How's everyone going? Spring is upon us and here in the Northeast, we are all preparing to get our Summer wheels/tires back on our cars. In the case of my summer wheels, I have a set of Volk CE28N Time Attack’s in 18x9.5 that have been in storage for over a year and a half. Reason being is tires = $$$. Well, I got a great deal on some Dunlop SP Sport 600’s in 245/40R18 which are the OEM tires found on the 2008+ Subaru STi. The tires only had ~250 miles on them and they look brand new!
Well, I grabbed my wheels out of storage, and I took them to a friend’s shop to clean them up. Living in an apartment doesn’t afford me a hose, so I need to find a means for water! I guess I could always wash my wheels in the tub? Hmmmm…. Haha they probably wouldn’t fit!
Volk CE28N Time Attack 18x9.5 +34
IMG_1709editedresized by MJ23FE, on Flickr
IMG_4722 edited resized by MJ23FE, on Flickr
I have picked up some new products that I think will help me clean and protect my car. I also have some tried and true items I’ve used over the past few years. Nothing crazy, but all in all products that I think can do a good job.
Newly Purchased Products
Stoner Tarminator
Extreme Simple Green Motorsports Cleaner & Degreaser
Clay Magic Blue Kit
Auto Geek Klasse Kit
--Klasse All-In-One Polish & Sealant
--Klasse High Gloss Sealant
--Misc applicators & towels
Finish Kare 1000P Hi-Temp Paste Wax
Products I’ve Been Using
Meguiar’s Gold Class Car Wash
Meguiar’s Scratch X 2.0
IMG_9153 edited resized by MJ23FE, on Flickr
But moving on, I only used the Tarminator and the Simple Green since all I wanted to do was really give them a deep clean and remove as much dirt, grim, dist and tar off the wheels. I first started with the inside barrels and once that was done, flipped them and did the face. I cleaned each wheel one by one since I didn’t have a large surface that I could safely lay the wheels down on. I took the all season rubber floor mats out of my car and laid them out to create a protective surface for me to lay the wheels down on. I them sprayed the wheel with water and then sprayed it down with the Extreme Simple Green Motorsports Cleaner & Degreaser and let it soak for about a minute. I then used my MF mitt to agitate the cleaner and work off all the dirt, grime, and brake dust that had accumulated on the wheel. I took care not to drag any tar build up that had hardened into little pebbles onto the wheel. After this, I rinsed the wheel off, and then moved on to spray it down with the Stoner Tarminator and let it soak for about a minute. In that time, I used the hose to rinse and clean off the MF mitt of any dirt/’debris that may have been coat in it. I did this between every step. After the Tarminator soaked for a minute, I took the mitt again and agitated the entire wheel surface and removed any tar build up with my nails. They chipped right off. For the very stubborn pieces, I used a marker to pop them off. Once I was done doing so, I rinsed the wheels off again, and then sprayed them down again with the Simple Green to make sure the surface was thoroughly clean. One last rinse, and the wheel was done. I repeated this process 3 more times to clean each wheel. I dried them each off with a MF waffle drying towel and let them hang out against a wall in the shade. Going forward I may switch from the Simple Green cleaner/degreaser to Meguiar’s APC.
At some point this week or next, I want to wash each wheel with Gold Class, use the Scratch X 2.0 to remove any surface scratches I can see, and clay only the face/spokes/lug slots with the blue Clay Magic clay. Once that’s done, I’ll then follow up with Klasse AIO and the first layer of Klasse HGS. I want to lay on 2 layers of the HGS with at least 12 hours in between each layer, and then follow up with 3 layers of FK 1000P again with at least 12 hours between each layer. The Klasse, and FK will be applied to both the face, as well as the barrel so that the wheels have the most protection necessary. But should I use the Klasse HGS on the barrel as well, or is that overkill? I might since I don’t plan on removing the wheels often. I definitely plan on using the FK on both the face and the barrel to get the most brake dust/grime/dirt/tar protection possible. I want to be able to simply take a hose and spray off anything that gets on the wheels. Is this probable with the layers of protection I’ll be laying down?
