Found time to give the wheels a freshen up

Tarmac_Terrorist · 24-08-2008, 10:04 PM

I managed to find a spare couple of hours this morning and decided to give my wheels some attention. Having recently spent time on the bodywork it seemed a shame not to give the wheels a bit of a spruce-up to compliment things.
I generally give them a polish with Autoglym SRP followed by a couple of coats of AG EGP. I top up the EGP approximately every couple of months. I use an old electric toothbrush to get into the gaps on the calipers which seems to work OK if not a little tedious. I don't remove the wheels but fortunately the design allows good access for cleaning the middle areas. I also apply EGP to the red calipers which I hope helps prevent them from fading to a pink colour as well as Ii've noticed many seem to do.

I find this old SRP & EGP combination very durable and never need to use any strong wheel cleaners - just usual bodywork shampoo wash. Neither do I allow the wheels to get very dirty either.

As always, I'm open minded to try new combinations - gets a bit boring using the same products!! any thoughts / ideas / recommendations? I'd be very interesed in any suggestions as to anything better I could apply on the calipers.

Anyway, here are a few pics from this morning's efforts:

TheEdge · 25-08-2008, 08:23 AM

Looks great mate !!

When the Red GTIs are clean the gleam thats all i can say!!

what are you using on your tyres ? need to get some new tyre gel at some point

Tarmac_Terrorist · 25-08-2008, 08:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheEdge

Looks great mate !!

When the Red GTIs are clean the gleam thats all i can say!!

what are you using on your tyres ? need to get some new tyre gel at some point

Hi buddy, i'm using Megs Endurance tyre gel - the purple gel stuff. I allow it to dry and then wipe with an old damp rag to lessen the shine a little.
Seems to last reasonably well too.

ahaydock · 25-08-2008, 09:37 AM

They look great. I also rate the SRP/EGP combo

steelwind101 · 25-08-2008, 05:18 PM

Looking great! Im having a real wanting for some "real wheels" like that now!

I have to agree with Ahaydock, i also rate the SRP-EGP combo and its what i use. I have used PB Wheel Sealant, Detailers Pride Wheel glaze and one other i forget the name off. None of the protect as long, or repel the dust from bonding as well as EGP.

I use that combo, and (i think you mentioned it to me) Meguiars UQD. Woot! The Lancer wheels look very light and shiney.

TT, buy yourself a small spray bottle next time you buy detailing gear. Fill it with an inch or so of EGP. Spray it in the wheels and on your calipers. The fine mist is much easier to use and protects better as it can get in to smaller gaps!

90% of the fade you see on painted brakes calipers is due to strong wheels damaging the paintwork. Paint that is used on the calipers is special brake component paint, its durable and strong against heat.

One thing i was going to say, people have commented on my wheels, Hubs and Alloys in the past in real life. I would say the ultimate key to keeping them in top notch condition is the same as the paintwork. NO SWIRLS!

If you use harsh brushes or non lubricating wheel cleaner you will start to get little micro scratches in the clearcoat on the wheels. This will fill with micro fine brake dust and gives the wheels a dull look. Also, as per the bodywork, swirls will make them look less a brilliant colour.

My advise is only to make sure you use a decent wheel cleaner. Top hint: P21s Gel is the daddy of wheel cleaners! You can buy it at Audi dealers for £10 or Skoda (where i get mine) for £5! In the USA its badged BMW wheel cleaner.

Either that or Autoglym Custom Wheel cleaner. Im not a fan of using APC, i dont find it lubricated the brushes very well and doesnt isolate the dirt in a good foam. Just my opinion and prehapes a bit anal.

Geoff

Tarmac_Terrorist · 25-08-2008, 06:43 PM

Thanks Geoff, I'll have to try some of the p21s from a Skoda dealer. £5 sounds like a good price!
I came across a lambswool wheel brush a few months ago in halfords. It's actually part of the Flash Carwash system I think and it's just long enough to get to the inner most part of the wheels.

I will also try a misting type spray for the EGP as you suggest - good idea

dibbs26 · 26-08-2008, 01:45 PM

TT the wheels look superb, well done !

. I too will shortly be doing my winter wheel seal and was going to use PB wheel sealant as usual, maybe not now, what do you guys think?
Also I use diluted shampoo as a wheel cleaner, do you think its a no no?, should I get some dedicated cleaner i.e.P21s, is this the best stuff?
Geoff whats this misting about with EGP?
Cheers Guys

steelwind101 · 26-08-2008, 02:36 PM

TT, i will have to look out for that lambswool wheel scrubber!

PBs wheel sealant is good stuff, i could just never get it to remain as "clean" ie. less stains from road tar etc. as i could with EGP. I think probably where you drive and where you live probably effects what gets on wheels TBH.

