Nano coating my alloys

[24 VRT]

The alloys on my newly acquired S211 had recently been refurbished and so I therefore wanted to go about protecting them as much as possible. With lots of 'spokes', small inner spoke gaps and, on the front, big brakes leaving little room for manoeuvre when trying to clean the cylinder part of the wheel, I opted to go for a nano coating in order to make ongoing cleaning easier.
I have never done a proper 'wheels off' detailing process before, but felt that it was appropriate to get the wheel surfaces as clean as possible before coating them - given the coating is meant to last, there's no point applying over the top of embedded iron flakes, tar spots etc. I thought I'd share some photos of the process I followed, in case anyone else wants to have a go and so those that are more into regular detailing can add any hints or tips for when i repeat the process when the coating needs renewing.

This is how they looked at the start:-


I then sprayed front and backs with Bilt Hamber Surfex HD at 5% dilution as the wheels weren't too filthy. After some dwell time, agitation with a wheel cleaning brush and a rinse, they looked like this:-

A quick dry with a cheap waffle microfiber towel followed, and then a liberal coating of ValetPro Dragons Breath was applied all over and allowed to dwell:-


After agitating, rinsing off and drying again they looked like this:-


There remained lots of tar spots / deposits as shown by the arrows in the photo below:-

These were removed with Goo Gone, with the cleaned areas wiped down with a damp cloth to remove any traces of this citrus-based cleaner - I figured it wouldn't be a good idea to try applying the nano coating over any remnants of this! Another run over with the drying towel and the wheels were ready for coating.
I decided to try RaceGlaze Nano Wheel Sealant - this is after the first mist coat:-

After waiting a few minutes the sealant was gently worked in with a fresh microfibre cloth. Some online reviews from users of this RaceGlaze sealant indicate waiting an hour or so to put on a second coat, but I didn't have enough time to do that. In any event, I'm unclear what benefit there would be from such a time delay. So a second coat was applied straight away. Finished result:-

Overall I found the process straightforward and the RaceGlaze coating seemed to go on well. It resulted in a beautifully smooth tactile finish - just like freshly waxed paintwork, but hopefully it will be much harder wearing. The aim is to just rinse then wash with normal shampoo using lambswool mitts and brushes to preserve the coating. As the car will only do 5000 miles in a year at a most, hopefully the full wheels off re-coating exercise can be an annual event rather that every 6 months. I'll try and update this thread over the months with details on how the RaceGlaze coating bears up. Cost of the coating seems very reasonable as two coats on all four complete wheels used about half the 500ml bottle so roughly £7.50. At that price even if I end up having to apply twice a year its not exactly breaking the bank.
Feedback welcome....
Next jobs - engine bay clean and getting the Autosol to those exhaust tips!

 

[T5R+]

Loving the inside.

Now that you have started down the "detailing" route, you will find it addictive. Totally convinced that many of us "are on the spectrum" eg OCD.

I am just about to coat a set and was undecided which route to follow, so will watch for updates over longevity. My commuter car covers 25/30K miles per annum and the wheels washed weekly/fortnightly but have yet to find a wheel product that requires minimal effort. (to be honest seek - spray on, wash off .......but does not seem to exist, as personally am not a fan of pressure washers).

If you are looking for wheel brush/woolies recommendations, some of the members have recommended a few decent, tried and tested products very recently.

PS - somebody will be along to comment on the wheel centre(s)

 

[Yex]

Lovely job OP

I have put ceramic coating on my wheels after a proper clean using products from Carbon Collective. Cleaning the wheels and callipers now is a doddle with just water and a brush needed to get all the brake dust off. As mentioned above this detailing lark is quite addictive and I regularly clean my wheels as they are so easy to do now.