Does anyone have any other advice for me?
Thanks!
-Jalal
Well, I grabbed my wheels out of storage, and I took them to a friend’s shop to clean them up. Living in an apartment doesn’t afford me a hose, so I need to find a means for water! I guess I could always wash my wheels in the tub? Hmmmm…. Haha they probably wouldn’t fit!
Volk CE28N Time Attack 18x9.5 +34
IMG_1709editedresized by MJ23FE, on Flickr
IMG_4722 edited resized by MJ23FE, on Flickr
I have picked up some new products that I think will help me clean and protect my car. I also have some tried and true items I’ve used over the past few years. Nothing crazy, but all in all products that I think can do a good job.
Newly Purchased Products
Stoner Tarminator
Extreme Simple Green Motorsports Cleaner & Degreaser
Clay Magic Blue Kit
Auto Geek Klasse Kit
--Klasse All-In-One Polish & Sealant
--Klasse High Gloss Sealant
--Misc applicators & towels
Finish Kare 1000P Hi-Temp Paste Wax
Products I’ve Been Using
Meguiar’s Gold Class Car Wash
Meguiar’s Scratch X 2.0
IMG_9153 edited resized by MJ23FE, on Flickr
But moving on, I only used the Tarminator and the Simple Green since all I wanted to do was really give them a deep clean and remove as much dirt, grim, dist and tar off the wheels. I first started with the inside barrels and once that was done, flipped them and did the face. I cleaned each wheel one by one since I didn’t have a large surface that I could safely lay the wheels down on. I took the all season rubber floor mats out of my car and laid them out to create a protective surface for me to lay the wheels down on. I them sprayed the wheel with water and then sprayed it down with the Extreme Simple Green Motorsports Cleaner & Degreaser and let it soak for about a minute. I then used my MF mitt to agitate the cleaner and work off all the dirt, grime, and brake dust that had accumulated on the wheel. I took care not to drag any tar build up that had hardened into little pebbles onto the wheel. After this, I rinsed the wheel off, and then moved on to spray it down with the Stoner Tarminator and let it soak for about a minute. In that time, I used the hose to rinse and clean off the MF mitt of any dirt/’debris that may have been coat in it. I did this between every step. After the Tarminator soaked for a minute, I took the mitt again and agitated the entire wheel surface and removed any tar build up with my nails. They chipped right off. For the very stubborn pieces, I used a marker to pop them off. Once I was done doing so, I rinsed the wheels off again, and then sprayed them down again with the Simple Green to make sure the surface was thoroughly clean. One last rinse, and the wheel was done. I repeated this process 3 more times to clean each wheel. I dried them each off with a MF waffle drying towel and let them hang out against a wall in the shade. Going forward I may switch from the Simple Green cleaner/degreaser to Meguiar’s APC.
At some point this week or next, I want to wash each wheel with Gold Class, use the Scratch X 2.0 to remove any surface scratches I can see, and clay only the face/spokes/lug slots with the blue Clay Magic clay. Once that’s done, I’ll then follow up with Klasse AIO and the first layer of Klasse HGS. I want to lay on 2 layers of the HGS with at least 12 hours in between each layer, and then follow up with 3 layers of FK 1000P again with at least 12 hours between each layer. The Klasse, and FK will be applied to both the face, as well as the barrel so that the wheels have the most protection necessary. But should I use the Klasse HGS on the barrel as well, or is that overkill? I might since I don’t plan on removing the wheels often. I definitely plan on using the FK on both the face and the barrel to get the most brake dust/grime/dirt/tar protection possible. I want to be able to simply take a hose and spray off anything that gets on the wheels. Is this probable with the layers of protection I’ll be laying down?
Does anyone have any other advice for me?
Thanks!
-Jalal
