How do you folks deal with scratches?

So...
I got my first Taco end of August.

And of course, its a damn sin to own something nice and new in this town.

I have 3 scratches on my front quarter panel, near the hood. asif a mechanic leaned over to do something, but its never been in the shop. 2 are slight scratches, one is deep where your finger nail stops if you run it on the paint.

Also have 2 other scratches that run along side the back end of the truck, below the gas tank lid and just before the factory placed vinyl sticker to stop common scratches, looks like a god damn shopping cart that some drove on the side of my truck.
And these two are deep as well.

I assume these wont buff out.

am i to "suck it up" and just accept the fact that its a horrible world, and im a horrible person for buying a new vehicle?

More of a, im pissed off thread, but any help would be great!

 

Oh, i completely forgot about that stuff!
Thanks guys.

I remember my last new vehicle, i only cared for a year or two...but she's still young...not even 2months...she's a baby!

 

Best thing really, if they are that deep. Get some touch-up either from your local dealer or an online source, and touch the area up as best as possible to prevent rust. Scratches happen, I was upset the second day I had my truck, as I noticed I already had a ding in the front bumper, possibly from a rock hitting it off another car on the highway.

Just chalked it up as the first ding is there, now I can start enjoying the truck and worrying about stuff like that.

 

+1 on the Scratch-X as first line. If that isn't enough, go get a DA, an assortment of pads, and an assortment of cutting/polishing/cleaning compounds. Mequiers has a load of these to.

 

Go wheeling in the bush country. Hide them with more scratches.

 

x2

 

This^^^^^. USE THAT TRUCK!

 

Another reason I got a Super White its the the best in hiding scratches but give it time you won't care soon. In the meantime if you do really care You Tube "Junkman" on paint correction. He is the authority in paint and detailing issues

 

I say, "meh, it's a truck" and move on. My 2014 with 5k miles has already been down enough hunting trails to have more than a few scratches, not to mention dings and scratches from hauling.

One thing I can say is the paint job on my truck, and on my wife's 2014 RAV4, sucks ass...I don't think Toyota could have done a cheaper job on both vehicles. Stuff that would have caused minor scratches on my past vehicles seem to make it all the way down to the metal on my Tacoma. I guess stuff like that is how they keep prices down / profits up...

 

My Taco is 9 yrs old, and I STILL care about every little scratch it gets. Too many damn people don't know how to open their doors without hitting your truck. Burns me up.

 

Welcome to the site man.

 

Black truck meet pine trees, Pine trees meet black truck, much fun ensued

 

"I'm makin' it look mean!"

http://youtu.be/SfroUSUcbdc

 

I just run through mud. Hides my scratches, bubbling clear coat, and all that. But then again, my truck is a 96.
Mind you, I still get mad as dirt every time I find a new scratch.

 

Vinyl Decals!

Designer Vinyl "Bandages" for a more humorous look.

In my younger days... I'd use bullet hole stickers to cover dents that I couldnt take out.
There are still 3 on my other Car.

 

Sorry to hear about those scratches. I got my first ding at the super market from someone's door. There was more of a dent than a scratch and the person had to know they knocked the hell out of my vehicle. People do not care about your nice vehicle while they are driving their shitty vehicle. I park away from the store front anymore.

The worst dent I have is in the tail gate which I done. Loading the ATV on a trailer did not go good one morning before a hunt last year. I covered the dent with a vinyl decal as Neonrt3 stated he does also. The decal does a good job of covering these spots but may look out of place where your scratches are located.

I use Turtle Wax RENEW Rx polishing compound "light to medium cleaner". It will do a good job on those light scratches.

The scratches do not hurt as much now as the first ones did. I still do want them and make an effort to protect my vehicle.

 

If you can't feel the scratches with your nail, then you should be ok. Probably something a good wash and quick wax can fix. If it catches on your nail, then you may have to do a little work.

For the pain in the butt scratches, I use a random orbital buffer and a little compound. It'll help to minimize how deep the scratch is. Then follow up with some sealant and wax. After I wash the truck, I apply some quick wax to help minimize future scratches. Especially from the trails.

The wax/sealant helps by adding another layer on the clearcoat for protection. Most of the scratches I get now a day go away after I wash and spray wax. However, you may end up with deep scratches that you can't do anything about except minimize how deep they are. I found this out the hard way after someone drug my magnetic antenna across the roof to remove it

Check out the Detailing section, and also pages such as this for help:

 

MgGuiars Scratch-X didn't quite do the job on the scratches I got driving through brush. They have another product called "ultimate compound" that worked better for me. I think it's slightly more abrasive that the scratch-x. Followed that up with wax and it looked great.

 

Pick your battles. The last thing you want to do is thin your paint and clear coat out every 3 months because of a scratch, then in 4 years need a respray.

 

But then you can get a better clear coat.