I just purchased a '97 Toyota Tacome. The cab paint job looks great (red) but the truck bed is completely faded to a very dull red. Would buffing this out with rubbing compound help? Any other suggestions. Thanks.
It depends. If it’s simply oxidization on the clear coat, you might be able to cut it with a very fine rubbing compound and get back some shine. If it’s lost the clear coat, you can get back some luster with rubbing compound, but it probably won’t look nearly as good as the cab.
EDIT: So I guess the long answer is, yes, you can get back some of the finish with a rubbing compound, but how much depends on the condition of the surface.
I’d also question why it’s in this condition. Was the cab wrecked and repainted, or was it the bed? They were both originally painted at the same time at the factory with the same paint.
Buffing it out will help, but won’t last as long as a complete re-paint.
In my area MAACO offers periodically a $249 “presidential special” overspray. I’ve seen it and it really looks pretty decent. I’d do it if the truck is in good shape and I didn’t have the wherewithall to do it myself.
It sounds as if someone parked the truck so that the cab was in the shade and the bed was out in the sun for the first 10 years of the truck’s life. You need to park the truck so that the bed is in the shade and the cab is in the sun. In ten years, everything will again match.