Scratched door pillars w/ swirl marks

[Chilidog]

Did anyone else's truck arrive with swirl mark type scratches on all of the door pillars? My rep apologized and said all new vehicles arrive like this and they are not sure why. I showed the rep the pillars on the VW I traded in and they are perfect. Not sure how much of a big deal to make of this, but it is really unacceptable for a new vehicle.

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[sbi]

My rep apologized and said all new vehicles arrive like this and they are not sure why.

Tell your rep he is an idiot and you can tell him I said that.

 

[s.v.t.]

Tell your rep he is an idiot and you can tell him I said that.

I second this. I hope and presume the swirls/scratches can be easily buffed out?

 

[Chilidog]

I second this. I hope and presume the swirls/scratches can be easily buffed out?

Not sure since they are plastic. I know black PPF can cover them.

 

[Zengineer]

Not sure since they are plastic. I know black PPF can cover them.

If there is something (other than covering them) that will improve them, I haven't found it yet...and I've tried everything from Meguiar's PlastiX to Polishing Compound to Waxes to various Trim Restoration products. I am not sure how they are made but suspect the swirls may actually be under the top most coating layer.

I see the Interweb says to tape off around them and go after them with a correction compound and orbital so maybe I just haven't been aggressive enough. I'll try that route. If I ruin them I'll cover them.

 

[Spidergears]

My pillars were in good shape when I took delivery. Didn’t take long to start getting scratched.

I used this.
https://www.theocdplug.com/shop/p/f150-pillar-protectors

 

[JeffInCOS]

A professional detailer can polish the B-pillars back to shiny perfection.

 

[Oxford_Powerboost]

They scratch crazy easy. Mine were awful after going through my dealer’s auto wash.
I used OCDPlug’s black pillar protectors and couldn’t be happier with them

 

[Blue22]

My previous vehicle’s b-pillars scratched easily when I first got it so the first thing I did when I got my truck was have ppf applied to them. The guy who put them on said minor scratches and swirls would be covered by the ppf so maybe it would be worth trying if it’s not too bad.

 

[powerboatr]

If there is something (other than covering them) that will improve them, I haven't found it yet...and I've tried everything from Meguiar's PlastiX to Polishing Compound to Waxes to various Trim Restoration products. I am not sure how they are made but suspect the swirls may actually be under the top most coating layer.

I see the Interweb says to tape off around them and go after them with a correction compound and orbital so maybe I just haven't been aggressive enough. I'll try that route. If I ruin them I'll cover them.

me to. my passenger side b pillars covers got scratched from me touching them with window shades

 

[780]

I didn't notice it till after I read this. Now it's all I see when I look at my truck. Thanks. ?

 

[pkinneb]

You can get them out (polisher) but unless you are handwashing your car and using good microfiber towels good luck keeping them nice. Film is your best option if you're not doing as stated above.

 

[athenslb57]

You can get them out (polisher) but unless you are handwashing your car and using good microfiber towels good luck keeping them nice. Film is your best option if you're not doing as stated above.

I'm handwashing with foam cannon and they still look like crap. They are scratched when they leave the plant.

 

[pkinneb]

I'm handwashing with foam cannon and they still look like crap. They are scratched when they leave the plant.

Totally agree. I was just suggesting if you do polish them back to no swirls and go through a car wash you will be back to swirls

 

[PatchManager]

If there is something (other than covering them) that will improve them, I haven't found it yet...and I've tried everything from Meguiar's PlastiX to Polishing Compound to Waxes to various Trim Restoration products. I am not sure how they are made but suspect the swirls may actually be under the top most coating layer.

I see the Interweb says to tape off around them and go after them with a correction compound and orbital so maybe I just haven't been aggressive enough. I'll try that route. If I ruin them I'll cover them.

It is possible to machine polish the b-pillars, which I just did to our Toyota Highlander. It is a our family car, so there were many scratches. The process is not difficult, but not trivial either. In my case, machine polishing was necessary since polishing by hand did little. I was fairly concerned about making them worse with polishing, but they turned out nicely. Start with polishing compound first and then move to cutting compound if the polishing compound isn't enough. Gradually move up to higher RPMs on the buffer.

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