Best plan of attack for interior trim pieces not installed in car

[markiteight]

I know there are other threads addressing clear coated interior trim pieces but they seem to focus on the best methods for working on trim installed in the car. I just scored a set of factory "carbon fiber" trim pieces to replace the existing wood trim in my car. I'd like to take advantage of the fact that they're easily accessible and make them as pristine as possible before I install them. They're in pretty decent shape overall with what appears to be only light swirling:

http://i913.photobucket.com/albums/ac335/dingchowping/IMG_7408_zpsbw6k14fg.jpg (http://s913.photobucket.com/user/dingchowping/media/IMG_7408_zpsbw6k14fg.jpg.html)

This level of damage is consistent across all eleven pieces, however there is one piece that has a small scuff in one corner:

http://i913.photobucket.com/albums/ac335/dingchowping/IMG_7411_zps8eqvquky.jpg (http://s913.photobucket.com/user/dingchowping/media/IMG_7411_zps8eqvquky.jpg.html)

I have a pre-XP Porter Cable 7424, but everything else I will need to accomplish this project will have to be purchased, and I'm still quite the noob so I am interested in your collective experiences and suggestions.

I see that 3D HD Speed seems to get almost universal praise in these parts. Will something like that be adequate in my situation? If so what would be the right pad(s) to go with it? Based on the pictures would something more aggressive be necessary? I want to use the bare minimum needed to get satisfactory results. That's why something like HD Speed caught my eye; assuming the situation is within the realm of HD's capabilities the concept of doing everything in one step is appealing.

One thing to note: whatever Audi used as a protective coating over the CF is extremely thick. When looking at the scuff in the second picture while moving the trim piece around there is a clear parallax effect, which means the scratch on the surface is quite some distance from the CF material itself. This makes me wonder if it's even a clear coat at all. If it's something else like a think layer of polished clear plastic, will that affect the choice of products and method?

Thanks all in advance for your help.

[markiteight]

Any ideas? Seat project is wrapping up and I'm anxious/excited to get the car back on the road!

[dcjredline]

Do a test spot man. Im sure no one can really tell you what to use exactly. Try something by hand first would be my route

[markiteight]

Do a test spot man. Im sure no one can really tell you what to use exactly. Try something by hand first would be my route

As I stated in my initial post, I am new to this and all I have is the PC. Everything else has to be bought in. Everything. I don't have the luxury of shelves full of product I can experiment with, otherwise I would do just that. I cannot afford to order something blind, try it out, order something else, try it out, etc. But without some sort of direction I have absolutely no clue where to start. I figured there are lots of people on here who have direct experience with a wide variety of products who could at least point me in a direction.

Are you really suggesting I try something out by hand? Everything I've read suggests the opposite should be the case, especially for a novice. According to so many on here it is much, much easier to screw something up trying to compound/polish/correct by hand without knowing the proper technique than it is by machine. Hence this post. Other posts on this site exist referencing trim detailing while installed in the car, which would require working by hand, but I have the opportunity to work with the pieces unencumbered by surrounding obstacles which may significantly change the game.

[dcjredline]

Ummmmmm, no. By hand is MUCH more gentle than a machine (or can be).

I can't tell you exactly what will work on this nor could anyone else...thats why you didnt get responses.

Try something light as in Meguiars Ultimate Polish and a MF towel on your finger. You can use the PC if you would like I dont care they are your parts. UP is like $9 at wallyworld, if you have $20 then grab a bottle of Ultimate Compound too and that would be the next step more aggressive.

[Eldorado2k]

Try something light as in Meguiars Ultimate Polish and a MF towel on your finger.


*nods* I was thinking the same thing.