[sfax]

This may be a bit of a dumb/unusual question but what’s the best approach with cleaning and protecting alloy wheels?

They get a lot of brake dust deposited on them so today I cleaned them all with a wheel cleaner (Bilberry), polished them and applied a few coats of Poorboys Wheel Sealant. You can see straight away that the water is being repelled much better than it was before but how deep into the wheel should I by cleaning and waxing?

I have a detail brush that can get all the way to the back of the inside but what tends to happen is that I don't get everything, loosen up dust and muck right at the back and then when the car is driven it’s forced out onto the newly cleaned parts of the wheel.

I guess to do it and seal it all properly requires taking the wheel off but do people regularly clean deep into the wheel (all the way to the back) and get all the dust and muck out, or just concentrate on what can be seen without disturbing the rest?

I have 309s which are quite difficult to clean in places, hence the detail brush. They are also much wider than what I’m used to cleaning!

[rs6655]

I took mine off, cleaned and thoroughly waxed them with WheelWax http://www.wheelwax.com and anti siezed the hubs and lug bolts when I first got it. Since then I've repeated this procedure every 6 months or so and just do the best I can in between.

[sfax]

Originally Posted by rs6655

I took mine off, cleaned and thoroughly waxed them with WheelWax http://www.wheelwax.com and anti siezed the hubs and lug bolts when I first got it. Since then I've repeated this procedure every 6 months or so and just do the best I can in between.

Thanks. I think I'm learning the hard way that there are no shortcuts and that that is the only way to do it

[Want the thrill]

Yea, those 309's are a bi!#$ to clean! First thing I went and bought was a detail brush.

[sfax]

Originally Posted by Want the thrill

Yea, those 309's are a bi!#$ to clean! First thing I went and bought was a detail brush.

+1 And detail brush also purchased

[LEDZEP]

There is a good detailing section in general area of this forum, with great advise from pro detailers. There are some that are fanatical, and some people (grimmace) who just drive through a car wash. I am in between, leaning strongly to the fanatical side.

Wheels are tough because, as you pointed out, they take the brunt of the grime and nearly all the brake dust. Brake dust is highy abrasive, so the more protection between it and your surface the better. The other important thing to remember is to NEVER rub a dry wheel. You would be just as well off to drag fine sand paper across it.

I keep at least a coat of selant/wax on my wheels all the time. I wax them at least as often as the car, sometimes more. All in all, a very subjective topic - and much of the answers have to do with how often and how well you wash the vehicle/wheels, and how detailed you get doing it.

The 309's are challenging, similar to the Y spoke M wheels on my X5. Luckily the 369M's on the X3 are sweet, so easy to clean.

[RxCritical]

Armor All makes a very good product called Wheel Protectant (imagine that) that you can get from Wally World in a spray can. After you clean your wheels and completely dry them, you spray it on and it keeps the brake dust off your wheels for about a month. I have tried it and it works fairly well.
YMMV,
Paul

[RxCritical]

Originally Posted by LEDZEP

There is a good detailing section in general area of this forum, with great advise from pro detailers. There are some that are fanatical, and some people (grimmace) who just drive through a car wash. I am in between, leaning strongly to the fanatical side.

Wheels are tough because, as you pointed out, they take the brunt of the grime and nearly all the brake dust. Brake dust is highy abrasive, so the more protection between it and your surface the better. The other important thing to remember is to NEVER rub a dry wheel. You would be just as well off to drag fine sand paper across it.

I keep at least a coat of selant/wax on my wheels all the time. I wax them at least as often as the car, sometimes more. All in all, a very subjective topic - and much of the answers have to do with how often and how well you wash the vehicle/wheels, and how detailed you get doing it.

The 309's are challenging, similar to the Y spoke M wheels on my X5. Luckily the 369M's on the X3 are sweet, so easy to clean.

Maybe I'm looking right over it or maybe I'm not in the right area, but I did not see a detail section under the General section.
Could someone direct me to it???

[LEDZEP]

Originally Posted by RxCritical

Armor All makes a very good product called Wheel Protectant (imagine that) that you can get from Wally World in a spray can. After you clean your wheels and completely dry them, you spray it on and it keeps the brake dust off your wheels for about a month. I have tried it and it works fairly well.
YMMV,
Paul

I bought a couple cans of this and tried on the winter wheels for the X5. It does last about a month or more, and does a good job of keeping the wheels clean (like a teflon coating). A couple drawbacks I noticed were that it dulls the finish of the wheels a bit, and if you touch it at all it will collect tons of dirt there. I had pre-sprayed before installing them, and had black fingerprint marks after a few days. Still, a good winter solution when you can't do regular care. It takes about a full can to do 4 wheels.

[LEDZEP]

Originally Posted by RxCritical

Maybe I'm looking right over it or maybe I'm not in the right area, but I did not see a detail section under the General section.
Could someone direct me to it???

It's actually a sub to the E90 section:

http://www.e90post.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=13

[tank531]

This is interesting to me - but as I am still waiting..... I wondered if a high pressure cold jetwash would be recommended on wheels to make the cleaning a bit easier, especially inside the wheels?

[rs6655]

Originally Posted by sfax

Thanks. I think I'm learning the hard way that there are no shortcuts and that that is the only way to do it

You're welcome.

I didn't do this on my E90 and had brake dust "grit" embedded in the wheels. So far, other than a few rock nicks, mine are good this time.

It's a good idea to do the anti seize anyway. The wheels can get so stuck to the hub that they have to be hammered off.

http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=276055

I use Permatex http://www.permatex.com/products/aut...ubricant_a.htm and mine have always come right off. It also protects the lug bolt threads.

[sfax]

Thanks (again). I'll look into anti seize as well. Hadn't considered it TBH but I have heard of power tools leaving wheel nuts in a bad way. Problem is it's usually someone else changing the tyres and they don't care about your car quite so much as you do

[LEDZEP]

Originally Posted by rs6655

It's a good idea to do the anti seize anyway. The wheels can get so stuck to the hub that they have to be hammered off.

http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=276055

Bavarian Auto also sells a product called Wheel Mates that are a thin gasket you place between the wheel and the disc. I put them on in the fall when installing my winter set. Will be changing to summer set shortly, so I'll know: a) how well they worked, and b) if they are good for multiple uses.

[RxCritical]

Originally Posted by LEDZEP

It's actually a sub to the E90 section:

http://www.e90post.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=13

Thanks! It seems there is a lot more info in the E90 section!