Hand polish for removing scuffs

[DanEz_yoda]

Gents,

I just bought some 2005 16" TRD off road tacoma alloy wheels used and when they came, the wheels were shipped dirty and the box rubbed against the finish and scuffed it pretty good by the time they got to me.

These are not bushed aluminum wheels but the alloys that appear to be painted metalic silver in color. The scuffs didn't chew all the way thorough the finish but they are noticable.
When I wipe them with windex, they went away but quickly came back when the windex dried.

I'm thinkin that I can wetsand with the 1500 grit and knock off the high spots then switch to a hand polish/elbow grease to put a shine on them and finish with Klass AIO.

I don't have a DA polisher so its' going to have to be done by hand and probably by something I can get local.

Looks like Mcguiers and 3M polishes are available, which would yaull recommend.

Any other suggestions?

[DietoRemain]

Whoa. I'd definitely try a few passes of ScratchX by hand (meguiars) with lots of passion behind a terry cloth towel. Should do it. If not they must be real deep then. Good luck!

[PolishAndWax]

Originally Posted by DanEz_yoda

Gents,

I just bought some 2005 16" TRD off road tacoma alloy wheels used and when they came, the wheels were shipped dirty and the box rubbed against the finish and scuffed it pretty good by the time they got to me.

These are not bushed aluminum wheels but the alloys that appear to be painted metalic silver in color. The scuffs didn't chew all the way thorough the finish but they are noticable.
When I wipe them with windex, they went away but quickly came back when the windex dried.

I'm thinkin that I can wetsand with the 1500 grit and knock off the high spots then switch to a hand polish/elbow grease to put a shine on them and finish with Klass AIO.

I don't have a DA polisher so its' going to have to be done by hand and probably by something I can get local.

Looks like Mcguiers and 3M polishes are available, which would yaull recommend.

Any other suggestions?

Sounds like scratches in clear coat, but I am guessing.

I wouldn't wet sand...at least not initially. You don't know how much paint (if it is indeed paint) you have to work with. If they are polished aluminum and clearcoated, again, you still don't want to take off too much material.

Start out with the mildest abrasive you have in your arsenal first. Scratch-X is a diminishing abrasive and will go fairly deep initially, then smooth out. I've seen it put sandpaper-like scratches in black paint. If possible, try an inconspicuos area first and make sure you are happy with the results.

You can always go more abrasive later, if you need to, but if you start out with too much there's no going back.

I will be an official vendor on this site shortly and can make product recommendations then, but in the interim...be careful!

EDIT: If you can provide pictures, that would be great.

[DanEz_yoda]

This is what I'm up against. any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

http://img529.imageshack.us/img529/3...lscuff2mx1.jpg

http://img529.imageshack.us/img529/9...lscuff4zz7.jpg

http://img529.imageshack.us/img529/1...lscuff3rd3.jpg

[PolishAndWax]

Originally Posted by DanEz_yoda

This is what I'm up against. any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

http://img529.imageshack.us/img529/3...lscuff2mx1.jpg

http://img529.imageshack.us/img529/9...lscuff4zz7.jpg

http://img529.imageshack.us/img529/1...lscuff3rd3.jpg

It's kinda hard to tell from those pictures...but the inner shiny area sure looks like its clearcoated.

On the areas that are in perfect condition, do they feel as smooth as glass or do they feel textured?

[DanEz_yoda]

Originally Posted by PolishAndWax.com

It's kinda hard to tell from those pictures...but the inner shiny area sure looks like its clearcoated.

On the areas that are in perfect condition, do they feel as smooth as glass or do they feel textured?

They feel like car paint that hasn't been waxed in a while. Smooth.

I'd definately say it is aluminum with a metailc silver paint then a clear coat. The plastic center caps are the same color as the rims so I'm almost certain that its paint and clear.

Sine it is sucha small area, I'm going ot try to buff these by hand and see what I can do with them before resorting to paint on the aluminum. But I don need some paint for the wheel caps because one was rubbed right through the paint to the black plastic.

[DanEz_yoda]

Update,

Well I picked up some scratch X while I was allready at Walmart and a foam applicatior pad that seemed pretty stiff (I wanted something that could work the ScratchX). This was the Walmart 3 pack Micorfiber, terry and gray foam pads with a little handle. Used the handle for about 5 minutes then tossed it.

Well my arms are now 20% bigger and I have polished off 95% of the scratches seen in the pictures. You really have to look close at exactly the right angle to see whats left of them. The casual observer would think the rims were new.

We'll have to see how long it lasts as I've read that ScratchX has silicone fillers that will wear off after a while. But the bottle specifically says that it does not "cover" light swirls like other products do.

We'll see. By them hopefully I'll have my PC7424 and some real deal polish to do the job right.

Whole job took about 2 hours. (30 minutes of rubing per wheel) didn't seem like that long but the clock don't lie.

I'll add a coat of Klasse AIO as a final step to protection and easy cleaning.

Thanks for the tips guys.