Tacoma Decals & Graphics: Adding Style to Your Truck

Graphics and decals are a simple way to immediately transform the Tacoma’s exterior appearance. Almost all parts of the vehicle can be dressed with graphics and decals. Tacoma’s windshields, rear windows, bed sides, and doors are all prime real estate.

Windshield: The windshield is a wonderful place to install graphics. These designs tuck to the top of the windshield to keep them from obstructing the view. This area is usually used for lettering and brand logos.

Rear Window: The rear window is more subjected to creative designs than the windshield is. Large graphics that cover the span of the rear windshield and can have very intricate designs.

These graphics can be designed so they are easy to see through from inside the cabin. The view is not as clear but is not obstructed.

Door Panels: The door panels on Tacomas are wide and flat. Brand callings, custom graphics and custom designs can easily be fitted to the door panel without having to sacrificing intricacies of the design in the name of sizing.

Bed Sides: The bed sides are also wide sweeping panels that are prime real estate for complex and intricate designs. Text and branding are also welcome to be placed here. 

Large designs are custom made to fit directly on the bed sides. Large graphics placed here will have the most radical impact on the overall appearance of the Tacoma.

We all had stickers as kids and we all have stickers placed on our toolboxes. With stickers, you can get away with a lot more when it comes to placing them when compared to decals and graphics on vehicles. Professional help is recommended but is not required.

Good Clean Surface: Before you place decals and graphics on the surface of the Tacoma you will want to ensure it is totally clean. Any dirt or dust caught underneath the decal or graphic will result in a poor quality job with a short lifespan.

Soap and Water: Placing decals on the surface can be incredibly stressful. Once it is set on the surface peeling it back is not an option, and if you don’t get it just right you will have to start over from scratch. Soap and water applied to the surface before the decal is placed will allow you to slide the decal around a little which makes it easy for you to reposition the sticker if it doesn’t fall exactly into place.

Squeegee: Once the decal or graphic is set in place you will need to use a squeegee to press out any air bubbles and soapy water between the decal and the surface of the vehicle. This last step can take a lot of time but is the difference between a quality, long-lasting job and a “my decal peeled away in a few months” job.

Decals will need to be kept in mind while cleaning the vehicle. You will need to be mindful of the edges while pressure washing and scrubbing the truck clean.

A well stuck graphic is easier to work with and this is another reason to take your time to ensure the graphic or decal is installed correctly.

Graphics aren’t for everyone. Some prefer vehicles without any sort of badging or graphics. The body of the Tacoma is very attractive and many do not want to take away from this aspect and will want to remove anything they can.

You will need to expect that, if either of these have been in place for some time, any fading of the exposed paint surrounding the logo or emblem will become apparent. You will want to blend these areas out for the best results.

Removing Graphics: Removing graphics should be done carefully. Glass cleaner will help by dissolving some of the adhesives on the piece making it easy to tear away.

Once a graphic I removed it will be unusable and should you decide to go back you will need to replace them.

Removing Emblems: Emblems are held in place with the use of adhesive but getting behind them to pry forward can be difficult. A simple trick many use is heating up the emblem and working a fishing line behind it to separate it from the vehicle. These can be reused in the future if you want to reinstall them.

Many people wind up purchasing models of Tacomas they didn’t exactly set out for. This will often result in cloning the model of truck they were after.

Tacomas are usually separated from sub-model to sub-model by wheel and tire packages along with some suspension variances. Of course, these areas will need to be addressed, but so will graphics and emblems.

​Emblem/Graphic Placement: To successfully clone a particular sub-model you will need to mimic the exact placement, design, and badging. You will need to look closely with Toyota Tacomas. For example, TRD packages don’t always call out the model with simple TRD badges or graphics alone. The grille will feature different logos and designs as well.