my Bronco build with that number. I found mek magnet covers most of the body at around $700 and I could ppf the rest that it doesn’t cover. Let’s call total to be $1k but obviously I’d rather the ppf option. I’ve considered ppfing it myself and estimate cost to be around $1800. I worry on imperfections and quality though.

 

[jaroddf89]

Branches, etc that are thin and flexible generally won’t leave a pinstripe. The bigger and more rigid they get, the higher the chance for striping. Personally, I won’t go where pinstriping is a possibility. Light striping comes out with rubbing compound.

Re: paint protection films, it’s a personal decision. I put partial coverage on my two previous cars, but didn’t on the Bronco and probably won’t use it again. You can get a lot of scratches repainted for what full ppf coverage costs.

It’s definitely a steep price. I feel I need some sort of protection so I wonder if the mek magnet at $700 would suffice. Then (hopefully) I wouldn’t need to spend the money repainting it

 

[Snacktime]

It's called a Mall, not sure if they still exist?

 

[Squatch]

 

[Pseudoko]

Depends on the trails you are running and how often you plan to go out. For me I live in Southern California so I do a mix of different trail types. But ppf was the route I went. For me due to the frequency, it was worth it. But it’s really dependent on how much you want to spend and how often you plan to go. As for how to avoid pin stripes specifically…. Not much you can do to avoid branches and brush if it’s overgrown outside of grooming the trail yourself with tools.

 

[Brian_B]

I just learned to live with them and accept the only real option to entirely avoid them is to stop going to places where you can get them.

Doesn’t mean I don’t want my paint to hold up, I still cringe when I hear those branches screeching down my side. But nothing is going to preserve that forever short of giving up on the things I want to do with it

 

[KABQ]

This buffed out with little effort in my driveway. You'll be fine. If in doubt- a machete, loppers, or a saw (in that order) will take care of most narrow spots. Or just drive through it.

 

[jaroddf89]

This buffed out with little effort in my driveway. You'll be fine. If in doubt- a machete, loppers, or a saw (in that order) will take care of most narrow spots. Or just drive through it.

How did you get the scratches on the hard top out? That’s a gnarly battle scar

 

[DoUSquatch]

This buffed out with little effort in my driveway. You'll be fine. If in doubt- a machete, loppers, or a saw (in that order) will take care of most narrow spots. Or just drive through it.

Could you share the pictures after buffing it out?

 

[KABQ]

How did you get the scratches on the hard top out? That’s a gnarly battle scar

Yeah... about the scratches on the top... Those did not buff out.

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