How to polish B-Pillar trim without a DA

[Burns ST]

My B-pillar trim on my Focus ST is showing lots of swirls. I believe its just a gloss black, not actual paint or and clear coat. It scratches incredibly easy. I've taken a brand new MF out of the bag, sprayed some QD on it, ran it over the pillars and come out with new swirls.

Can I polish this without the use of DA, because I don't own one. I was thinking of picking up some Megs Ultimate Compound and trying to polish it by hand with a foam wax applicator. Will this work or am I going to end up causing more damage?

[Belair]

So if it's not paint nor clear coat is it glossy plastic like on a dashboard or what? You have to know what you're dealing with before you can correct anything. I guess you can call a dealership & talk to a salesman or someone in the parts dept., they should know what it is. Then you can proceed. But going from QD to Ultimate Compound is not something I would do right away. Have any pics?

[allenk4]

If it scratches with QD and a Microfiber...it is soft and can likely be corrected with a mild polish.


OTC, you can use Meguiar's Ultimate Polish and a standard yellow foam wax applicator.


If you are going to order from AutoGeek....there are a million options for polish and applicator.


Dealership won't know Jack about this type of thing

[Desertnate]

If it scratches with QD and a Microfiber...it is soft and can likely be corrected with a mild polish.


OTC, you can use Meguiar's Ultimate Polish and a standard yellow foam wax applicator.


If you are going to order from AutoGeek....there are a million options for polish and applicator.


Dealership won't know Jack about this type of thing

Agree on all points. If you're really curious what the part is made from, you might see if they have it in stock and you can take a look at one to see how you want to proceed. On VW a Golf/GTI it's a part that can be replaced by itself. Your Focus may be the same. If you go this route don't specify an ST, ask if they have that part for any current gen Focus, as I doubt that trim piece is unique.

On my VW, that part is black plastic with a shiny surface. On my Toyota and Mazda I believe it's black plastic with a matte finish. I've corrected the VW quite easily with a single light pass on a DA with finishing polish, so you should be able to correct it easily by hand with a light polish as well.

[Coopers ST]

My Focus ST is swirled on that part also. It actually gets swirls if you just look at it sideways. I have had ok luck with a foam applicator on a handle that is like a knob and some scratchx. Not perfect, but better.

[Burns ST]

Heres a pic I googled of the pillars, mine aren't in as bad of shape as these but you get the idea. I'm thinking its just black plastic with a lacquer finish.

I'm going to try the OTC megs polish and a fresh wax/sealant foam applicator pad. I'll follow that up with some sealant, hopefully that helps. These pillars are a nightmare. I often tell people riding in my car not to close the door by touching the pillar, touch my glass instead.

[Romach]

I had same problem on my Audi q5 and I used mothers plastic polish with a microfibre and did it gently!

Its a royal pain! A £50k car and cheap plastic

[frankprozzoly]

My accord has a matte finish. I was thinking of putting those shiny black pillars over mine. Should I reconsider. I thought it might look better

[Desertnate]

My accord has a matte finish. I was thinking of putting those shiny black pillars over mine. Should I reconsider. I thought it might look better

They will swirl like crazy if you breath on them. I wouldn't do it.

[frankprozzoly]

The matte finish isn't great either. Always shows fingerprints and to keep it from fading you have to constantly treat it