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  1. #1

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    DLUX on bare aluminum wheels getting water spots

    So I coated some brand new wheels with the center section being powder coated and the lips being bare aluminum. After a week of some rain they were washed and saw the lips being covered in water spots, but not the center section. So what are my options here, try UK3.0 instead of DLUX from now on, or is bare aluminum just not coating friendly?
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  2. #2
    Mike The Guz's Avatar
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    Re: DLUX on bare aluminum wheels getting water spots

    What was your prep and application process? How soon was the coating exposed to water?

    Bare metals don`t always accept a coating that well.

    You could use a waterspot remover and see if that helps. Worst case you polish, recoat and top with say Reload to protect the coating if it will be exposed to water.
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  3. #3

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    Re: DLUX on bare aluminum wheels getting water spots

    I though most wheels were clear coated these days ?

    I had black rims on a customers car that water spotted despite the fact that they were coated. I used several different coatings on them, some rim specific and other just paint coatings and they showed signs of spotting. Not sure if it was rain water or sprinkler water but it was removed with polish quickly by hand and ibird. Water spot remover made a mess. There with very glossy black rims. Finally gave up after trying several coatings. The coatings appeared to stick so I blame some hard water or acidic spray or something. Customer claimed neither was the case but it was my only issue and I’ve done many black rims.

    He ended up taking the car elsewhere and had similar issues so I’m not sure. He came back to see if I had anything to try the following season. I told him I’d blame some environmental factor. Just never was able to pin point it. Never had Anotner similar issue ever. The coating appeared to protect the wheels but still spot. Never had an issue on the black paint. Could have been caused by brake dust mixing with water having a reaction ? Or some tire protectant he was applying liberally. It was at the train station 5 days a week but iron removers didn’t fix it either. I Never figured it out. Comped the rims a few times trying different products and then gave up. Spots could be present in 2-3 weeks after fixing. It was a long season.

    I still get weak when I see black Rims. Lol

    I’d say he was picky but it would have bothered me too.
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  4. #4

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    Re: DLUX on bare aluminum wheels getting water spots

    They were brand new out of the box so i gave them a wash and then wiped them down with Eraser. After coating they sat for a few days before they were mounted on the car and a couple days later they saw rain for a few days. About 9 days after the coating they were washed and that`s when the spots were noticed.

  5. #5
    Mike The Guz's Avatar
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    Re: DLUX on bare aluminum wheels getting water spots

    Quote Originally Posted by JSFM35X View Post
    I though most wheels were clear coated these days ?
    Factory wheels yes. Aftermarket wheels are available in polished aluminum which is bare metal.

    Quote Originally Posted by RZJZA80 View Post
    They were brand new out of the box so i gave them a wash and then wiped them down with Eraser. After coating they sat for a few days before they were mounted on the car and a couple days later they saw rain for a few days. About 9 days after the coating they were washed and that`s when the spots were noticed.
    I have not had good luck with coating polished aluminum wheels with GTechniq C5 or DLUX. The coating just does not last that long on them as they will still oxidize just at a slower rate. Wolfgang Metal Sealant is nice on polished aluminum. You could try CQUK 3.0 but I suspect you will have the same result.

    Did you apply 1 layer or 2?
    Competition Ready Team 1929 Bentley
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    Re: DLUX on bare aluminum wheels getting water spots

    Quote Originally Posted by The Guz View Post
    Did you apply 1 layer or 2?
    1 layer. I actually didn`t realize they weren`t clear coated until after the client sent me the water spot pics and said they might be bare. A conversation with Carpro didn`t help much either, as the final advise was maybe try Hydro and see how it goes. I kind of expected a more definitive answer but that`s fine.

  7. #7
    Mike The Guz's Avatar
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    Re: DLUX on bare aluminum wheels getting water spots

    Quote Originally Posted by RZJZA80 View Post
    1 layer. I actually didn`t realize they weren`t clear coated until after the client sent me the water spot pics and said they might be bare. A conversation with Carpro didn`t help much either, as the final advise was maybe try Hydro and see how it goes. I kind of expected a more definitive answer but that`s fine.
    You could polish the metal surface with a metal polish and determine if it is indeed not clear coated. I have moved away from DLUX as a wheel coating and have gone with CQUK. DLUx does do well as trim coating and that is what I use it for. I actually prefer 22ple VM1 as a wheel coating and if I didn`t test various coatings, I would settle on it being my wheel coating. Much better than DLUX and a few others.
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  8. #8
    dansautodetailing.com Stokdgs's Avatar
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    Re: DLUX on bare aluminum wheels getting water spots

    Quote Originally Posted by The Guz View Post
    You could polish the metal surface with a metal polish and determine if it is indeed not clear coated. I have moved away from DLUX as a wheel coating and have gone with CQUK. DLUx does do well as trim coating and that is what I use it for. I actually prefer 22ple VM1 as a wheel coating and if I didn`t test various coatings, I would settle on it being my wheel coating. Much better than DLUX and a few others.
    Mike ,
    Hope you guys are all good down there in SoCal !
    Thank you for your input on this..

