How to remove scratches from the plastic trims around the bed?(Update:With instruction how to replace the trim - See end of page5)

[AzureBlueBill]

How about this: Sand down the raised edges around the gouges. Clean any sealant/wax/dirt using isopropyl alcohol. Take it to a shop that "wraps" cars. Have them install a semi-gloss black wrap on the entire top surfaces/edges of both rails. Next time it happens, you can just peel off the wrap and put a new one on. Repeat as necessary.

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[Deweyordeweynot]

You had good intentions. Stuff like this happens. My wife would have said, leave it alone. I also have the tendency to turn the screw one more turn.

Yup. Many a time I've said, "Eh, maybe it's got a little more to go" and...SNAP!
On the other hand, I've never sliced my thumb open while trying to twist off a bottlecap that wasn't a twistoff...

 

[Deweyordeweynot]

One week in and I already put some heavy scratches into the plastic around my bed. While the scratches on the side are more superficial, the scratches on the top are pretty deep. I think it happened during the installation of the bed cover. Any idea how I can get those scratches out without any bigger damage to the whole plastic trim?

Man, I feel for ya...that first scratch, especially if it's self-inflicted, can really ruin your day.
I have a new hardtop cover for the bed to install, and it didn't occur to me that I could scratch the bed trim like this...I'm thinking about ways to protect it during the process, maybe something simple like painter's tape...thanks for making me aware of the issue before it happens to me, too!

 

[Zachary]

Mr. Moustache. Hard to believe it was over a year ago when I added my tie off cleats and you asked what I was doing for the shims under the plastic bed rail trim.
I don't remember the thickness of the shims I used.
I did end up using aluminum plate and composite plastic shims.
The aluminum plate got JB welded atop the steel of the bed rails and the shims to the top of the aluminum.
I had to trim out some of the plastic on the bottom side of the plastic trim cap to get my plates and shims to be long enough to support the length of the tie off clips ( I used stainless steel boat tie off cleats).
I figure the JB weld which has done amazing things for me in the past (like plugging a radiator hole in a 'non-finned' area for at least 5 years before the old truck just got too old to keep) so it would work as a good as a gasket to separate the aluminum from the painted steel.
I ended up abandoning the Revnut idea, it was too tricky for me.
I used stainless steel self-tapping screws but drilled pilot holes thru the plastic/aluminum and the truck sheet metal.
The aluminum plate does wonders to reinforce the truck sheet metal and allows the self-tapping screws to get a really good grip.

Add a dab of good silicone before you complete driving the screws thru.
Length of screws is critical if you want to avoid driving thru that second layer of truck sheet metal.

1 and half winters use and is working great for me.

I tie my Collapsing ice shanty atop my hard fold tonneau cover using these cleats.

I ended up adding some steel rails running parallel to the truck length, this allows me to tie off anywhere for when I mounted one of those cargo travel bags atop the tonneau cover.

I wonder how yours turned out.

Hope this helps some other DIY’s that are thinking about how they might want to keep the truck looking stockish and expand their carrying capacity.

 

[Maverick123]

For future reference, here's what you should use to cover up scuffs like this :
SEM Texture Coat + Trim Black
https://semproducts.com/product/texture-coating#product-details
https://semproducts.com/product/trim-black/black#product-details

Procedure explained :

This isn't worth doing on a $50 part IMO, but it's worth it if you have large parts or many parts to fix

 

[AzureBlueBill]

For future reference, here's what you should use to cover up scuffs like this :
SEM Texture Coat + Trim Black
https://semproducts.com/product/texture-coating#product-details
https://semproducts.com/product/trim-black/black#product-details

Procedure explained :

This isn't worth doing on a $50 part IMO, but it's worth it if you have large parts or many parts to fix

That turned out good. However, the very first step needs to be to clean the plastic with something like Prep-Sol. That paint is going to peel off in no time.

 

[MavTime]

This stuff might be good, it is slippery as can be without being greasy, so don't use it on floor mats or seat covers (ask me how I know). I have tried it on my hard plastics and dash and it's like silicone based and shines as expected but leaves a dry slippery coating that I think will help prevent scratches on door sills and glove box.

It seems great for exterior plastic and factory bed liner too, it shined up my faded factory bed liner, and might hide existing scratches in black plastic. Just keep in mind that it makes things slippery and siliconey, so maybe choose where you use it. It seems to bond to plastic pretty good so it should last, but you might want to also use non-silicone interior cleaners and protectants for some parts of the interior or tire protectants.

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