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Having paid the deposit on the Mondeo ST TDCi harsh reality arrives being faced with trying to keep the 43,000-spoke alloys clean! Has anyone used any of the coatings that are meant to allow brake dust and dirt to be simply rinsed off? There are off the shelf products and specialised services but haven't been able to find independent reviews. Tried a forum search but couldn't see anything so please direct me if it's been covered and I missed it. Many thanks
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The only one I have tried is Autoglym alloy wheel seal.
It is not permanent but does make for an easy clean at the next wash.
I wouldn't say you can just rinse the dust and dirt off though.
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I give them a good clean with wonder wheels or similar then a couple of coats of Autoglym extra gloss protection. The muck then comes off with the sponge used on rest of car - lasted about a year or so so far.
--
Phil
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a colleague at work recently advised me to spray some furniture polish (something like Mr Sheen) on to the difficult to clean parts of the alloys after washing, and allow to dry. Apparently dries clear, and makes it easier to remove the grime next time. I'm a bit reluctant to try it though, anyone else heard of this? He does keep his Fiesta ST very clean......
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I'm now using Rejex which is available in the UK but mine came from a bulk buy on Posche net.
You polish the whole car with this, including glass, wheels, mirrors etc. & a Quick rinse with a sponge brings the whole thing up shiney.
I also run EBC Green pads which cuts the brake dust by 60% or more.
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I have an ST TDCi and the wheels aren't too bad to keep clean, but the finish on them is pretty fragile as they are diamond cut and any damage to the lacquer will allow water underneath and white corrosion will appear. I've never used Wonder Wheels on mine for this reason.
I have applyed the Autoglym Alloy Wheel Seal and it does help for a couple of months. Ideally you want to apply it with the wheels off the car, otherwise you will want to stuff rags behind to stop the stuff lubricating the brakes. I normally clean my with a wash mitt and normal wash and wax, occasionally I use a little Autoglymn tar remover on them as this seems to stick at the edges of the spokes but I've never found the need to for any of the harsh chemical cleaners, even when I haven't washed it for a few weeks.
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Oh, let's get back to those halcyon days of steel wheels with fancy plastic trims. These are far less trouble to look after.
I'm beginning to regret having alloys on my car although there is very little one can do, nowadays, to avoid these montrosities, is there?
Let's face it, they are a nuisance to keep clean and there is the permanent worry of kerbing them - I once, briefly glanced one of mine on the kerb and it now needs repairing. Before, it was just a simple matter of a replacement wheel trim!!
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I'm beginning to regret having alloys on my car..
This is quite seriously putting me off changing our old Jazz for a new one.
Apart from the risk of damage and cleaning alloys, is it just me whose alloys always seem to get damaged by tyre fitters? Last time, I went to really smart looking, highly recommended independant, and they scuffed/gouged the surface of one of my wheels that I'd exercised the utmost care not to kerb.
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There have been threads on this topic before.
I am one of the school that thinks there is little or no point in having alloys for every day motoring. They are harder to clean, much more nickable and more expensive.
All in all, a fairly pointless exercise. However I am using one of the hand car wash services that have sprung up locally, operated by Eastern Europeans, £6 for a wash and leather, including the alloys is very good value.
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alloy wheels are lighter aren't they, which presumably must give performance and/or economy benefits............. and generally have more holes/gaps in them to let air through, which makes it easier for the brakes to cool and thereby work more efficiently.......
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alloy wheels are lighter aren't they
Nope
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Indeed so; on a previous car I weighed an alloy wheel & low profile tyre from my car and compared with the steel wheel and conventional tyre from a friend with the same basic model of car; mine was of the order 100g heavier.
It is amazing however what alloys can do for the look of a car; the most extreme case I have seen was sticking some MG Maestro alloys on an Austin Maestro City as a work colleague once did. It was still an ugly car, but nowhere near as ugly as before.
To this day I choose alloys for one reason only; they look nice. I do however steer clear of anything greater than 17" diameter unless like MTC's 300C it comes mounted with high aspect ratio tyres to cushion bumps. My salesman even supported not selling me Nebula eighteen inchers for the V70 because so many punters had complained about the ruined ride and damaged (on potholes) rims.
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>> alloy wheels are lighter aren't they Nope
Probably Magnesium based alloys are but, as you say, I expect there is very little advantage in the ordinary alloys fitted almost to every car nowadays and so all that reduction in 'unsprung weight' nonsense doesn't really mean anything to the average punter and their run-of-the-mill cars.
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alloy wheels are lighter aren't they,
Only the ones made from magnesium alloy, and are more often than not used in motorsport.
