Great polish / sealer for alloy wheels

This is where you can find out about valeting and detailing--washing, cleaning, polishing, waxing and other car care issues.
Post Reply
Alan W
Joined: Thu 20 Jun, 2013 10:56
Posts: 670

  Z3 roadster 2.8
Location: Bexley, Kent UK

Great polish / sealer for alloy wheels

Post by Alan W »

With all the poncey expensive car cleaning products on the market its nice to find something cheap that does the job just as well or better for less.

Saw this Wilko silicone pushbike cleaner which is water repellent and only costs £3.50

Washed car today and then applied this and it has made the alloys sparkle like new and hopefully the brake dust wont stick as much.

I also found it perfect for the wheel arch liners and made them look like new too..

Image
1999 facelit Z3 Roadster 2.8 Auto in Cosmos Black aka 'Gloria'
Image
User avatar
Davejue1
Joined: Sun 22 Sep, 2013 07:25
Posts: 1249

  Z3 roadster 2.8
Location: Mansfield

Re: Great polish / sealer for alloy wheels

Post by Davejue1 »

Please post back after a few days. Be interesting to see if it does repel the break dust a bit. My daily driver is terrible for it. :)

Cheers
Dave
Image

"Growing old is mandatory, growing up is optional!"
Alan W
Joined: Thu 20 Jun, 2013 10:56
Posts: 670

  Z3 roadster 2.8
Location: Bexley, Kent UK

Re: Great polish / sealer for alloy wheels

Post by Alan W »

Hi Dave,

Unfortunately my cars all clean and away in the garage now and wont be coming out unless we get a remarkable day and I get the urge for a spin so I won't know the answer to that for a while. However, I've used the Armoral wheel stuff which works well, it doesn't stop the dust from building up but it comes off a lot easier when washing and its about £8 on Amazon:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0DEJ3Tzd73c

The consensus of opinion (including mine) is that although Armoral won't stop brake dust from being deposited on your wheels it gives a protective barrier resulting in the dust being less adhesive to the wheels and therefore easier to clean off.

Having used Armoral the Wilko silicone bike polish seems very similar but you get three times as much for a third of the price.

Unfortunately there is no ultimate cure-all for the brake dust blues but if your car is an every day driver why don't you get a tin of Armoral and a tin of the Wilko stuff and do a test using one product on the nearside wheels and the other on the offside and let us know how you get on, I'd be willing to give you half the cost to see how these products compare...
1999 facelit Z3 Roadster 2.8 Auto in Cosmos Black aka 'Gloria'
Image
User avatar
Davejue1
Joined: Sun 22 Sep, 2013 07:25
Posts: 1249

  Z3 roadster 2.8
Location: Mansfield

Re: Great polish / sealer for alloy wheels

Post by Davejue1 »

Thanks for the reply Alan. I will give them ago and see if it's worth a regular application after each wash. :)
Image

"Growing old is mandatory, growing up is optional!"
Alan W
Joined: Thu 20 Jun, 2013 10:56
Posts: 670

  Z3 roadster 2.8
Location: Bexley, Kent UK

Re: Great polish / sealer for alloy wheels

Post by Alan W »

:) :) :)
1999 facelit Z3 Roadster 2.8 Auto in Cosmos Black aka 'Gloria'
Image
User avatar
Southernboy
Joined: Thu 07 Oct, 2010 12:39
Posts: 6436

  Z3 roadster 3.0i
Location: Johannesburg

Re: Great polish / sealer for alloy wheels

Post by Southernboy »

Cleaning brake dust off wheels is a PITA...especially if the wheels are like the BBS style with spokes and small tight areas to clean. I have found that using some engine degreaser in a plastic spray bottle it comes away easily...spray the degreaser onto the wheel and use a powerful jet of water to rinse it off, then simply wipe them to remove any extremely fine brake dust... if any. Degreaser is cheap and can be used elsewhere on the car too.
"Normal is overrated"
Image

Z3 Upgrades and Additions
Post Reply