Hard to believe I'm about ready for tires on my project but I need to give my 4-spoke Fuchs a good cleaning for the first time in 35 years and repair a bit of curb rash. For the rash, I thought it might be a good time to buy a buffer/polisher which I will also need after painting the exterior of the car.

Lot's of threads on cleaning/polishing wheels but not finding much on recommendations for machines. Any suggestions on models or what to look for? Are the cheap Harbor Freight jobs any good?

Dewalt DWP849X variable. Hands down the only buffer/polisher you’ll ever need.

I've had this one for about 15 years. Love it. It won't die.
PORTER-CABLE 7346SP

It’s not the polisher it’s the pads and the process chemicals.
I use the HF it works, better units will have speed control at the trigger, cheaper units use a thumb wheel, takes practice to control.
I am by no means a pro, I took a few classes in body repair so I am pretty sophomoric in my approach.
I use premium buffing pads and the 3M buffing system.

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After removing some trash it buffs out to this.



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I am all for spending money on tools but sometimes cheaper can be better. I use a 1/4 inch belt sander, actually I’ve used 2, but at $20 with a coupon each is way cheaper than the 3M unit at $200+
Again I’m not a pro I’m only repairing my car and maybe a friend or two so I really don’t have much pressure to produce.

Thanks all, great info. It's not a tool I'll use frequently which is why I'm leaning toward HF. I can't say I've loved any of the HF power tools I've bought, but all of them get the job done for occasional use and have held up. Their air tools are a different story.

I have to admit that I've been burned on every Porter-Cable power tool I've bought to the point I don't even look at that brand anymore. Good to know at least something they build holds up. If I start doing more polishing, might look to upgrade to that or DeWalt (which I've been generally pleased with as a brand).

@mgphoto , do you use the 3M system for all polishing? I'll be starting with my wheels and polishing clear coat will come later this summer hopefully. I've never polished rims before and need to learn more. My plan is to just give the wheels a good cleaning while hopefully leaving the anodized coating intact, then just sand and polish out the curb rash on the rims. I think there is a tendency to over polish 4-spoke Fuchs so any tips on matching that factory sheen are welcome.

I have the Griot's Garage BOSS G15 and I've saved some real crap paint.
The unit is very controllable even for beginners and has options as you get better. It's lighter and easier on the arms and shoulders that the big industrial buffers.
The pad options are plentiful
They have a compound for every thing from full cut to sealing.

I also have the Griot's Random Orbital, uses 5" and 6" pads. It has been a wonder tool for me as I'm mostly an OCD amateur, yet their system allows for graduated steps to a great result absent a degree in chemistry.

I'll say I 'think' their products used to be rebranded Porter Cable, but now they're fully branded Griots, so not sure of their origin, could be truly original. Yet, this is where Griot's makes a difference - -

I had the first one I purchased for say, 6 years, polished a bunch of cars with it. Old dead Pantera OEM paint, 'too new to screw up' 997 GTS, and the worst factory paint you ever saw on a Viper GTS. The buffer came through at every call, until...

I'm working overtime on my Audi S4 Avant with a recently-removed clear bra that left a serious witness line. The machine got hot and the backing pad (part of the machine) started disentegrating. Remember, this unit is 6 years old.

Called Griots to buy whatever replacement parts I needed. No worries. Yet they said, "Take a photo, send to my attention. I'll get back to you." In a week, THEY SENT A NEW POLISHER.

So, happy customer here. Love the equipment, ease of use, polishing products and Customer Service.

They educated me on a design update to reduce heat, and sent the new one with their apology. That, boys and girls, is how you win fans and make them write 100 unsolicited words about their product and service.

Your choice now. Best to you!

some yrs ago, i b'ot the Porter kit from Adams after they demo'd it on my car at H.A.N & i was amazed at the result

- does good work - can require 5-7 trips around the car with varying pads & polishes & waxes to do the job well, but not as good as their FLEX machine which i b'ot when it came out

- the FLEX is "stronger" & better for challenging surfaces - thus faster

also have Griot's 3" for small stuff & glass

AND being an old guy who grew up in a shop, i also have an old school B&D 9" non-orbital that will burn the paint with a wool pad if ya haven't learned to use it judiciously - did hundreds of used cars & new lacquer jobs with that machine - great for old & hard finishes - and you now can get 8" foam pads for it

That's what I used on the first and only other car I've ever painted - a 914 I painted with black lacquer just to see if I could get the finish right. Mine is Craftsman rather than B&D but same deal. I only burned through in a couple spots

I used a TorqX polisher machine with Chemical Guys products. I got it at Costco of all places. It was online for about $150 for the machine, a polish sampler pack and some nice microfiber towels.
I tried the HF polisher and it was ok, but kinda big. The TorqX is smaller. Chemical Guys has lots of help videos on their website. I liked it because it was an easy system to use.

This is what I use. Look at Chemical Guys UTube Vides

Bob B

@mgphoto , do you use the 3M system for all polishing? I'll be starting with my wheels and polishing clear coat will come later this summer hopefully. I've never polished rims before and need to learn more. My plan is to just give the wheels a good cleaning while hopefully leaving the anodized coating intact, then just sand and polish out the curb rash on the rims. I think there is a tendency to over polish 4-spoke Fuchs so any tips on matching that factory sheen are welcome.
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https://www.amazon.com/gp/mobile-marketing/...wserType=SAFARI


Not sure about that link? I wouldn’t use this on wheels, especially anodized. It should brighten up clear coat.
Somewhat pricey lasts a long time.

You're right, the link didn't work.

Just to be clear, I'm only going to polish the very outer rims of my wheels after cleaning up curb rash. An unfortunate, but necessary thing. I'm guessing the anodized surface is already gone in that area anyway. I just want to polish back to match the rest of the wheel. Hoping the centers clean up with just mild soap and water although I know one wheel has a couple scratches in a petal I'll need to make a decision on.

Polishing the anodizing off is too hard.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bNAB45zQUtk

Bob B

Thanks again all. Looks like I might have more time to think about a polisher and focus only on using it for paint. Here's a couple pics of my immediate project I thought I'd need a polisher to finish. First pic is typical curb rash on my wheels I'd like to clean up before having new tires mounted. Second pic is after a pas with 220 grit paper on a random orbit palm sander. It looks to me that I can just take this down to around 800-1000 grit and have a pretty close match to original finish without polish. Advice welcome.

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Brent,

You do not need any advice on this. You are doing great on this and saved the wheels and money as well. Looking very good on line

Bob B

Thanks for the compliments Bob, but these wheels need a lot of help and I'm not going to be able to bring them back to new by myself. I don't want to destroy the anodizing anymore than I have to and I'm trying to figure out the limitations that places on cleaning and scratch repair.

I'm just a few years older than these wheels and we've both accumulated some scars over that time. But only one of us has gotten fat so I guess the wheels are winning.