Pinstripes? I'll Show You Pinstripes!!

Video of how I pinstriped my 4R.

https://photos.google.com/share/AF1...?key=cS1vRU5sSlU5Z3BlOEhKUDRZakw1Ym84Q2ZEZmx3




We knew that it was going to get pinstriped, but not like this. Both sides got it. The right side was the worse. (Worst?)


4 days and 20 hrs. of buffing and a case of beer later....


The wife is stunned that I rubbed out the scratches (I kinda am, too) To say that she was pissed would be an understatement. Lucky she was riding shotgun when I did it!!
I have zero experience doing any kind of buffing. I stopped at the body supply store for advice. They recommended Meguire's Solo Cut and Polish Cream applied with a wool pad on a polisher-not on an orbital buffer. Final polish with a foam pad.
I didn't get them completely out. I was afraid that I might get through the clear coat and into the paint. The sun has to be at the correct angle to see the very few teeny-tiny scratches that remain.

I am really proud of the results. Amazing!!

 

Ouch!

Nice save.

 

Damn! That is a stunning recovery! But, if you are going to be a repeat offender - why bother!

 

I will do everything in my power to avoid the pinstripes in the future. That was my introduction to off-roading. I had a blast, but I will pass on the bushwacking. I also did ask a body shop about buffing. The owner told me Toyota skimps on the clear coat. I feel, right or wrong, that if I ever scratch it again that I cannot do any buffing as I will probably get through the clear coat and into the paint.

 

Those are some good ones. Nice job getting them out. Most of mine over the last two years are superficial and come out with a wash but I have a few deep ones. Gives it some character, if you are going off road unless you find wide tracks or maintained logging/forest service roads it is unavoidable in certain parts of the country .

 

There's one solution to completely avoid it ever touching the paint, and also to buff them out with extreme ease: XPEL PPF.

 

Nice work, i think the beer made all the difference.

 

Stoney, impressive. Especially for an amateur and without all the tools. Great job. The smartest thing that you did was not being too aggressive on the clearcoat. Once you remove too much, there's no going back and you ruin your basecoat color. Basecoat color is for one thing. Color coverage. It has zero UV and Chemical resistance. The clearcoat is the work horse, it provides all the protection. Think of clearcoat like sunscreen on a hot sunny day. If you only have a little sunscreen, and dilute it to go further, you now have a thinned out, low film protection which will allow UV to penetrate and burn your skin. Same thing with clearcoat. At the factory they dip the vehicle in a phosphate wash, rinse it then apply a thin (.4 mil-a mil is a thousandth of on inch) wash prime (E-coat) then a .7 mil epoxy baked sealer. Then a highly pigmented basecoat 1-1.2 mils then a high solids clearcoat, 2.5-3.5 mils. Usually the top, horizontal surfaces are thicker because they can hold more without running and sagging. When you remove the clearcoat by sanding and buffing you remove part of the base coat protection. Shops have an array of tools and compounds. Heavy duty compounds remove a lot, fast, but it creates gouges in the clear, which then have to be removed with a gritty polish and then again with a less gritty polish then a finish polish/wax. Too many people go too aggressive too fast. They also make the mistake of overkilling panel borders. They polish a fender and also hit the edge of the door and hood. Then when they buff the door and hood, they re-hit the fender, removing more clear. I always recommend taping the gaps between panels and then hand polishing those areas. You can't tell the difference but keep your film build at safe levels. Might take a few more beers, and time, but since when has that been a bad thing???Good job.

 

Thank you! I guess I'll be the guinea pig to see how many buffings before the paint is toast. I do a tight-and-scratchy off-road trip every spring.

 

Well, before you go, put on a few coats of wax, not glazes. Rub that off, not your clear.

 

Great job! How many times can you get away with that? Have you measured your paint thickness before and after?

 

Thanks. I'm rather proud how it turned out. It's been buffed twice now. 2nd time was not nearly as bad. I did not measure the thickness of the paint. I mentioned earlier that I'll be the guinea pig and report when the paint finally goes to hell.

Who knows? It may (hopefully) take a long time.

 

I heard if you drive the trail in reverse it puts the paint back on

I am impressed with the outcome of your effort, I need to buff a few pinstripes out myself at some point,

 

I tried that. No joy.