Please help me out!

[timmygogdon]

Hey everyone! Let me start off by saying that I honestly don't know too much about cars and I am also the BIGGEST overthinker known to man and would love any opinions I can get so I can learn more! So the Supra has been my dream car since I was 6 years old and I finally bought one BRAND NEW 2 weeks ago and the first thing I did was get it ceramic coated with a graphene coating. The detailers I went to did a really good job and it looked good but then tragedy struck!

The weather in WA got really bad 2 days later and I noticed on the sides of my car (passenger and driver) there was a little scrape that kind of travelled. You couldn't feel it (except for 1 little one) nor really see it unless you shined it under a light but I took it into the shop and they fixed it by buffing/polishing for free but now HERE IS WHERE MY QUESTIONS AND CONCERNS COME IN!

1. The detailer I'm currently seeing told me that since the ceramic coating was applied recently the "scratch" or whatever it was didn't penetrate the clear coat at all. He told me the scratches on both sides were actually just in the ceramic and he easily removed them and just reapplied the ceramic. Could this be true? Also, if the scratch even got to the clear coat, is that a bad thing or can it just be buffed/polished out without damaging any of the paint or anything else? I don't know how many layers a car has but I've heard there's quite a lot before you even get to the paint and it's perfectly so buff/polish scratches.

2. Would I be able to tell if a scratch went deeper than the clear coat? I'm assuming if it did you wouldn't be able to buff/polish it out and you'd need way more done like sanding too. And also can buffing/polishing out scratches remove any paint or make paint uneven?

3. My pillars also had some markings and they buffed/polished those out and my questions about that is does Toyota coat these pillars at all? Like is it bad to buff/polish them or is it perfectly fine?

4. Can the body lines of the Supra be affected by buffing/polishing or is that a stupid question to ask? Sorry my mind just wonders and I know it's metal but I just like to have my mind put at ease.

5. This is my daily and I try to baby it as much as I can so are scratches honestly inevitable? I know a PPF helps a lot but don't really want to do that so is it just kind of a thing that happens and I'm overthinking it way too much?

6. I noticed there's another "scratch" or something I can feel and see under the driver door handle and some little ones right under and he said he'd also do that one for free as it's super fast and doesn't take a lot of time especially since it's only like 1 inch. Is it safe to buff/polish your car whenever there's scratches that bother you?

Sorry if I'm asking some stupid questions/overthinking I just realized a lot of people here probably know WAY more than me and I love learning/insight. Also, the pictures are AFTER they were fixed. The picture of the scratch is the new one I noticed that I want to get buffed/polished out. Does it look bad at all?

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[timmygogdon]

Also has anyone else gotten scratches on theirs/had to buff/polish them out? Want to know if I'm the only one haha. I'm super careful so I know it wasn't from another car it was definitely from a tree branch/branches. The car only has 700 miles. Maybe some could've been from rocks on the road not too sure but would like to see if anyone else got some on theirs and what they did!

 

[Tsuki]

Dude, you’re being neurotic, stop overthinking it!

yes, what the detailed said is possible, and if it was through the clearcoat, you would know it, and they wouldn’t be able to buff it out.

yes, constantly buffing out every tiny imperfection is eventually going to take its toll on your paint. Take care of the car, it shouldn’t be getting scratched all the time.

The a pillars are uncoated plastic. If there are scratches, it’s ok to have them polished out.

No, you’re not going to affect the body lines of the car by having them buff scratches, it’s not made out of clay.

just take a deep breath, it’s gonna be alright.

 

[XtremeMaC]

Can't respond for all, but yes go get PPF before you regret it, if not for the whole thing, at least the front bumper!
At this point, I'm like even considering PPF on the windscreen lol.
I've PPF on the headlights as well.

 

[timmygogdon]

Dude, you’re being neurotic, stop overthinking it!

yes, what the detailed said is possible, and if it was through the clearcoat, you would know it, and they wouldn’t be able to buff it out.

yes, constantly buffing out every tiny imperfection is eventually going to take its toll on your paint. Take care of the car, it shouldn’t be getting scratched all the time.