 

[Toobad]

I put Carpro CQuartz DLUX on the wheels of my GLC when new. Just had my first MOT and it is still going strong. It is essentially the same Si02 coating as Gtechniq C5 but you got twice as much (30ml) for less than the price of the C5. In fact last month, I used the remaining 15ml to coat all the black exterior trim and it has returned it to as-new condition. Previously I found that a coat of Finish Kare FK1000p Hi-Temp wax paste either side of winter kept the brake dust from bonding to the wheels.

Here's an impressive 47-second video showing the uber-hydrophobic properties of Fusso Coat Brake Dust Blocker from those inscrutable Japanese at Soft99. It works the same way a lotus leaf repels water. It can be had fron Nipponshine here in the UK: Brake Dust Blocker

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[24 VRT]

Thanks for the comments - in my youth I was heavily into 'valeting' as it was called then, although the cars were not as prestige as those I now have, and the cleaning products were nowhere near as good as today's. I remember silicon wax being launched, with promises of long term paintwork protection - tried it but didn't get the enjoyment of my monthly waxing routine! These days, whilst I (supposedly) have more time on my hands, my aim is to get the s211 to as high a standard as possible, bearing in mind its already 10 years old, and then with the use of suitable products be able to maintain that standard with only modest levels of work - hence my foray into coating the wheels. There is a limit to what I'll do though - the wheelarches were thoroughly cleaned when the wheels were off but I drew the line at applying dressing given you don't see much of the area behind the wheels. I'm trying not to get OCD with it - honest!
That said, she's going to the detailers later this month for paint correction/enhancement and cleaning of the interior (last owner transported dogs, and despite three seperate sessions of thorough vacuuming I'm still getting short dog hairs surfacing from the carpeting) and I can then focus on ongoing 'maintenance' detailing. I'm thinking of getting the detailer to finish her paint off with either a ceramic or nano coat - I'd love to try applying myself, but I don't have a large enough garage to work in ( I understand ceramics are best applied inside in a clean environment) and given he'll have got her to the spotless stage I'd be a fool not to do what I can to protect that.
T5R+ - you mention wheel centres - is that the centre caps, or the hub faces? In the case of the former they are brand new and also has a nano coat applied - the photo picked up sun reflections hence why they might seem corroded. As for the latter, I leave them uncoated but with a tiny smear of suitable grease around the central hub hole to prevent seizing/sticking to the hub.
Toobad - thanks for the info - if the RaceGlaze coating isn't hard wearing I'll look at the Carpro CQuartz DLUX, particularly in noting how long its lasted on your GLC. I particularly like how that can be used on plastic trim to restore it - I had been looking at Gtechniq C4 for the splitter on my sports car which should be black but rarely is, so the Carpro might be a better purchase.

 

[T5R+]

T5R+ - you mention wheel centres - is that the centre caps, or the hub faces?

Hi. Indeed wheel centre caps. We will let you off given it is sunshine in action

I put Carpro CQuartz DLUX on the wheels

Here's an impressive 47-second video showing the uber-hydrophobic properties of Fusso Coat Brake Dust Blocker ,,,,,,,

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Think that may have to try some of this.

 

[Gbrowncls55]

+1 for OCD car detailing....love it.

 

[SummitDetailing]

Good stuff OP, time well spent.

If you move on from the Raceglaze product in the future, you mentioned the splitter on another car - Gtechniq C5 would also be fine for this as a semi-permanent restorer/protection product. (C5 is the same product as C4 and C1!)

If you car is getting machine polished to a decent level then it is a no brainer to get a coating applied.

Cheers,

Chris

 

[gedo]

Will be interesting to get your mid to long option of the sealant. I've use a High Temp wax on wheels in the past and was never really convinced that it made much of a difference.

 

[24 VRT]

Will be interesting to get your mid to long option of the sealant. I've use a High Temp wax on wheels in the past and was never really convinced that it made much of a difference.

I'm aiming to provide an update in due course although, as this is one of a few cars I use, the miles don't rack up much and it will probably be about 12 months before it will warrant another 'wheels off' clean and recoat.