Polishing interior painted panels

[Manhattan]

I just bought a 2020 4Runner. It has a silver panel on the center console that is painted plastic. The previous owner added a few light scratches. They are very light - can't feel them with my fingernail, but pretty visible when the light hits them.

My assumptions (based on basically nothing):
1. It's automotive paint.
2. It's probably single stage
3. It's thinner than the paint on the exterior... probably a good bit thinner.
4. Polishing that area is an option... but do NOT get aggressive.

How many did I get wrong? Any tips, suggestions, etc. are appreciated!

[Big Dave]

The interior silver paint on Toyotas can be a bit random. My 2011 FJ Cruiser has silver painted pieces all over the interior, some match the silver paint on the exterior, other pieces are a different silver, less glossy. And I'm sure the previous owner wore rings as certain places had scratches. The top of the gear knob and trim pieces on the steering wheel hub, I guess he was one of those guys who drove with his hands resting on the hub rather than the rim.

So when I tried wiping the hub trim with an APC the silver paint started wiping off, I think they'd tried repainting, so I just painted it dark grey to match the rest of the interior. I've since bought carbon fibre look trim pieces that cover silver bits on the steering wheel. The gear knob I've also replaced with a carbon fibre one, it gives it a matching look.

On the other end of the spectrum, the silver trim on the doors, see below, which matches the exterior silver, has worn off where my forearm rubs against it. That implies that it's a pretty cheap finish, but when I tried to polish it, it made no difference, it didn't look better or worse, it didn't seem to remove any silver or even make it any glossier. I'm thinking of getting the carbon fibre look for those panels now as well.

So no real answers, sorry. Just be careful, it could be fragile, or robust. Hidden test spots will be your friend.

Sent from my motorola edge 20 fusion using Tapatalk

[Manhattan]

Ha! Big Dave, I had the same silver FJ. I took your advice and went s l o w l y. It was kinda unnerving. Polish, look, polish, look, just hoping (!) I didn't see black plastic peaking through. I'd say the scratches are 90% gone. I'm sure, if I was a bit more aggressive, I could've made them disappear... or seen black plastic. So I'm good with the results.