Alloy wheels

D

D3mon

New member
I'm about to take delivery of some 17" O.Z Titan wheels but am unsure how best to clean and protect them.



The O.Z website defines the finish as:



"Crystal Titanium with O·Z logo engraved on the spoke and chromed ring around the hubcap"



This seems to infer that the finish is bare metal and not painted? I'm sure previous alloy wheels I've had where essentially painted but whether they had a clearcoat I can't be sure.
 
Tire Rack describes the finish as "Bright Silver Paint", which could be the "Crystal Titanium" since the wheel itself is cast aluminium.



In any case, when in doubt, care for your wheels as if they are painted or clearcoated.
 
~One manâ€â„¢s opinion / observations~



Aluminum Wheel Polishing:

If you're not sure that the surfaces have a clear coat, try rubbing with aluminum polish, if the cloth turns black right away, the rim is not clear coated.



Methodology:

· Uncoated (no clear coat or paint finish) magnesium or aluminum wheels can be polished with a water-soluble polish (P21S Multi-Surface Finish Restorer or Izâ„¢ Einszett Metal Polish (Chrompflege) and then buff surface to a shine.

· For difficult to reach places use a felt polishing cone on an electric drill (Groit's Felt Polishing Cone Set) Rinse and dry thoroughly

· Apply a polymer sealant (Klasse All-In-One) for protection; this will also make future cleaning easier.



Polished (Clear coat) Wheels:

Methodology:

· Remove imbedded brake dust with detailerâ€â„¢s clay

· Use a 100% acid-free wheel cleaner to remove surface brake dust, agitate with a boars hair wheel brush and rinse off with low pressure water

· Apply a citrus based cleaner (P21S Total Auto Wash) to the surface

· Rinse off and dry thoroughly and then apply a polymer (Wheel Wax) for protection



Periodically remove the wheels (one at a time) to enable the back of the wheel, calipers and give better access to the wheel wells. Should the wheel surface have small scratches they can be removed with a mildly abrasive polish. Tar should be removed with a solvent type cleaner, and any bonded contaminants or over spray removed with Detailer's Clay, then wash and dry wheel surface thoroughly.



~Hope this helps~



Knowledge unshared is experience wasted [each one / teach one]

justadumbarchitect / so I question everything/ JonM
 
The best way to clean alloy wheels is... often.



Brake dust is nasty stuff. The less time it spends on your wheels the less evil it can inflict.





PC.
 
Thanks guys. The wheels will get attention whenever the car gets a makeover - usually every weekend (weather permitting).



I've just taken delivery of two packs of Clay Magic Perfect Shine Kit (thanks David) so that gives me 200g of clay to play with. Plan to use it on the paint first, then relegate used clay to the wheels.



TOGWT - I plan to use use Clay, Autoglym SRP, EGP then P21S Carnuaba Paste Wax as my weekly wheel routine (the same as for the bodywork) I'm guessing that P21S isn't a polymer wheel wax - will the AG EGP be a suitable polymer sealant?
 
Quote: TOGWT - I plan to use use Clay, Autoglym SRP, EGP then P21S Carnuaba Paste Wax as my weekly wheel routine (the same as for the bodywork) I'm guessing that P21S isn't a polymer wheel wax - will the AG EGP be a suitable polymer sealant?



~One manâ€â„¢s opinion / observations~



P21S isnâ€â„¢t a polymer wheel wax (P21S Wheel Cleaner) Autoglym EGP is definitely a suitable polymer sealant (for some reason it gets a lot of resistance in US (Klasse is much more popular) in UK its resisted just because its available in â€Ëœcommonâ€â„¢ outlets like Halfordsâ€Â¦IMO itâ€â„¢s a better product (easier to use) than Klassse, even though Iâ€â„¢ve been using them both since the â€Ëœ60s.



~Hope this helps~



Knowledge unshared is experience wasted [each one / teach one]

justadumbarchitect / so I question everything/ JonM
 
I wouldn't use P21S paste wax on alloys - bit of a waste IMO. The Autoglym twins will do the job more than sufficiently. The high heat generated by the wheels would certainly have a negative effect on the durablity of the P21S paste wax, as obviously heat will melt carnauba wax.
 
While we're on the subject of Halfords, the wheel/tyre package was from them. They arrived this afternoon wrapped in some virtually unknown brand (Elangperdana tire company?!?) where they should have been fitted with Hankook or Fulda tires...



...do I put up with the crap brand or do I take them back to get the proper tires fitted and risk them scratching the finish with the tire fitter...
 
TOGWT said:
P21S isnâ€â„¢t a polymer wheel wax (P21S Wheel Cleaner) Autoglym EGP is definitely a suitable polymer sealant (for some reason it gets a lot of resistance in US (Klasse is much more popular) in UK its resisted just because its available in â€Ëœcommonâ€â„¢ outlets like Halfordsâ€Â¦IMO itâ€â„¢s a better product (easier to use) than Klassse, even though Iâ€â„¢ve been using them both since the â€Ëœ60s.
Click to expand...



Thanks TOGWT. Funny you saying that, as only today I was reading some posts about the Klasse twins working particularly well for silver cars, when I figured that both the sets of 'twins' are very similar:



SRP / AIO - All-in-one product, intended to clean, condition and lightly polish the paint surface



EGP / SG - Sealant product intended to provide improved gloss and protection.
 
It seems that Klasse AIO is a (slightly) stronger chemical cleaner compared to SRP, which has slightly stronger abrasive qualities. I would guess the difference is not night and day.



In terms of your wheels, if you need to take them back to get the right tyres, I would not worry about them being damaged. If they do damage them, they will replace them.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top