# How is this process for spotless wheels, tires and arches ?



## WW3 (Apr 14, 2011)

Hello everybody,

My wheels have been really neglected, last wash was about 5 months ago. I had this process in mind for cleaning the wheels, tires and arches.

Products I will be using are as follows (products with a * by the side are the products I have at the moment)

PB Wheel Woolies *
EZ Detail Brush - Mini *
1-inch round Wheel and Detail brush *
Vikan - Multi brush rim cleaner soft *
Bilberry Wheel Cleaner
Iron X 
Auto Finesse Citrus Power
AG Instant Tyre Dressing *
Poorboys Wheel Sealant
Dodo Juice - Born to be Mild Shampoo *
99p Toilet Brush *
99p Sponge *

1. Rinse wheels, tires and arches with water.
2. Spray "Auto Finesse Citrus Power" on arches, scrub using "99p Toilet Brush" and rinse.
3. Spray tires with "Auto Finesse Citrus Power" Scrub tires with "99p Sponge" and rinse.
4. Spray "Bilberry Wheel Cleaner" clean using "PB Wheel Woolies", "EZ Detail Brush - Mini" for behind the rim spokes, "1-inch round Wheel brush" for the nuts, "Vikan - Multi Brush" for the surface and rinse.
5. Spray "Iron X" wait 5 minutes and rinse.
6. Clean wheels with "Dodo juice BTBM Shampoo" to ensure no Iron X remains and rinse.
7. Spray "AG Instant Tyre Dressing" to "99p Sponge" and apply.

That is the process I thought of for my very dirty wheels, of course once clean I will start maintaining as usual again and the process will be simple as using the car shampoo and maybe a little bilberry.

Have I missed anything is there anything you would change ?

Your comments and suggestions are highly appreciated please post them !

:car:

EDIT: Removed a step which was to Seal the wheels


----------



## WW3 (Apr 14, 2011)

Any one have any comments before I order the remaining products and start hopefully friday ?


----------



## DMH-01 (Mar 29, 2011)

I'd change Bilberry Wheel Cleaner and AG Instant Tyre Dressing, but you've already got the AG dressing. 

I'd change Bilberry to either Espuma Revolution, Maxolen Wheel Cleaner or AS Smart Wheels :thumb:


----------



## Crash Master (Feb 5, 2012)

DMH-01 said:


> I'd change Bilberry Wheel Cleaner and AG Instant Tyre Dressing, but you've already got the AG dressing.
> 
> I'd change Bilberry to either Espuma Revolution, Maxolen Wheel Cleaner or AS Smart Wheels :thumb:


I would say the AG Wheel Cleaner which is good followed by Megs Endurance Tire Gel is excellent.


----------



## WW3 (Apr 14, 2011)

DMH-01 said:


> I'd change Bilberry Wheel Cleaner and AG Instant Tyre Dressing, but you've already got the AG dressing.
> 
> I'd change Bilberry to either Espuma Revolution, Maxolen Wheel Cleaner or AS Smart Wheels :thumb:


Alright I will give them a look it's just I saw good reviews on the Bilberry. Regarding the AG Dressing which I already have I am really happy with it after 2 layers gives the "look" I am going for. I guess some products are really dependent on individual results.



Crash Master said:


> I would say the AG Wheel Cleaner which is good followed by Megs Endurance Tire Gel is excellent.


So my process is good ! :buffer:

The only question I have at the moment is that I have the following wheels, how would I go about applying the Wheel sealant which applicator pad would be best for me ? (I cannot take of the wheels)


----------



## DMH-01 (Mar 29, 2011)

I used to seal them alloys with a standard yellow foam applicator pad :thumb:


----------



## WW3 (Apr 14, 2011)

DMH-01 said:


> I used to seal them alloys with a standard yellow foam applicator pad :thumb:


http://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/accessories/foam-wax-applicator/prod_89.html

One of those I imagine

And some of these

http://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/microfibre-cloths/ultimate-ultra-plush-buffing-cloth-16-x-16-/prod_69.html


----------



## DMH-01 (Mar 29, 2011)

WW3 said:


> http://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/accessories/foam-wax-applicator/prod_89.html
> 
> One of those I imagine
> 
> ...


Spot on fella :thumb:


----------



## WW3 (Apr 14, 2011)

Changed the bilberry wheel cleaner with "Auto Finesse Imperial" due to the 3 for 2 offer and I don't need to buy a spray bottle and head.


----------



## JamesdaSilva (Mar 16, 2012)

Don't think you really need the Vikan brush once you are buying the rounded brush. Its perfect for the job.

Apart from this I would only increase the layers of PWS to 3


----------



## WW3 (Apr 14, 2011)

All products ordered, process memorized. Thanks for everyone's help ! :thumb:


----------



## WW3 (Apr 14, 2011)

Also forgot to mention, did not bother with the wheel sealant... might get something like Autoglym spray on wheel sealant in the future


----------



## mjn (May 16, 2011)

I've the same alloys, and getting between the twin spokes is a right pain in the ****!


