The Detailers Cafe
Exterior Detailing => Wheels, Tires and Wheel-Wells => Topic started by: Radio Wilco on October 20, 2009, 05:13:03 PM
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Hi guys. I just joined last week and I appreciate all of the welcomes.
I have an 09 TSX, coated stock aluminum wheels, with 2400 miles on it and have not yet done a complete wheel cleaning/sealing. I'd like to get them ready for the Minnesota winter. I plan on taking off the wheels/tires and doing a complete cleaning and detailing of the wells, tires, and wheels. Thanks to this forum and others, I think I have a pretty good plan for the wells and the tires so I'm only looking for some help on the wheels. I know how to clean them properly, (they are not very dirty) so my question here is on sealants.
What would you guys recommend as the proper sealing technique to get me through a MN winter until next March or April? I want to properly seal the outsides and the barrels. I'm willing to put on as many coats as necessary and use any products you think will work best for me. I do have some Megs NXT 2.0 on hand.
TIA
RW
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That's a tough one really. Wheels experience the worst of the worst. Extreme heat, brake dust, road grime, and in the winter you have salt. You're going to want to clean them up really good. If you're positive they're coated you can use something like Meguiars Wheel Brightener on them to get them clean. There's really only one product that I can think of that will truly get you through a northern winter and not just anybody can get it. It's Optimums new coating. There are others that will definitely help though. PB's Wheel Sealant comes to mind. I've used Optimum's Opti Seal before. Any of these will help but I feel confident saying none will go the distance. You're best bet is to do your best to stay on top of them.
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Thanks,
I know that nothing's going to completely get me through a MN winter properly...I just want to do the best I can to make spring detailing easier and keep the wheels in the best possible shape given my limitations. I plan on adding a heater to my garage so ONR would be an option although I wouldn't have access to a water hose for wells, wheels, etc. I'm going to keep on top of them the best that I can given the conditions.
I've read many positive things about PB's products except for the wheel sealant. No first hand experience so I obviously can't say for sure.
Sorry for the noob question, but why can't I get Optimums new coating?
Since you didn't address the NXT 2.0, is this not a good choice for my application?
TIA guys!
RW
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It depends on the wheels, but I think any sealant would still yield a pitted barrel surface through your winter. I just applied PB's wheel sealant to my wheels, but my car is going in for storage. You should clean the wheels once a month at least (IMO).
If you did want to go down the sealant path, I have a few and offer cheap 1-day shipping to most of MN.
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Honestly, I don't really have any experience with Nxt 2.0 which is why I didn't comment. An option for the wheel wells is using your cleaning chemical of choice (Megs APC+ for me diluted either 10:1 or 4:1) at the local DIY bays. You don't need to use their brushes or their soaps but they're nice to have for knocking major road grime off that is associated with winter. Not a bad idea if the vehicle is really dirty and you want to remove what you can before bringing it home for an ONR wash. As for Optimum's coating, it's just not available to the average joe. As well it probably shouldn't be. While similar to a wax, if not applied correctly you will know it and it will need to be buffed off. Not simple to remove. That's the word anyway. I can't get it either but would love some for my wheels. Obsessive Detail (member and online vendor) sells Optimum products and is active on the forum. He would have more information on it.
Edit - My personal belief is that something is better than nothing. Any carnauba waxes are going to be wasted as they just won't hold up to the heat wheels see. Synthetic waxes (Nxt 2.0 falls in to this category as does Opti Seal and PB's Wheel Sealant) will fair much better. Again though, upkeep, regular washing, and maybe another application or two as winter progresses will help keep those wheels looking good. This is coming from someone who SERIOUSLY dropped the ball last year on my polished aluminum wheels. Talk about having your work cut out for you. I'm definitely swapping back to stock this year.
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I always put Optimum Opti Seal on wheels. Very easy to do and is pretty durable.
On my personal vehicles I have the new Optimum Coating. As mentioned, this stuff is only available to professionals. This products has a learning curve to it. The Coating is basically a sealant on steroids, it is guaranteed to last at least 3 years and I've heard of a lot of testers getting close to 5 years. You can put this on paint, glass, wheels, and exterior trim.
I've had the coating on my truck for almost a month now. On my wheels I can take a hose and spray of all of the brake dust without even agitating at all. I've also noticed that bugs come off so much easier too.
Opti Coating comes in a 30cc syringe, but this will do at least 3 vehicles. The cost is $90 for a professional detailing business. A waiver also has to be signed in case of inproper application.
The application is very similar to Optimum Opti Seal, but with this you don't spray it on, you just squirt some from the syringe onto an applicator pad or microfiber towel. You have to get this product on even if not you will be able to tell and the only way to get it off is too buff it with an abrasive polish. I put it on a panel and let it start to haze a bit and then lightly buff off with a microfiber.
The Opti Coating looks very similar to Opti Seal, it gives some really nice gloss and some decent wetness to the paint.
