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Old 10-15-2009, 10:15 PM   #15
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Moose.....I need your advice. I didn't polish my midnight silver wheels like I should have. I noticed that there seems to be some buildup of grime or brake dust in some areas now. What do you recommend to get them back looking good as possible? Thanks
Not to worry Abygale!

I'd first wash them with a good quality car wash.

If you still have some stubborn brake dust, a good quality wheel cleaner, ie; Mothers or Meguires, will work well.

Once you've got them to your satisfaction, go ahead and apply a coat of wax/polish.

* Be sure to clean/polish the rims ONLY when they're cool to the touch.

PLEASE let me know if that helps. I've detailed cars where it appeared the owner NEVER cleaned their rims, and I've always been able to get them looking good as new. So, we'll get yours looking brand new too.

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Old 10-15-2009, 11:02 PM   #16
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Originally Posted by Moose View Post
Not to worry Abygale!

I'd first wash them with a good quality car wash.

If you still have some stubborn brake dust, a good quality wheel cleaner, ie; Mothers or Meguires, will work well.

Once you've got them to your satisfaction, go ahead and apply a coat of wax/polish.

* Be sure to clean/polish the rims ONLY when they're cool to the touch.

PLEASE let me know if that helps. I've detailed cars where it appeared the owner NEVER cleaned their rims, and I've always been able to get them looking good as new. So, we'll get yours looking brand new too.

Ed
Thank you very much Moose. I finally was able to wash my girl tonight (after a long week of rain) but the wheels definitely need more attention. I'll get some of that wheel cleaner tomorrow and let you know how it turns out.

I want to get a few coats of Z2 on her before I store her away for the winter but I noticed the Z6 acts differently already- it needed a little rubbing to remove which is unusual. I think it is because of the colder temps (low 40s) so I need to double check the temps for applying Z2 and Z5....I hope its not too late already :(
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Old 10-16-2009, 02:58 AM   #17
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Painted or Polished doesn't matter much, They are both still clear coated!

Last edited by mnywstr; 10-16-2009 at 09:18 AM.
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Old 10-16-2009, 08:42 AM   #18
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Abygale,

When you try the wheel cleaner, make sure and use one of the better brands, ie'; Mothers or Meguires. Also, don't use any brushes on the wheels. If you allow the cleaner to sit and soak for a few minutes, it should remove any dirt, etc. that simple washing did not.

As for the Zaino, it sounds like the temps. in your area are pretty low, and as a consequence, the polish will take alot longer to dry. If you can just get the wheels clean, and are planning on garaging the car for the winter, theres no harm in waiting until Spring to add polish. Another option s to purchase a wheel polish, ie; Mothers, and use that for the time being. Come Spring, you can alwyas remove the polish, and add Zaino.

Good luck. Please let me know how you make out.

Ed

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Originally Posted by Abygale View Post
Thank you very much Moose. I finally was able to wash my girl tonight (after a long week of rain) but the wheels definitely need more attention. I'll get some of that wheel cleaner tomorrow and let you know how it turns out.

I want to get a few coats of Z2 on her before I store her away for the winter but I noticed the Z6 acts differently already- it needed a little rubbing to remove which is unusual. I think it is because of the colder temps (low 40s) so I need to double check the temps for applying Z2 and Z5....I hope its not too late already :(
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Old 10-16-2009, 09:08 AM   #19
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Originally Posted by Moose View Post
Abygale,

When you try the wheel cleaner, make sure and use one of the better brands, ie'; Mothers or Meguires. Also, don't use any brushes on the wheels. If you allow the cleaner to sit and soak for a few minutes, it should remove any dirt, etc. that simple washing did not.

As for the Zaino, it sounds like the temps. in your area are pretty low, and as a consequence, the polish will take alot longer to dry. If you can just get the wheels clean, and are planning on garaging the car for the winter, theres no harm in waiting until Spring to add polish. Another option s to purchase a wheel polish, ie; Mothers, and use that for the time being. Come Spring, you can alwyas remove the polish, and add Zaino.

Good luck. Please let me know how you make out.

Ed
Thanks Ed, I sure will. I think we'll get into the 60s at least one more time ...I hope anyway, because I really want to get two coats of Z2 on the car (and wheels) before covering her for the winter
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Old 10-16-2009, 09:15 AM   #20
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Moose View Post
Abygale,

When you try the wheel cleaner, make sure and use one of the better brands, ie'; Mothers or Meguires. Also, don't use any brushes on the wheels. If you allow the cleaner to sit and soak for a few minutes, it should remove any dirt, etc. that simple washing did not.

