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  1. #1
    Mike Phillips
    Guest

    Review: BLACKFIRE SiO2 Wheel Seal

    Review: BLACKFIRE SiO2 Wheel Seal


    BLACKFIRE SiO2 Wheel Seal



    Check out the water beading!

    >click< on the image to watch the video








    From the Autogeek.com store page

    BF-975 BLACKFIRE SiO2 Wheel Seal - 8 oz. jar - 24.99

    The weapon you need in the war against brake dust!

    BLACKFIRE SiO2 Wheel Seal is heavy duty wheel protection sealant that will prevent the build up of harmful brake dust, tree sap, tar, road salt, and road grime! BLACKFIRE SiO2 Wheel Seal is designed with a completely non-abrasive formula, making it safe for the vast majority of wheel types and finishes. BLACKFIRE SiO2 Wheel Seal will even work to fill in some of the pitting, corrosion, and damage that already exists on your wheels, restoring their finish! BLACKFIRE SiO2 Wheel Seal contains Silica protection that will far surpass other wheel sealants in both longevity and caliber of protection!

    Brake dust is a bear of a contaminant to battle. Not only is it produced in abundance when you even so much as tap your brakes, but it is also the biggest threat to your wheels’ finish. This incredibly corrosive substance is generated by the grinding of your brake pads against your break shoes. Minute particles of your brake pads are rubbed off by the friction and sent flying into the air. These particles land on your wheels and, because they are comprised of carbon, adhesive, and hot metal shavings, will gradually erode away the wheels surface and cause pitting.

    The only way to prevent this severe damage is to make sure that the brake dust is not ever given the opportunity to come into contact with your wheels. BLACKFIRE SiO2 Wheel Seal acts as a protective barrier to your wheels, keeping the brake dust off of your precious wheel surface. The Silica in BLACKFIRE SiO2 Wheel Seal forms a hard and durable shell that is more that capable of standing up to the corrosive substances to which your wheels are exposed.

    BLACKFIRE SiO2 Wheel Seal will also make it much easier to clean your wheels during your weekly washes as well. In fact, if done every week, you will even be able to simply pressure wash all the brake dust off of your wheels without the use of harsh chemicals!

    If your wheels have already seen their fair share of pitting and other damage, BLACKFIRE SiO2 Wheel Seal can help to restore them back to their factory-fresh glory! The ingredients contained in BLACKFIRE SiO2 Wheel Seal’s formula will work to fill in some of the pitting and other surface tarnishing. This will make the surface appear smoother and thus glossier!

    Your wheels are one of the most expensive after-market add-ons that you can get on your vehicles, so don’t let them fall victim to the destructive nature of brake dust! Let BLACKFIRE SiO2 Wheel Seal keep them looking new for years to come!


    Directions:

    1. Working out of sunlight, rinse wheels with a strong jet of water.
    2. Dry with a microfiber towel.
    3. Apply BLACKFIRE SiO2 Wheel Seal with a foam applicator using a thin layer directly on wheel.
    4. Buff out product haze with a clean, dry microfiber towel.
    5. Repeat steps on all other wheels.





    To the above directions, I would just add,

    Always work on a wheel that is cool to the touch.



    The idea being, don't spray cold water on hot wheels and thus hot brakes of a car that just was being driven as the brakes and possibly the wheels will still be hot. If the car was just driven allow some time for the brakes and the wheels to cool off.




    My review

    Before I can review a product I first have to use the product. Otherwise anything I say is either conjecture or mock-up and I don't like doing mock-up. The car world at-large already knows there's plenty of mock-up or fake detailing that takes place and I'm not going to add to it.


    This is my Lexus RX350, it's the gold colored SUV, not the wicked cool Tunnel Hull boat. You can read the story about the Tunnel Hull boat here




    I call it my Airport Car or The Golden Eagle. It's not what I normally like to drive but it is a damn good and darn reliable vehicle that does exactly what it's supposed to do and that's get me safely to the airport when I'm travelling and without breaking down. When I do my Roadshow classes there's a LOT of planning and expense that goes behind them and part of the planning and expense is me getting to the airport on time and without a hitch.

    For example, for the upcoming Austin, Texas Roadshow Class my flight leave out of Fort Lauderdale at 7:05am. It boards at 6:30am, I'm going to get there at 5:00am to park my car and get through security and because it's around a 2 hour drive from where I live I'm going to leave the house at 2:30am, this also means I'll be setting my alarm for 1:30am because I prefer to leave more on the early side than the late side in case there are traffic problems as I drive the I-95 to Ford Lauderdale.

