Tool for compounding / polishing clear coated wheels

[mooch91]

All,

I recently bought a set of Ford factory truck wheels that are clear-coated from the factory. They are in fairly good shape; some nicks in the clear and a lot of marks and scratches, probably a result of extensive car wash abuse.

I tried cleaning them up by hand with a combination of M105 and M205. Didn't do much.

I then tried the M105 with my full-size rotary buffer. Too hard to control and I probably roughed up some of the edges because of the big size of the pad and the small size of the wheel.

Is there a small rotary tool that will help me get better results with the M105 on the clear? I know that the new Meguiars wheel polishing cone is not recommended for clear-coat polishing, based upon what I've read.

The clear on these wheels also seems to be very hard, much harder than typical paint clear. Is there a chance I will need to go more aggressive than M105 for removing scratches and haze?

Thanks!

[Meticulous-Detail]

How about using a cordless drill with adjustable speeds along with a 3 inch backing plate and drill attachment with some 3 or 3.5 inch pads?

[Murr1525]

Re: Tool for compounding / polishing clear coated wheels

Not really going to get more agressive than #105...

Yeah, may have to look for some kind of 3" or 4" drill pad maybe. Maybe like something in one of the headlight kits.

[mooch91]

Re: Tool for compounding / polishing clear coated wheels

Good suggestions. I think I may even have a Black and Decker wool pad and backing plate kit for my drill. Not exactly Meguiars quality for a pad, but it should do on the wheels I imagine...

[Michael Stoops]

Re: Tool for compounding / polishing clear coated wheels

You could get a 3" backing plate for your rotary and our 4" Soft Buff pads.