The a pillars are uncoated plastic. If there are scratches, it’s ok to have them polished out.

No, you’re not going to affect the body lines of the car by having them buff scratches, it’s not made out of clay.

just take a deep breath, it’s gonna be alright.

Thank you for reading and for replying!!! Means a lot! I figured some questions were dumb asking I just literally go insane especially since this is the FIRST nice thing I've EVER bought myself. Like I said not sure where the scratches even came from but I'm just assuming they're inevitable if you're gonna daily a car.

 

[timmygogdon]

Can't respond for all, but yes go get PPF before you regret it, if not for the whole thing, at least the front bumper!
At this point, I'm like even considering PPF on the windscreen lol.
I've PPF on the headlights as well.

If you ever get the chance to reply to everything else it would mean a lot! But thanks for the feedback.

 

[Loco38SUP]

Hey everyone! Let me start off by saying that I honestly don't know too much about cars and I am also the BIGGEST overthinker known to man and would love any opinions I can get so I can learn more! So the Supra has been my dream car since I was 6 years old and I finally bought one BRAND NEW 2 weeks ago and the first thing I did was get it ceramic coated with a graphene coating. The detailers I went to did a really good job and it looked good but then tragedy struck!

The weather in WA got really bad 2 days later and I noticed on the sides of my car (passenger and driver) there was a little scrape that kind of travelled. You couldn't feel it (except for 1 little one) nor really see it unless you shined it under a light but I took it into the shop and they fixed it by buffing/polishing for free but now HERE IS WHERE MY QUESTIONS AND CONCERNS COME IN!

1. The detailer I'm currently seeing told me that since the ceramic coating was applied recently the "scratch" or whatever it was didn't penetrate the clear coat at all. He told me the scratches on both sides were actually just in the ceramic and he easily removed them and just reapplied the ceramic. Could this be true? Also, if the scratch even got to the clear coat, is that a bad thing or can it just be buffed/polished out without damaging any of the paint or anything else? I don't know how many layers a car has but I've heard there's quite a lot before you even get to the paint and it's perfectly so buff/polish scratches.

2. Would I be able to tell if a scratch went deeper than the clear coat? I'm assuming if it did you wouldn't be able to buff/polish it out and you'd need way more done like sanding too. And also can buffing/polishing out scratches remove any paint or make paint uneven?

3. My pillars also had some markings and they buffed/polished those out and my questions about that is does Toyota coat these pillars at all? Like is it bad to buff/polish them or is it perfectly fine?

4. Can the body lines of the Supra be affected by buffing/polishing or is that a stupid question to ask? Sorry my mind just wonders and I know it's metal but I just like to have my mind put at ease.

5. This is my daily and I try to baby it as much as I can so are scratches honestly inevitable? I know a PPF helps a lot but don't really want to do that so is it just kind of a thing that happens and I'm overthinking it way too much?

6. I noticed there's another "scratch" or something I can feel and see under the driver door handle and some little ones right under and he said he'd also do that one for free as it's super fast and doesn't take a lot of time especially since it's only like 1 inch. Is it safe to buff/polish your car whenever there's scratches that bother you?

Sorry if I'm asking some stupid questions/overthinking I just realized a lot of people here probably know WAY more than me and I love learning/insight. Also, the pictures are AFTER they were fixed. I'll upload a picture of the new scratch I saw when I can!

First and foremost welcome to the forum! We have several knowledgeable people from WA State that can help with your questions.

I will try to answer a few of them. Your detailer is correct about the ceramic coating. If the scratch is light enough more coating can conceal it. Even if a scratch gets into your clear coat it can be buffed out.

I know you’re hesitant about PPF but I think its a must in this state. Especially when you’re sensitive to new scratches. These cars kick up a lot of sand, gravel and road debris from the sticky tires. I would also recommend the ZL1 rock guards.

Congrats on the new Supra.

