# Gtechniq C5



## Doc943 (Mar 27, 2011)

Just received my first order of this product. Cripes, l hope just 15ml of this stuff actually works!!


----------



## DesertDog (May 15, 2011)

Just make sure that you prep the rims properly first. 

Apply all the usual treatments then wipe down the corrected rim with IPA or methylated spirit to remove all traces of previous products, C5 needs a spotless rim to adhere to.

Unless you have some seriously busy multispoke wheels, the 15ml bottle will be enough.


----------



## wish wash (Aug 25, 2011)

It works. Its brilliant but I personally prefer nanolex professional alloy sealant as it ;asts longer


----------



## chillly (Jun 25, 2009)

wish wash said:


> It works. Its brilliant but I personally prefer nanolex professional alloy sealant as it ;asts longer


Really mate??


----------



## Doc943 (Mar 27, 2011)

Thanks


----------



## Yellow Dave (Apr 5, 2011)

I've used half a 15ml bottle on my 2 front wheels, 17" Ford 8 spoke 'Y' shaped, both front, rear and inner rim and I probably over used it to start with.


----------



## CraigQQ (Jan 20, 2011)

I applied it inside and out to my 18" wheels, 15ml was it..

its the best wheel guard going.


----------



## Derekh929 (Aug 28, 2011)

Do you think this works out better than say applying more often with Wolfs or AF and how would you say it compares?


----------



## -Kev- (Oct 30, 2007)

Af?....


----------



## Derekh929 (Aug 28, 2011)

-Kev- said:


> Af?....


Sorry kev i should have put a bit more Auto Finesse wheel wax instead of guessing game


----------



## alan_mcc (Oct 28, 2008)

mint rims wheel wax kev.....


----------



## -Kev- (Oct 30, 2007)

ah right, not used it but i highly doubt it would last anywhere near as long as C5..


----------



## CraigQQ (Jan 20, 2011)

Derekh929 said:


> Do you think this works out better than say applying more often with Wolfs or AF and how would you say it compares?


Well.. I haven't tried wolfs to be honest.. but i have been disappointed with nano trim, and de ironizer so not in a rush to try.

Wax.. lets look at it this way.. wax melts around 89-95c.. 
brake dust is roughly 250-270c on _most _road cars.
what happens when the dust hits the wax? melts right through.. it will make them easier to clean regularly.. but not good enough imo.

C5 withstands 300c, so brake dust will degrade the coating but wont burn through it..

I'm not a fan of taking my wheels off incase they get damaged, so I applied c5 around 8 months ago..

the wheels still look brand new, inside and out, the coating still works like day one.. only needs shampoo to clean them (could be done with a dry cloth and be spotless tbh but brake dust is HIGHLY abrasive so not a good idea) 
I have trialled Iron x, de ironiser, and iron cleanse on them at different periods of time to see how much reaction I would get, from embedded brake dust ect.. I found 1 spot with Iron x on a wheel after 7 months and nothing with the other two after 6 months on said wheels.
also trialled a few "non acidic" wheel cleaners and a "ph neutral" one on them and it hasn't affected the coating.. (that was what I was testing.. to see if it removed c5.. and no it doesnt)

IMO its the ultimate protection for wheels..
I dont have to take the wheels off and scrub the backs with wheel cleaner to re apply wax or sealant every 3 months ect.. so big time saver aswell.

price wise.. its not cheap.. I used 15ml.. which is about £30 now, 
but wheels are definitely not cheap either.. so If I get 12 months out of c5 and have to re apply.. and its protected the wheels from tar/iron/brakedust and they look like new.. then £30 is well spent!

Refurbs for diamond cut faces are not cheap either.. so c5 was a great option for me.


----------



## Minus8 (Aug 1, 2011)

Prep is key, do everything you can at prep stage and take your time!


----------



## Doc943 (Mar 27, 2011)

Great response thx!


----------



## luke997 (Jul 26, 2011)

I've applied Permanon Aircraft Supershine Brilliant (nano Si14) to my new winter wheels few weeks ago, it withstands 300c.

If it is going to last as advertised, it's clearly a winner - as it works out much cheaper than C5 - so I'm going to wait with the sealant choice for the new summer wheels.

Time will tell how long this will last, so far cleaned the wheels 3 times with Bilberry (I drive a lot and this time of year even 1 day is enough to get car & wheels really dirty), after rinsing the looks and beading is like new.


----------



## CraigQQ (Jan 20, 2011)

luke do you need to use bilberry? have you tried just shampoo?

if the brake dust is sticking then the coating isn't resisting it..


