Paint job help! :)

Welcome to Club-tC.com!

I would start off by buying Mother's Clay Bar System and clay barring your tC. I would also buy a can of polishing or buffing compound. After you've done that apply a coat of wax to the treated areas. Any scratches that are deep enough to catch your finger nail will have to be removed by a paint/body shop. Minor scratches and swirl marks can be removed by hand w/ the right products.

You can order the small touch-up paint from the Dealership that color matches your car. It is the same as those small touch-up paints that you see in the auto stores. If the scratch is not too big and you are very careful at how you apply it, it will be almost unnoticeable from 10 feet or so away. The applicator comes as either a brush or a ball-point pin. The ball-point is great for those minor scratches. The brush is needed for deep gouges and rock chips.

Apply after washing and before any wax product. Be sure to pick a wash soap that does not have any wax or Teflon in it. Note: Clay bar requires the use of a spray speed wax for lubrication so you will have to either clay bar then wash again (preferred method: depending on how contaminated your clear coat is) or just wash and touch first. You should wait 24 hours after touch paint application to make sure it has a good bond before using a clay bar. Touch-up paint on Scion/Toyo vehicles does not require a primer application unless the OEM primer is scratched to the bare metal.

You may want to invest in paint protection products, such as, from these companies.

• Paint Protection Film - XPEL Technologies Corp.
• Lamin-x Protective Films - Protect with Style
• Auto Ventshade | AVS Ventvisors | Rear Ventvisor
• For the Consumer
• ClearMask Automotive Paint Protection And Headlight Protection Film - Auto Clear Bra - Scotchgard Protector - Headlight Covers

I have headlamp protection film from Xpel on all of my vehicles.

Just an FYI, you DO NOT need to use the spray detailer to clay bar, a bottle of hot water and a little soap will work as well.

Doesn't the soap leave behind a residue?

I used water and dish soap mixture to clay bar my tC this year and it came out great. The soap did leave a little white residue behind, but it wipes right off w/ a microfiber towel. The reason why I mentioned the soap and water for clay barring is because I saw a write up and a video posted last year on a Cardomain.com blog, which I am also a member of. As long as you have the wet surface to glide the clay bar across your fine.

Yes that is true. It was just to state the possibility that any residue is left behind in the repair area can cause touch-up paint to fail over the next couple of car washes. Did you know that bar soap used to be used as lubricant grease long time ago? What was the video poster's reason for using soap/water solution instead of the detailer spray wax that comes with the clay bar?