clay the wheels???

J

jakes29

New member
This was a thread from a different place but I thought I would get an answer here



quote:

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Originally posted by rotaryb





The first time I clayed my FC's wheels I almost puked! They were absolutely gross even though they looked mighty clean. The machined/cleared lip and painted/cleared spokes now look nearly brand new after years of neglect when I THOUGHT I took care of them.

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I didnt know you could clay your wheels???? Is it the same process as claying the paint???





Yet another task for the next detail!
 
I clay the wheels on all our vehicles. I've heard that claying polished (unpainted/unplated/bare metal) wheels is a :nono but I've never had any trouble. Certainly if they're clearcoated/painted/chromed/powdercoated you can clay them; I do it all the time.
 
I (try to) follow this procedure every month at least once:



1) Wash wheels thoroughly, getting into every nook and cranny (NOTE: This is all much easier to do if you can remove your wheels)

2) Dry wheels with old MF

3) Clay wheels on every possible surface

4) Wash thoroughly again

5) 2 applications of Klasse AIO (more than 1 is overkill, but hey... I'm an Autopian :xyxthumbs )

6) 1 or more coats of Klasse HGSG (usually wait for at least 12 hours before next coat)



That will make your wheels look awesome, allow them to be cleaned easier (ie spraying the brake dust off with just a hose or very light wipe) and protect them for quite a while.



Give it a try :xyxthumbs
 
I wash and then clay my wheels. Then apply two coats of Z2Pro. Wash weekly with Z7, followed by Z6 using Costco MFs. They look great and brake dust comes off easily.



Regards,



Dan.
 
I wash, clay and then put Zaino on them as well. When I pull off the wheels to do the inside, the stuff that clay pulls out is.... :faint:
 
I clay my wheels also to remove stubborn particles that aren't removed by scrubbing with brushes. It seems quite effective for this.



After I have used fresh clay on painted surfaces, I store it in a seperate zip-loc bag and save this clay for wheels. After it gets used on the wheels, it goes in the trash.
 
smprince1 said:




After I have used fresh clay on painted surfaces, I store it in a seperate zip-loc bag and save this clay for wheels. After it gets used on the wheels, it goes in the trash.
Click to expand...



I keep clay separate as well if it's used on the wheels. That clay is only used for rocker panels, wheels, engine bay paint, and that type of stuff.
 
EX will work fine. IIRC, EX contains carnauba, so the carnauba most likely won't be able to stand up the heat from the brakes, but the synthetic components of the EX will keep protecting.
 
Accumulator said:
I clay the wheels on all our vehicles. I've heard that claying polished (unpainted/unplated/bare metal) wheels is a :nono but I've never had any trouble. Certainly if they're clearcoated/painted/chromed/powdercoated you can clay them; I do it all the time.
Click to expand...

Accum: Do you have polished wheels?

Can I use clay on My polished wheels for sure???
 
Intercooled said:
Accum: Do you have polished wheels?

Can I use clay on My polished wheels for sure???
Click to expand...



No, I don't, so I sure *don't* want to assure you that it would be OK!



The closest I can come to first-hand experience is this: on the backside of some of my wheels there are areas of bare aluminum where the paint is worn off. When I do a major cleanup of theses wheels, I clay the bare aluminum areas. Never had a problem from it. But that's quite different from polished bare aluminum wheels like billets.



I do not get the potential problem, though. Back in the day (before there were detailing clays) I had polished wheels on a lot of cars. I used abrasive aluminum polishes on them and that was sure a lot more aggressive than claying. I'd try claying an inconspicuous area on your polished wheels and see if there's any problem. If so, just polish the area.
 
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