----------



## id_doug (Apr 6, 2011)

A mate of mine used C5 on his new wheels. Had then spotless and applied the C5 with ease. He missed a tiny bit of polystyrene packing that had landed on the wheel when the C5 was drying. He tried to remove it carefully once noticed but it had bonded to the wheel. 6 months later, it's still there! So, long story short. Very durable!


----------



## luke997 (Jul 26, 2011)

CraigQQ said:


> luke do you need to use bilberry? have you tried just shampoo?
> 
> if the brake dust is sticking then the coating isn't resisting it..


I didn't know to be honest  Thought had to use it but will give shampoo a go and report back :speechles


----------



## lilesk (Aug 2, 2010)

I've got a spare set of winter wheels I'm working on in the garage currently. C5 was applied yesterday and all looks good. I've still got a bit of time before I fit them to the car, and just wondered if I could layer FK1000P or Poorboys Wheel Sealant over C5?


----------



## evotuning (Oct 16, 2009)

> if I could layer FK1000P or Poorboys Wheel Sealant over C5?


What for ?


----------



## CraigQQ (Jan 20, 2011)

It would be a bad idea to put fk1000 or pb wheel sealant over c5 you won't get the performance of the c5. Instead you will get the performance of the wax.


----------



## Bel (Mar 1, 2011)

wish wash said:


> It works. Its brilliant but I personally prefer nanolex professional alloy sealant as it ;asts longer


I was under the impression that nothing came close to C5 in terms of durability.

How long did your application of C5 last? What were the signs that it was less effective? Less beading / more effort to clean?

How did you clean the wheels once C5 was on?

How long did you find Nanolex lasted? Under what conditions (winter, summer, etc)?

I'm dead curious because longevity is 100% of the game for me with wheel sealant - I thoroughly detest cleaning wheels!!

TIA.


----------



## lilesk (Aug 2, 2010)

evotuning said:


> What for ?


To prolong the life of the C5. 
My theory being that if the wax lasted a month, then it's protecting the C5 for that period. 
In practise, the wheels are only going to be on the car each winter for around 4 months. So between winters, if I lightly wash the wheels and reapply wax over the C5, then the C5 may last 2 or 3 years before needing to be fully stripped and done again.
OK in principle or is my logic flawed?


----------



## id_doug (Apr 6, 2011)

I can see the theory and where your coming from, but would any type of wax / sealant be able to bond to C5?


----------



## Smurf. (Nov 22, 2011)

Gtechniq C5 is the best wheel sealant currently out there ceramic or not ... preparation is key to assure the best product adhesion, if not prepped properly then yes this will affect durability. As already said brake dust will burn through wax and sealants, yes it will hold out for a while but for someone like me who hates cleaning wheels then C5 is the one to go for ... just my opinion of course


----------



## spyder (Jun 15, 2010)

Opti coat 2 is also great on wheels. Might be worth a shot.


----------



## DesertDog (May 15, 2011)

I thoroughly cleaned and polished all of my rims and applied C5 about 10 weeks ago.

The car is a left hand drive Volvo XC60 T6, with around 14,000km on the clock at the time. The wheels are Volvo 20" Cratus alloys.

Since applying the C5, I have been cleaning the car on a weekly basis with the following results, currently 17,000km on the clock.

- The rear wheels clean up perfectly with a good blast from the PW. No additional agitation is required and the rims bead perfectly as they did when I first applied the C5.

- The front driver's side mostly cleans up with just the PW but needs some help with a mild shampoo and sponge. The beading looks OK but not as good as the rears.

- The front passenger side. A different case here, as the condenser for the AC is located somewhere above the wheel, which allows the water to drop down onto the inside of the rim while the car is moving. This results in some dark spots of water and brake dust to accumulate on the inner rim. These always take a bit of shifting and I have to use a few squirts of Wonder Wheels (Hot Wheels) and then a soapy sponge to shift the muck. Once the muck is gone, the beading looks the same as the other front wheel.

In summary....

For the rear wheels, the C5 works as advertised. 

For the fronts, I am rather disappointed as I'd have expected considerably longer than 10 weeks before having to use some elbow grease. It's not like I clock up any high mileage and the driving conditions are very good, with no rain since I applied the C5.


----------



## st33ly (Aug 29, 2010)

C5 is the way forward. Or you can use C1 as well.


----------



## CraigQQ (Jan 20, 2011)

lilesk said:


> To prolong the life of the C5.
> My theory being that if the wax lasted a month, then it's protecting the C5 for that period.
> In practise, the wheels are only going to be on the car each winter for around 4 months. So between winters, if I lightly wash the wheels and reapply wax over the C5, then the C5 may last 2 or 3 years before needing to be fully stripped and done again.
> OK in principle or is my logic flawed?


in theory yes.. and c5 would protect but you wont get the dirt/tar/brake dust resistance of c5.. you will get the performance on the wheel wax instead.. pointless imo



id_doug said:


> I can see the theory and where your coming from, but would any type of wax / sealant be able to bond to C5?


yes, but not very well and will significantly reduce durability.


