KevinInSac

I'm assuming the truck has got factory paint. Clean carfax and the such. Well I've developed a bit of crack in two spots. It looks like a spot where it could happen, but it shouldn't...


The pic here is D side. The P side is cracked as well, but not nearly as bad.

dropzone

iTrader: (6)

It looks like you took a hit there just to the left of the crack. Is it dented in slightly?
3rd Gen truck is the only one I haven't owned so not sure if that dimple is supposed to be there...
I had a similar crack on my bug...found out it was a previous repair and it was bondo...

Belize Off Road Team

Mine has that issue and mine was cheaply painted. So it could be factory COLOUR paint, but it may have been cheaply painted.
CARFAX is no good, the PO of my truck did not report the last 2 accidents that she got in so CARFAX showed a clean report.

space-junk

iTrader: (1)

its funny that you should bring this up...

i noticed while washing my truck the other day that my paint is cracked just like that... and on a corner piece too...

KevinInSac

Glad to see I'm not the only one. Now the most important question: How do I stop it?


No dent on either corner, but there are "rub" marks in the center of the cab right next to the bed. Bed liner maybe?

Jay351

Lucky, at least you have a decent paint job Mines peeling off!

Justinlhc

I've got cracks on the passenger side of my 4runner. I'm assuming it's from a repair because that side is also missing the factory stripe thing. I'm probably going to just flat black the whole thing so it doesn't matter to me.

dirtyXplorer

lol! I have a crack on mine too. It looks like a crappy bondo job that's falling apart. I was thinking of putting some epoxy or something in there but the best way to fix it would be sand and repaint.

KevinInSac

^^ That looks just like mine. I can even see some rust/dirt under the paint on mine. I really hope it's not bondo. I still have the awesome SR5 stickers so it's hard to say. But the first words out of my dads mouth when I told him about the crack: "It's been repaired and the bondo's cracking."

turborich

Blow it out with compressed air to remove any debris from the crack & then fill it with something to prevent water from getting it there. You could use clear RTV, epoxy, paint, etc.

dropzone

iTrader: (6)

hmmm...interesting theory, extreme frame flex putting the bed into the back of the cab if it is in the same spot on the passenger side...

slacker

iTrader: (1)

old time fact ...

when I worked at the dealer .. Transporters , whom brought the cars to us .. didnt have to declare any "transport" damage .. so if they repaired the cars and trucks before delivery , if there was damage, as a NEW car , they didnt have to declair any damage .


it would only show up later as cracks and such ...


dont know if this is the situation .. just my 2C


.

yotavehicle

thread starter: that is bondo that has cracked (like others have said). it even looks like sand lines and such in the paint to the left and up from the crack (hard to tell in the pic for sure). like others have said carfax is a good REFERENCE but don't bank on it's info.

littlecommando

wow, your old

84RNR

Did carfax even exist 17 years ago? Like others have posted you truck has been repaired most likely. Carfax is only as accurate as the people reporting the data. Titles can be "wiped" of previous accidents (if even reported) by transferring the vehicle through another state.

James Dean

Cracks on the back of the cab indicate the truck has been rear ended at some point. The frame flexes and the bed hits the cab and either dents it or cracks the paint. I've seen it a thousand times.

84RNR

From the looks I assumed it was probably from the bed hitting the cab in a rear ender. Especially since he said it's on both the driver and passenger sides.

KevinInSac

Hey, food for thought: I go wheeling from time to time, and on the rare occasion, I'll pull off a ledge and land on the receiver fairly hard. It's a good knock. Probably has happened a total of 4 times, no more than that. Would that be enough to flex the frame and hit the cab with the bed?

84RNR

I doubt that would flex the frame and cause the bed to hit the cab. Plus if that was happening the paint would be damaged where the bed was hitting and not just cracked.

wheatus

factory paint will crack it is not really much different from anything else. it has a working life and at some point needs to be replaced. don't blow it with compressed air because if there has been a repair and it is not adhered well which i would think not from the rust in the crack you could blow it all out and then you will have a real problem. i think the way carfax works is that if the accident was turned into insurance then there should be a record and if not who knows. i have worked at multiple dealerships over the years and damaging vehicles is a common occurence.there is frequently transport damage or damage that occurs on the lot the the dealership takes care of "in house" that no one ever knows about. we have worked on many vehicles that have been damaged by the service department and we repaired in a hurry so that the customer wouldn't know. it looks like a dent in the picture and if so that is what the crack is from. if you could clean it up and get a better picture it would be much easier to tell for sure.