Microfiber for polish removal?

J

jr weeks

New member
Most of us here know better, but if there's anyone uninitiated ...



I went to pick up one of my regular's cars today, actually it was her husband's 2000 BMW Z3, which I have detailed quite a few times ,but only occasionally since his schedule dosen't usually permit ,and when she handed me the keys she told me her husband ( A lawyer ) thinks he ruined the wheels ( 17" smoke polished, beautiful wheels ) from the wheel cleaner he bought and sprayed on it the previous week.

I asked what it was he used, she didn't know , only that he left it in the trunk, and that he was pretty upset.



I told her I'd take a look and if there was anything I could do , I'd do it, within reason. I also asked right then if he sprayed them when they were hot...she thought so. Gulp.

The car was real dirty, the wheels were almost black with brake dust, and I honestly couldn't see the damage at first glance. When I washed it and soaped up the wheels with just Zaino shampoo and a wash mitt, I almost cried. They were indeed ruined. I mean they had SERIOUS runs and splotches of yellow and bright silver ( again , darker polished wheels similar to Volvo's polished wheels ) all over and some of the runs felt very rough, like the aluminum itself was eaten away.



At that point I just had to look in the trunk and see what caused this and perhaps deduce how...It was Armor-All Quicksilver Wheel Cleaner!





I deduce that he not only sprayed it when the wheels were hot, but never read the label disclaimer which states to check with vehicle manufacturer before use on uncoated polished wheels. He also must have sprayed one, then went and walked around to the next wheel , and the next etc. letting it soak on the hot wheels in the meantime. Sad.



The Devil really is in the details, pardon the pun. This Lawyer would probably like to sue that company, but it was his own mistake. I know that cleaner is somewhat caustic, but...wow, all those variables combined to quickly ruin four $500 wheels ( guessing on that ) . Ironic that a lawyer gets nailed by not reading the fine print. He's a nice guy really, one of the "good" ones; down to earth, friendly etc , and I was sorry to tell her I felt they were terminal.



Anyone got any ideas? They just laugh at wheel polish, and I take it a refinisher may cost about a smuch as new wheels.
 
can fix, re-paint or smooth rims. Perhaps your customer should contact his sales person and see if this is an option for him/her to do.
 
I use rain-x wheel protectant (if they even make it anymore :()



anyway a layer of the stuff, will limit the brake dust's ability to stick to your wheel. Then all you have to do is clean it up, (when you're washing the car) with a wheel brush or hand sponge and a little car shampoo (take a little more time, but comes right off)



that way you can even wax your wheels and the wax will stay becuse the rain-x is just a layer of extra not a cleaner (it prevents so you don't need harsh chemicals)



others feel they don't need it cause they wash thier cars, and wipe thier wheels every few days too
 
It's unfortunate that folks don't follow instructions.



sprayed on a hot wheel

let sit on wheel too long

not for use on the finish type



Here in Orange Co, CA, the going rate for polishing a wheel out is about $40, and it looks like chrome when they're done with it.



You might want to ask around (the yellow pages, maybe?) to see if there's a shop. There has to be someone down towards Miami based on the wheels I see when I travel down that way.
 
Along similar lines, I got my truck back after having some paint work done and my chrome rims seem much duller than before. I use Never-Dull on my rims and it has always worked very well. I used it on the chrome rims of my previous truck for 5-years and the rims looked brand new when I got rid of that truck. I dont see any overspray or anything like that...just a little duller. Any thoughts?
 
Airball50, if your rims are painted (and clearcoated) you need to theat it like you do paint. I wouldn't put wheel cleaner on my painted panels, so I wouldn't on my painted rims. as I said, I wax them up big time and use a layer of that Rain-X wheel protectant and clean with reg car wash. I used wheel cleaner on my rims and they yellowed noticably, so I took out the AIO immediately and did up all the wheels and threw the bottle away and been doing my method until now. find a method that works for you (chances are the harsh chemicals and/or acid caused the dullness) use less of the product or wet down the wheel first to dilute it, if you must use it. hth-steve
 
Could be very fine paint dust that was blowing around the shop that stuck to your rims. Overspray would definitely be noticeable. I had that happen when I was painting the plastic trim with a spray can. (Before I knew anything about detailing and I was very young). One of the fenders looked a lot duller even though it did not look like overspray.
 
