Fender Whoops..............

[Inkman]

Hello 4G Group, New to the forum and the Tacoma. Had a 2nd Gen for 27 years until I was guilted out of it. Now, I bought a TRD Sport and love it so far. Was out driving some dirty rocky roads a couple weeks ago. Just got around to washing the truck and found the broken fender flare on the right hand side. I am looking for some ideas to secure that won't look horrible. Hate to replace this after having it only 3 months and if I can save it, I'll live with it for a bit. Any and all help is appreciated.

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[Kielly]

Ouch man that really blows. Maybe some automotive 3M tape to stick back to that black piece that don't look broke off and then JB weld the seem? I know plastic welding is possible too but it looks pretty narly from what I remember, definitely won't blend in

 

[Inkman]

Yeah, I was thinking something like that FlexTape, maybe and seeing if I can find some white tinted bumper repair stuff. If FlexTape can hold a boat cut in half, I mean come on......... Did not think of the 3M automotive tape, Thank you for that suggestion. I need to learn not to look to close at it. I guess I got the first scratch out of the way. Now I can park in a normal parking spot instead of the back 40.

 

[Baltimore]

I was just wondering how much space or how tightly it sits against that black part behind it. If you could gorilla glue or JB-weld white to black, then use a paintable high-flex caulk on the crack line itself. And if the white of the caulk wasn't close enough to then use touch-up paint or the spray can form for masking it at the top layer. I'd personally avoid the tape route, you can never hide the texture and height difference. or the glue/epoxy route with white electrical tape would at least be closer in being small, colored, smooth, shiny, and stretch/flex with movement.

 

[jaslim]

Could try hot staples and paint repair over it?

Or you could embrace it - drill small holes on either side, zip tie it together, and tell everyone it's battle scars from your adventures. I do that on my race motorcycles.

 

[Miqie]

I wonder if PVC cement would hold it together. As with gluing anything, clean the parts thoroughly and give it time to cure before putting stress on it, like driving.

 

[Kielly]

Yeah, I was thinking something like that FlexTape, maybe and seeing if I can find some white tinted bumper repair stuff. If FlexTape can hold a boat cut in half, I mean come on......... Did not think of the 3M automotive tape, Thank you for that suggestion. I need to learn not to look to close at it. I guess I got the first scratch out of the way. Now I can park in a normal parking spot instead of the back 40.

If it makes you feel any better, I gave myself this boo boo a few days after taking ownership. Just bumpers doing their job I guess lol

 

[pmfh]

My approach would be this:
1. Use blue painter's tape on the outside to hold the pieces together
2. Apply a thin strip of fiberglass cloth to the inside
3. Let resin cure, remove blue tape

 

[Inkman]

I appreciate the responses, folks. I went to the stealer and asked about the part maybe being defective cause its so dang thin. Their "guy" came out and found an oh so tiny spot where he said is was an impact. My response: So, I spend $50K on a truck that a shopping cart (or whatever) bumps in to it and that turns in to a what...$500 or more repair? Talked with the manager and he is going to talk to a Toyota rep and see if they can comp me the part or paint or ??? That'll take two weeks or so until the rep comes in. I'm tempted to just patch it up and when people ask me, give them my opinion. Right now, I think I'll tape the back of it until I hear back from them and then go from there. I'm actually liking the whole battle scars idea. Pffft...battle scars from a parking lot. I need to find some trails around here.

 

[Duck Amuck]

Could try hot staples and paint repair over it?

Or you could embrace it - drill small holes on either side, zip tie it together, and tell everyone it's battle scars from your adventures. I do that on my race motorcycles.

Drift stiches, absolutely.

 

[soupy1234]

I wonder if PVC cement would hold it together. As with gluing anything, clean the parts thoroughly and give it time to cure before putting stress on it, like driving.

Loctite and JB Weld both have epoxy glues designed for plastics. Loctite also has a 2-component superglue for plastics. I've used the Loctite epoxy, and it worked well, but it wasn't in a high stress application.

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