My wheel clean procedure!

[LOL]

Hey everyone, I figured i'd make a little post as I cleaned up some wheels on my Z4 and took for a few pictures along the way. This was my first time using most of these products, or cleaning a wheel into such depth as well.

Here is the assortment of products I used in the following order:

1. Sonax Wheel Cleaner
2. Mothers Claybar w/ Quick Detail
3. Chemical Guys Wheel Guard
4. Meguires Hot Shine

The main project for me was to clean the inside of the rim as I just got this car not to long ago and it looks like it has never been done. Lots of caked on gunk. I got to try my sonax cleaner for the first time!


I then gave them a good wipe down with a microfiber and used a lugnug brush in the small areas, I gave them a good rinse down outside and then brought it back in to claybar. I did a quick claybar on the inside of the rim but put in a lot more work and detail with the claybar on the outside of the rim making sure not to miss any spots to give it a smooth finish.


Next I applied Chemical Guys wheel guard and let it dry for about 15 minutes to a haze before wiping it down with a microfiber.


I then applied the Meguires Hot Shine to top it off. I applied the hot shine on the inside of the tire as well, why not lol. I was really impressed with the results of the Wheel Guard, the pictures don't compare to in person. It gave the rim a really nice wet icy shine and protective coating it i'd imagine.


Overall I am very happy with the results. The insides of the rim came much cleaner than what they were. There were still a couple dark black areas that didn't come completely clean but a huge improvement none the less. Very happy with the wheel guard as well, gave myself a nice wow factor lol. I just have the rear wheels to do now. Just wanted to share as I am new to the forums, feel free to leave information on what I could have done or similar techniques that you like to use, products, etc.

Thanks for viewing!

[Eldorado2k]

Looks good. Do you have any before pics of the face? Did the claybar remove significant amount of grit? I've never had much luck claying wheels for some reason.

[Cabrio]

Hey LOL - looks great!

[LOL]

Looks good. Do you have any before pics of the face? Did the claybar remove significant amount of grit? I've never had much luck claying wheels for some reason.

I don't have any pictures of the face of the rim before cleaning as it was already pretty clean. Although I did find the claybar to help a lot. When I feel the rim compared to the ones I havent done yet there is a significant difference. These are perfectly smooth while you can feel an invisible gritty feel on the rims that have not been done yet. I also thought the claybar would be a good idea to help the Wheel guard bond better and do it's job!

[2011 Kona Blue]

Hey everyone, I figured i'd make a little post as I cleaned up some wheels on my Z4 and took for a few pictures along the way. This was my first time using most of these products, or cleaning a wheel into such depth as well.

Here is the assortment of products I used in the following order:

1. Sonax Wheel Cleaner
2. Mothers Claybar w/ Quick Detail
3. Chemical Guys Wheel Guard
4. Meguires Hot Shine

The main project for me was to clean the inside of the rim as I just got this car not to long ago and it looks like it has never been done. Lots of caked on gunk. I got to try my sonax cleaner for the first time!


I then gave them a good wipe down with a microfiber and used a lugnug brush in the small areas, I gave them a good rinse down outside and then brought it back in to claybar. I did a quick claybar on the inside of the rim but put in a lot more work and detail with the claybar on the outside of the rim making sure not to miss any spots to give it a smooth finish.


Next I applied Chemical Guys wheel guard and let it dry for about 15 minutes to a haze before wiping it down with a microfiber.


I then applied the Meguires Hot Shine to top it off. I applied the hot shine on the inside of the tire as well, why not lol. I was really impressed with the results of the Wheel Guard, the pictures don't compare to in person. It gave the rim a really nice wet icy shine and protective coating it i'd imagine.


Overall I am very happy with the results. The insides of the rim came much cleaner than what they were. There were still a couple dark black areas that didn't come completely clean but a huge improvement none the less. Very happy with the wheel guard as well, gave myself a nice wow factor lol. I just have the rear wheels to do now. Just wanted to share as I am new to the forums, feel free to leave information on what I could have done or similar techniques that you like to use, products, etc.

Thanks for viewing!

Looks great bro. What does the CG wheel guard do?

[jamesboyy]

Excellent work on those wheels,

[01GreyStangGT]

Nice work! Thinking about doing something like that to my truck rims except using CarPro DLUX to protect.

[LOL]

Thanks for all the feedback!

[BrutalNoodle]

I think you did one helluva job.

Did you use up both clay bars? There was a flash sale on Amazon, and they were going for $4.99 for the kit! I grabbed two. Should have put more in the cart. Doh!

Clay is one product I will not abandon. I have pads & sponges, but sometimes you just can't beat the ole' play-doh for intricate work & areas. Try heavy grade for the drums next time.

How often do you plan on thorough wheel cleaning? I do it annually, usually Summer.

I don't normally coat mine with anything besides spray waxes. This time, however, I'm going to give them a Polymer Net Shield treatment.

[LOL]

Thanks Brutal! And i just used half a clay bar for one wheel. Sure it got a little gunked up quicker but it still did it's job without hurting the rim. Now when I use them on my paint it's a much different story and should be very cautious in keeping the claybar clean.

Thanks for the suggestion and I probably will do a thorough wheel cleaning like this once for sure, maybe twice a year.