What in the world is this?

Went through a ton of mud and tight trails in rural Tennessee. It was very fun. I got some pinstriping from branches sticking out into the trail on the passenger side of the truck. While washing my truck today, this stuff came off. It seems like some kind of clear film. I was unaware that I had any kind of protective film anywhere on the truck, especially on the sides. This is halfway between the bottom of the door and the window. Right in the middle of the door. I don’t mind the pin stripes, but if this is going to get worse over time, I’d like to address it now.

What is it, and how do I fix it? Thanks in advance.

 

scraped the clear coat off?

 

Sure does look like clear never seen it do that though

 

Yeah. It seems like the clear coat, but I’ve never seen it do that before either

 

Any nasty chemicals possibly in that water that may have caused that?

 

Just standard tap water out of the hose.

 

Either part of the tree or part of the truck. If it's part of the truck, then I would say it's the clear coat and the defect should be apparent when you look closely at that area, particularly when wet. Branches can impart oils, sap, etc onto contacted surfaces which may then dry as a film and could give that appearance as it peels off.

Hopefully, it's the latter.

 

Looks like your truck is the victim of an MGM. Lucky you! Had it been a more sexy, more capable white one, the whole door would have been blown off!

 

I’ve got a shit ton of pinstripes and have never seen that.

 

We have rock guard in the bottom, maybe it was thicker clear and scraped off?

 

Good point, it can definitely be sap from a tree, if he pulled it off and there was no missing clear there would be no reason to say that it wasn’t part of a tree. Honestly it’s one of those things that unless it happens again don’t worry about it lol

 

That is Toyota tracking system. You have in your hand the transmission antenna, they are picking up signals to know if your driving is reckless so that they can void your warranty. They also listen in to hear you curse about not having a drivers side grab handle, a trans cooler, and having a bed that bounces like Shakira in a halftime show. Be glad you found it but delete the photo and any evidence before they see it!

 

For a second there you had me hooked.

 

The truth is out there...

 

Dental floss?

 

Yes, that stuff is on the bottom of the doors. However, as stated in the OP, this is in the middle of the door, halfway between the bottom and the window, well above the rock guard.

I’m leaning toward the sap theory. I’ve had other run-ins with sap, just never been pinstriped by a sappy branch that left a string of it on my truck. Still not sure yet though. Keeping an eye on it.