Is there a wheel coating that is worth it?

[Belo]

If you define as "what shows" as both the outward facing portion of the wheel and the barrels I would highly encourage you to take the wheels off. It will make every step of the process much easier.

Even if you don't count for the time to jack up the vehicle and dismount the wheel you are probably still looking at investing some time to properly coat and prep the wheels. When I coated mine the wheels were brand new so I simply cleaned them, performed a prep wipe and then coated them. If your wheels have been in use for a while you'll probably want to prep them no differently than a traditional paint coating with a good wash, clay, and prep spray wipe down. Many a iron remover step in there somewhere as well. The time will vary based on the condition and size of the the wheels.

these wheels are 8 years old and have seen their share of chips, marks and even some pealing. However, from 5' away they look great. I own some eraser and I think I'll clean thoroughly with megs hot rims, clay and erase... but the polish seems like maybe it's not 100% needed, and given the condition of the rims, i'm not sure if it's safe either. If it doesn't hold well, this bottle says it's good for a 100 something wheels so i can reapply later without much pain.

I kind of got away from wheel coatings after trying hydro blue on them. Easy and the hydro blue gets everywhere on the wheel surfaces. Months of protection for very little effort.

I feel the same for my wife's explorer and my silverado. The blue does wonders, like there's never even any dirt on either of them. But they are bigger less spokey rims, and for some reason my g8 rims just collect dirt and dust a lot more, even with hawk ceramic pads. I know the slotted rotters don't help either. They're also a dish style, which may add to it. So I guess I'm happy with hydro, but not happy enough. So with the 25% off coupon I'm dumping some more money into detailing haha.
GT1



– MRR Wheels

For the PBL prep polish I almost prefer by hand vs machine for smaller jobs (windows/wheels). It’s watery and splatters with a machine (even with Mothers cone). With a microfiber applicator by hand it’s pretty quick work. Not sure about other prep polishes, but I would imagine Mckees is similar.

Overall I like PBL Wheel coating for reasons RLM specified... bottle lasts forever, it’s easy. Get it on sale or as the two pack with window coating at 25% off and it’s a steal (like less than $30 apiece).

If i were to polish, i would just do it by hand I think, but as mentioned above I'm going to do it "all" without the polish step unless someone can convince me it's absolutely necessary. I have polishes and compounds, but none that are dedicated to coating prep and honestly the PBL and foam fingers were expensive enough.

[acuRAS82]

If i were to polish, i would just do it by hand I think, but as mentioned above I'm going to do it "all" without the polish step unless someone can convince me it's absolutely necessary. I have polishes and compounds, but none that are dedicated to coating prep and honestly the PBL and foam fingers were expensive enough.

You could do your normal polish with a prep spray after, that should equal a prep polish... but since it’s a PITA, I do wonder if a coating wouldn’t stick just fine after a thorough iron decon wheel cleaning. So many applications in the bottle (as you mentioned), it’s definitely worth a shot.

[Belo]

You could do your normal polish with a prep spray after, that should equal a prep polish... but since it’s a PITA, I do wonder if a coating wouldn’t stick just fine after a thorough iron decon wheel cleaning. So many applications in the bottle (as you mentioned), it’s definitely worth a shot.

it'll probably be a month or so until i get to it. Just pulled it out of the garage and will use up the existing hydro blue before i tackle this. I will report back.

[The Guz]

Mike ordered c5. Do you have article on how to prep wheels for coating?


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I forgot to add that C5 is good. Just not as hydrophobic as other coatings. Adding Exo on top is the way to go. Takes a bit more time but performs much better as a combo.

So to prep wheels that have been worn. I get all other steps... how would one polish if nano not owned? Can you do by hand?

Thanks in advanced


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A nano is not required. It does speed up the process.

If i were to polish, i would just do it by hand I think, but as mentioned above I'm going to do it "all" without the polish step unless someone can convince me it's absolutely necessary. I have polishes and compounds, but none that are dedicated to coating prep and honestly the PBL and foam fingers were expensive enough.

Any polish will do. You may encounter shorter longevity with the hydro blue being the base layer. Probably a non issue with PBL wheel coating.

[Belo]

You may encounter shorter longevity with the hydro blue being the base layer. Probably a non issue with PBL wheel coating.

I'm hoping a good wash and the eraser will do a good bit, and understand that a polish is probably best. Just worried that where I have some scuffs, rash and peeling it could make it worse. These rims are machine polished hypersilver, not a chrome. with the amount of coatings claimed possible in this bottle, i think it'll be a good trail and error for which i will report back on.

[Belo]

washed the wifes explorer rims which had hydro on them, but not since last summer. And my brand new silverado. Both washed with hot wheels, then megs gold class. Dried and then wiped down with eraser. Will see how they do and then I'll tackle the pontiac.

Only real concern I have is that I have no idea how well i'm applying this black label stuff. I dont really "see" anything... but I did follow the directions and used a black flex foam finger.

[Belo]

[57Rambler]

So, how much difference would there be between using PBL Wheel Coating vs. using PBL Diamond Surface Coating ? I've been considering the surface coating because of its supposed versatility ...

[acuRAS82]

So, how much difference would there be between using PBL Wheel Coating vs. using PBL Diamond Surface Coating ? I've been considering the surface coating because of its supposed versatility ...

If you want to use the coating on other things, might be wise to try the Surface.

[Belo]

small update. It rained last night. The truck didn't move, but the wife drove to the gym and none of the rims have a drop of water or grime on them. so that's a good start day 1 lol.