Cleaning up my new Tucanas and had a Question...

scjmc

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Hey guys... I am hoping to get tires sometime soon, so that I can finally mount my Tucanas on the LS. I cleaned them up today. Three of them came nice and clean with degreaser and carwash soap. One of the rims will not come clean with anything that I have. Are the rims painted and cleared, or just painted? Can I try paint polish, or does anyone have a suggestion? I have never had painted rims before, and besides that a lot of you guys have experience with the Jag wheels.

I fear that maybe there is an actual paint issue on this rim where the arrow points to the transition. I cant feel anything with my fingers, but there seems to be a definite transition where it looks like the metallic is gone. It could also be some type of uber grime, or grease that I can't get off. Any suggestions?

Tuc1_zps47af458f.jpg


I absolutely can't get this crap off.

Tuc2_zps5b869d5b.jpg


This rim is like the other 3, and it came clean as expected.

Tuc5_zps1b1bcc9c.jpg
 
They are painted and cleared. Have you tried clay? You might have to use 2000 or 3000 grit paper and wetsand and then polish.
 
I was afraid that they were not cleared.... nice to know that they are. I did not want to try anything abrasive if they were not. I have not tried clay yet, but I might try compound/polish and see what happens.
 
Might try oven cleaner. It's designed to clean crap off enameled surfaces without damaging the enamel, but I'm not 100 percent on whether it will damage clearcoat. I wouldn't think so though.
 
Compound seems to work. I just did a small section today, but that looks promising. Polish is not abrasive enough. Wet sanding would work it seems, but I don't know how thick the clear is. I will attack it this weekend and hopefully I do not ruin it.
 
Don't know if they are actually different, but compound and polishing essentially do the same thing and take clear off with "grit" in them that make them like super fine sandpaper, but there are different levels of it, heavy cut or light/fine cuts. There ones that take minimal off and sometimes called machine polish, final polish, etc. If you want a faster cut, you get a more aggressive polish and pad. Meguiars has a diamond cut polish/compound for a fast cut sometimes found at your local auto stores. I've only seen it at pepboys only once and bought it.
 
Are you doing it by hand? It just seems like its dirt that's embedded in there but still superficial. If it gets too hard with your compound, just buy 3000 grit paper and then you can polish it if it leaves some swirls. There should be plenty of clear on there, its not like you're trying to sand out a scratch that actually goes deep into it.
 
Yeah I am doing it by hand. When I say compound I mean rubbing compound that is like polish, but more abrasive (I could be calling it the wrong thing). I was wet sanding my outboard after repainting it, and the last two steps were that compound and polish. I think that I have some 3000 left over from that project as well. I will give that a try as well. It escapes me what happened to this wheel because the others cleaned so easily. I will report back after working on it some more.
 
Well, this wheel is being really hard to clean. Abrasives seem to work though. I think that wet sanding like mlara suggested would work. They might need to be re-cleared afterwards.

I have limited free time, and don't have the time to get this rim looking good, so I am abandoning the effort. I am buying another wheel to replace this one. If anyone wants to give it a try, or maybe use this one as a spare (for someone with Tucanas) you can have it for $35.
 

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