My wheel clean procedure!

LOL

LOL

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Hey everyone, I figured i'd make a little post as I cleaned up some wheels on my Z4 and took for a few pictures along the way. This was my first time using most of these products, or cleaning a wheel into such depth as well.

Here is the assortment of products I used in the following order:
  1. Sonax Wheel Cleaner
  2. Mothers Claybar w/ Quick Detail
  3. Chemical Guys Wheel Guard
  4. Meguires Hot Shine
33lcxhh.jpg


The main project for me was to clean the inside of the rim as I just got this car not to long ago and it looks like it has never been done. Lots of caked on gunk. I got to try my sonax cleaner for the first time!
2ewkvnm.jpg
e9vmog.jpg


I then gave them a good wipe down with a microfiber and used a lugnug brush in the small areas, I gave them a good rinse down outside and then brought it back in to claybar. I did a quick claybar on the inside of the rim but put in a lot more work and detail with the claybar on the outside of the rim making sure not to miss any spots to give it a smooth finish.
sgn3pz.jpg


Next I applied Chemical Guys wheel guard and let it dry for about 15 minutes to a haze before wiping it down with a microfiber.
5dq6hi.jpg


I then applied the Meguires Hot Shine to top it off. I applied the hot shine on the inside of the tire as well, why not lol. I was really impressed with the results of the Wheel Guard, the pictures don't compare to in person. It gave the rim a really nice wet icy shine and protective coating it i'd imagine.
2py9qwj.jpg
b7igec.jpg


Overall I am very happy with the results. The insides of the rim came much cleaner than what they were. There were still a couple dark black areas that didn't come completely clean but a huge improvement none the less. Very happy with the wheel guard as well, gave myself a nice wow factor lol. I just have the rear wheels to do now. Just wanted to share as I am new to the forums, feel free to leave information on what I could have done or similar techniques that you like to use, products, etc.

Thanks for viewing! :)
 
Looks good. Do you have any before pics of the face? Did the claybar remove significant amount of grit? I've never had much luck claying wheels for some reason.
 
Eldorado2k said:
Looks good. Do you have any before pics of the face? Did the claybar remove significant amount of grit? I've never had much luck claying wheels for some reason.
Click to expand...

I don't have any pictures of the face of the rim before cleaning as it was already pretty clean. Although I did find the claybar to help a lot. When I feel the rim compared to the ones I havent done yet there is a significant difference. These are perfectly smooth while you can feel an invisible gritty feel on the rims that have not been done yet. I also thought the claybar would be a good idea to help the Wheel guard bond better and do it's job!
 
LOL said:
Hey everyone, I figured i'd make a little post as I cleaned up some wheels on my Z4 and took for a few pictures along the way. This was my first time using most of these products, or cleaning a wheel into such depth as well.

Here is the assortment of products I used in the following order:
  1. Sonax Wheel Cleaner
  2. Mothers Claybar w/ Quick Detail
  3. Chemical Guys Wheel Guard
  4. Meguires Hot Shine
33lcxhh.jpg


The main project for me was to clean the inside of the rim as I just got this car not to long ago and it looks like it has never been done. Lots of caked on gunk. I got to try my sonax cleaner for the first time!
2ewkvnm.jpg
e9vmog.jpg


I then gave them a good wipe down with a microfiber and used a lugnug brush in the small areas, I gave them a good rinse down outside and then brought it back in to claybar. I did a quick claybar on the inside of the rim but put in a lot more work and detail with the claybar on the outside of the rim making sure not to miss any spots to give it a smooth finish.
sgn3pz.jpg


Next I applied Chemical Guys wheel guard and let it dry for about 15 minutes to a haze before wiping it down with a microfiber.
5dq6hi.jpg


I then applied the Meguires Hot Shine to top it off. I applied the hot shine on the inside of the tire as well, why not lol. I was really impressed with the results of the Wheel Guard, the pictures don't compare to in person. It gave the rim a really nice wet icy shine and protective coating it i'd imagine.
2py9qwj.jpg
b7igec.jpg


Overall I am very happy with the results. The insides of the rim came much cleaner than what they were. There were still a couple dark black areas that didn't come completely clean but a huge improvement none the less. Very happy with the wheel guard as well, gave myself a nice wow factor lol. I just have the rear wheels to do now. Just wanted to share as I am new to the forums, feel free to leave information on what I could have done or similar techniques that you like to use, products, etc.

Thanks for viewing! :)
Click to expand...

Looks great bro. What does the CG wheel guard do?
 
Nice work! Thinking about doing something like that to my truck rims except using CarPro DLUX to protect.
 
Thanks for all the feedback! :)
 
I think you did one helluva job. :props:

Did you use up both clay bars? There was a flash sale on Amazon, and they were going for $4.99 for the kit! I grabbed two. Should have put more in the cart. Doh!

Clay is one product I will not abandon. I have pads & sponges, but sometimes you just can't beat the ole' play-doh for intricate work & areas. Try heavy grade for the drums next time.

How often do you plan on thorough wheel cleaning? I do it annually, usually Summer.

I don't normally coat mine with anything besides spray waxes. This time, however, I'm going to give them a Polymer Net Shield treatment.
 
Thanks Brutal! And i just used half a clay bar for one wheel. Sure it got a little gunked up quicker but it still did it's job without hurting the rim. Now when I use them on my paint it's a much different story and should be very cautious in keeping the claybar clean.

Thanks for the suggestion and I probably will do a thorough wheel cleaning like this once for sure, maybe twice a year. :)
 
Eldorado2k said:
Half a bar on 1 wheel? That's brutal! Lol. Where's the other 3 wheels?._.
Click to expand...
Well half a bar and wrapped it pack up when I was done, them things aint cheep! Lol and there on the car, just doing one at a time when I have some time away from work :)
 
LOL said:
Well half a bar and wrapped it pack up when I was done, them things aint cheep! Lol and there on the car, just doing one at a time when I have some time away from work :)
Click to expand...


I hear ya. For some reason I seem to put off tossing a chunk of clay forever.. Once while my car was sitting for a couple months I had a piece of used clay just sitting on the front bumper the whole time outdoors.. Once I got my car running again and cleaned it up, I said to myself "hmm, I could probably still use this piece of clay for something" lol. It was too big of a piece to toss😜lol.
 
I buy clay in bulk, i cant afford the individual price of a single bar, i use it too frequently
 
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