# Why bother sealing wheels?



## plenty (Jan 6, 2009)

First off please forgive me if this comes across like a daft newbie question.

I've tried a couple of different sealing methods including Colly and SRP/EGP. As far as I can tell, sealing doesn't repel brake dust that much more when compared to non-sealed (my sealed wheels still need a good clean after a day's driving).

Even more importantly, I was hoping that sealing would enable a touchless PW clean. However, a good scrub with a brush and/or mitt is still required. In which case, why bother with sealing when I can simply give the wheels a Bilberry wash? 

Is there something I am missing?


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## Nickos (Apr 27, 2006)

good question, i've been putting off sealing mine as a spray with epsuma and a blast with the PW gets them 90% clean.

I will eventually give them a coat of srp and colly, but i'll wait till i wrk up the motivation to do the arches at the same time.


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## -Kev- (Oct 30, 2007)

ive put a few coats of poorboys wheel sealant on my alloys before and then only need shampoo to wash them


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## Janitor (Feb 14, 2006)

^ Yep, that's the reason ^

It won't keep anything off - no chance of that - but it will make cleaning easier

I have to say that whilst putting three layers of CG Wheel Guard on a base of Klasse All-in-one, I was wondering whether it would really do any good, but on the two times I've done this on new cars, I've always been amazed how easy it is keep things absolutely tip-top :thumb:


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## ryanuk (Jun 22, 2007)

sealing the wheels makes a BIG diff imo as my alloys are so easy to clean now!

it does make it much easyer as the dirty does not stick to the alloys as much.


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## badly_dubbed (Dec 11, 2008)

i seal my winters with PB and collinite and the mrs doesnt,

hers require elbow grease whereas after foaming mine look presentable but i go over with a mitt anyway


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## plenty (Jan 6, 2009)

Thanks for the replies. I suppose if I only cleaned wheels once a month then it would make sense, but I clean my wheels weekly and there's no benefit in using shampoo only when it's so easy to get them shiny with a few squirts of Bilberry. 

Incidentally I guess I'm in the minority as I actually enjoy cleaning wheels - it's my favourite part of the car to clean, in fact.


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## badly_dubbed (Dec 11, 2008)

my winters i hate cleaning theyre boring...


however my summer and show rims.......now thats just awesome


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## Dream Machines (Mar 13, 2006)

because grime comes off like powder instead of needing to be aggrevated off with a wheel cleaner and mitt or brush

my products of choice for wheels are Toughseal, Glare, Driven Marine sealant and Aussie Gold Showroom sealant spray glaze

The Aussie can be sprayed on and you just walk away and it cures with the material
it dries spot free and does make a big difference to dust accummulation
An unsealed wheel is harder to clean, doesn't shine as much and can corrode if left dirty for too long


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## DIESEL DAVE (Jul 26, 2007)

Dream Machines said:


> An unsealed wheel is harder to clean, doesn't shine as much and can corrode if left dirty for too long


The wheels on my Jag were clean but unprotected and became corroded presumeably because of the cleaner I was using at the time.
Jaguar replaced the wheels under warranty and I`ve made sure they`re well sealed and have changed cleaners but have found most times ONR cleans them up.


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## Avanti (Jan 17, 2006)

plenty said:


> First off please forgive me if this comes across like a daft newbie question.
> 
> I've tried a couple of different sealing methods including Colly and SRP/EGP. As far as I can tell, sealing doesn't repel brake dust that much more when compared to non-sealed (my sealed wheels still need a good clean after a day's driving).
> 
> ...


What type of power washer are you using?


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## richjohnhughes (Sep 24, 2007)

i tried sealing the wheels on my old car and if you want the truth, didnt really notice that much differance. 

HOWEVER - i made sure i cleaned them every week without fail.


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## GaryF1 (Jun 4, 2008)

Yeah I dont usually bother sealing my wheels either, just wash them at least weekly with Megs Gold Glass with an assortment of brushes and give them abit of a spray with UQD. Seems to do the trick nicely especially with this awful wintery weather.

I might break out some SRP \ EGP during the summer months tho.


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## Neil_S (Oct 26, 2005)

Primarily I seal my wheels to prevent the brake dust inflicting permanent damage by embedding itself in the paint.

I also find that using a good sealant like Zaino or Finish Kares 1000p, you get a fantastic shine, infact my neighbour who has zero interest in washing a car, let alone detailing, asked what I use on my wheels the other day because they were so shiny.

I guess with the paintwork, I like to think my wheels are protected too.


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## -Kev- (Oct 30, 2007)

GaryF1 said:


> Yeah I dont usually bother sealing my wheels either, just wash them at least weekly with Megs Gold Glass with an assortment of brushes and give them abit of a spray with UQD. Seems to do the trick nicely especially with this awful wintery weather.
> 
> I might break out some SRP EGP during the summer months tho.


you would be better off using srp/egp in the winter months to protect the wheels from salt etc, wheels don't really get that dirty in the summer apart from brake dust


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## mick aldo (Feb 18, 2008)

ok yes sealing wheels does work, but you need to re,seal after about every 2nd or third wash!


