# Is C5 Working?



## WannaBd (Dec 18, 2010)

So I applied to a set of my customers wheels. Applied as per instructions, full clean, dry, panel wipe, then c5 inside wheel & on spokes, 17" wheels, used half a 15ml bottle. Went back two weeks later, few hundred miles driven in car, its a merc e class coupe, so lots of brake dust. So I thought it would just jet wash off, I have a kranzle k7, but I wasn't impressed, it beaded well but they didn't clean up as I expected, i.e. the dust & muck just flying off. Did I not use enough? 
How has everyone else got on with c5?
Thanks


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## Toto (Oct 6, 2014)

It's a bit like snow foaming and rinsing a waxed car I don't think it fully removes all dirt and wheels getting very hot I still thing manual agitation is still needed no matter what the product is .


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## Yellow Dave (Apr 5, 2011)

I have found that unless the grime is removed within a week, or it has been pre soaked with a decent cleaner ie something more than snow foam, a touchless wash isn't going to happen. 

My latest set of wheels were coated in April, car is washed once a fortnight. All is needed is the usual shampoo mix and I use a noodle mit to clean the and they come up spotless everytime.


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## MDC250 (Jan 4, 2014)

I've got 18" 7 spoke AMGs on mine, I used half a bottle but went back round again.

They get filthy but clean up really easily with shampoo and Wheel Woolies. Have never come up 100% purely with PW but didn't expect nor do I think they are meant to.


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## Gavla (Apr 10, 2014)

I use surfex hd (water based degreaser) diluted about 20:1 so very cost effective, quick all over spray, wait 5 minutes and pressure wash off with spotless results every time...


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## SteveyG (Apr 1, 2007)

I've never found any noticeable difference in cleaning alloys that had a wheel sealant on. I've tried about 4 or 5 different types now but if you do any decent mileage it seems to be pointless.

With no sealant on, mine still clean easily with a microfibre wheel mitt.


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## dooka (Aug 1, 2006)

Brake dust is sticky stuff. C5 will certainly help with it sticking but not 100%. C5 also helps with the hot brake dust blims burning into the paint..

A shampoo and gentle agitation should remove most if not all ..

I have been running C5 and Exo on different wheels on my van for 15 months now and as good as the day I applied. When I clean my wheels, about 4 times a year, the always come up a treat but always need a little agitation, try using something like IronX as a cleaner, works wonders on coatings ..


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## Short1e (Apr 5, 2009)

If you want something that you can just grab the kranzle and most of the grime to go. You need Carbon Collective Platinum wheels.

I applied it to my new alloys October 2013, and its still protecting them well. They look brand new still after a clean


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## MDC250 (Jan 4, 2014)

dooka said:


> When I clean my wheels, about 4 times a year, the always come up a treat but always need a little agitation, try using something like IronX as a cleaner, works wonders on coatings ..


Read this a few times on other threads I think...using something like a fallout remover and/or tar remover wouldn't degrade the coating?


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## theshrew (May 21, 2008)

Ive used it once. 

Yes its easier to clean the wheels nut no easier than it is with another sealent on them. So far its lasted a lot longer aswell + its eady peady to apply. 

I dont do loads of miles but i have noticed it does do something, the brake dust doesnt sit the same on the wheels now as it did with no protection on them. 

Maybe people notice it less when doing higher miles ?


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## WannaBd (Dec 18, 2010)

Thanks for your input everyone. They cleaned up fine with shampoo and my noodle mitt wash. I realise it protects the wheels and will stop/slow the brake dust being burnt on. But I did try c2v3 on one of the front wheels a month before I applied c5 to it and two weeks after putting the c2 on the jet wash cleaned the wheels off no prob. :thumb:


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## dooka (Aug 1, 2006)

MDC250 said:


> Read this a few times on other threads I think...using something like a fallout remover and/or tar remover wouldn't degrade the coating?


In a word No, IronX was originally designed to clean coatings, so perfectly safe. Tar remover won't effect a coating either. It may effect what you top it with..

Most coating are fairly chemical resistant, especially compared to a standard sealant/wax..

I would also highly recommend a shampoo such as CarPro Reset on coatings, they hold onto the dirt a little differently to standards LSP's, and are able to handle a stronger shampoo to clean properly ..


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## griff500 (Mar 2, 2006)

dooka said:


> In a word No, IronX was originally designed to clean coatings, so perfectly safe. Tar remover won't effect a coating either. It may effect what you top it with..
> 
> Most coating are fairly chemical resistant, especially compared to a standard sealant/wax..
> 
> I would also highly recommend a shampoo such as CarPro Reset on coatings, they hold onto the dirt a little differently to standards LSP's, and are able to handle a stronger shampoo to clean properly ..


So, IronX won't remove C5? I find IronX to be awesome but I stopped using after applying C5 for fear of removing the coating.


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## dooka (Aug 1, 2006)

No it won't remove the coating ..


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## Mouse (Oct 31, 2006)

I'm wondering if I applied my C5 wrong, but I definitely followed the instructions. I get no beading on my white wheels, trying to clean them now and they are stained and very difficult to get the brake dust off. Previously I used FK1000p and compared to C5 it is vastly superior


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## footfistart (Dec 2, 2013)

Weird c5 not performing. Was it just the one layer? I haven't got a coating for my wheels yet but a couple of layers of autoglym EPG and washing wheels for the next three months is a doddle.

This was my old car half and half only using a k2 washer just rinsing.










Not a good comparison I know.

Ryan


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## Dougnorwich (Jun 27, 2014)

clean the coating with some w5 agitated with a brush sometimes the coating gets blocked for want of a better word

that's should bring it back to life

if the coating has failed, im afraid you must have applied it incorrectly somewhere along the lines, my c5 has been on now for 6 months and is as good as the day it was applied


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