    There is no time for a break-down. So yeah, I drive a mundane gold colored SUV.


    To do what I can to avoid a flat tire from nails on the road, (lots of construction everywhere), I just put brand new tires on the Lexus. Watch for an upcoming tire coating review as I have purposefully NOT put any tire dressing on them since they were installed.

    The wheels have nothing on them also. I've never applied a ceramic coating to them or any other type of wax or sealant. So for this review I'm going to wash a wheel and then apply the product to the wheel. I'll share what I think about the applicaton but there's no way I can tell you how long it lasts until some time goes by. So after some time goes by I'll update this review.


    My guess

    If this product makes water bead-up after application, then my guess is when I see water STOP beading-up that's a sign it's worn off. This is the visual indicator that the masses use to gauge a car wax, or synthetic sealant or ceramic coating or anything that claims to protect a surface. Not my criteria but the consensus of the masses.



    Washing
    First I'm going to wash one wheel and one tire. I don't have time do wash the entire car as I was given this product yesterday and I'm already behind in my other job duties.


    Because this is a BLACKFIRE product I'll use BLACKFIRE companion products.

    Here's the MINIMUM number of tools you need to do a proper wheel and tire wash.





    BLACKFIRE Tire & Wheel Cleaner - Spray Gun - Speed Master Wheel Brush - Wheel Woolies Wheel Face Brush - Tire Brush. For the Tire Brush I'm using a Mighty Mini with a Cyclo Aqua brush installed. I don't work by hand when a machine is available that will do the job better and faster.





    If you ever join the IDA - one of the questions on the Skill Validation tests is how many buckets does it take to do a proper car wash and the answer is 3 buckets. The third bucket being your Wheel & Tire Bucket. There you go, I just gave you an answer for the test.





    Some soap for the brushes - helps to clean the wheels better and also helps to clean the brushes when your done.







    Start by putting your DRY brushes in the bucket.











    Back to cleaning one wheel and tire. Just to the right side of this wheel and tire is FULL SUN - it's hotter than heck out here at 2:30pm South Florida time.





    Dirty wheel barrel





    Dirty wheel face





    Spraying on the BLACKFIRE Wheel and Tire Cleaner. Note, this is not a color changing wheel cleaner, it comes out of the bottle red.







    I always spray wheels first and let the chemicals go to work dissolving road grime and brake dust. 2 things that build up not just one thing. Then spray the tires with the product.







    Here's how you do it - let the machine do the work.





    And because it's cordless - you cannot get shocked!





    This tool was originally intended to be used for spot polishing but if you've ever tired to polish paint with a drill you know it's cumbersome at best. With the Cyclo Aqua brush it makes a great machine tire scrubber.





    Here's a technique tip from a guy that has used this tool a LOT to scrub tires. Hold the brush against the tire sidewall at an angle like you see in the picture below. Most people would naturally think you would hold the face of the brush, that is all the bristles flat against the sidewall and you can if you want but it works better to just hold the tool so only and edge of bristles makes contact with the sidewall. There's a reason too.





    Next - time to clean the rims... I usually start with the barrels using the Speed Master Wheel brush.







    Then if you're the OCD type of person that needs the back of the spokes clean, (no one will ever see them but what the heck), then bend the brush to get the back of the spokes.







    Plop that dirty brush into the bucket of soapy water. In most cases I would then move the bucket to the next wheel and continue until all 4 wheels and tires were cleaned but for this review... I'm done with one.





    Now grab your wheel face brush and get the face of the wheel clean.







    Here's a tip - BE CAREFUL around valve stems - now days the rubber type are cheap and dry rot fast. If you bump one with a brush there's a good chance it will break off and instead of having fun washing your car you'll be changing a flat tire. Been there and done that, now just trying to help you so you don't have to go through the pain.





    Plop the brush into the Wheel and Tire Bucket.





    Spray off the wheel and the tire.





    Angle the nozzle in from all directions to make sure you rinse all the gunk off.





    Nice and clean, which is what you need to use the new BLACKFIRE SiO2 Wheel Seal.







    Cleaning wheels and tires isn't any fun. In fact, it's my least favorite car detailing thing to do. Weird that I do so much of it.





    Legs dirty.... aluminum too, just can't see it easily.





    Shoes that were clean are now dirty...







  2. Likes PaulMys liked this post
  3. #2
    Mike Phillips
    Guest

    Re: Review: BLACKFIRE SiO2 Wheel Seal

    Continued...



    Tire Dressing

    I've moved the Golden Eagle into the air conditioned garage and before tackling the wheel, first I'm going to dress the tire.