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I have a simple solution: I wash the V70 alloys at least once a week and always on getting home after any journey long enough to give a hint of brake dust. Soon however, yes, I will get a life (when the kids are born) and I suspect that this obsessive regime will take a hit! ;-)
The only times I've needed to use Wonder Wheels are after long holidays where the car has gone a couple of weeks without the wheels being washed. On a related subject, the specific reason I chose the 17" Amalthea wheels on the V70 is they are the easiest to clean, having no tight inside corners or niggly bits; eveything is done in seconds with a sweep of the wrist, including poking between the spokes to wrap a finger behind and to wipe the inner "flat" portion.
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I wash the V70 alloys....always on getting home after any journey long enough to give a hint of brake dust.
If I do that on my car (Merc C270) then the disks rust ferociously overnight and are horrendous if I don't use the car for a few days. They're bad enough anyway, but washing the wheels and leaving the discs wet makes it 10 times worse.
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>>If I do that on my car (Merc C270) then the disks rust ferociously overnight and are horrendous if I don't use the car for a few days. They're bad enough anyway, but washing the wheels and leaving the discs wet makes it 10 times worse.
Same on the V70 (and every other car I've owned as they have all have ferrous discs) but it's nowt to worry about.
I work from home so the car can go a few weeks after washing before next being driven; I park it in the garage in gear with handbrake off and simply put up with the scuffing noise the first few times the brakes are used and the surfaces get cleaned up. Same regime (bar the garage!) when leaving it at airport long term car parks; in gear, hand brake off and live with the scuffing sound as I brake for the ticket booth.
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Same on the V70 (and every other car I've owned as they have all have ferrous discs) but it's nowt to worry about.
On a previous car my wife owned (which had plastic wheel trims so the disc's where not visible) the rust tended to rub the pad away such that the pad only touch part of the disc. As the rust took hold, it then gradually spread across the disc so that in the end she was braking on a shiny band of disc about 1cm wide.
I can see that starting to happen on my car, although mine tends to get used for long trips and hers was going to the supermarket once a week.
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alloy wheels are lighter aren't they which presumably must give performance and/or economy benefits............. and generally have more holes/gaps in them to let air through which makes it easier for the brakes to cool and thereby work more efficiently.......
How refreshing to hear some sence about allow wheels. They are not lighter as others have said. Brake cooling? Never had problems with steel wheels anyway! Low profile tyres? Thats another thread anyway, and an expensive one.
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I actually find the alloy wheels on both our cars very easy to keep clean. I take the cars to the local car wash and the wheels (along with the rest of the car) come out sparkling clean. I've never used wheel protector or wheel cleaner and anyway neither of them can do anything about the biggest hazard of all to the surface finish - kerbs.
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Keep a thoroughly damp rag in a polythene bag in the boot. Wipe the wheels clean as soon as they start to get dirty; dry off with Kleenex or an old T-shirt. Thus, no water on the disks. Little & often is the way . . . if only I were that disciplined.
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I can vouch for Autoglym Super Resin polish (carefully applied once the wheels are spotless) which lasts at least 6 months and makes the brake dust wash off easily. Some specialist products discussed here www.clean-image.co.uk/paintsealant/alloy_wheel_pro...m
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As ever, a prompt informative response with lots of useful stuff. Many thanks to all
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I'm using wire wool and a bleach cleaner on mine.
;-)
Seriously though, what's the best way to clean wheels that are slightly flaky and ingrained with dirt?
I've tried various cleaners but the wheel surface must be pitted therefore they never come up really clean despite trying pressure washing or good old elbow grease and a toothbrush.
Edited by iqn869 on 09/06/2009 at 15:12
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What do you use to clean bleach ? :)
Sounds like they need a refurb if the surface won't clean up.
Be careful with the pressure washer near tyres, they can cause damage which result in blow outs.
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I thoroughly wash the wheels with car shampoo (no wheel cleaner), clay bar if needed, then CarLack 68 - Nano and finished off with Finish Kare 1000P Hi-Temp Sealant.
You will never have to scrub your wheels again. Good on the bodywork too; the bird poo just slides off when using a hose pipe
I apply this regime about twice a year.
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I always use Autoglym extra gloss protection. swear by it. Put the liquid onto the cloth and apply wait an hour to let it dry and simply buff it up. This method will keep the dust from penetrating the alloys and like everyone else says make them easier to wash. by the way i always try to buy cars that don't have many spokes on less is better.
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I think I'll try the AutoGlym route next time I do the Volvo's wheels.
I'm using Mintex pads on the S60 and although braking performance is excellent, I've never known anything generate so much brake dust.
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Alloy wheels seem to be rather like tobacco smoking, in that sane people can't understand how such barmy ideas ever caught on, or keep going. If it's not paying £2000 a year in order to shorten your life by 15 years (at least you're saving £30,000 there then!), it's expending a lot of effort on something with no practical benefit whatsoever, except on a bike.
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The problem with alloys is that brake dust, small stones etc embed too easily in the soft lacquer coat. Ideally the alloys should be anodised.
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