----------



## great gonzo (Nov 4, 2010)

lilesk said:


> I've got a spare set of winter wheels I'm working on in the garage currently. C5 was applied yesterday and all looks good. I've still got a bit of time before I fit them to the car, and just wondered if I could layer FK1000P or Poorboys Wheel Sealant over C5?


I'm not 100% but I wouldn't bother with applying another sealant over c5 it shouldn't needed it. If you feel like you needed to add a wax it shouldn't hurt.


----------



## WaxOnWaxOff (Sep 12, 2010)

As the great gonzo says, there's no point putting anything on top of C5. It's unlikely to stick, and if it did it wouldn't stick for long. Whatever you put on top wouldn't be as good as C5 anyway and would hold water and dirt more.


----------



## Norbreck21a (May 13, 2006)

I used it recently (for the first time) on my VW 18" 10 Spoke alloys. Just about had enough to do all 4 wheels then it was all gone. And it's very expensive really.

Biggest problem I found was seeing where you had been, as it's a totally clear liquid and on a new glossy silver alloy, it was kinda hard to see where I'd been with it.

Oh, did I say it was expensive.


----------



## lilesk (Aug 2, 2010)

I divided up the wheel, using tape to mark the tyre at set intervals. The worked round the wheel, just doing one segment at a time. I did this indoors with good lighting and it was easy.


----------



## CraigQQ (Jan 20, 2011)

Norbreck21a said:


> I used it recently (for the first time) on my VW 18" 10 Spoke alloys. Just about had enough to do all 4 wheels then it was all gone. And it's very expensive really.
> 
> Biggest problem I found was seeing where you had been, as it's a totally clear liquid and on a new glossy silver alloy, it was kinda hard to see where I'd been with it.
> 
> Oh, did I say it was expensive.


see my above reply about it being expensive (quoted below for your convenience)



CraigQQ said:


> Well.. I haven't tried wolfs to be honest.. but i have been disappointed with nano trim, and de ironizer so not in a rush to try.
> 
> Wax.. lets look at it this way.. wax melts around 89-95c..
> brake dust is roughly 250-270c on _most _road cars.
> ...


----------



## luke997 (Jul 26, 2011)

luke997 said:


> I've applied Permanon Aircraft Supershine Brilliant (nano Si14) to my new winter wheels few weeks ago, it withstands 300c.
> 
> If it is going to last as advertised, it's clearly a winner - as it works out much cheaper than C5 - so I'm going to wait with the sealant choice for the new summer wheels.
> 
> Time will tell how long this will last, so far cleaned the wheels 3 times with Bilberry (I drive a lot and this time of year even 1 day is enough to get car & wheels really dirty), after rinsing the looks and beading is like new.


Update Guys - looks like the Permanon is good and cheaper alternative to C5.

For the past 2 months I've done 2.5K miles and washed wheels with the CG snow foam only (as suggested I've stopped using Bilberry after posting above).
Result is fantastic every time, after washing wheels look like brand new and the beading is as on day 1.


----------



## CraigQQ (Jan 20, 2011)

permanon isn't that bad for being able to clean the alloys back up.. however it does make the brake dust stick to the wheels more than c5 or even wax I have found


not bond... stick (IE the wheels look dirty earlier)


----------



## The Cueball (Feb 8, 2007)

wish wash said:


> It works. Its brilliant but I personally prefer nanolex professional alloy sealant as it ;asts longer


I wasn't impressed with the nanolex TBH... lasted maybe 2 months on a daily car.....

I'm using Wolfs rim seal at the moment... seems to be much better than above..

:thumb:


----------



## Trucksy (Jul 17, 2011)

Hi all,

I've been using all Gtechniq products for about six months and to say i'm pleased with the results is an understatment.

I have applied C5 to my cars and my bikes and after six months the product is performing just as the day when it was applied. Even on my track bike the wheels clean up with barely more than a PS wash, maybe just a quick soap wash.

Compared to waxes that i have been applying for many years there is no comparison.:thumb:


----------



## VRCDucatisti (Jan 6, 2012)

I used to clean my track bike wheels with a rag and WD40, can I do that with a C5'd wheels? or not?


----------



## Khanage (Jan 8, 2012)

I've been bilberry-ing my wheels since I got my new car a few months ago. Looks like C5 is the way forward on multi-spoke time-consuming wheels!


----------