I get serious brake dust from city driving mixed with back roads out where i live with lots of broken surfaces.

I find it hard (probably as my cars have small wheels) to get insides coated with EGP as well as the fronts in the tighter designs. What i do is put the EGP in a spray bottle and it sprays a thin coating on the wheel and inside the wheel. I then take an old MF (the £1 shop ones are small) and fold it in to a square. I then pust that through one spoke, and then push it around the inside of the wheel. I use this technique to clean the inside of the wheels too!

Using car shampoo is fine to wash the wheels! Thats what i use, lubie and effective on sealed wheels.

Every so often i do "clean up" the wheels thats when i use a dedicated wheel cleaner.

Dibbs, i have put some nice pics of Wolfgang Tyre Gel in my next post!

Geoff

dibbs26 · 27-08-2008, 06:53 AM

What sort effect would using P21s or Bilberry Cleaner on the wheels when they are sealed?
Aren't these cleaners acid free?

steelwind101 · 27-08-2008, 09:45 AM

Hello Dibbs,

P21s and Bilberry will strip the protection from the wheels. Even though there acid free it only means they will not have a negative effect on the paintwork of the wheels. They still remove product though b/c they have other cleaning agents in them.

Many other wheel cleaners that are "non acidic" are alkali cleaners and they too remove the wax protection.

Geoff

24-08-2008, 10:04 PM	#1 (permalink)
Tarmac_Terrorist Nissan GTR Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: North Hampshire Posts: 3,565	Found time to give the wheels a freshen up I managed to find a spare couple of hours this morning and decided to give my wheels some attention. Having recently spent time on the bodywork it seemed a shame not to give the wheels a bit of a spruce-up to compliment things. I generally give them a polish with Autoglym SRP followed by a couple of coats of AG EGP. I top up the EGP approximately every couple of months. I use an old electric toothbrush to get into the gaps on the calipers which seems to work OK if not a little tedious. I don't remove the wheels but fortunately the design allows good access for cleaning the middle areas. I also apply EGP to the red calipers which I hope helps prevent them from fading to a pink colour as well as Ii've noticed many seem to do. I find this old SRP & EGP combination very durable and never need to use any strong wheel cleaners - just usual bodywork shampoo wash. Neither do I allow the wheels to get very dirty either. As always, I'm open minded to try new combinations - gets a bit boring using the same products!! any thoughts / ideas / recommendations? I'd be very interesed in any suggestions as to anything better I could apply on the calipers. Anyway, here are a few pics from this morning's efforts: __________________ MY06 MKV Golf GTI MY07 BMW 318i SE

25-08-2008, 09:37 AM	#4 (permalink)
ahaydock Audi S3 Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Dorset Posts: 1,252	They look great. I also rate the SRP/EGP combo __________________ A3 2.0TDi Sport (Re-Mapped to 185BHP), Mauritius Blue, Xenons, Black Leather/Alcantara, BOSE, Heated Seats, Parking Sensors, Light/Rain Sensor Pack, Interior Light Pack, Armrests.

25-08-2008, 05:18 PM	#5 (permalink)
steelwind101 Mitsubishi Evo X Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Bombing Westlands Farm Zambia Posts: 2,113	Looking great! Im having a real wanting for some "real wheels" like that now! I have to agree with Ahaydock, i also rate the SRP-EGP combo and its what i use. I have used PB Wheel Sealant, Detailers Pride Wheel glaze and one other i forget the name off. None of the protect as long, or repel the dust from bonding as well as EGP. I use that combo, and (i think you mentioned it to me) Meguiars UQD. Woot! The Lancer wheels look very light and shiney. TT, buy yourself a small spray bottle next time you buy detailing gear. Fill it with an inch or so of EGP. Spray it in the wheels and on your calipers. The fine mist is much easier to use and protects better as it can get in to smaller gaps! 90% of the fade you see on painted brakes calipers is due to strong wheels damaging the paintwork. Paint that is used on the calipers is special brake component paint, its durable and strong against heat. One thing i was going to say, people have commented on my wheels, Hubs and Alloys in the past in real life. I would say the ultimate key to keeping them in top notch condition is the same as the paintwork. NO SWIRLS! If you use harsh brushes or non lubricating wheel cleaner you will start to get little micro scratches in the clearcoat on the wheels. This will fill with micro fine brake dust and gives the wheels a dull look. Also, as per the bodywork, swirls will make them look less a brilliant colour. My advise is only to make sure you use a decent wheel cleaner. Top hint: P21s Gel is the daddy of wheel cleaners! You can buy it at Audi dealers for £10 or Skoda (where i get mine) for £5! In the USA its badged BMW wheel cleaner. Either that or Autoglym Custom Wheel cleaner. Im not a fan of using APC, i dont find it lubricated the brushes very well and doesnt isolate the dirt in a good foam. Just my opinion and prehapes a bit anal. Geoff __________________ Rhodesia, what a time it was http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DVLS8ny0HUU Ole Mugabes Farm, he plants crisps b/c he likes crisps (comical) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HkGjjUp4zJo

