# Wheel Cleaning - Carlack 68, Collinite 845 IW, Meguiars #38, Meguiars WB - 56k No Way



## Neil_S (Oct 26, 2005)

*Product Selection*

My quest to find the most durable product combination on my wheels has led me to a product called Carlack 68. The marketing blurb mentioned the product is heat proof which I thought was a pretty vital requirement for the wheels being subjected to hot filings thrown on to them from the brake pads all the time.

I was also attracted by the mention of Carlacks tar removing abilities, for those not familiar with the product, it both cleans and protects (I am told it is very similar to Klasse AIO). The product when cured also allows you to top with a wax or sealant.

I decided to top Carlack 68 with Collinite 845 IW. I got this product about 4 weeks ago and used it on my paint and was very pleased with the result. The durability has been excellent and it was really easy to use. I decided to top Carlack with this product because of its durability and also because it is designed for use on high voltage power lines. This made me assume that it should be able to deal with the hot filings from the brake pads and increase the protection that Carlack alone would give.

Finally to add a little protection to the rubber and to make the wheels shine, I decided to go with Meguiars #38 Tire and Trim gel. I find this product gives really good durability on tyres. It lasts for nearly a month in winter conditions, which is pretty good for a tyre product. I would have used Poor boys Bold and Bright on top of this, but it hasn't arrived yet.










For cleaning I went with Meguiars Wheel Brightener. I used this for the first time a few weeks back and found it to be a really good, really strong wheel cleaner. I did notice how strong it was when I first used it, along with all the warnings on the back of the bottle. Therefore I got some sturdy rubber gloves to protect from any splash back. It is also worth avoiding the fumes when spraying this product!










*Process*

One tip I picked up from the excellent guides Rich has on his site, (http://www.polishedbliss.co.uk) was the use of a couple of planks of wood to make sure your rims don't get scratched when cleaning them. Great idea I thought I'd copy. :thumb:










So as you can see the wheels are looking pretty terrible, 500 miles last week and with the A3 like a salt mine, it doesn't help!



















I started off with a hose down and a liberal spray of Megs Wheel Brightener diluted 4 parts water to 1 part Wheel Brightener. I got a chemical pump bottle from a local DIY shop which saves you having to pull the trigger all the time. A few pumps of the handle at the top and you can spray the wheels completely in one go.










Initially I used Wheel Brightener with no agitation and hosed off after leaving it for a minute. As you can see alot of the grime is gone.










Now onto the brushes, to agitate some of the stubborn grime. Note the brush on the left is for cleaning the tyre and the brush on the right is for the alloys.










Some light cleaning and the wheels are looking pretty clean. I still had some spots of tar which Wheel Brightener wouldn't remove, but I thought I'd tackle this with Carlack 68 instead.



















So after drying the wheel with an old tea towel, the wheel is looking pretty good. (Really need to get that second Waffle Weave drying towel!)










Now it's time to use Carlack 68.

As you can see, Carlack 68 has quite a runny consistency, it's almost like applying sun screen. After a few passes I was very impressed with the product, it lifted alot of the tar which was firmly stuck to the rims.










I left the Carlack 68 to cure for 40 minutes at this point. Apparently it allows the product to really grip to the surface you are applying it too (something about nano technology). Time for a cup of tea...










I must have done something right, the microfiber is pretty grubby after using Carlack 68.










After removing the Carlack, the wheel is looking nice. The wheel feels pretty slick.










Time to add the Collinite 845 IW.










Now a quick tip for those of you who haven't used 845 IW yet. If you get some, it has a very thick consistency, but this is easily solved to allow you to apply it with ease. Run the product bottle under the warm water tap for about 10 seconds and the product changes to a nice consistency which allows you to apply it easily.

Now I left the Collinite to cure for about 20 minutes. You can see it has cured as the surface turns to a light powder which you can easily buff off.

Now time to puts some Meguiars #38 on the rubber. Just using a soft applicator sponge to do this.










The product goes on easily and adds a really nice lustre to the rubber.

Now time to buff the Collinite and the wheel is looking pretty damned good. Considering the wheel is 4 years old, I am very pleased with how the wheel turned out. I had a few areas of brake dust I couldn't shift, but overall I was very happy. :thumb:



















Now the wheel is put back on the car and the job is done. (You'll probably notice the disgraceful wheel wells :doublesho ; they will need some real attention when the weather perks up a bit. Alot of salt packed onto the wells, but with this winter driving I thought I'd wait til spring!)

PS. The car got a good wash after doing the tyres, got all that horrible salt off. :thumb:


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## Mattieuk (Oct 26, 2005)

Nice guide mate...and great results:thumb:


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## Wmffra (Oct 30, 2005)

Superb work there :thumb:

I hope you did them all, not just one wheel


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## maxcars1 (Dec 23, 2005)

Impressive results there Neil - I did my wheels the other week with WB and wax, but i may go over again with some of this Carlack. I'm realy :speechles


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## Brazo (Oct 27, 2005)

Good write up mate and looking wheely good :devil:


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## Neil_S (Oct 26, 2005)

Cheers gents, I was feeling inspired by some of the excellent writeups I read recently.

Carlack is a great product, well worth getting some. I'm thinking about getting some new 18 inch rims soon. If I do then I am sure to go with the Carlack and Collinite combo again. The wheels were very slick afterwards.


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## Daffy (Dec 15, 2005)

Great write up there. I think I may do this tomorrow.
I leave my 845 on the radiator while I wash the car by the time I am ready to use it it is perfect, saves running the risk of getting any water in the bottle.


