Couple of questions about cleaning

[Benny06]

Hi guys,

I 'properly' cleaned the 182 last Sunday as I'd only had it a few days and it also happened to be my first ever attempt at cleaning a car properly.

I washed it using the 2 bucket method & megs microfibre mit and AG shampoo. Then dried with a blade & MC cloth. Polished with SRP and then sealed with EGP before taking the wheels off and cleaning these with AG Clean Wheels ( I think, the orange label).

I had quite alot of tar build up inbetween the spokes towards the inside of the alloy and hardly any/none of these were shifted. I tried a bit of Turtlewax bug & tar that we had lying about but this did bugger all.

I've read that people like to use AG engine & machine cleaner to tackle the wheels with. Is this okay to use? by this I mean it won't affect the paint/laquer/clearcoat etc?

In my noobness I didn't seal my wheels but weather permitting will be cleaning the car this afternoon and will make sure to seal them with some EGP. Does this sound okay? Also I've read about using SRP to polish the weels too? I'd just like to check this is okay for the finish/paint.

Could anybody recommend me a product to get rid of some really stubborn tar/dirt/grime from my wheels. I'm aware certain products can be very acidic and being a noob would rather not accidentally strip my wheels back to the bare metal!

I'm also going to be ordering some AG High-def wax and also a Meg's claying kit. Could somebody just confirm the order for me:

Rinse to remove excess dirt
2 Bucket wash
Dry
Clay and then rinse to remove any residue
Dry again (if rinsed)
SRP
EGP
Wax

Does anybody here use clay on their wheels? I can see it being a bit fiddly but is it effective?

Also how often should you be polishing/waxing/claying? I know the idea is to form a barrier so that all you really need to do is wash & dry but how long does it take to wash these products off so that they need re-applying? I think I read that you shouldn't polish too often?

Sorry for all the questions!

Any help would be appreciated,

Thanks

BennyC

 

[JD]

Good god.

Lol.

OK, I'll edit this as I go.

Blade - get rid. End of. Use a decent MF cloth. Have a search on I4Detailing for a decent purchase.

Wheels - stay clear of Cleans Wheels - it's acidic and will affect your lacquer on the wheels (i.e. dull it). That's why you have heard people use E&MC instead - it's just a decent degreaser. So use that instead.

Tar - use Autosmart Tardis (online purchase) or Auto Glym (AG) Intensive Tar Remover.

Wheels polishing - yes it's great to use SRP on the wheels. Wheel paint and lacquer is very similar to your paintwork on panels, and needs to be polished and sealed as well. However, the brakes/tyres/engine create larger temperatures than most standard sealents can stand. So look for something like Poorboys Wheel Seal, Chem Guys . . . .wheel somethingorother or Finish Kare 1000p.

Method; Looks fine, but I would wash the car inbetween the claying, so rinse, wash, dry, clay, wash, dry etc.

Wheels vs Clay; As above really, wheels have primer, paint and lacquer similar to your body work. Once a piece of clay has gone past its best, use it on the windows. Then when it's really quite mucky, use it only on the wheels. I have 100s of clay pieces left over and just use them on the wheels.

And lastly, depends! Hand polish? If so, when ever you really want to. No more than 4 times a year as you are just wasting time/not doing something correctly. Claying, once a year. Always protect/seal after a polish, and always polish after a claying session.

HTH.

JD

 

[JD]

Phew!

 

[Benny06]

Thanks for taking the time to respond! Much appreciated!

I took my wheels off to clean last time but won't be doing so every time as it's a bit of a ball-ache. Should I avoid getting E&MC on my brakes? or is it not worth worrying about providing I give them a good hose down/rinse when I'm done?

 

[JD]

Not a problem chap.

Yeah you can clean pretty much everything with E&MC, it's a great product and always in stock in my cupboard! You can clean up hubs, arches, wheels, calipers etc with it.

Re the wheels, clean them properly, clay them, wash, polish, seal, done. Then you can wash with soapy water, just as you would with your bodywork.

 

[Benny06]

Not a problem chap.

Yeah you can clean pretty much everything with E&MC, it's a great product and always in stock in my cupboard! You can clean up hubs, arches, wheels, calipers etc with it.

Re the wheels, clean them properly, clay them, wash, polish, seal, done. Then you can wash with soapy water, just as you would with your bodywork.

Awesome stuff

Spotted some 'RimWax' on i4detailing. Would you rate this? From the description it looks like it should do the job and I already have an order planned for i4D and the 7.5% off with them is a bonus.

 

[JD]

I bought some purely for comical value!

It says it's a wax and polish in one . . .which isn't physically a good idea, you do one or the other. Personally I would stick with Poorboys Wheel Seal, as it's one of the best I've tested.

 

[Benny06]

Thanks, I'll get my hands on some of that then