YoSteve, at the risk of betraying my ignorance (not to far removed from being a newbie), would chrome rims ever be clearcoated?? I just assumed all chrome rims were alike and that what worked on the last pair would work on the latest.....is that a poor assumption? Either way, I really appreciate the advice.
 
I wondered that too, but since you said they were being repainted, that paint could be easily be clearcoated.



My wheels are aluminum, but are painted and clearcoated. I wouldn't see why not on chrome (other than it might defeat the purpose) But again I was basing that you got your chome wheels painted, so you need to treat it like paint, clearcoated or not. (did that explain it ?) hopefully :)
 
Yo Steve, I was getting paint on the body done, not the rims....sorry for the confusion. I think waxman probably had it right when he mentioned the paint dust. However, you are dead on right with respect to care for painted rims.... I almost made that mistake on my girlfriends car........phew!!.... again, thanks for the help.
 
I am looking for suggestions on what others use and recommend to take polish off of their vehicles after buffing is completed.

When I first started and up until recently, I used regular plush microfiber towels for removal, without knowing that there are special microfiber towels. made just for removing polish.

Any suggestions on Micorfiber towels for polish removal would be greatly appreciated. :biggrin:
 
Any soft, short-fiber microfiber will work well. The idea is to pick up the polish without scratching. I use Chemical Guys fluffer towels. Soft and absorbant.
 
I like using the Dragon Fibre Magic Towel and



the Perfect Shine Microfiber Buffing Cloth.



and also these fine Meguiar's Supreme Shine Microfiber!




You can click on any picture and it will take you to our site where these towels can be found..............:wizard:
 
TAKE A SHORT KNAP!

the super duper plus von plush meister type towels are terrible for buffing off polish IMO, and are relatively useless for pretty much all parts of a detail but really use a SMOOTH, Short knap MF IMO works best for buffing off polish
 
Micro fibre (Microfiber) came about by combining two DuPont inventions: Polyester (a scrubbing fibre) and Polyamide (an absorbing fibre) this nylon hybrid is created during weaving to create microscopic loops, which form a network of tiny hooks, scrubbing away dirt and grime. The nature of this yarn is that it is an absorbent; the reason polyester appears to absorb liquids is the many thousands of micro fibres that collectively encapsulate liquids. The polyamide is used as the core of the hybrid fibre and the polyester is the outer skin. Each fibre has specific qualities that, when properly blended, can be used to weave functionally specific fabrics.

The polyester and nylon are alternatively forced through a nozzle that combines them through a heat weaving process. The fibre is then split a number of times to create the micro fibres that are then intertwined to create an ultra absorbent material. The polyester and polyimide are combined during weaving to create thousands of microscopic loops.

These loops form a web of hook-like claws that can reach into the tiniest nooks and crannies, scrubbing away dirt and grime while trapping it within the weave. This is what makes Micro fibre the ideal choice for gently buffing dirt particles off delicate glass and paint surfaces, without fear of abrasion.
 
Good stuff TOGWT! Thanks. I wonder if our microfiber towels, that we're so fond of, are where all the '70's leisure suits went to die?:wink: Who knew polyester could be... good?!:w00t:

I like thinner towels, like David mentions, for removing polish; the more plush/thick ones tend to get "grabby" sometimes for me... they kind of roll up when trying to take certain polish residue off. The thin ones don't do anything but take the polish off very easily.
The PAC Perfect Shine towels work perfectly.

I also like them to be around 16x16 inches, that size works well for me. I've got some of the Megs Supreme shines, haven't tried 'em yet but I bet they're good.
 
Roadrunner said:
I also like them to be around 16x16 inches, that size works well for me. I've got some of the Megs Supreme shines, haven't tried 'em yet but I bet they're good.
Click to expand...

The Megs SS towels are a little larger at 16x24, but they are excellent for removing polish, QD'ing, cleaning glass, just about anything that requires a soft absorbant towel. Those and the CG fluffers are my 2 favorite towels.:biggrin:
 
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