Opti-Coat wheels myself or get pro to do it?

mleun481

mleun481

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Hi guys,
I have a BMW and the brake dust is driving me crazy. I find myself constantly cleaning the wheels - part due to the brake dust and part OCD on my part :)
I've been wanting to the take my wheels off and do a thorough cleaning and Opti-Coat it. But, I don't have the tools I need to do so (floor jack, jack stand, torque wrench, lug wrench).
My question is: should I take my car to a detailer to remove the wheels, clean and OC it? Not detail the entire car, just the wheels. What price range should I expect? Or, should I just spend the money on the stuff I need and do it myself?
 
For the price it would cost do have a pro do them, you can get all the supplies you listed and still have some left over cash.

I say do it yourself.
 
Get Akanoba brake pads. It is AMAZING. I have them on the fronts and it stays dust free for hundreds of miles
 
mleun481 said:
Hi guys,
I have a BMW and the brake dust is driving me crazy. I find myself constantly cleaning the wheels - part due to the brake dust and part OCD on my part :)
I've been wanting to the take my wheels off and do a thorough cleaning and Opti-Coat it. But, I don't have the tools I need to do so (floor jack, jack stand, torque wrench, lug wrench).
My question is: should I take my car to a detailer to remove the wheels, clean and OC it? Not detail the entire car, just the wheels. What price range should I expect? Or, should I just spend the money on the stuff I need and do it myself?
Click to expand...

I've been pretty happy with Armor All Wheel Protectant. It significantly cuts down on brake dust sticking to the wheel. It's not perfect, but it's a huge improvement, plus it's less than $10 so if it's still not good enough, you can always Opticoat or similar.

I've posted my results on other forums, but don't want to link since AG doesn't carry the stuff, but there are several postings you can find by googling, and my results match what I found posted.
 
Wait, you own a car but you don't own a basic jack, 1 stand and a lug wrench?
I don't get it..
 
bmwgalore said:
Wait, you own a car but you don't own a basic jack, 1 stand and a lug wrench?
I don't get it..
Click to expand...

Correct. I picked up a 2013 BMW X5 3 weeks ago. It comes with run flat tires, so there is no spare and no tools since there is no spare to swap out. I could get the tools but it would only be for removing the wheels for detailing.
 
Do it yourself if you have the TIME. I just did my BMW wheels and the actual coating part is super easy. Why? Because the color of the wheels is such you couldn't hardly even see a high spot if one was there. You need to get a jack, jack your BMW up one wheel at a time
if your inexperienced., remove the wheel, and clean it until it looks new.
BMWs can be tricky to jack up the whole car with a floor jack, as the jacking points are too small to fit the jack and a jack stand. Also, if you remove all four at a time you must make sure the car is perfectly level. Opti Coating the wheels themselves
is super easy, removing them and cleaning them is the work..

Here's some pics of mine:

445449b6-3353-a8f0.jpg


445449b6-3376-bf43.jpg
 
The "best" way to accomplish this is to have the wheel off the car where you can clean both the exterior and the barrel. This allows you to spin and turn the wheel and tire every which way to ensure you've gotten everything.

Is it a MUST? NO, but it's a lot easier having the wheel and tire on the bench right in front of you..

On the car...

  1. Thoroughly wash the wheel and tire as you normally would.
  2. Clean and rinse everything they dry thoroughly.
  3. Using a clean dry towel, spray the wheel with an IPA solution and wipe dry.
  4. Apply Optimum Opti-Coat according to the directions and allow to dry...
Take a look at the instructions and see how easy it is to use..

Optimum Opti-Coat 2.0

From the Web Page

opti-coat-3.jpg
opti-coat-2.jpg
opti-coat-4.jpg
opti-coat-5.jpg

Directions:


  1. Polish paint to remove any defects.
  2. Clean surface with 15% IPA solution to remove all polishing oils, waxes, and silicones.
  3. Prime the applicator by making an X pattern across the pad. Only a few drops will be needed for each subsequent panel.
  4. Wipe Opti-Coat onto a single panel at a time in a thin layer using two directions, front to back, and then side to side.
  5. Within 5 minutes, inspect the panel with adequate lighting looking for any thick areas that have not flashed away to clear.
  6. Use foam applicator or paint safe microfiber to even out any areas where you see streaks. This step is key, as any spots not leveled will have to be polished if allowed to cure. Panels will feel a bit tacky and will be self-leveling during cure time, so avoid any unnecessary touching, wiping, or contact to produce the best results.
  7. Repeat steps 1-6 for each panel where application is desired. Not recommended for glass.
 
