Auto Geek Online Car Detailing and Car Care Products Discussion Forum. Learn tips and tricks on how to polish, car wax, remove swirls and more.

nrengle · #1 08-18-2008, 01:24 AM

Hey guys, did a little test last week after doing a cleanup on my Civic. Put some DGPS on the wheels after claying them (clearcoated from factory), to see how long it will last and how easy they will clean up. Well it's been a week, did my first wash today. The only thing I did to them was hit them with the hose first to get some of the grime off, then washed with Mothers Cali Gold soap and water. Did all 4 wheels and then dried. The water beaded up wonderfully after rinsing them off, and after drying they look great still. And have a great amount of slickness to them too.

Sorry there's no pics, I don't have a camera anymore, and my camera on my iPhone has decided to crap out on me too! I'll keep you updated with my progress. I'm hoping that I won't even have to do anything besides a soap / water wash till October (when I leave for tour again, and car get's parked for a month).

Meghan · #2 08-18-2008, 08:42 AM

Sure beats scrubbing off brake dust!

nrengle · #3 08-18-2008, 01:25 PM

You said it. I still love how slick they are. Usually after a week of using wax on them it's gone due to the heat of the road and braking. Now if I could get rid of the curb rash on them that'd be awesome. Though I have new wheels coming eventually (and new axle's, going from 4 lug to 5 lug).

sal329 · #4 08-18-2008, 06:51 PM

Sounds good. I have a sealant I liek to use for wheels as well, makes cleaning so much easier.

nrengle · #5 08-20-2008, 03:09 AM

How long a life do you get out of your sealant on your wheels? I'm hoping a 4 to 6 weeks on mine just because of the high temps involved with disc brakes and the friction with the road.

supercharged · #6 08-20-2008, 01:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nrengle

How long a life do you get out of your sealant on your wheels? I'm hoping a 4 to 6 weeks on mine just because of the high temps involved with disc brakes and the friction with the road.

you should get that as long as you use just soap and water to wash your wheels...

nrengle · #7 08-20-2008, 01:19 PM

That's what I'm doing for my test. Hit my wheel wells with APC, then just wash the wheels with soap and water. Tires just a quickie with soap and water for now till the test is over. Then back to the APC on the tires too...

ricka · #8 08-20-2008, 05:04 PM

usually wipe down wheels with dg 521/aw mixture in between washings and occasional sealant applications. sealants used are wolfgang, aw, and dg 501 to polish/clean. works wonders and i'm pretty anal about the wheels.

admitted brake dust hater

nrengle · #9 08-20-2008, 05:17 PM

I'm not adding a booster during this test so I can get a baseline of what my expected life will be on the sealant, then can test with a spray wax of some sort (still looking for a good one).

nrengle · #10 09-03-2008, 03:10 AM

So we're a few weeks in now, the wheels still clean up great. Did a ONR wash on them last week, using Scottwax's system (from Autopia), and the break dust just melts right off with little more than a quick aggitation with a soft bristle brush, and a towel. Wheels still feel slick too.

Not sure how long I'll be able to keep updated on the test as I'll be leaving for tour in a couple weeks, and will be spending a good 5 weeks in Europe then straight into a US tour it appears.

I'll try to get some pictures tomorrow of my next ONR wash (I'm liking this a lot more than a regular wash currently).