----------



## [email protected] (Jan 14, 2010)

I personally use Sonax Full Effect and love it.

I take it a step further and clay my wheels, polish them with Mother's Powercone and M105, wash again with APC to get rid of the polishing oils, and then use Opti-Coat 2.0 instead of a sealant since the sealant will eventually wear off and I hate having to remove the wheels to reapply sealant.

If you're set on a sealant, then I used Blackfire Wet Diamond All Metal Sealant in the past and it lasted a long time and shed dirt really well.

:edit: I see you chose not to use a sealant. Imo, that's a mistake because the sealant or coating makes them MUCH easier to clean in the future.


----------



## JonnyG (Apr 16, 2006)

As above, I'd definitely clay and polish your alloys before sealing ... you get a much smoother, silkier surface. 

I’d also use some tar remover in the early stages such as Tardis, as alloys seem to collect tar spots on the inner rims.

Good luck and lets see some photos of the finished articles :thumb:


----------



## Demetrios72 (Jun 27, 2011)

For those alloys I would use a AG EGP and a little bit of a sponge to get into the knots and crannies :thumb:


----------



## WW3 (Apr 14, 2011)

mjn said:


> I've the same alloys, and getting between the twin spokes is a right pain in the ****!


I used the EZ Detial brush sideways to get into the twin spokes, and the smallest of the Wheel woolies does not go inside the spokes.

So I did not end up with spotless wheels as what I think is that there is some tar spots or the brake dust has cooked really hard there I am not sure... what can I use to remove this I will post a picture later to show exactly what it is. And I used iron x for the first time could not really tell any difference in the alloys.


----------



## BigAshD (Feb 23, 2012)

Just done my wife's Civic wheels. Took each wheel off in turn. Cleaned with AG Wheel cleaner (to use up the bottle) because I think it's quite aggressive. Then used Tardis to remove most of the tar. Rinsed with a Vikan brush then hosed down. Dried with micro fibre towel. Clayed, polished using DT Concours paint cleaner (because I didn't want to waste my AG product) then two coats of Angelwax sealant (allowing 10 mins to bond). Sorted tyres with Megs Tyre Endurance gel, then put back on car (to Honda specified torque of 80 ft.lb). They look amazing. I did my RRS recently (outsides only) and now even a hose-pipe blows the crud off them, so I'm hoping to great things with all this effort


----------



## WW3 (Apr 14, 2011)

BigAshD said:


> Just done my wife's Civic wheels. Took each wheel off in turn. Cleaned with AG Wheel cleaner (to use up the bottle) because I think it's quite aggressive. Then used Tardis to remove most of the tar. Rinsed with a Vikan brush then hosed down. Dried with micro fibre towel. Clayed, polished using DT Concours paint cleaner (because I didn't want to waste my AG product) then two coats of Angelwax sealant (allowing 10 mins to bond). Sorted tyres with Megs Tyre Endurance gel, then put back on car (to Honda specified torque of 80 ft.lb). They look amazing. I did my RRS recently (outsides only) and now even a hose-pipe blows the crud off them, so I'm hoping to great things with all this effort


Well as I said in my post apart from what looks like tar on the wheels the wheels look immaculate I would go ahead and seal them also but because of the tar spots I was not happy with sealing them... regarding tardis everywhere I look I can see a huge 5L can, anywhere I can get a smaller bottle ? and how do I go about using this ?


----------



## WW3 (Apr 14, 2011)

WW3 said:


> Well as I said in my post apart from what looks like tar on the wheels the wheels look immaculate I would go ahead and seal them also but because of the tar spots I was not happy with sealing them... regarding tardis everywhere I look I can see a huge 5L can, anywhere I can get a smaller bottle ? and how do I go about using this ?


I don't want to start a new thread so I was wondering where can I get a small bottle of tardis from ?


----------



## nick.s (Dec 21, 2009)

WW3 said:


> I don't want to start a new thread so I was wondering where can I get a small bottle of tardis from ?


I am not sure of anywhere 'legit' that sells smaller than 5L of Tardis.

Consider the alternatives though, Autobrite have Just the Tonic which comes in both 500ml and 1L bottles, and I think that VP do a smaller bottle too


----------



## WW3 (Apr 14, 2011)

nick.s said:


> I am not sure of anywhere 'legit' that sells smaller than 5L of Tardis.
> 
> Consider the alternatives though, Autobrite have Just the Tonic which comes in both 500ml and 1L bottles, and I think that VP do a smaller bottle too


I will give them a look...

I spent so much time on the wheels put alot of elbow grease in but some 'spots' just wont come off... obviously you need the correct products to do this.

:thumb:


----------



## WW3 (Apr 14, 2011)

I will try that Valet Pro tar remover if it does not work I will report back. thanks for the suggestion !


----------



## TigerUK (Apr 1, 2012)

what spotless wheels tires and arches? don't drive.


----------

