Mazda 6 Forums UK
Technical Section => Detailing/Cleaning => Topic started by: monkeez on January 11, 2012, 07:11:33 am
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What can i get to put on my alloys that will stop crap off the road and brake dust sticking to them,
so that when i wash them the muck just washes off?
any ideas?
thanks
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Wonder Wheels does a very good job of getting the dirt off. Then use one of the many wheel protector products to make it easier to keep them clean. Some wheels seem to attract more dirt than others depending upon the design.
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used wonder wheels in the past and wouldnt use it again
it does clean dirty wheels pretty well, but is very acidic and if not washed off properly can eat into your wheel
i'm after something that i can put on clean wheels that seals them
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three of the four cars in my house have alloys, all different manufacturers, found the only way to keep them clean is to wash with a good qaulity car shampoo and use a designed for alloys stiff brush, and then rinse off, then i'm afraid its down to a soft cloth and fingers. If you keep on top of them they dont seem to get too bad. the only polish i,ve used is Mer , it does seem to protect them.
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In my experience you need to be VERY careful when using MER on alloys. You must rince it off very quickly or it eats into the alloys. I didn't and had to buy a new set of wheels, a very costly mistake. There is no substitute for regular cleaning with a good cleaner and a little effort.
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Thanks for the advice, I will be wary of using mer in light of your experience, have to agree that elbow grease appears to be the only solution!!
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After I've given the wheels a thorough clean, I use some of that spray on wheel wax (from Halfords etc), wait a couple of mins and then use cloth on it.
- Once it dries up the wheels not only look shinier but you can feel the slickness of the surfaces - the rate at which the wheel picks up brake dust is much slower and also much easier to wipe off
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I use Auto glyme machine clean after i've washed them first with car shampoo, then with a soft brush work the cleaner in, it's bio degradable and does'nt attack the alloy, i then leather them off.
If you polish the wheel it'll build up static and attract any dust.
Dave
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I would recommend poor boys alloy wheels sealant, its time consuming to apply however once put on seals the wheel from any pollutants and corrosive elements and anything that gathers on the surface just washes away easily, despite the name its not too cheap but good at protecting expensive wheels if your not lucky enough to have winter and summer wheels! if only!!!
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I've just bought some Poorboys wheel sealant, havent had a chance to put it on yet but will do it this weekend coming.
I might take the wheels off and give them a thorough clean and polish before applying it.
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For a quick job I've been using chemical guys hybrid v07 as a sealant. Doesn't really stop the dust sticking but makes it simple to remove. Even a quick dry cloth mid week has them shining. But I've done 8k in the last month and the car is filthy.