Pre-wax/sealant Cleaner on Wheels?

[Smashraj84]

Hey all, should I use a pre-wax cleaner on my wheels before I seal them? Or should I just clean them and apply the sealant? If my reasoning is correct, the wheels have a thicker clearcoat than the regular paint on my car and therefore should be able to cleaned with a pre-wax cleaner and then sealed.

 

[Bigpoppa3346]

The thickness of the clear has nothing to do with whether you use a pre-wax cleaner or not. Think of how much abuse your wheels take and how dirty they get. I always use a pre-wax cleaner on my wheels.

 

[ZaneO]

Yep, a pre-cleaner of some sort would probably be a great step.

 

[imported_themightytimmah]

Yeah a pre-wax cleaner will definetly help with bonding. I'd actually consider using a good paint polish on the rims to remove marring - rims tend to swirl up worse than paint, although it's harder to see. I like Optimum Polish via Cyclo/Green pads on the clearcoated rims that I do, topped with DG AquaWax.

 

[Accumulator]

Yeah, the clear on wheels is usually quite thick and tough too, more so than the clear on most cars. Go a head and clean/polish them, seal 'em up, and then try to keep them from getting so nasty that you have to aggressively clean/polish them again for a long time. I like to use Sonus Ultra-Fine (green) clay on mine so I'm just cleaning the [stuff] off the sealant before things get so bad that I have to clean it off/out of the clear.

 

[mikebai1990]

Once you have a good wax/sealant on the wheels, you won't need to worry too much about any corrosion, rust, etc..