Detailing/protecting glossy plastic front grille and wheels

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dy9102

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After applying many of the great tips provided by all of you on here (thanks again by the way!), I have two areas of my car that I would like to confirm the best way to detail/protect with you all.

  • The glossy black plastic front grille
  • Wheels - They have a 'titanium' gunmetal painted finish, but do not appear to be clear coated. They almost look like they have a matte finish, but it is definitely not matte as it is very smooth.

For the front grille, the huge honeycomb design of it looks cool, but it collects water like crazy after washing and is a pain to dry thoroughly. I was thinking of using the Wolfgang Exterior Trim Sealant on this. I will attach a photo below.

For the wheels and after reading people's thoughts on the forums here, I am a bit torn as to what would be best. They appear to be painted with a dark titanium gunmetal finish, but do not have a glossy coating as if they were clear coated. Perhaps just a paint sealant?
 
dy9102 said:
After applying many of the great tips provided by all of you on here (thanks again by the way!), I have two areas of my car that I would like to confirm the best way to detail/protect with you all.

  • The glossy black plastic front grille
  • Wheels - They have a 'titanium' gunmetal painted finish, but do not appear to be clear coated. They almost look like they have a matte finish, but it is definitely not matte as it is very smooth.



For the front grille, the huge honeycomb design of it looks cool, but it collects water like crazy after washing and is a pain to dry thoroughly. I was thinking of using the Wolfgang Exterior Trim Sealant on this. I will attach a photo below.

For the wheels and after reading people's thoughts on the forums here, I am a bit torn as to what would be best. They appear to be painted with a dark titanium gunmetal finish, but do not have a glossy coating as if they were clear coated. Perhaps just a paint sealant?
Click to expand...


Beautiful car! Probably one of my dream cars to be honest.

I can't speak for the wheels but for the grill, you could apply a WOWA sealant with a detailing brush. I do that for my grill and in between emblems. AG has a bunch of detailing brushes that are really soft and paint safe.

For the wheels, all I know is that the microfiber gloves are really nice and make things easier
 
Thanks TrolleyVW -- it was one of my dream cars also!

I hadn't thought of MF gloves -- that would be a huge help for both wheels and grill. I will look into the WOWA sealants also. Do you think those would be better than the Wolfgang Exterior Trim Sealant then?
 
You could look into a coating like CarPro DLUX which is meant for plastic trim as well as wheels.
 
Sick car...I'm almost 98.6% sure your wheels are cleared. Try a test spot with some metal polish and a q-tip to confirm. If the q-tip is black from transfer, no clear coat…clean, clear coated. You can seal them up with any sealant and then just use soap and water weekly to clean the wheel face and barrels.

The grill, I have the same on my RS4 (not as big). I have been wanting to try Dlux on it, but I'm unsure of how applying it to all the tight areas would go. Maybe someone with experience could chime in.
 
I have a similar problem with my family's Ford edge
I will use a leaf blower right before actual drying work which helps alot
 
Here is a thread I made with CarPro DLux that might help. I also have honeycomb grills and they do collect water. Ever since I got the Metro Vac n Blo, I just blow all the water out without any problems.

"Quick" project with CarPro DLux

Hope that helps.
 
If the wheels are painted, most likely cleared also, you can treat them like paint and polish an wax em. Or even better put a coating on them. Then tuf shine your tires too and call it a day.
 
1 product only: Permanon. You can OptiCoat the wheels, but to do it right you must remove them. Permanon works on anything clean and beads water like crazy. Another option is to clean the grille well once, and apply DLux. But, that will take a lot of time. Any of the above 3 options are best IMHO.
 
WGETS will work really well on the front grille. Even if you get any water spots after drying, they're easily cleaned up with a damp MF or some QD. I've found that the skinny foam brushes work really well for applying it on honeycomb grilles.

Foam-Brush-5051-3.jpg



You could also look into Opti Coating the grille. Would probably be worth it once all the prep is done for it.
 
Great tips guys! Has anyone tried the Wolfgang Exterior Trim Sealant and have an opinion on it?
 
dy9102 said:
Great tips guys! Has anyone tried the Wolfgang Exterior Trim Sealant and have an opinion on it?
Click to expand...
Yes, and it's excellent. It lasts about 3-4 months for me, even in winter, and that's also being outside 24/7. A little of it really does go a long way, meaning you really don't use a lot of it. It spreads nicely and is really easy to apply. Has excellent beading too.

DSC00071p-1.jpg


DSC01371.jpg
 
Wow nice photos and great to hear as I ended up buying a good amount of it. Do you use it on all of your external plastic trim?
 
Adams quick sealant works well on plastic like that. Gets in all the nooks and crannies and gives good protection. I use it because of how easy it is to apply and re apply. I have wanted to try out the wolfgang trim sealant though
 
That intricate grill looks like a perfect opportunity to try out the Permanon Platinum

Spray on and hose off. Could be a big time saver and more complete coverage of nooks and crannies than DLUX or some of the others.

A lot of Forum Members got a FREE sample a while back. Maybe someone is willing to share 10ml. That would be plenty to coat your grill.
 
dy9102 said:
Great tips guys! Has anyone tried the Wolfgang Exterior Trim Sealant and have an opinion on it?
Click to expand...

As Chris said, it is very easy to apply and beads wonderfully. I'd certainly recommend but can't yet comment on durability.
 
Pretty sure that grille is plastic. A leaf blower is key to drying it. Permanon would be a great choice for protection. I tried it last winter on my S6 grille and it worked out well. I think I got a couple months of beading from permanon on the hood when I did a 4 way test.

I use a bore mop when applying things to these type of grilles. Usually an aerosol product. Another simple solution for wiping is a MF towel wrapped around a chopstick.

I would be shocked to find your wheels aren't clear coated. Your best bet is a coating, but a quality sealant or permanon are also good options.
 
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