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  1. #1
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    Buffing too much ?

    I have a 2019 Tacoma TRD pro. I went off-roading and wanted a quick clean, so I went to an automatic car wash. What a mistake, tons of scratches from the brushes (see pic )

    i bought a Bauer DA polisher, Meguiars 105 compound and Meguiars polish. I used an orange pad with the compound and a blue pad with the polish.

    Long story short: I removed the damage. But it took many many many passes to do it. Part of the reason was that I was learning as I went along. See “after pic”

    Now my question: How do I know if I’ve done too much and depleted the clear coat? I see no visible signs. But I’m concerned that if I need to buff in the future , it will go through the clear coat. I may have done 10+ passes on some areas with the orange pad and compound
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails Buffing too much ?-710e3df2-eb06-4112-9e3c-cb72cd5f8138-jpg   Buffing too much ?-f2fbb8d7-4288-413d-9dce-8a0ea77c4771-jpg  

  2. #2
    Super Member PaulMys's Avatar
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    Re: Buffing too much ?

    First, welcome to AGO.

    Second, I think you found out the hard way about the Swirl-o-Matic crap washes.

    Third, Any DA polisher is safe to use on your paint to remove swirls. Did you remove clear coat in the process? Yes. But that is the nature of polishing.

    Did you remove enough clear coat to damage (or burn through) it? Highly doubtful if you used it in the way it was intended. (In fact, DA polishers are designed to stall if too much pressure is applied.)


    Stay AWAY from those automated truck/car washes, and you will only need the DA for light correction in the future.
    It is no coincidence that man's best friend cannot talk.

  3. #3
    Super Member Bill D's Avatar
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    Re: Buffing too much ?

    It might be very well worth it to learn how to wash your truck yourself without instilling marring. If you take the time to search, you will find many posts about processes for doing it.
    Treat it like it's the only one in the world.

  4. #4
    Super Member Sizzle Chest's Avatar
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    Re: Buffing too much ?

    The only way to know is to 'measure' your paint/clear with a Paint Thickness Gauge. (PTG)
    Scott Harle
    Autodermatology
    #autodermatology


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  6. #5
    Super Member PaulMys's Avatar
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    Re: Buffing too much ?

    Quote Originally Posted by Sizzle Chest View Post
    The only way to know is to 'measure' your paint/clear with a Paint Thickness Gauge. (PTG)
    This is 100% correct.

    Scott (Sizzle Chest) is a professional detailer.

    I was just going off you having a 2019 truck.
    It is no coincidence that man's best friend cannot talk.

  7. #6
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    Re: Buffing too much ?

    Thanks fellas. Can you recommend a good PTG?

  8. #7
    Super Member Desertnate's Avatar
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    Re: Buffing too much ?

    Going forward I would highly recommend using a much milder approach to polishing out your truck. Just because there are some marks doesn't mean you need to go straight for a compound and cutting pad.

    Toyota paint is very soft and very easy to correct. You'll be very surprised how easy you can correct the paint using a milder, white pad and a polish like Megs 205 or similar. For my wife's highlander I've never had to use a compound to remove scratches and heavy marring which were much worse than what you pictured. I was also able to fix most of the damage on my father-in-laws Tacoma from a run-in with a garage door using mostly a finishing polish. The compound was only needed on the really bad places.

    Using a much more gentle solution will allow you to still correct if/when needed, but remove much less paint.
    Drop by to see the latest at The Car Geek Blog

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  10. #8
    Super Member 2black1s's Avatar
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    Re: Buffing too much ?

    If you buffed only enough to remove the swirls evident in the pictures, then you don't need to worry about taking off too much clear. If you buffed way more than was necessary to remove the swirls then that's a different story.

    You could probably do that process 20 times, or more, (if done correctly) before having any real clear-coat concerns.

    I know of all the talk around here about how thin clear-coats are, and that is true, but the clear-coats are also pretty robust and will withstand many polishing cycles. The more experience one has the clearer this becomes. Those with little experience tend to be a bit over-conservative and maybe even a little paranoid.

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  12. #9
    Super Member fly07sti's Avatar
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    Re: Buffing too much ?

    As others have said, chances are your clear is fine and if you’re really concerned with it, but a PTG. Really good units run into the thousands while you can get some go-hum units for a couple hundred bucks.

  13. #10
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    Re: Buffing too much ?

    Thanks. Looking for some guidance on measuring the paint thickness. What is the best tool for this for the money ?

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