HRE 549 R's ... Help me keep them PERFECT!

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DetailBurger

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They're my babies (and rightly so considering they cost me $6,900). Theyre stupidly high maintenance. A puddle, some rain, God forbid a sprinkler hits them and the "hard water" spots sit longer than 24 hours ... Even with weekly self-hand-washes, they eventually "fog up" and lose their mirror-like lustre. Once they reach that point, I can polish until im blue in the face and they wont go back. They dont look horrible, just not mirror-like anymore. Millions of microabrasions creates a "fog". The material is very soft. Very easily stained. VERY easily scraped. Even a paper towel wiped across the lip will leave permenant lines.



They've just been refurbished. I want to keep them gorgeous. Perfect. I am willing to do whatever it takes. Daily quick cleanings? Fine. Every other day? Fine. Products? Fine. Psycho behavior / OCD extremes? Done.



Questions:



1) I need a wiping/cloth/brush product for the tiny little nuts/bolts around the edges. Someone suggested QTips but those seem like they'd be abrasive.



2) I need the absolute best (cost is no object) Aluminum-safe daily cleaner to spray on and wipe off. Suggestions?



3) I need a sealant that is the absolute best, and will withstand a wipe or three, is SAFE for aluminum, and WONT affect the shine.



Armor All sealant was suggested but that product wipes off with a towel and doesn't retain shine. Someone else suggested "OPTI-COAT". Any opinions on Opti-Coat? I know its expensive.



4) Your opinion on the absolute best high end microfiber towel for drying ?



Thanks much folks.



-DB-
 
1) N/A



2) Flash Brown Royal or IronX. Flash brown royal is safe on all surfaces and it works awesome



3) Cquartz or Zaino Z-CS Clear Seal



4) Leaf Blower. Nothing dries better than 200mph winds. Leaf blower will dry every little screw and lip on those rims.
 
I had HRE 540R's on my NSX and had a heck of a time keeping them looking like chrome!



The problem is they are polished aluminum which is super soft!
 
Do you know if they are clear coated or not?
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HRE guy told me they are only "High Polished". No clear coat. So they are "Bare".



Flash brown royal is safe on all surfaces and it works awesome
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Flash Brown Royal is not safe for uncoated bare aluminum. It would have damaged my wheels.



I live in a condo tower. I have no access to a hose. The best i can do is a local self-wash. I do weekly hand washes there, but 6-7 days of brake dust, splashes, rain, etc means the wheels end up fogged out and stained after three months. This is what I am trying to avoid now. I want to keep them maintained mirror-shine. If that means daily wipes, etc - perfect. Whatever it takes.



I have tried pouring my RO water over the wheel and spraying an aluminum cleaner foam onto them. This worked, but I have a question for you guys - the brake dust comes off on the towel, leaving a black smudge. I have been told anytime you "wipe" a soft metallic finish with "abrasives" underneath, you *are* causing microabrasions. Its those things which eventually cause the wheels to lose their smooth mirror-finish.



Is that correct?



I guess if I am doing this daily, then there will be less brake dust, but I fear "wiping" daily. You dont have any idea how fragile this finish is. I took a paper towel to it once and it left 6 lines on the finish that were perm.



Help....!
 
I too have fully polished aluminum wheels



I'm going to fully polish them again ( takes about 8 hours each given the design) but I think this is the best advice



My favorite polish is Mother's BILLET polish. It's a tiny can for what you pay but it will leave a 100% finish ( make sure to have at least 2-4 new microfibers per wheel)





3. I think opti-coat would work great in this situation.
 
Mine are already polished. I am trying to maintain the perfect condition.



Any opinions on CQuartz vs. AQuartz vs. Opticoat?



Also im told that Opticoat is not for sale to regular people .... only detailers ... ?
 
very cool

20.creation.jpg
 
DetailBurger said:
Mine are already polished. I am trying to maintain the perfect condition.



Any opinions on CQuartz vs. AQuartz vs. Opticoat?



Also im told that Opticoat is not for sale to regular people .... only detailers ... ?
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OptiCoat 2.0 is available to anyone. Google search it, and you should find several retailers carrying it. Beautiful wheels, btw. If they were mine, I'd feel the same way about keeping them perfect. Get ready for a lot of work keeping them looking good!
 
[Also im told that Opticoat is not for sale to regular people .... only detailers ... ?]



Detailer's are regular people too :smile1:



Opti-Coat 2 is the regular version, Opti-Guard is for professional use only. IMO Opti-Coat is easier to apply than AQuartz



 
I have HRE 540's on my Nissan 300ZX. Stunning looking wheel. Effer to keep clean and polished. If these wheels were on my daily driver I would have switched them out. Since my 300zx is a garage queen I can deal with it. Just keeping those spokes polished is going to drive you nuts...:nervous2::nervous2:
 
DetailBurger said:
HRE guy told me they are only "High Polished". No clear coat. So they are "Bare".









I have tried pouring my RO water over the wheel and spraying an aluminum cleaner foam onto them. This worked, but I have a question for you guys - the brake dust comes off on the towel, leaving a black smudge. I have been told anytime you "wipe" a soft metallic finish with "abrasives" underneath, you *are* causing microabrasions. Its those things which eventually cause the wheels to lose their smooth mirror-finish.



Is that correct?



I guess if I am doing this daily, then there will be less brake dust, but I fear "wiping" daily. You dont have any idea how fragile this finish is. I took a paper towel to it once and it left 6 lines on the finish that were perm.



