wheel care

i'm wondering what products do you guys use to care for your wheels.  i got some products like meguiars nxt metal polish, eagle one never dull, wheel wax(got it from a local shop but tirerack got it also), and various waxes.  i got new work wheels and so far i've only been using soap and water to just clean them but want to wax/polish to help protect against brake dust.

well, depending on what type of finish you have on your rims, you can only use so much. for example, my AME are a polished lip with diamond cut clear. just by looking at the lip and accidentally making a 1/2" scratch on it, it has a protective layer of clearcoat on it, and people always talk about refinishing their rims and clearing over. if there is clear coat on it, just use a really good wax. 

wash your rims after they have cooled down. if you use dish washing soap and water, the dish washing soap takes off any wax/polish you already have on it, fyi. so if you  do use dish washing soap  you have to put something on after to protect it.... i use zymol to wax my rims... 

after you wax you should be able to just clean off any dirt with a microfiber cloth.. usually after waxing its supposed to protect for at least 1/2 year with just rinsing with water, but who believes that?

good signature man

mista808... do you wax the WHOLE wheel or just the lip?

only thing i use is Simple green and a microfiber  wash mitt mixed with some water. i also swear  by eagle one nanowax on wheels, body, even windows! (acts like rain-x)

[quote=volkgt7;95370]only thing i use is Simple green and a microfiber wash mitt mixed with some water. i also swear by eagle one nanowax on wheels, body, even windows! (acts like rain-x)[/quote]Hmm, you might want to think twice about using Simple Green on wheels. From experience it tends to eat through clear coats. Its similar to if you would wash your car with Simple Green. I happen to use the Meguiar's Gold Class Car Wash soap and water on my wheels. For wax, I just use Meguiar's NXT Tech Wax, and then Meguiar's #26 HiTech Yellow Wax. On my chrome faces I use the Meguiar's Metal Polish, but never on the lips.

I clean my rims 6 out of 7 days a week!
and I use blue magic metal polish when I really want to clean then (takes along time)
but for that quick on the go shine I use Invisable glass! :smiley:  (WORKS GREAT!!!)
 
Ima have to try that zimoral & simple green stuff one day!

Once every 3 months, I clay bar them down lips and faces since they have a clear coat on them.  Then I use a polish, let it cure for about 6 hours.  From there i'll apply wax on them.   I polish them once a week and spray them down with a detailer daily.  I just recently got hooked on zaino so no more waxing for me.
 
The car could be dirty but the wheels and tires have to be clean.  Its like an optical illusion cause people think my car is always clean when its just my wheels :biggthumpup:

[quote=car_lost;95369]mista808... do you wax the WHOLE wheel or just the lip?[/quote]

i wax the whole rim. lip and center.... i usually wait a while after i have driven my car. i never wash my rims while they are hot, let alone my whole car. washing your rims while they are hot is probably the worst thing you could do.... using simple green can break down the clearcoat and make it easier for water/contaminates the get under the clear. is you let simple green soak in ona hot rim, it stains it for life.... 

just a simple brand wax is good enough, for me....

[QUOTE=Benji;95391]Hmm, you might want to think twice about using Simple Green on wheels. From experience it tends to eat through clear coats. Its similar to if you would wash your car with Simple Green. I happen to use the Meguiar's Gold Class Car Wash soap and water on my wheels. For wax, I just use Meguiar's NXT Tech Wax, and then Meguiar's #26 HiTech Yellow Wax. On my chrome faces I use the Meguiar's Metal Polish, but never on the lips.[/QUOTE]

after ruining one set of volk gt7's and having another set ruined, and using maybe 10  different types of cleaners and polishers i have found that the simple green works fine on the clearcoat. I would not use simple green on the body of my car and i initially was aprehensive about using it on my wheels simply because of that, but after seeing a wheel refinishing place use it on my wheels and them recommending it i decided to give it a try.  where i am at in boston we have to deal with all kinds of weather changes. i even rolled with my rims on in the sleet (i know i am crazy) :pat: and the stuff has removed tar and other crap from my face and lip without incident. BTW the gt7 has a powdercoated face wich nothing sticks to and the lip is that brilliantly buffed finish that rays uses that looks like chrome but is not and seems to get scratched and hazy every time a fly lands on it and takes a dump or it i just happen to look at it the wrong way:saiyancrunks: 
:eek4wtf: 
hopefully i wont have any problems with the clear in the future:shrug:

i use plain car soap and water most of the time... from time to time i also use simple green.... i think it's fine to use... it's non-toxic.... of course i never wash my wheels while they are still hot... also Wheel Wax very good

I use simple green too.......Its a differnet story when u use simple green on  hot wheels. I usually shoot the wheel down with water then apply the simple green. Let sit for a little then wipe wit microfiber and rinse with water. Oh and make sure u are in the shade cleaning ur rims cuz u dont want to be doing it in the blazing sun where the simlpe green can dry up. It is non-toxicx2


[quote=dRo15;95721]i use plain car soap and water most of the time... from time to time i also use simple green.... i think it's fine to use... it's non-toxic.... of course i never wash my wheels while they are still hot... also Wheel Wax very good[/quote]

Sigh, I unfortunately became a victim of ignorance and didn't read the directions. Anything wheel cleaner claiming to be for all wheels. you need to read the fine print. can't remember what the cleaner was but it was a good company like meguiar's any way it wasn't meant to be used on anondized rims. Euroline DH have anondized lips so i have have my wheels fixed and then polished. luckily it can be done but will cost me about 600 to do. But in then in I end up with a brand new looking set of wheels. :slap: