Scuffs

Has anyone found a way to get rid of the scuffs that keep showing up on the black interior finish? Like on the door panel, I try to never touch any of it, but the scuffs are there. A damp rag seems to clean them but they come back. Why would Toyota choose this material for a pickup truck?

 

chebby colorado's are the same way. Cheap way I guess for them to build a truck.

 

Are they scratches? If not, I would try a good non-greasy interior cleaner, then finish up with Aerospace 303

 

It's not Toyota, it's every vehicle that uses plastic = all of them. I rode in a new Escalade a few weeks ago and noticed the scuff marks on the door panels from previous riders. Any plastic will scuff.

 

Nope and don't get us started on the Cheap Plastic over the Instrument Gauge Cluster....

 

in the same boat...........

 

Never had these problems on my GMC interior. Toyota must be using the lowest bid supplier for plastic or it's just the style of texture. I really don't care for the dash texture it is a lint magnet and really holds onto it!

 

please don't start that

 

the only thing I've used that has had any positive effect was using a conditioner that would leave a bit of a gloss on the plastic. Of course when this dries up and goes away, the scuffs come right back....
But it's good while it lasts

 

The plastic does seem to scuff kind of easily, noticed the passenger side grab handle is all scratched up on mine and I have not had too many people in it so far.

 

Alright. Enough. My:
Hondas have all done it
My Subarus scuffed too
My Dodge did it
My 4Runners scuffed just like the Tacoma
My GMC was real bad around the door speakers

Do I need to go on? Plastic, when hit by a moving object (toe or heel on boot or even worse, lady's heels) will scuff! It's that simple. If you find a piece of automotive plastic made by ANY manufacture that does not scratch when you run something hard (leather boot, wood, a child's toy, anything really) that does not "scuff" let me know. I will award you 100 internet points and King for a day.

The only ones that didn't scuff were back in the '70's when the bottom of the door was metal. And then the paint scratched lol.

 

That all makes sense, and you make great points, but I think the plastics in the tacos are extra delicate, almost to the point where I think if someone flung a booger hard enough it would scuff the plastic.

 

Exactly, all plastic will obviously scratch, it's just how easily it does.

 

Customers (people like you and me) request soft touch surfaces. OEM manufacturers oblige. They all scratch and the Tacoma is no worse or better. Older vehicles had a hard plastic and was sorta shiny and didn't scratch as easy. My new back then 1984 4Runner had plastic as hard as steel and about as thick. Customers don't want that crap nowadays. They want soft. Soft scratches.

 

Try this stuff. It made my sun damaged '98 Sonoma interior, the leader in brittle plastics, look almost new.

BTW, I used 303 on it first, and it was like nothing happened. And I used 303 for years on a convertible top, so it's not like I'm a 303 hater.

 

Geek article.
http://articles.sae.org/9504/

 

Yep in a truck or suv I expect and desire tougher material

 

Here ya go for a fix:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u3AOq_oAbA4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7vS6F8EHxI

 

How about this product... I have some, but not used yet... Seems like its more for "restoring" old faded plastic, but might work for your issue..??
http://www.wipenew.com/wipe-new-original/

 

^^^Love this guy..... we talk about this stuff with our fit and finish group all the time. I asked about my taco and they told me it's the type of graining selected by Toyota. We use the same materials using very likely same vendors as TOYT that give the lowest bid for the molding, but ours don't quite scratch the same. Not with a light touch from a fingernail at least.

FYI, the etch depth and grain pattern are done with a giant water slide decal placed on the injection tooling (to protect surfaces not to be grain/depth etched) and the open exposed areas not protected by the giant multi piece decal is what etches the metal when the etching paste is applied to the metal tooling.

I've seen it done, pretty impressive. The vendor showed us a variety of auto manufacturers they do this for, but amazingly painstaking as the printed decal sheets are 11x17! They have to match the end grain and overlap like a well done wallpaper job, but in negative 3D space. The ends and edges of all plastics have a draft angle and grain textures are more shallow in these parts in order for the tooling minimize drag marks as the plastic is cooling and the positive/ negative molds pull apart in a specified draft direction normal to surface (known as die draw). Just FYI additional info for the curious geeks.