However, just an FYI, the real solution is to get rid of the BMW brake pads and get a low dust pad like, Axxis Deluxe. They make pads that make almost zero dust. I did both the OC and changed all the pads, and went from having the dirtiest wheels to the cleanest wheels.
 
swanicyouth said:
However, just an FYI, the real solution is to get rid of the BMW brake pads and get a low dust pad like, Axxis Deluxe. They make pads that make almost zero dust. I did both the OC and changed all the pads, and went from having the dirtiest wheels to the cleanest wheels.
Click to expand...

Those wheels look amazing. I suppose doing both OC + replacing factory pads would be the best solution. I dont know what a detailer would charge, but I suppose it would be more cost effective to just buy the stuff I need and do it myself. And have enough OC to do the whole car.
 
mleun481 said:
Those wheels look amazing. I suppose doing both OC + replacing factory pads would be the best solution. I dont know what a detailer would charge, but I suppose it would be more cost effective to just buy the stuff I need and do it myself. And have enough OC to do the whole car.
Click to expand...

I had the wheels refinished prior to OC them. It's my belief that the factory BMW pads will end up as embedded contaminants in the wheels. The wheels get hot, and this may contribute to clear coat failure of BMW wheels. I've owned multiple BMWs and had clear coat failure on the wheels more than once. It wasn't until I switched to the AXXIS pads that it stopped. Granted, the clear coat failure was in small spots and would only be noticed by a true AutoGeek, but that was to much for me. If your hesitant about removing your wheels, take one wheel off at a time, clean it, OC it, then reinstall it. Then repeat for the other 3. It's not to hard I jack up a BMW if your only removing a single wheel. If I'm removing a single wheel, I found the best way is to jack up under the rubber jack point. Then, place your safety jack stand under, but just touching, the crimp weld. The safety stand is only there in case the jack fails. The problem becomes if you jack by the jack point, it's too small to place the jack stand under it while the jack is on it holding the car up. I found a way around it is to place a small 2x4' piece of board between the jack and the crimp weld and jack up from the crimp weld, directly behind the jacking point. This will not damage or bend the crimp weld and will enable you to place a jack stand under the jacking point. Again, this is only required if your going to remove more than one wheel at a time. You really should do it yourself, it will give you satisfaction that YOU did it, save you money, and give you some experience with OC.
FYI: Just make sure you get a jack that is very low profile. My M Roadster is very low to the ground and some jacks won't even squeeze under it. If your going to remove all four wheels and use a piece of board to assist you, make sure the jack fits under the car with the piece of board on it.

Here's a pic of my car up on all fours:

445449b6-4d51-0625.jpg


The jack stands are under the jack points (small), but I used a board to actually jack it up by the crimp weld.

Rear view:

445449b6-4db6-afb0.jpg


And, here's a pic of the clear coat failure I believe is contributed to by factory BMW pads. These wheels were never cleaned with anything else but car wash soap:

445449b6-4e3d-b08f.jpg
 
mleun481 said:
Correct. I picked up a 2013 BMW X5 3 weeks ago. It comes with run flat tires, so there is no spare and no tools since there is no spare to swap out. I could get the tools but it would only be for removing the wheels for detailing.
Click to expand...
So you don't change your own oil or grease your chassis then? A jack is too useful not to have, as are a couple of stands. I can't speak to the jacking point locations of a BMW, but I would like to point out that a jack is not designed to HOLD up a car, only to jack it up and then put stands under it to hold it. The only time you shouldn't use jack stands to hold up a car is in a NASCAR pit stop. I agree on doing one at a time, though, assuming the wheels are really dirty. It makes it easier. You also need some basic tools, like sockets and wrenches. Getting under a car just held up by a jack is insane. Jacks can fail.
 
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