    Application - BLACKFIRE SiO2 Wheel Seal

    In the pictures below I'm applying the Wolfgang Wheel Seal as per the directions using a simple, foam applicator pad.






















    Dry to a haze

    Allow the product to dry to a haze before removal.





















    Wipe-off

    Removing with a black wheel and tire towel. The reason I use a BLACK wheel and tire towel is because the BLACK color is a part of COLOR CODING. The idea being is I ONLY use my black microfiber towels on rims, never on the painted body panels. The reason why is to prevent any accidental metallic particles from the brake pads or the brake rotors that might lodge into the weave of the microfiber towel to then scratch my car's paint. Make sense? If you don't have a couple of black towels, get some. I've seen EXPLODED views of microfiber towels used on wheels and "yes" they did in fact have metallic particles in them.














    Here's the results












    Review

    The product applied easy and as long as you apply a thin coat it wiped off easy too. I only used the 2 dabs of product on the yellow foam applicator pad to treat the entire wheel face and the sides of the spokes. After I applied once to the entire wheel I then went back over it and re-agitated the film of product. This in my opinion helped to work it over 100% of the surfaces and also left a much thinner application to allow to dry to a haze and then wipe off.

    After wipe-off the surface of the wheel felt slippery but I also felt little bumps on the surface. My guess is the wheels need to be clayed but I'm not into these wheels enough to clay them. Something to consider if you really LOVE your wheels. After washing and drying, do the Baggie Test and if you feel little bumps there's no rules against claying your wheels - it's all personal preference.


    Take note that the shape of the Lexus wheels are very simple in design... this makes it easier to apply and then remove the product. Now imagine if you have a COMPLICATED design to the wheels on your car? If so - it will take you longer for the application and removal. A picture or a video can make this type of detailing look easy but the real-world fact is it's not. Just forewarning you so you know what you're getting into. I have years of detailing experience and while in some circles this might mean squat, in this circle experience shared can be a real blessing to others and that's my goal by sharing this little insight.

    Years ago I taught a Saturday Detailing 101 Class for a BMW club at Meguiars' in Irvine, California. One of the people attending the class had some fancy custom wheels on their BMW. As the class and I inspected the condition of the car before detailing it, I asked the owner,

    How long does it take you to clean one wheel?

    He said,

    About 45 minutes

    That's 3 hours to just clean the fancy, intricate wheels.


    I used this as a teaching moment for everyone in the class and suggested to them that if they are ever in the market to purchase custom wheels, instead of choosing the wheel for the DESIGN or fancy appearance, choose a wheel that you LIKE but will also be quick and easy to clean. Wheel cleaning time adds up. And this brings me back to this product. Any product you can apply to your car's wheels that holds up to the harsh environment your car's wheel are exposed to AND helps to prevent brake dust and road grime, (that's two things), from bonding to the wheel - will make future cleaning faster and easier.


    Tomorrow when I get to work I'll spray this wheel off with water. I live about 5 miles from work, that means I'll have about 10 miles on the wheel with the BLACKFIRE SiO2 Wheel Seal on it. I'll take a picture and share it to this review.

    Then for the next 3-4 weeks I repeat this and share the picture. I'm confident that after this product has been internally tested and then approved by management that it will perform as advertised.




    On Autogeek.com


    BLACKFIRE SiO2 Wheel Seal - $24.95





    The Golden Eagle with one wheel sealed...





  4. #3
    Mike Phillips
    Guest

    Re: Review: BLACKFIRE SiO2 Wheel Seal

    Quote Originally Posted by Mike Phillips View Post


    Tomorrow when I get to work I'll spray this wheel off with water. I live about 5 miles from work, that means I'll have about 10 miles on the wheel with the BLACKFIRE SiO2 Wheel Seal on it.

    I'll take a video and some pictures and share it to this review.


    Here's the video - took it at 7:19am this morning - 15 hours after application.


    >click< on the image to watch the video








    First here's the wheel before hitting it with water






    Here's spraying the wheel down with water...







    Here's a few pictures showing water beading....









    I was impressed.




  5. Likes PaulMys liked this post
  6. #4
    Super Member John U's Avatar
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    Re: Review: BLACKFIRE SiO2 Wheel Seal

    Mike,

    Great write up. A professional like yourself needs a dedicated pair of "washing shoes". Duck shoes are rubber and slip on easily for driveway water play. Northerners have used them for years washing cars in the winter.

    Review: BLACKFIRE SiO2 Wheel Seal-duck-shoes-jpg

  7. #5
    Mike Phillips
    Guest

    Re: Review: BLACKFIRE SiO2 Wheel Seal

    Quote Originally Posted by Mike Phillips View Post

    Then for the next 3-4 weeks I repeat this and share the videos and pictures.