25-08-2008, 06:43 PM	#6 (permalink)
Tarmac_Terrorist Nissan GTR Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: North Hampshire Posts: 3,565	Thanks Geoff, I'll have to try some of the p21s from a Skoda dealer. £5 sounds like a good price! I came across a lambswool wheel brush a few months ago in halfords. It's actually part of the Flash Carwash system I think and it's just long enough to get to the inner most part of the wheels. I will also try a misting type spray for the EGP as you suggest - good idea __________________ MY06 MKV Golf GTI MY07 BMW 318i SE

26-08-2008, 01:45 PM	#7 (permalink)
dibbs26 BMW 130d Join Date: May 2005 Location: Liverpool Posts: 1,196	TT the wheels look superb, well done ! . I too will shortly be doing my winter wheel seal and was going to use PB wheel sealant as usual, maybe not now, what do you guys think? Also I use diluted shampoo as a wheel cleaner, do you think its a no no?, should I get some dedicated cleaner i.e.P21s, is this the best stuff? Geoff whats this misting about with EGP? Cheers Guys __________________ A4 B7 2.0T FSI S-LINE Akoya Silver, Xenon plus pack, RS 6's, MFSW, Phatnoise, Auto dimming mirror, Light/Rain sensor, Bose, Isofix, Split folding seats, Rear side blinds, Rear window blind, Centre armrest, Auto boot Lid, Cargo parcel net/hooks & Loadliner.

25-08-2008, 08:23 AM	#2 (permalink)
TheEdge Ford Fiesta ST Join Date: Aug 2005 Posts: 268	Looks great mate !! When the Red GTIs are clean the gleam thats all i can say!! what are you using on your tyres ? need to get some new tyre gel at some point

26-08-2008, 02:36 PM	#8 (permalink)
steelwind101 Mitsubishi Evo X Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Bombing Westlands Farm Zambia Posts: 2,113	TT, i will have to look out for that lambswool wheel scrubber! PBs wheel sealant is good stuff, i could just never get it to remain as "clean" ie. less stains from road tar etc. as i could with EGP. I think probably where you drive and where you live probably effects what gets on wheels TBH. I get serious brake dust from city driving mixed with back roads out where i live with lots of broken surfaces. I find it hard (probably as my cars have small wheels) to get insides coated with EGP as well as the fronts in the tighter designs. What i do is put the EGP in a spray bottle and it sprays a thin coating on the wheel and inside the wheel. I then take an old MF (the £1 shop ones are small) and fold it in to a square. I then pust that through one spoke, and then push it around the inside of the wheel. I use this technique to clean the inside of the wheels too! Using car shampoo is fine to wash the wheels! Thats what i use, lubie and effective on sealed wheels. Every so often i do "clean up" the wheels thats when i use a dedicated wheel cleaner. Dibbs, i have put some nice pics of Wolfgang Tyre Gel in my next post! Geoff __________________ Rhodesia, what a time it was http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DVLS8ny0HUU Ole Mugabes Farm, he plants crisps b/c he likes crisps (comical) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HkGjjUp4zJo

27-08-2008, 06:53 AM	#9 (permalink)
dibbs26 BMW 130d Join Date: May 2005 Location: Liverpool Posts: 1,196	What sort effect would using P21s or Bilberry Cleaner on the wheels when they are sealed? Aren't these cleaners acid free? __________________ A4 B7 2.0T FSI S-LINE Akoya Silver, Xenon plus pack, RS 6's, MFSW, Phatnoise, Auto dimming mirror, Light/Rain sensor, Bose, Isofix, Split folding seats, Rear side blinds, Rear window blind, Centre armrest, Auto boot Lid, Cargo parcel net/hooks & Loadliner.

27-08-2008, 09:45 AM	#10 (permalink)
steelwind101 Mitsubishi Evo X Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Bombing Westlands Farm Zambia Posts: 2,113	Hello Dibbs, P21s and Bilberry will strip the protection from the wheels. Even though there acid free it only means they will not have a negative effect on the paintwork of the wheels. They still remove product though b/c they have other cleaning agents in them. Many other wheel cleaners that are "non acidic" are alkali cleaners and they too remove the wax protection. Geoff __________________ Rhodesia, what a time it was http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DVLS8ny0HUU Ole Mugabes Farm, he plants crisps b/c he likes crisps (comical) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HkGjjUp4zJo