    Regarding your wheel coating preference - is this ^^ your preference for bare metal wheels, clear coated wheels, or both ?
    Thanks !
    Dan F

  9. #9

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    Re: DLUX on bare aluminum wheels getting water spots

    Quote Originally Posted by The Guz View Post
    You could polish the metal surface with a metal polish and determine if it is indeed not clear coated. I have moved away from DLUX as a wheel coating and have gone with CQUK. DLUx does do well as trim coating and that is what I use it for. I actually prefer 22ple VM1 as a wheel coating and if I didn`t test various coatings, I would settle on it being my wheel coating. Much better than DLUX and a few others.
    I`m also thinking of just using UK3.0 for wheels from now on. I think Corey even recommended it a while back.

  10. #10

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    Re: DLUX on bare aluminum wheels getting water spots

    RZJ -


    My experience seems to differ alot from others so here goes...

    I don`t like coatings on bare metal. IMO, all I`ve tested always seems to take it 1-2 notches down in clarity as opposed to uncoated BM...
    The more higher the luster, the faster it also seems to oxidize.

    It`s work IMO, but for bare metal, I prefer to just keep it product free and just keep ontop of the polish side......ahem, sorry, I did say it`s work...
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  11. #11
    Mike The Guz's Avatar
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    Re: DLUX on bare aluminum wheels getting water spots

    Quote Originally Posted by Stokdgs View Post
    Mike ,
    Hope you guys are all good down there in SoCal !
    Thank you for your input on this..

    Regarding your wheel coating preference - is this ^^ your preference for bare metal wheels, clear coated wheels, or both ?
    Thanks !
    Dan F
    Dan for clear coat wheels it is my preferred wheel coating. The jury is still out on metal surfaces. I’m in the process of evaluating its performance on metal surfaces.



    Quote Originally Posted by RZJZA80 View Post
    I`m also thinking of just using UK3.0 for wheels from now on. I think Corey even recommended it a while back.
    You are right he mentioned this before. I forgot to mention that DLUX at times will spot on plastic trim. They do fade over time though from what I have experienced.
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  12. #12

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    Re: DLUX on bare aluminum wheels getting water spots

    i put dlux on the black plastic tailgate handle of my truck and while it looked great after putting it on, it looked like it wore down to where it looked like crap and didnt know how to remove it. looked horribly worn down and oxidized if that makes any sense. tried meguiars 39, even took my polisher to it but seemed to look the same. eventually wiped it with eraser and used csl on it and now looks a lot better. problem is i put dlux on my gf`s black trim and probably want to remove it also after what i experienced. and while it looks ok so far i hate to see it get that worn down look like what was said and what my handle looked like. will definitely not use dlux again.

  13. #13

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    Re: DLUX on bare aluminum wheels getting water spots

    Quote Originally Posted by The Guz View Post
    I actually prefer 22ple VM1 as a wheel coating..
    As I continue to ponder using mine, I`ll be interested to hear what your experiences with it are over time. If it`s good on bare metal that`d be *great*

  14. #14
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    Re: DLUX on bare aluminum wheels getting water spots

    Quote Originally Posted by Accumulator View Post
    As I continue to ponder using mine, I`ll be interested to hear what your experiences with it are over time. If it`s good on bare metal that`d be *great*
    What are you currently using?

    This thread has me a bit glad I haven`t polished the bare AL wheels on my Jeep!!!! I would hate to go through the trouble of making them pretty, only to have some issues down the line.

  15. #15

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    Re: DLUX on bare aluminum wheels getting water spots

    Quote Originally Posted by JustJesus View Post
    What are you currently using [on bare metal]?
    I`m not really using/doing much of anything, other than wiping down with whatever SprayWax I use as a Drying Aid. Well...the exterior aluminum trim/etc. gets FK1000P/KSG, but I was thinking about underhood/undercarriage bits that I might consider coating.

    This thread has me a bit glad I haven`t polished the bare AL wheels on my Jeep!!!! I would hate to go through the trouble of making them pretty, only to have some issues down the line.
    Having grown up with bare aluminum wheels, there`s zero chance that I`d ever [mess] around with them again. Period. I`d replace/refinish wheels that had bare aluminum rims or somesuch.

    Yeah, I *DO* appreciate it when guys keep aluminum/magnesium wheels shiny, but I`m not spending my time that way.

 

 
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