[OVRKLL]

I think Glen and Kirk have you covered!
The only thing I would suggest you get for your wheels are Wooley Sticks.
Check out autogeek.net 3 sticks of different sizes will run you about $50, but the pay off is great!
I'm able to clean my calipers using the smallest one.
I take off my wheels for a full job only once a year...I hate cleaning wheels, but the Wooley makes it easier!

[ember1205]

Anyone interested in a complete car polishing setup?

What an abject failure.

I thoroughly washed the car yesterday and pulled it directly into the garage. Wiped it down and let it air dry.

Went out tonight with the polisher, a backer plate, and a polishing pad (all brand new out of the package). Dribbled on some Meguiar's polish and went to work. Light to medium light pressure, moved along maybe a touch more quickly than I should have, and had the polisher set to medium speed. Did the hood in four sections, each front fender as a single section (behind the graphic) and blended the front portion in with half of the front bumper.

Wiped everything down with Eraser (didn't work well at all). Tried IPA (even worse). Went back to Eraser.

Wiped on Reload. Got it all over the windshield, back to Eraser to clean that up (some).

All said and done, I spent 1.5 hours on the front end of the car. The water spots are still exactly as they were - the polisher didn't touch them, indicating what I feared - they are the result of sitting outside for nine months before I bought the car and are likely etched into the paint.

There are now scratches on the hood from the polishing process. Not horrible, but I have to go back and hand buff them all out along with (hopefully) the water spots at some point in the future.

When looking online for tips on using Eraser, the very first video that comes up is one where it's demonstrated that it doesn't work. It wouldn't touch painted panel that had just had a wax wiped onto it. IPA was no better, but the point is that it simply doesn't work as a full-on stripper.

The Eraser bottle's spray top is broken and it keeps popping off of the screw top. Already arranged to send that back for a refund.

When looking for tips for applying Reload, every video talks about how to apply it "without streaks" as if that's apparently a major headache. Well, either my bottle is counterfeit or I am the absolute Master at applying that stuff because it didn't show any streaks at all. Of course, the surface of the hood and fenders also feels exactly the same as the doors (which weren't touched).

I feel like this was a horrendous waste of time, energy, and money. Not to mention that I now have damage to the paint on the hood that has to be fixed...

Never again.