Did a terrible paint touch-up on my 2018 Taco, any ideas?

OP,

Hard to tell from the pictures but it really doesn't look that bad to me. But then again, I know the feeling when something you wanted to fix just bugs you to no end.

I wouldn't call MAACO a high end paint shop so I would not take their word as gospel. It might be worth checking out a few independent body shops in your area to get their opinion. One might say they have to paint the whole side of the truck but you might find those really good painters who can quickly spray it and clear coat it pretty cost effectively. It might be worth asking. I had a small dent on the roof of my BMX X1. No one could see it but it just bugged me. Took it to three auto body shops, including the one who does work for the local BMW dealer. They had a guy who did small projects on the weekends and he fixed the dent for under $400 (I gave him cash and bought him lunch). Everyone else saw BMW and was well over $1,500 for a small dent. Might be worth checking around ...

 

Honestly now that the first one is out of the way you will care less and have a lot more fun off roading and camping.

 

Exactly

 

Just drive it and don’t worry about it, maybe next time you’ll do enough damage it will be worth insurance taking care of it.

 

claybar,AIO polish, meguires Scratch x, try to live with it

 

Make sure you do know how to use it. And make sure you use the right compound(s)
A buffer and compound can quickly make that go from bad to worse if not used incorrectly.

 

I can't wrap my brain around the fact it was even attempted to begin with.

 

this guy makes it look easy. he has more than one paint correction video. actually really like his vids.

 

I see you've gotten plenty of feed back on this already (some good and mostly not so good) but you might find this video useful. He spray paints the car and then has a multistep wetsand/polishing process to get it to shine.

https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v...0ZDcbVnwTPNJHAl6Q750EZGWMck1fCkIMHCCPN_384&e=

 

How bad was it before? I bet you could have buffed it out considering you didn't hit the tree hard enough to damage the metal.

Take a look at some of the pinstriping I took out here.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/how-to-remove-trail-pinstriping.504693/

If anything, I would wet sand and then compound and polish.

 

Personally, unless the scratch went down to bare metal, just buff it out and if it doesn’t just live with it. I have so many on my taco and being mgm color it’s very visible. I see them as battle scars for now.

 

Any recommendation on a good video or tutorial?

 

I dont even see it except maybe in the middle picture. I have better than 20/20 vision and looking on a phone maybe thats why but I'd say just deal with deal. It'll be ok in a month

 

i cant see it. looked on my phone yesterday and computer today. idk what im looking for. can someone circle it in red or something?

 

Only if you're using like a rotary buffer.

 

To me it would depend on the age and miles on the truck. On a 2-3 year old truck or newer I'd get it fixed. On a 7 year or older truck I'd live with it. Between 3-7 years old I'd debate it.

 

4 steps:

• wet sand
• orbital buff
• wax
• wet sand the entire truck to match

When you're done the newly painted area will look better than the OEM paint since you won't have orange peel. Hence the 4th step, wet sand the entire truck to match the glassy smooth finish you'll have on the newly painted area

 

Older videos, but his series 1-4 are solid. Here's 4 if you just want to see the technique.

 

I’ve seen worse

 

what about contacting a professional detail shop and get their opinion as to whether they can save it or not and give you an estimate? I cant imagine a detailer charging more than a hunski or so to fix that. Wet sand for 20-30 minutes and buff it out for 20-30 minutes, an hour labor? Just guessing.