How to clean your wheels

J

JonB

New member
OK, I spent the last 3 days prepping, polishing, protecting the Mustang. I first did a dawn wash. Then I clayed with Pinnacle Poly Clay and the Pinnacle Clay lubricant. I did the entire car with the clay. This left a pretty messy goop all over. I took it outside and hosed the car down....water only. Goop was gone. I then used Finesse It II on the hood a couple of times with a PC/Yellow pad since SMR/white pad really didn't do much. I used 3M Fine Cut Rubbing Compound by hand on a few remaining scratches. The FI II left a definite haze on the hood. I then used Blackfire Polish with a PC/white pad to polish the entire car thus removing any residual Klasse and leaving a very smooth, polished surface. I am very impressed with Blackfire polish. Easy to work with, wipe off and exceptional polishing!



First coat of Blackfire Paint Protectant went on with an MF applicator. I think it was too thich because it was not so easy to remove...about the same as SG without water or detailer. I used the Gloss Enhacing detailing spray after the first coat. Looked nice but I knew it wasn't finished. Second coat of BFPP went on with a foam applicator....thin....thin is good! Went on faster than with the MF applicator and used a lot less product. Very easy to remove when applied thin! (Almost but not quite as easy as Zaino removal) I did not care for the way it looked on the matte black plastic trim...looked streaky no matter what I did, so I finally polished it with Vinylex and no more streaks. (Zaino and Klasse did ok with the black trim)



The second coat really made a big difference. I could see as I was going around the car the difference between the 1 coat and 2 coat panels. Marked difference. I had already done the trunk lid about a month ago, but I laid down two more coats anyways. These coats seemed to hide some relatively severe paint defects ie scratches and very fine chips. I had similar results with SG after 5 or 6 coats.



I still have to go over it with the Gloss Enhancing Spray again and will be done for this session. Will probably lay down another few coats in a week or two after trying the Blackfire wash.



So far, I would say this has the most pleasing shine of all the Polymer products I've used so far (Klasse, Zaino, Liquid Glass), though the Zaino on silver is probably a better choice due to the light characteristics of a silver finish being aided by the glassy look. It is very similar to a Carnauba shine like Blitz and Souveran. I will have to watch for the mysterious haze problem that I had with Klasse/Blitz. Temperatures are way down now though...I think it was below 80 today, and the humidity is down also. I am thinking the haze had a lot to do with that, but will keep a close eye out for it.



Pictures....I have one last pass with the detailing spray and then it moves out of the detailing factory (garage) to the show floor (driveway). Give me a couple of hours and will post them to this thread.



Just a couple of notes: Get a PC if you don't already own one! I can't imagine doing this job without one. I tried the first time several months ago and got no where close to the results I got this time. Take your time in prepping. It is the key to good results. Again, last time I skipped a couple of steps and I can definitely see the difference! I didn't time myself, but prep took the better part of one afternoon and finished the next morning. The actual polymer application and removal is not that bad, especially if you apply THIN THIN layers with a foam applicator.

Have at least 5 or 6 MF's (20?) handy in addition to a bunch of shop towels. When the MF's get full of product, they do not work well. Move on to another. Patience.... Attention to detail.... Good Masseuse available for breaks... Good health insurance to cover Chiropractic visits...





H
 
Here are the final pics after 2 coats BF. A few more notes: The Gloss Enhancing Spray wipes on and needs very little if any buffing as opposed to Crystal Mist etc which requires a dry buff afterwards. The Mustang has returned to its dark green color which was muted by Klasse/Blitz into almost black. You can also see the metalic flakes better. The car has a deeper "glow" to it than with the Klasse/Blitz. Durability will be an issue I will report on. I don't know how they did it, but Blackfire looks to me to be a winner.



H
 
Last for now... This is the trunk which had some problem areas, now covered for the most part...
 
Awesome job!:up :up :cool: I like the way Blackfire looks on dark green. I think I will try Blackfire this spring on my dark green Explorer. :up
 
That looks soooo good!!! It makes me miss my stang... :( Oh well. I love how that is looking! I'll bet you get a lot of looks when you drive it around now.
 
One word: Incredible! The stang looks awesome. I'll definately be trying blackfire this summer. The car has an intense warm glow. Very nice.
 
Awesome deep green GT. I can't wait to give a complete detail to my Mustang, unfortunately our 40 degree weather will not permit. After viewing this post I am tempted to give Blackfire a try this spring.:)
 
Man, that's some nice work.



Very timely post, getting ready to do my polo green vette. Looks exactly like your green.



I asked MichaelB for an update in product info. He's coming up on the 1 month mark.
 
I've had Blackfire on for 3-1/2 weeks. The shine is the same, hasnt diminished. The slickness has diminshed slightly, not substantually though. Now, water doesnt bead with BF, but you can tell that theres protection on there because the water just rolls off the sides of the car. BTW, thoose are some awesome pics man, really shows off BF's shine qualities and you hard work and patience.:up
 
Thanks guys. I'm gonna take her out for a spin in about an hour and surprise, surprise.....it looks like it's going to rain. I am thinking about leasing the car to areas that are experiencing a drought! It seems that every time it comes out of the garage, it will rain....usually just a quick shower, just enough to ruin the perfection look. :mad:



As for the slickness. it is very slick but I attribute that to almost an oily like surface coating. I would not be surprised if that diminished after a wash or two. The QD seems to add to that slick/oily feeling, but I am mostly interested in shine and protection. If that persists, then BF is all that it's claimed to be. If I find different, I may consider topping it with Zaino since it has been reported to be compatible....



