DIY Ceramic coating (again!)

[kcsun]

My car has already had a professional coat of G-techniq ceramic, however I did not pay to have the wheels ceramic coated, I have read on forums that cleaning wheels is so much easier if they are coated and I fancy having a go myself.
Any suggestions on "easy to apply" and long lasting treatments available for the DIYer?
The wheels are in excellent condition (2019) and have only covered 2500 miles
I assume I would have to clean and clay the wheels first??

kc

 

[clk320x]

My car has already had a professional coat of G-techniq ceramic, however I did not pay to have the wheels ceramic coated, I have read on forums that cleaning wheels is so much easier if they are coated and I fancy having a go myself.
Any suggestions on "easy to apply" and long lasting treatments available for the DIYer?
The wheels are in excellent condition (2019) and have only covered 2500 miles
I assume I would have to clean and clay the wheels first??

kc

KKD R-Evolve.

https://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=415226

 

[LeeJV]

That's a pretty good link TBH. And a good example of how to do it.

Your wheels may also need a tar remover aswell as fall out, then clay and a final wipe down with IPA or Panel Prep to ensure no residue is left from the prep stage.

KKD is Known to be one of the better ones, I used it on my GLE wheels and got great results with it too.

Have fun and enjoy

 

[MrGreedy]

I did my front two wheels so far with R-Evolve. That link was one of thr many I'd read. I did them indoors in late summer. It was 24 degrees indoors and a total nightmare to apply. I watched loads of vids on how to apply, and there was no resemblance to how it went on for me vs. what I have read and seen in vids. It was instantly flashing, and whilst the first wipe was super slick, as you want back and forth in the 1st horizontal coverage pattern, if you touched any part that had been previously coated 1 second earlier, is was highly tacky and the lint free applicator pad was sticking to what felt like half dry Hammerite paint and shedding small amounts of pad fibres. A second pass of wiping in a vertical direction to ensure good coverage was not an option as it was too tacky.

I'm going to do the rear two over Christmas, but I'm going to leave the window open whilst I do it so the room is cold to hopefully slow down the flashing significantly.


I didn't try spritzing with water before application, which I have seen some pros do with ceramic coating application.

Good luck and report back how it goes as I'd be interested in you experience and any tips.

 

[chic0821]

Use Gtechniq C5 wheel armour, ensure wheels are spotless, final clean with panel wipe then its wipe on, wipe off. See Gtechniq video, it is that easy.

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

Accept third party cookies

 

[Wotchmaker]

It’s a very doable DIY job and makes a hell of a difference cleaning them!!

 

[kcsun]

Thanks for all your replies
Car will add Wheel Armour to its Xmas list

kc

 

[chic0821]

You don't need much on the applicator pad as a little covers a fair area (you see it glistening). One bottle will do all your wheels, in & out. Also at this time of year get a bit heat into your garage before starting. Best leave to fully cure overnight & don't get wet until cured, although you can put the wheels back on your car fairly soon after the final buff.

 

[TeddyRuxpin]

I’ve been disappointed with c5, next time I’ll go for something different. Spent ages on prep, off the car, and they’d just been refurbed. Within a couple of days there’s loads of brake dust which will most certainly not just ‘power wash away’. You still need to wash them normally so...

 

[kcsun]

Thanks for all the info, I will do some more research and report back --- watch this space

kc

 

[Wotchmaker]

Coated a set of 17” Rucha style wheels with Carbon Collective Platinum wheels. Took less than an hour to do both inside and out and because it’s a nice simple design there’ll be enough for another coat later on down the line. Value I think at £19.99. Will post results when wheels are fitted.

 

[Wolfie1]

Coated a set of 17” Rucha style wheels with Carbon Collective Platinum wheels. Took less than an hour to do both inside and out and because it’s a nice simple design there’ll be enough for another coat later on down the line. Value I think at £19.99. Will post results when wheels are fitted.

I have bought this stuff too but not applied yet, will be interested to hear what you think

 

[LeeJV]

Carbon collective is pretty good, 2 coates with 2 hrs between each coat.

 

[Wolfie1]

Did you have enough in 1 bottle to do 2 coats on the inside and outside of each wheel?

 

[Wotchmaker]

Did you have enough in 1 bottle to do 2 coats on the inside and outside of each wheel?

I only did one coat but that’s inside and out. There is more than enough to do another coat. It goes a long way. It’s hard to see how much you are putting on and it could easily mislead you into putting on loads when you don’t need to. All in all for the money and quick delivery you can’t go wrong. Super easy to apply. Just driven in the rain this morning and they are sparkling nicely where it’s beading.

 

[MrGreedy]

I did my front two wheels so far with R-Evolve. That link was one of thr many I'd read. I did them indoors in late summer. It was 24 degrees indoors and a total nightmare to apply. I watched loads of vids on how to apply, and there was no resemblance to how it went on for me vs. what I have read and seen in vids. It was instantly flashing, and whilst the first wipe was super slick, as you want back and forth in the 1st horizontal coverage pattern, if you touched any part that had been previously coated 1 second earlier, is was highly tacky and the lint free applicator pad was sticking to what felt like half dry Hammerite paint and shedding small amounts of pad fibres. A second pass of wiping in a vertical direction to ensure good coverage was not an option as it was too tacky.

I've done the first rear wheel this evening. 20 degrees indoors.
The KKD is noticably less tacky, but still tackier than I would have liked, but I was able to make a quick second pass (opposite directions) by working in wheel quarters. I have also found that apart from some tiny amounts of buffing on some very small areas of the wheel spoke faces, that I haven't felt the need to buff the bulk of the application, as it appears to have done a good job at self-levelling and leaving a really slick, gloss finish. Just waiting until 11:30 so I can put a second coat on. I'm going to open the bathroom window up wide so that it's nearer to 15 degrees.


Gratuitous shot of super cleansed wheel pre-KKD application

 

[Deleted member 126251]

What is meant by easier? I spray wheel cleaner onto the alloys, foam the car and then rinse the lot. Sometimes I need to get in with brushes say every second wash.

Will a coating eliminate any of theses steps? My instinct is that it is a schlepp to apply the cleaner (seeing wheels removed from cars) and several hours work. So taking the time and effort to initially coat the wheels into consideration, is there any real time saving to be gained.

 

[MrGreedy]

Here is my experience of cleaning KKD r-evolve coated wheels.

See this thread

In summary:
- the faces = easy
- the barrels = worse than a wax coating specifically with regard to iron particulate contamination

If I hadn't taken the wheels off, I wouldn't have noticed on the car