I have painted aluminum rims. Is regular Meguiars cleaner wax sufficient for protection and good looks or is there something better (and easier to apply) out there?
Wax on rims?
- Thread starter dave180
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Meguiars Cleaner Wax is not very good in terms of protection, especially for wheels.
For looks, polish it separately with Meguiars Ultimate Compound. That'll get you your looks.
Then apply a longer lasting wax like Collinite 845. That's always lasted a lot longer on wheels than any other wax I've tried.
For looks, polish it separately with Meguiars Ultimate Compound. That'll get you your looks.
Then apply a longer lasting wax like Collinite 845. That's always lasted a lot longer on wheels than any other wax I've tried.
JHZR2
Staff member
There are wheel waxes that are specific. I've used them and on one set of wheels, the clear went bad, fwiw.
I've heard that rejex is good for wheels...
I've heard that rejex is good for wheels...
Finish Kare Hi Temp Wax would work well on it after they are cleaned up.
I have the same type rims (painted clear coat over metal), and here's my approach:
1. I take my wheels off the car every few months (twice a year at the least) and thoroughly clean them with whatever car wash soap I happen to be using at the time. The tires are also scrubbed well to remove any grime or other material which could affect remaining steps.
2. Dry them with MF towels and dry the tires with terry towels (so no water run-off from tires interferes with remaining steps).
3a. I use a polish to prepare the surface, and I follow it up with one of the finishing paint sealants I have on the shelf. The last couple of times I have done this, I used the Mother’s Step 1 polish and 3M’s Perfect-It synthetic wax for this step.
3b. Sometimes I don’t want to split this step up into two separate tasks, so I will use a good wax/sealant with some cleaners in it. I have used Meguiar’s AIO Cleaner Wax in the past here, and I was satisfied with the results. But I never tested the longevity of it, as I suspected it would not hold up well for long.
The last two times I have done this step with an AIO-type product, I used Mother’s Reflections Synthetic Wax. I was very pleased with the results of this product, and I have seen very good longevity from it.
4. (This is really the key step to making my method work I believe.) Any time I wash the car and give the wheels a good cleaning as well (meaning there is no grime, brake dust, etc. on them when done), I use a good Wax-As-U-Dry spray wax on the wet wheels and then dry with a MF towel.
I have used many different kinds of spray waxes on this step, and they all worked great – they helped maintain the wax protection on the clear coat and made cleaning them up very easy. Some examples I have used and really liked are Mothers FX spray wax, Eagle 1 Wax-As-U-Dry spray wax, Lucas spray wax, and Meguiar’s Wax-As-U-Dry spray wax.
Now, I have no doubt that there are many products out there that are superior to the OTC ones I have been using. But I have not had reason (yet) to abandon any of the OTC stuff and go looking for a higher-quality replacement.
So I will continue on with this until I’m not satisfied it is doing what I intend for it to do…which is to protect my wheels’ finishes, make it easier to clean them when washing car, keep them looking [censored] good when all cleaned up.
Good luck!
Nuke
1. I take my wheels off the car every few months (twice a year at the least) and thoroughly clean them with whatever car wash soap I happen to be using at the time. The tires are also scrubbed well to remove any grime or other material which could affect remaining steps.
2. Dry them with MF towels and dry the tires with terry towels (so no water run-off from tires interferes with remaining steps).
3a. I use a polish to prepare the surface, and I follow it up with one of the finishing paint sealants I have on the shelf. The last couple of times I have done this, I used the Mother’s Step 1 polish and 3M’s Perfect-It synthetic wax for this step.
3b. Sometimes I don’t want to split this step up into two separate tasks, so I will use a good wax/sealant with some cleaners in it. I have used Meguiar’s AIO Cleaner Wax in the past here, and I was satisfied with the results. But I never tested the longevity of it, as I suspected it would not hold up well for long.
The last two times I have done this step with an AIO-type product, I used Mother’s Reflections Synthetic Wax. I was very pleased with the results of this product, and I have seen very good longevity from it.
4. (This is really the key step to making my method work I believe.) Any time I wash the car and give the wheels a good cleaning as well (meaning there is no grime, brake dust, etc. on them when done), I use a good Wax-As-U-Dry spray wax on the wet wheels and then dry with a MF towel.
I have used many different kinds of spray waxes on this step, and they all worked great – they helped maintain the wax protection on the clear coat and made cleaning them up very easy. Some examples I have used and really liked are Mothers FX spray wax, Eagle 1 Wax-As-U-Dry spray wax, Lucas spray wax, and Meguiar’s Wax-As-U-Dry spray wax.
Now, I have no doubt that there are many products out there that are superior to the OTC ones I have been using. But I have not had reason (yet) to abandon any of the OTC stuff and go looking for a higher-quality replacement.
So I will continue on with this until I’m not satisfied it is doing what I intend for it to do…which is to protect my wheels’ finishes, make it easier to clean them when washing car, keep them looking [censored] good when all cleaned up.
Good luck!
Nuke
Clean:
very dirty/brake dusted wheels with Sonax wheel cleaner; THEN: Poor Boys' wheel wax. Brilliant. (the pink stuff)
Best when applied after a polish and a sealant, as additional steps in between cleaning and the PB WW.
Those have been my steps for the alloy wheels on our cars.
very dirty/brake dusted wheels with Sonax wheel cleaner; THEN: Poor Boys' wheel wax. Brilliant. (the pink stuff)
Best when applied after a polish and a sealant, as additional steps in between cleaning and the PB WW.
Those have been my steps for the alloy wheels on our cars.
I've been using Collinite 845 on the wheels of my cars for the past year and it's OK. Won't keep your wheels from getting dirty by any stretch of the imagination but may keep them less dirty. Last weekend I put some Menzerna Power Lock on the wheels of my S2000 (which get dirty quickly because of the brake pads I run). I'm looking forward to seeing how that does at it seems to help the finish of my MDX shed dirt compared to a traditional wax. As qwerty said, don't waste your time with Meg's. Cleaner Wax on the wheels (or anywhere else on your car IMO).
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I wouldn't buy "WheelWax". Just use your favorite sealant. Use the same thing you'd use on your painted panels. I also hit mine with AquaWax monthly. Megs Cleaner Wax would be better than nothing, but like other said, "there is much better".
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