I've been testing this out on a few vehicles to get the application down before I start putting it on my customer vehicles. I going to start offering this service very soon and I will be charging $150 to apply the coating.
If anyone has any questions about the coating feel free to ask.
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Justin, have you tried Opti-Coating (is that the official name?) on non-coated, polished aluminum? If I was closer to you I would gladly have you do my wheels for that cost. Polished aluminum is a pain.
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Well, when I talk to David from Optimum he calls it Opti Coat, I've heard some people call it just Optimum Coating.
I haven't used it on bare aluminum yet. I have the coating on my chrome truck wheels and my wifes clearcoated wheels. I need to find some polsihed aluminum wheels to try this out on, it should keep them looking good. David from Optimum says that after you apply the coating, it is almost like adding another layer of clearcoat.
I forgot to add that this product sheets water like crazy!
As for the $150, that is what I'm going to charge to just put it on the paint only. I've been trying to decide what I want to charge if someone wants their glass, wheels, and trim done too. I will probably even offer a deal just for wheels.
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Justin, have you tried Opti-Coating (is that the official name?) on non-coated, polished aluminum? If I was closer to you I would gladly have you do my wheels for that cost. Polished aluminum is a pain.
Road Trip! :bike: :clap: :redneck:
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Justin, have you tried Opti-Coating (is that the official name?) on non-coated, polished aluminum? If I was closer to you I would gladly have you do my wheels for that cost. Polished aluminum is a pain.
Road Trip! :bike: :clap: :redneck:
:redneck: How much do you think it would cost to ship 4 wheels and tires there and back? :crazy:
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Justin, have you tried Opti-Coating (is that the official name?) on non-coated, polished aluminum? If I was closer to you I would gladly have you do my wheels for that cost. Polished aluminum is a pain.
Road Trip! :bike: :clap: :redneck:
:redneck: How much do you think it would cost to ship 4 wheels and tires there and back? :crazy:
A lot more than I would charge to put it on!
I'm going to give David a call tomorrow and see what he thinks about selling this product to a detailing enthusiast as long as they sign the waiver form. There are a lot of people that don't have a business but detail on the side or do it as a hobby. How many of you guys would be interested in this?
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I'd be all over it. I won't hold my breathe as I know it's not meant to be sold to everybody but if you make it happen I'm in.
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I would definitly be interested. Just used Opti-seal on my car and truck last weekend, unfortunitly it rained 4 hrs after I applied it but both car/truck still looks great.
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Thanks for all the help guys. I'm going to go with the Opti-Seal on the wheels. I plan on putting on 2-3 coats and then maybe top it off with the NXT. Optimum's web site says that you may top off the Opti-Seal with your favorite wax or sealant.
Do you guys think that my multi-coat plan is overkill? If not, how much time would you give between coats?
Oh, and CarCareDepot, I have bookmarked your website for future reference.
Thanks again guys.
RW
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Yeah Justin lets us know!
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Thanks for all the help guys. I'm going to go with the Opti-Seal on the wheels. I plan on putting on 2-3 coats and then maybe top it off with the NXT. Optimum's web site says that you may top off the Opti-Seal with your favorite wax or sealant.
Do you guys think that my multi-coat plan is overkill? If not, how much time would you give between coats?
Oh, and CarCareDepot, I have bookmarked your website for future reference.
Thanks again guys.
RW
If im not mistaken NXT has some mild cleaners in it so my personal opinion would be NXT first then Opti-seal. Also in the past and present for winterizing my truck/car I used Collinite 845 and it does an exellent job at protecting during the winter.
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Yep, you're right 05supercrew. I thought about that after I posted. Definitely a better idea to put the NXT on first, let it cure, then follow up with the Opti-Seal.
RW
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I'm going to give David a call tomorrow and see what he thinks about selling this product to a detailing enthusiast as long as they sign the waiver form. There are a lot of people that don't have a business but detail on the side or do it as a hobby.
How do they check to see if you are actually a detailing business?
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I'm going to give David a call tomorrow and see what he thinks about selling this product to a detailing enthusiast as long as they sign the waiver form. There are a lot of people that don't have a business but detail on the side or do it as a hobby.
How do they check to see if you are actually a detailing business?
I'm supposed to get a proof of business form that has the business id # before I can sell the product. Hopefully, this changes.
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I'm going to give David a call tomorrow and see what he thinks about selling this product to a detailing enthusiast as long as they sign the waiver form. There are a lot of people that don't have a business but detail on the side or do it as a hobby.
How do they check to see if you are actually a detailing business?
I'm supposed to get a proof of business form that has the business id # before I can sell the product. Hopefully, this changes.
That's going to suck for me. I'm not registered because supposedly i don't have to be since i'm providing a service and not selling goods.
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Morals aside, whats to stop you from selling it out of your own stash other than the fact that they might wonder why you're going through so much? It just seems like something that's hard to enforce.