H
 
Hey I'll try this here first. I decided not to get the BF QD. Who's using a different QD and which one.



Do you treat it like Klasse SG and are avoiding Carnuba sprays so as not to affect the application of further coats of BF PP?



LC
 
Of course, when layering, you want to stay away from carnauba based QD because they may interfere with bomding. The BF QD contains the same polymers in the sealant so it will enhance your protection.
 
The BF QD is one of the easiest QD products to use. There is virtually no smearing and doesn't need to be buffed off. I just wiped it on and that's it. I guess I buffed it a drop just to see if it made a difference and it didn't.



H
 
Eagle One is good, cheap also. I use EO on my Klassed cars. But BF QD is formulated to work with BF and from what I can see so far, it works extremely well. EO tends to smear a bit and needs to be buffed out. BF QD just needs to be wiped on and brings the gloss up without any buffing. I think it also increases the slick feeling if that's what turns you on.



H
 
I have been using the BF QD on my Klassed car and it is excellent. They claim that it will perform well on any polymer sealant.



H
 
The detail of a wheel can make or break the detail of a car. Nothing will detract more from a freshly waxed, gleaming paint job then a smudge on a spoke or a residue inside the barrel! Keeping wheels looking clean is more does more then make your car happy, it prevents damage occurring on the wheel itself. This is because brake dust is often corrosive, and can attack the finish of your wheels, whether they are painted, anodized, or bare metal.

Ideally the wheels should be cleaned every time the car is washed. Keeping the wheels free of excessive build up will make cleaning easier, usually requiring nothing more then car soap and a few brushes to reach into the barrel. However in the case of my wife?s old car, the wheels have not been cleaned for quite some time and will require a little additional touch up.

1-7.jpg


2-4.jpg



Once wheels that have heavy build up you will need a dedicated wheel cleaner that is safe for the finish of your wheel. Optimum Power Clean is an excellent all-purpose cleaner that will helps break the bond of the break dust with out the use of harsh acids and chemicals. It is safe for use on all wheel finishes, although you should always test a small, inconspicuous spot. At the minimum you will need an old rag or micro fiber cloth. You don?t want to use a rag or towel that is stiff and dirty, the towel pictured is quite soft, although has been stained from previous tasks and is no longer appropriate for use on the paint.

3-5.jpg


If you want to be a little more detailed in cleaning your wheels then adding some ?Wheel Woolies? is a great idea. These helpful tools feature a tough, sturdy shaft making them well suited to handing the rigors of washing. Also instead of fine bristles that splatter grime and dirty solution everywhere, the ?Wheel Woolies? use a tightly woven lambs wool swab that holds an incredible amount solution. They are available in the three sizes to fit the tight areas of some of the more complicated designs with ease.

6-3.jpg


Washing the wheels first.

I always wash the wheels and tires prior to washing the car. Washing a car is working is often working against the clock, as you only have so long to dry the car before you get water spots. By starting with the wheels, I can dedicate the time necessary to do a good job with out rushing.

Make sure you wheels are cool to the touch!

Using chemicals on hot wheels can cause the cleaner to dry up and be difficult to remove, at best. At worst it can lead to damaging the finish of the wheel.

Rinse first!

5-3.jpg

Rinse the wheel with a steady blast of cool water to remove as much loose soiling as possible.

Apply the cleaner!

4-3.jpg

Here I am applying Optimum Power Clean to the wheel, starting at the bottom of the wheel and covering the face with overlapping sprays.

Give the cleaner some time to work!

7-2.jpg

Don?t start cleaning right away, as the cleaner needs some time to react with the wheel and loosen the brake dust. Always refer to the manufacturer?s specs on how long to let the cleaner sit. This is know and dwell time.

Agitate the cleaner on the wheel.

8-1.jpg

Here I am using a damp, old micro fiber to wipe the wheel and remove the break dust. If the build up is heavy you may have to rinse the wheel and towel and continue wiping to make sure no spots are missed.

9-1.jpg

Alternatively, using the medium sized Wheel Woolie makes quick work of the tight creases and design.

Rinse Thoroughly!

Take your time and make sure that all of the cleaner and dirt has been removed from the face of the wheel.

Taking it a step further!

10-1.jpg

If you want to take the wheel to the next level, consider cleaning the barrel of the wheel (the area behind the spokes) as well as the break caliper!

Spray Cleaner on the inside of the barrel, then allowed dwell for the recommended time.

Use an appropriate sized Wheel Woolie or special wheel brush to agitate the cleaner.

11-1.jpg

Luckily the large Wheel Woolie was the perfect size to clean between the spokes, and made quite work of the wheel?s barrel. On some cars with larger brakes, you maybe have to use the smaller size to fit.

Rinse Thoroughly.

Never be afraid to be creative, consider removing easy to remove pieces like the lug cover, and clean in there occasionally.

12.jpg


Now are wheels are clean and well detailed, giving the car a very clean appearance despite being quite filthy. Now you are ready to wash and dry the car at a time.

13-1.jpg
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top