-RJM

 

[XtremeMaC]

I'm going to bed now it's 3am, but some more things to worry about for you
How will you wash the car? You can say bye bye to all this easily by going to $5 car wash. Either find a really good touchless or do it at home with proper techniques and tools...

 

[timmygogdon]

I'm going to bed now it's 3am, but some more things to worry about for you
How will you wash the car? You can say bye bye to all this easily by going to $5 car wash. Either find a really good touchless or do it at home with proper techniques and tools...

100% ONLY hand washing it. I know the basics I researched A LOT and the detailers I go to hand wash it whenever I want for only $10 because my friends are really close with them!

 

[timmygogdon]

First and foremost welcome to the forum! We have several knowledgeable people from WA State that can help with your questions.

I will try to answer a few of them. Your detailer is correct about the ceramic coating. If the scratch is light enough more coating can conceal it. Even if a scratch gets into your clear coat it can be buffed out.

I know you’re hesitant about PPF but I think its a must in this state. Especially when you’re sensitive to new scratches. These cars kick up a lot of sand, gravel and road debris from the sticky tires. I would also recommend the ZL1 rock guards.

Congrats on the new Supra.

-RJM

Thank you so much I appreciate it so much!!! Yeah owning a car in WA is honestly such a pain like ALL the roads are bad it doesn't matter where you go. Bellevue, Tacoma, Auburn, Kent, Tukwila, etc.

 

[BG500]

You are really overthinking this?
Almost any scratch can be buffed out, and as long as the guy doing it knows what he's doing and you don't keep scratching up and buffing out the same spot over and over again you'll be ok.
The clear coat is relatively thick and if you don't go to town on your paintwork with a screwdriver or a key you will usually never get into the color layer underneath that.
Having said that, you need to realize that scratches are bound to happen, it doesn't matter how careful you are, as long as you're using the car instead of keeping it in glass box like a museum piece it's just going to get scratched here and there.
What I do is go over the car once a year, usually in the spring, and buff out everything, reapply the ceramic and the drive it, small scratches accumulating until the next spring ?

 

[timmygogdon]

Here's the scratch I am referring to that is under the door handle! Does it look bad at all or does it look like it's super easy to buff/polish out? Can't feel it too much and it's smaller than the picture shows. About 1 inch.

 

[timmygogdon]

You are really overthinking this?
Almost any scratch can be buffed out, and as long as the guy doing it knows what he's doing and you don't keep scratching up and buffing out the same spot over and over again you'll be ok.
The clear coat is relatively thick and if you don't go to town on your paintwork with a screwdriver or a key you will usually never get into the color layer underneath that.
Having said that, you need to realize that scratches are bound to happen, it doesn't matter how careful you are, as long as you're using the car instead of keeping it in glass box like a museum piece it's just going to get scratched here and there.
What I do is go over the car once a year, usually in the spring, and buff out everything, reapply the ceramic and the drive it, small scratches accumulating until the next spring ?

That makes me feel so relieved that someone else gets scratches too! Thank you so much for taking the time to read/reply! Any input on questions 3 and 4 for me?

 

[Loco38SUP]

That makes me feel so relieved that someone else gets scratches too! Thank you so much for taking the time to read/reply! Any input on questions 3 and 4 for me?

The pillars might be more difficult to correct since they’re plastic. I can’t tell from your pictures because of the reflections. But if they’re really light they might be able to buff them out. If not then you can have the black vinyl wrapped to look new again.

The scratch below the door handle can be buffed out.

-RJM

 

[timmygogdon]

The pillars might be more difficult to correct since they’re plastic. I can’t tell from your pictures because of the reflections. But if they’re really light they might be able to buff them out. If not then you can have the black vinyl wrapped to look new again.

The scratch below the door handle can be buffed out.

-RJM

The only scratch I currently have is just that one I uploaded! They did the pillars when I last went and those pics are the after! I don't see any swirls or anything I was just worried it was bad to buff/polish them but as I'm reading they're not coated at all and it's perfectly fine! Seems to be the case with scratches too as long as I don't do the same spot too many times.

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