2BlackChevys
New member
- Feb 15, 2013
- 161
- 0
I am working on my TrailBlazer SS that has factory painted and cleared wheels. I used the Mothers power ball to polish out some dually wheels a few years ago and I have seen the cone a couple of times at autozone. I did some research here and it seems to be the recommended tool for clear coated wheels so I purchased one. (About $27 @ AZ.) I figured the cone shape would be better for my wheel design than the ball.
I also saw where Forest at Mother's recommends using a plastic polish with the cone on the wheels. I had a bottle of Megs PlasticX so I tested it against Megs ScratchX applied by hand.
Mothers Power Cone w/ PlasticX on left and Megs ScratchX by hand on right:
This is the same with the taped removed so you can see before and after on both sections:
I did 3 "section passes" with each product. I decided the Mother's Power Cone / PlasticX side looked better (Hard to see in pics I know) so I used that.
I had the wheels off the truck and on my "work table" so they were easy to get to. I'm way too big to be playing with wheels on my hands and knees!
I had previously cleaned the wheels with Simple Green, then white vinegar then just soap. I was trying to remove as much of the water spots as I could.
The wheels have a couple of bigger scratches you can feel with a fingernail and lots of smaller scratches and swirls in them. They also had a bit of oxidation since they had probably not been "polished" ever.
The process I used was apply the PlasticX directly to the wheels and spread it around with my finger then hit it with the cone. I was using my Snap-On 14.4V Cordless drill that has 2 speeds. I tried both and ended up with speed 2 at wide open. I am not sure how many RPMs this is but it's not severe.
The cone was easy to use and it easily conformed to the corners where the "spokes" meet the "rim" and the "hub" of the wheel and got those tight areas well. It was also easy to turn on its side and do the wide "flat" parts of the spokes. It also pops into the lug nut "holes" well and it even removed some of the buildup that I couldn't get with a brush/rag and Simple green. (That's why it turned kinda black.)
This is what it looked like when I got done:
I cleaned it by spraying it with CG So Fast Pad Cleaner and Rejuvenator (diluted at 1 oz per 16 oz water as directed) and I let that sit for about an hour (got cleaned up and had dinner).
I then rinsed it with warm water and it got mostly clean, so I saturated it with the CG cleaner again, squeezed it a couple times to work the cleaner into it and on final rinse it got clean enough for me.
Overall I would say I am happy with this product and how it works. It was very easy to use. It did a good job of removing the oxidation and making the wheels shine again. It also easily removed some compound "splatter" that was on the wheels.
It didn't do much for the light scratches and swirls, however I didn't really expect it to. For these I think I need to use a DA with a 4" pad and M105/205 just like I did for the rest of the truck. I need to order supplies again so that was not an option today so this works for now. If my wheels were newer or not "jacked up" like they are this would have been perfect.
I also plan to use it to polish the chrome wheels on my Vette. I will post photos and thoughts on that as well.
The final verdict: For the $$ I say go buy one!
P.S. I just realized I didn't take or post pics of the wheels completely done so I will do that tomorrow.
I also saw where Forest at Mother's recommends using a plastic polish with the cone on the wheels. I had a bottle of Megs PlasticX so I tested it against Megs ScratchX applied by hand.
Mothers Power Cone w/ PlasticX on left and Megs ScratchX by hand on right:
This is the same with the taped removed so you can see before and after on both sections:
I did 3 "section passes" with each product. I decided the Mother's Power Cone / PlasticX side looked better (Hard to see in pics I know) so I used that.
I had the wheels off the truck and on my "work table" so they were easy to get to. I'm way too big to be playing with wheels on my hands and knees!
I had previously cleaned the wheels with Simple Green, then white vinegar then just soap. I was trying to remove as much of the water spots as I could.
The wheels have a couple of bigger scratches you can feel with a fingernail and lots of smaller scratches and swirls in them. They also had a bit of oxidation since they had probably not been "polished" ever.
The process I used was apply the PlasticX directly to the wheels and spread it around with my finger then hit it with the cone. I was using my Snap-On 14.4V Cordless drill that has 2 speeds. I tried both and ended up with speed 2 at wide open. I am not sure how many RPMs this is but it's not severe.
The cone was easy to use and it easily conformed to the corners where the "spokes" meet the "rim" and the "hub" of the wheel and got those tight areas well. It was also easy to turn on its side and do the wide "flat" parts of the spokes. It also pops into the lug nut "holes" well and it even removed some of the buildup that I couldn't get with a brush/rag and Simple green. (That's why it turned kinda black.)
This is what it looked like when I got done:
I cleaned it by spraying it with CG So Fast Pad Cleaner and Rejuvenator (diluted at 1 oz per 16 oz water as directed) and I let that sit for about an hour (got cleaned up and had dinner).
I then rinsed it with warm water and it got mostly clean, so I saturated it with the CG cleaner again, squeezed it a couple times to work the cleaner into it and on final rinse it got clean enough for me.
Overall I would say I am happy with this product and how it works. It was very easy to use. It did a good job of removing the oxidation and making the wheels shine again. It also easily removed some compound "splatter" that was on the wheels.
It didn't do much for the light scratches and swirls, however I didn't really expect it to. For these I think I need to use a DA with a 4" pad and M105/205 just like I did for the rest of the truck. I need to order supplies again so that was not an option today so this works for now. If my wheels were newer or not "jacked up" like they are this would have been perfect.
I also plan to use it to polish the chrome wheels on my Vette. I will post photos and thoughts on that as well.
The final verdict: For the $$ I say go buy one!
P.S. I just realized I didn't take or post pics of the wheels completely done so I will do that tomorrow.