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## -Kev- (Oct 30, 2007)

mick aldo said:


> ok yes sealing wheels does work, but you need to re,seal after about every 2nd or third wash!


a few coats of wheel sealant lasts a good few months on my car. are you using wheel cleaner on them or just shampoo?


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## Avanti (Jan 17, 2006)

mick aldo said:


> ok yes sealing wheels does work, but you need to re,seal after about every 2nd or third wash!


Erm why?


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## Nickos (Apr 27, 2006)

mick aldo said:


> ok yes sealing wheels does work, but you need to re,seal after about every 2nd or third wash!


sod that! that's once every 3 weeks


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## Avanti (Jan 17, 2006)

Nickos said:


> sod that! that's once every 3 weeks


I still have my original tin of AG wheel seal, and even though I have tried a couple of other products in between time, I am quite confident that the sealants last much longer than 3 or 4 washes suggested, since the summer I have been using varying dilutions of AG pressure wash to clean my car, which gets at least a weekly wash and that is what is on the wheels too, the power washer shampoo is PH13 undiluted and I would imagine it is still PH10-11 once applied to the vehicle, if unsure, simply apply some car pride wax to the rims it is cheap enough to use often, and any extra protection is a good thing in the long run.


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## Rich (Oct 26, 2005)

I treat the wheel paintwork the same as I do the bodywork, we spend so much time looking after the other panels why would the wheels be any different ?

As others have said first and foremost it protects the wheels from the elements, brake dust, road salt, tar etc, leave s them looking as good as the rest of the car, plus makes them easy to keep clean. Soap and water alone is all that you need to maintain and clean them after proper protection.

Two/three routes for me:

AG SRP / Klasse AIO with EGP x3 or Werksatt AJT x 3 and Poorboys Wheel Sealant or Swissvax Autobahn

Or

Zaino AIO, Zaino Z2 x 3 topped with Poorboys Wheel Sealant or Swissvax Autobahn

Both leave the wheel paintwork looking as good as the bodywork panels.


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## -Kev- (Oct 30, 2007)

Avanti said:


> I still have my original tin of AG wheel seal, and even though I have tried a couple of other products in between time, I am quite confident that the sealants last much longer than 3 or 4 washes suggested, since the summer I have been using varying dilutions of AG pressure wash to clean my car, which gets at least a weekly wash and that is what is on the wheels too, the power washer shampoo is PH13 undiluted and I would imagine it is still PH10-11 once applied to the vehicle, if unsure, simply apply some car pride wax to the rims it is cheap enough to use often, and any extra protection is a good thing in the long run.


agree, if maintained well, a couple of coats of sealant (or wax) used on wheels should deffinatly last longer than a few washes


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## SuperchargedLlama (Apr 25, 2008)

When the weather gets good I'm going to get them off and sealed up with some SRP+EGP+Coli 845, then hopefully it will just be a case of reapplying the 845 every couple of weeks


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## -Kev- (Oct 30, 2007)

Mother-Goose said:


> When the weather gets good I'm going to get them off and sealed up with some SRP+EGP+Coli 845, then hopefully it will just be a case of reapplying the 845 *every couple of weeks *


every couple of months more like, just clean them with shampoo


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## ryanuk (Jun 22, 2007)

mick aldo said:


> ok yes sealing wheels does work, but you need to re,seal after about every 2nd or third wash!


sorry mate but your wrong! my wheels get washed all the time,and the opti-seal is still holding up strong after 2 months!!!

sorry i best add,it does depend on what sealent you are using.


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## -Kev- (Oct 30, 2007)

ryanuk said:


> sorry mate but your wrong! my wheels get washed all the time,and the opti-seal is still holding up strong after 2 months!!!
> 
> *sorry i best add,it does depend on what sealent you are using*.


true, but it should last alot longer than a few washes


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## Neil_S (Oct 26, 2005)

6 months out of Zaino without issue, expecting at least 4 months out of FK1000 if not a Zaino matching 6 months.


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## Bigpikle (May 21, 2007)

had FK1000 on mine for just over 4 months and still doing well, especially since it has been pretty severe wet, slat, snow etc. Not cleaning so well with just a PW, but till does well with shampoo and a little brush 

Not far off needing re-applying for max benefit IMHO if the weather holds


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## mazda3_daveg (Jul 17, 2008)

I too don't bother sealing as they get washed every time with the car. I tried Jetseal 109 on them but it didn't repel enough of the dirt to be worth it for me.

109 or not they still need washing with the paintwork so I just leave them and use Autobrite Brite wheels at 10:1.


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## Avanti (Jan 17, 2006)

Mother-Goose said:


> When the weather gets good I'm going to get them off and sealed up with some SRP+EGP+Coli 845, then hopefully it will just be a case of reapplying the 845 every couple of weeks


Oh please 
If colli is so long lasting, Iknow car pride spray wax costs a quid last longer than a couple of weeks and washes, so why wouldnt colli? 
Please do say it is a typo


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## Dream Machines (Mar 13, 2006)

my first ever wheel sealing test was my fathers 2004 WRX STI
in one day, wheels were black

Clay barred them plus some menzerna final finish then poorboys wheel sealant and let it sit for a few hours

Removed it and left them alone for a week
From that time on, it took a week to get a slight to low buildup of grime and dust and all came off with a water rinse and a little shampoo


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