I have a set of Dymag wheels on order. They are carbon fiber and magnesium. What should I do to them in order to protect them before they go on the car? From what I understand, the carbon fiber and, possibly the magnesiun are clearcoated - not sure though. Then what do I do for ongoing protection and cleaning? Thanks in advance for any advice you can give me.

 

Here is what I do for wheels:

Clean the wheel with the items below:
P21S Wheel Cleaner Gel
Boar's Hair Brush
Swissvax Wheel Brush
Spoke Brush

I would do Swissvax Cleaner Fluid to prep them followed by Swissvax Autobahn
for protection.

If you can maintain them frequently I would go with your car wash and water then dry them and put another coat of Swissvax Autobahn on them.

 

One other thing. Have ceramics so brake dust will not be a problem.

 

probably don't need the P21S just car wash and water.

Everything else would be a good idea to keep them looking nice shiny and protected.

 

Use a mild wheel cleaner like zymol and a horse hair brush and the ez detail brush to get inside the spokes. Then a good coat of RejEx will go a long way. Regular car soap is too gentle on getting the brake dust off. Remember, it's not the brake dut itself that's the problem, it's the glue used to bind the pads. A good wheel cleaner is designed to safely remove the dust.

 

With ceramics you should have no trouble keep these wheels pretty clean. When you get them, just put a coat of wax on them such as; Rejex, Klasse, Zaino, Zymol Wheel Protectant, etc. Treat the wheels as you would treat your paint as all the surfaces will be clearcoated on a Dymag wheel. Hope this helps.

 

I am very surprised that detailers recommend any wheel cleaner at all. Wheels that are painted can be cleaned with the same mild car wash that you wash the rest of the car with. Wheels that are not coated should never be washed with any product called wheel cleaner. Again use the same product you use on the rest of the car. It is a good practice to wax your wheels, but check with the manufacturers recommendations first. This information should be readily available from the place where you purchased your wheels.

 

Alan,

Moe and I are recommending some of the safest wheel cleaners out there proven for the last 20 plus years from Porsche /BMW/MB etc...

I've been using P21S for over 20 years and never had a problem. I do agree that most wheel cleaners are harsh but P21S I will stand by 100%.

P21S Wheel Cleaner Gel:
This 100% acid-free wheel cleaner is safe for all types of wheels.

Just my 2 cents of course. I also agree that if you don't need a wheel cleaner use your car wash soap.

 

My background is high end wheel manufacturing for over 20 years as well. I have seen damage from all wheel cleaners including P21S. It could be leaving the chemical on the wheel too long or wheel temp at the time of application or some other factor.

 

I agree wheel temp is a huge factor in wheel damage.

 

I respect your input Alan. Most wheel cleaners on the market are VERY aggressive having either too high or too low of pH. I've been using zymol wheel cleaner for 10+ years now and have never damaged any wheels. zymol wheel cleaner uses spun tallow and castile soap along with spearmint oil to clean the wheels and is also pH balanced. You can use it on cold or warm wheels and even leave it on for hours and nothing will happen. If you'd like, send me a PM w/ your address and I'll ship you a bottle to do your own R&D. You owe it to yourself and your clients to know products like this exist and are SAFE. Using a simple car soap is way to gentle on removing the brake dust. Remember, it's not the dust, semi-metallic particles, that hurt the finish of the wheels, it's the glue used to mold the brake pads. Just feel your wheels as you would your paint prior to claying. Take a ziplok sandwich bag, put your hand in it, and spray some detail spray on the wheels. Now feel the area you just sprayed. If you feel anything, that's contaminants sitting on the finish that needs to be removed. Using a safe, and intended, cleaner for the wheels will help break down the brake dust and further clean the wheels. If your wheels have a clear coat, using a product like RejEx to protect is a must.

 

Thank you for the good information Moe. I like to recommend the least intrusive method of cleaning as wheel refinishing is quite expensive. As many of the products I have sold over the years have no paint or clearcoat, polished aluminum and anodized aluminum finishes the mechanical bond of the brake dust was not an issue. Now however I do sell a large number of painted wheels and would be interested in trying the products you recommend. My address is in my sig.

 

I want to thank everybody for their input.