    I'm confident that after this product has been internally tested and then approved by management that it will perform as advertised.

    I'm taking off a O'Dark Thirty for Austin, Texas tomorrow for the Texas Roadshow Detailing Class. I'll be back next Wednesday and repeat the above and then share the pictures.


    Austin, Texas Roadshow Detailing Class - June 1st & 2nd


    If you're reading this and want to attend one of these classes, here's the schedule for the rest of the year.

    Detailing Roadshow Classes for 2019
    Information - Dates - Locations




    Currently we have 5 locations confirmed for our 2-day Roadshow Classes. As more classes are scheduled and confirmed they will be added to this list.


    This is a 2-day class that covers both exterior detailing, interior detailing and wetsanding. Classes start at 7:30am sharp and end at 5:30pm - these are 10 hour classes where you're on our feet getting 100% hands-on training.

    Price: $895.00

    Early sign-up bonus - Sign-up 30 days before the date of the class and receive a $100.00 store credit at Autogeek.com


    Call Andre to sign-up over the phone 1-800-869-3011 x244



    June

    Saturday, June 1st and Sunday, June 2nd <-- Info and link to sign-up
    Pro Reflection Detail Shop
    501 W Powell Lane Unit 208
    Austin, Texas 78753
    Host Website - ProReflection.com





    July

    Saturday, July 20th and Sunday, July 21st <-- Info and link to sign-up
    Kruse Museum
    5634 Co Rd 11A
    Auburn, IN 46706
    Host Website - krusemuseums.org




    August

    Saturday, August 24th and Sunday, August 25th <-- Info and link to sign-up
    Denver Auto Shield
    4211 South Natches Court Suite D
    Englewood, CO 80110
    Host Website - denverautoshield.com




    September

    Saturday, September 14th and Sunday, September 15th <-- Info and link to sign-up
    Detail Pro Shop
    6040 Glick Road
    Powell, OH 43065
    Host Website - detailproshop.com/




    October

    Saturday, October 12th and Sunday, October 13th <-- Info and link to sign-up
    Immaculate Paint Protection
    4224 Greenfield Road
    Bethlehem, PA 18017
    Host Website - immaculatepaintprotection.com



    Questions?
    If you have any questions about the tools and topics covered on Saturday and Sunday please feel encouraged to call Andre or Mike


    Andre - 1-800-869-3011 x244

    Mike - 1-800-869-3011 x206



  8. #6
    Super Member acuRAS82's Avatar
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    Re: Review: BLACKFIRE SiO2 Wheel Seal

    What’s the expected longevity of this product on a regularly driven DD? Apply monthly? Weekly? Six months?

  9. #7
    Mike Phillips
    Guest

    Re: Review: BLACKFIRE SiO2 Wheel Seal

    Quote Originally Posted by acuRAS82 View Post

    What’s the expected longevity of this product on a regularly driven DD? Apply monthly? Weekly? Six months?
    I wasn’t involved with any of the testing. I heard Bobby say a few months - BUT factors like what you use to wash the wheel with and how often you wash his wheel are unknown variables.



  10. #8
    Mike Phillips
    Guest

    Re: Review: BLACKFIRE SiO2 Wheel Seal

    Quote Originally Posted by John U View Post
    Mike,

    Great write up. A professional like yourself needs a dedicated pair of "washing shoes". Duck shoes are rubber and slip on easily for driveway water play. Northerners have used them for years washing cars in the winter.

    Review: BLACKFIRE SiO2 Wheel Seal-duck-shoes-jpg

    Thanks!

    takes a little work to change out on the right side .

    I'm kind o a NIKE air guy too.


  11. #9
    Super Member acuRAS82's Avatar
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    Re: Review: BLACKFIRE SiO2 Wheel Seal

    Quote Originally Posted by Mike Phillips View Post
    I wasn’t involved with any of the testing. I heard Bobby say a few months - BUT factors like what you use to wash the wheel with and how often you wash his wheel are unknown variables.


    Thanks, just the general timeframe was sufficient. For those who use wheel coatings it would be tough to switch doing this application every two months. For those doing Hydro Blue every month it may also be hard to go back to doing this type of application at all.

    However, I could see this new product could potentially have better protective qualities (maybe?).

  12. #10
    Super Member briarpatch's Avatar
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    Re: Review: BLACKFIRE SiO2 Wheel Seal

    Product looks similar to Poor Boys Wheel Sealant (even the color), and the process is the same. Good point about more intricate wheels.....they get McKees Wheel Coating.

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