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## WHIZZER (Oct 25, 2005)

top guide well done great finish


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## sworks16 (Dec 13, 2005)

looks great you can really see the flake coming out in the wheels in the last pic


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## GlynRS2 (Jan 21, 2006)

Great write up there. I am another who feels inspired to do the same today. 
I am getting some new tyres next week, so hopefully turning up with pristine rims, it will make the tyre fitter take that bit more care of them.


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## Rich (Oct 26, 2005)

Nice write up. AIO or SRP work really well on wheels. I have been topping with AG EGP which seems to work well.

As said tyre fitters will be very carefull when you turn up with wheels like that. I never forget turning up to a local place a week after doing Concours in the 306, guy stopped and got the rest of the work force to come and have look!


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## RobDom (Oct 26, 2005)

Excellent work - I use CL68 on my wheels too, followed by PB wheel sealant.


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## Jace (Oct 26, 2005)

Very good write, nice & detailed. :thumb: 

How pleased were you with yourself when you had done them all, I know I was well chuffed. 

You'll have to keep us updated on the milage with pictures


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## Neil_S (Oct 26, 2005)

Jace said:


> Very good write, nice & detailed. :thumb:
> 
> How pleased were you with yourself when you had done them all, I know I was well chuffed.
> 
> You'll have to keep us updated on the milage with pictures


Very very pleased, I will keep you updated, I'm really interested to see how long they will remain protected. If I can get 3 months protection i'll be happy as I intend to remove and clean every 3 months. :thumb:


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## richardw (Dec 23, 2005)

Good write up and excellent pictures

Richard


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## BENJY (Oct 26, 2005)

great write up mate!
thats another process to add to the detail ive got planned
for the weekend.


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## dino (Oct 26, 2005)

Excellent write up!! 

Must do mine soon...must get a trolley jack...

Although i noticed last time i was the car that the tyre fitted took a nice chunk of paint off on the lip on the wheel when changing my tyres. i know there kerbed (not by me) but they could have been more careful!! 

Cant notice it as the tyre just covers it but i know it's there.


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## Mr Shiny (Oct 29, 2005)

Nei, where did you get your pump sprayer from mate? Cheers from Tom :thumb:


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## dino (Oct 26, 2005)

Mr Shiny said:


> Nei, where did you get your pump sprayer from mate? Cheers from Tom :thumb:


Tom, I've seen similar ones in Wilko's - reasonably priced too.


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## Mr Shiny (Oct 29, 2005)

cheers dino :thumb: can you get them from anywhere on the net? Cheers mate from Tom :thumb:


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## Neil_S (Oct 26, 2005)

Mr Shiny said:


> cheers dino :thumb: can you get them from anywhere on the net? Cheers mate from Tom :thumb:


Yeah it was a Wilko's job, I think it was about 3 quid, works a treat with Meg's Wheel Brightener!

Also worth checking out Serious Performance (an approved trader), who has some really nice looking chemical pump sprays. :thumb:


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## Neil_S (Oct 26, 2005)

OK so three weeks later and another 1500 miles and the combo is still going strong.

The wheels were washed with shampoo and water and were also cleaned with the same method the week prior. (Didn't get time the first week due to the terrible weather!)

The wheels are still very slick as you can see from the muck just wiping off with a finger in the first pic.


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## barclay03 (Jun 30, 2006)

hi, wheres the best place to get all the products youve used on the wheels? decently priced ofcourse lol


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## Neil_S (Oct 26, 2005)

I've moved my wheel routine on from this post mate!

I now go with

1 x Carlack 68 AIO
3 x Carlack 68 SG
3 x Poorboys Wheel Sealant

Check out this thread for more....

http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/showthread.php?t=6442

Back to your original question.

For Megs WB and #38 - John at Clean and shiny is your man
Collinite 845 - Speak to Alex at Serious Performance
Carlack 68 - Mark at Carsparkle


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## Dave KG (Feb 23, 2006)

Fantastic write up there Neil, and excellent results too... Really must gt my wheels off and do this soon before the winter comes along... Nice one! :thumb:


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## Badlydrunkboy (Jun 4, 2006)

Just wondering what people use to clean the brake disks because the ones in the pics above look like mine, a bit rusty and filthy.


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## Neil_S (Oct 26, 2005)

I've never tried to clean a brake disk. They discolour when you clean the car, fact of life, no point in worrying about it.


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## Badlydrunkboy (Jun 4, 2006)

Oh, thats dissapointing. How come so many peoples are nice and shiny? I'd like mine to be nice and shiny


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## Miglior (Feb 12, 2006)

looks good. anybody had a go at this?

anybody know how it compares to rim wax and that blue stuff on davids website?


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## base-1 (Jul 3, 2006)

Badlydrunkboy said:


> Oh, thats dissapointing. How come so many peoples are nice and shiny? I'd like mine to be nice and shiny


How long has the car been sat for? If it's not long, drive round the block and they'll be nice and clean and shiny as if by magic


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## mattwelcer (Jul 29, 2006)

Awesome write up looks like i'll be doing this twice now, to my summer wheels and my winter wheels :lol:


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## mattjonescardiff (Dec 12, 2006)

Useful guide thanks. Carlack now ordered!


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## Coxy914 (Jan 14, 2007)

Badlydrunkboy said:


> Just wondering what people use to clean the brake disks because the ones in the pics above look like mine, a bit rusty and filthy.


Applying the brakes will clean them!
also, if you have and small stubborn areas of brake dust, I find that a small piece of clay and plenty of lube will get rid:thumb:


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## westie (Mar 28, 2007)

Try waxing the disc's to stop them going rusty.
Doh !!! Having a Homer day


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