As for the Zaino, it sounds like the temps. in your area are pretty low, and as a consequence, the polish will take alot longer to dry. If you can just get the wheels clean, and are planning on garaging the car for the winter, theres no harm in waiting until Spring to add polish. Another option s to purchase a wheel polish, ie; Mothers, and use that for the time being. Come Spring, you can alwyas remove the polish, and add Zaino.

Good luck. Please let me know how you make out.

Ed
Ed,

I know you are the Zaino Afficianodo around here, but I would never apply any of the commercial wheel polishes or chemical cleaners to a clearcoated wheel. They are for metal surfaces, not coated. This is asking for a wheel to get etched if left sitting too long.

Abygale,

I've been using Zymol, NOT Zaino to clean and polish my wheels as well as paint. The good thing about Zymol is that it will give a slightly darker appearance to whatever surface it's applied to as it replaces the oils in the finish. It's great for the wheels as well and it's available everywhere and there's no mixing and multiple coats required to achieve better results.

Also, as for cleaning the wheels, I'd also try clay-barring them. My car was in QC for 35 days and it was nasty when it arrived. I clay-barred the whole car, including the glass, and wheels. It made a big difference when applying my Zymol.

Good luck with whatever you do, but I'd read that label and make sure it says safe for clear coated surfaces.
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Old 10-16-2009, 09:51 AM   #21
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NVMY68SS,

"My bad"...you are correct, you have to be careful in choosing a wheel cleaner. (I don't see mentioning a "chemical cleaner"/"commercial wheel polish". )That being said, there are many products offered, which are "clear coat safe", which is why I referred to Mothers/Meguires. I've used both on clear coated rims on car such as C6's, Mercedes Benz, BMW, etc., with no problems. My method has been to soak each wheel with water, spray with cleaner and polish/clean, rinse, dry, and add polish. I have yet to have any problems. And I'm not saying Zaino is THE ONLY product out there. Abygale mentioned using Zaino, and that as well as using it myself on wheels, is why I suggest polishing with Zaino.

Zymol is another good product. Its just my opinion/experience, that if you're looking for durability, Zaino is hard to beat.

*And I DO NOT get any benefit(s) from Zaino, etc., for my comments regarding their products *

Ed

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Ed,

I know you are the Zaino Afficianodo around here, but I would never apply any of the commercial wheel polishes or chemical cleaners to a clearcoated wheel. They are for metal surfaces, not coated. This is asking for a wheel to get etched if left sitting too long.

Abygale,

I've been using Zymol, NOT Zaino to clean and polish my wheels as well as paint. The good thing about Zymol is that it will give a slightly darker appearance to whatever surface it's applied to as it replaces the oils in the finish. It's great for the wheels as well and it's available everywhere and there's no mixing and multiple coats required to achieve better results.

Also, as for cleaning the wheels, I'd also try clay-barring them. My car was in QC for 35 days and it was nasty when it arrived. I clay-barred the whole car, including the glass, and wheels. It made a big difference when applying my Zymol.

Good luck with whatever you do, but I'd read that label and make sure it says safe for clear coated surfaces.
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Old 10-17-2009, 10:40 AM   #22
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what zaino product(s) do you use on the wheels?
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Old 10-17-2009, 07:35 PM   #23
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Ed, thank you so much. My wheels look as good as new now. I found a product called Meguiar's Hot Rims All Wheel cleaner. It is in a purple spray bottle and suitable for painted wheels.

Here are some before and after pictures. I didn't polish the wheels yet with Zaino....I'll do that the next time I do the car which will probably be tomorrow

Before:





After:

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Old 10-17-2009, 08:18 PM   #24
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what zaino product(s) do you use on the wheels?
JayDee, once they're clean, I'll use Z-5 or Z-2.

Ed
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Old 10-17-2009, 08:19 PM   #25
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Abygale,

I'm VERY happy to see your wheels turned out looking GREAT!

GREAT job!

Ed

Quote:
Originally Posted by Abygale View Post
Ed, thank you so much. My wheels look as good as new now. I found a product called Meguiar's Hot Rims All Wheel cleaner. It is in a purple spray bottle and suitable for painted wheels.

Here are some before and after pictures. I didn't polish the wheels yet with Zaino....I'll do that the next time I do the car which will probably be tomorrow

Before:





After:

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Old 10-17-2009, 11:51 PM   #26
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I now have a set of each and it is hard to see the difference without some effort.
My wife could not see it.
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Old 10-18-2009, 08:41 PM   #27
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I just got a set of polished. Now that I have washed them both I can see the difference. The MS are painted black on the back side while the Polished are natural. The MS will look better over the long haul as you can't see the dirt and brake dust that shows up very quickly on the polished.
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