Help....!
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I know how fragile the finish is. I've polished bare aluminum many times. I've made aluminum castings and polished them, made other parts out of aluminum, ect. There are different grades of aluminum. The hardest and most scratch resistant is 7075 T6 aluminum. That stuff is harder than mild steel. Pure aluminum on the other hand is very soft. You can scuff it with a clean, dry paper towel when the aluminum is totally grit free. It's really a pain to keep shiny if you have to touch it on a regular basis. Polished uncoated aluminum has a rich deep color when fully polished, which you need a super soft cloth and a super fine polish in order to achieve, and you need a very light touch on the final strokes.



You also need an extremely gentle touch on the wiping off the excess polish, to give the shine. If you aren't gentle enough, you can mar the finish again just with the cloth you are using to buff with.



Brake dust is REALLY abrasive, so the thought of having uncoated polished aluminum wheels on a street car sounds like a nightmare to keep perfect. It simply isn't practical. If you clear coat them, you WILL lose a little bit of the shine, making it less deep and rich looking. A clear coat will make the wheels look whiter. I suspect that Opti Coat will also make the wheels look a bit whiter.

If there was a safe way to chrome plate these, that is what I would do. Chrome is a lot more scratch resistant than aluminum. I know that chroming steel wheels can make them brittle and break under heavy stress like racing, so it is important to find people who know what they are doing.



If money really is no object, I would chrome them.
 
We have some of those on the ZR1. We polish them with Billet Metal Polish and a rubber nitrile gloves instead of using an applicator. Wipe the residue softly with clean, new microfiber towels.
 
Thanks everyone.



So wiping brake dust - even very carefully - with a super good aluminum safe foam (Meguiars Aluminum cleaner) with a microfiber towel (even gently) can cause abrasions eh? Hmm .. Seems like an impossible task then. :( If even wiping is going to make them worse. .



I think I may do CQuartz sealant on them. In Youtube vids the the CQuartz seems to provide a deeper color?
 
DetailBurger said:
Thanks everyone.



So wiping brake dust - even very carefully - with a super good aluminum safe foam (Meguiars Aluminum cleaner) with a microfiber towel (even gently) can cause abrasions eh? Hmm .. Seems like an impossible task then. :( If even wiping is going to make them worse. .



I think I may do CQuartz sealant on them. In Youtube vids the the CQuartz seems to provide a deeper color?
Click to expand...

In the meantime, I would use a boars hair brush to clean them with, gently. First rinse, then apply cleaner and let sit, then rinse again, then apply cleaner again, then carefully use the brush. Maybe even put the wheel cleaner in a foam gun, and foam it as you brush. Finally rinse, and use a leaf blower to dry them. If you don't have a leaf blower, try gently blotting the wheels dry with a microfiber towel.
 
Thanks.



Time to nit-pick.



1) Which do you think is less abrasive on a soft finish: the brush or a microfiber towel?



2) Do you really feel that spraying the foam, and rinsing with water (even twice) will get the brake dust completely off?



I have found that I absolutely *have* to use something to wipe off the dust, even after double rinsing and foaming.



I would hate to dry the wheel with dust still on it. That's a great way to cook the stuff into the finish.



-DB-
 
DetailBurger said:
Thanks.



Time to nit-pick.



1) Which do you think is less abrasive on a soft finish: the brush or a microfiber towel?



2) Do you really feel that spraying the foam, and rinsing with water (even twice) will get the brake dust completely off?



I have found that I absolutely *have* to use something to wipe off the dust, even after double rinsing and foaming.



I would hate to dry the wheel with dust still on it. That's a great way to cook the stuff into the finish.



-DB-
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1; You only use the brush when it is wet and you are cleaning it with wheel cleaner. In that case, I do believe that the boar's hair brush is safer. You use a gentle touch. It is possible that you will not be able to get them perfectly clean with the brush, however. After the brush, I would use a wash mitt. A dedicated wash mitt, that is. After that, a towel. You could try the clay after that, if there is more contamination, starting with ultra fine clay, but be prepared to polish after-wards. Forrest's suggestion sounds great.



2: When you apply the wheel cleaner and then rinse without rubbing, you will be removing some of the dust that rinsing alone will not remove, and thus, you will have to rub LESS on the wheel to get it clean than you would without the foam and rinse without rubbing. That is why it's beneficial. In most cases, I would not do that, but these are soft aluminum, so in that case I would.



Almost all aluminum parts that are exposed to the elements are either clear coated or anodized because it simply isn't practical to keep bare aluminum pretty when it is outside. It is one thing to have polished aluminum engine parts, but having bare aluminum polished wheels is REALLY problematic for a driver. If it is a show car, that is different. If the car is never driven, no brake dust, no major abrasives on a regular basis, and it's doable. polished bare aluminum has a color that you just can't get with anodized or clear coated aluminum.

It is very pretty, and has a color that isn't like chrome or stainless.
 
+1 for Opti-Coat. I'd suggest applying it on a test vehicle/panel/old wheels. It has a bit of a learning curve to it (think of trying to apply super glue as a protective coating). Also, I would do a wheels-off detail and apply it to the lip and inner-wheel since OC is lasts for a lifetime.



As for cleaning the wheels, ONR and I'd say dedicate a MF towel for each wheel and wash them after every use to be on the neurotically-cautious side :). To clean the lugs and detailed small bolts, I'd use a small circular soft bristle paint brush or one of those swissvax detail brushes. Your potential to scratch and mar is part tools and part technique. Just be careful :)
 
SpoolinNoMore said:
+1 for Opti-Coat. I'd suggest applying it on a test vehicle/panel/old wheels. It has a bit of a learning curve to it (think of trying to apply super glue as a protective coating).
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Sounds like you may be using the wrong amount, or trying to layer it?
 
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