06-29-2012, 06:48 AM | #1 |
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Best Car Wash + Wheel Protector?
Hi Guys -
With a black 335i M Sport arriving in a couple of weeks, I'm a bit concerned about keeping a black car clean and my rims shinny (considering how much european brakes "dust". Can anyone suggest a car wash + rim protector that repells dirt + water ( to maintain wash for as long as possible), and do they really work? Appreciate any insight. Thanks.
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06-29-2012, 07:36 AM | #2 |
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I'm not a waxer (Zaino a couple of times/years is sufficient), but I am afraid that if you want a black car to look clean all the time you are going to do a lot of washing. Mine is black. It gets dusty commuting and parked indoors at both ends.
The Euro pads are only a tad more aggressive. Dusting will remain minimal. You may want to try waxing the wheels, they are painted afterall. Many love the California car duster. |
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06-29-2012, 08:59 AM | #3 |
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Let me get this out of the way. I'm a fairly avid car detailer, I hang out on Autopia, I buy and try tons of stuff from our vendors, I use sealants and wax, own and use both an orbital and random orbital polisher, know my way around wool pads, etc. I clean the inside of cars with water and use water based vinyl dressings like 303.
So now I can recommend Armor All Wheel Protectant and you might understand why I'm hesitant to do so. But it works. Great. It doesn't keep the wheels 100% clean, but maybe 90% after a week, and still maybe 75% after two weeks. Provided it doesn't get wet, it will hold up for a month of skipping washes, if you're so inclined. Our 1er is Jet Black, and to keep it looking clean, it requires fairly frequent washes, but it's garaged day and night, so I can usually get away with one or two washes a month and I tend to do a full detail twice a year and add wax over the sealant every other wash or so. Be aware that wax will attract more dust, sealants will keep it down, but tend not to have that last little bit of pop, should you care. |
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06-29-2012, 09:52 AM | #4 |
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Here's what I'd recommend (as I've done it).
Get your car Opti-Coated. As RedBread will tell you, on Autopia it's a hot topic, as this stuff is amazing. It's basically like a second clear coat - not a sealant or wax. It's virtually permanent. Once it's on, you just have to wash and it stays shiny and protected - no wax or polish. There is a guy on Autopia who's been testing it for almost 3 years on a car - even pouring muriatic acid on it! It's still holding up! I paid a pro $350 (Canadian) to do a corrective polish to make the paint perfect, then Opti-Coat. Since then it's just washes and the car looks amazing. BTW you can opticoat the rims as well and it will help shed brake dust. I love it 'cause as I get older I have less and less time to spend detailing. For washing, nothing beats Optimum No Rinse. As someone else on the forum once stated it's the "milk of the gods". So easy, so quick, amazing shine, and you use just a couple gallons of water. Not only that, you can dilute it in different ratios to make a quick detailer, or clay lube as well. amazing stuff. |
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06-29-2012, 10:07 AM | #8 |
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Hmm, how did I forget to recommend ONR? Great stuff. I like Opti Coat, but owning Jet Black I find that it still shows plenty of swirls even with proper washing, so the longevity actually works against me, so I'm sticking with Blackfire Wet Diamond.
My take on Opti Coat is that it's great for 99% of daily drivers and for those just looking for protection, but for those of us idiots who try to keep a car relatively swirl free, it's not the right thing. If I buy a Wrangler as a daily driver, it will almost certainly get Opti Coated and ignored after that. |
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06-29-2012, 10:20 AM | #9 |
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Red Bread,
For wheels, I use PS21 to clean, and Poorboy's World Wheel Sealant. How would this compare to the ArmorAll product? I'm no detail expert, so just asking. Thanks. |
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06-29-2012, 10:24 AM | #10 | |
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I woundt use any wax for a while because the paint is still "Settling In" so to say use a high quality Wash Soap spend the extra 3-6 bucks there is a difference. Was your rims every week if you drive every day. This will ensure that your rims don't stain and they stay super Clean and Shinny |
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06-29-2012, 10:48 AM | #11 |
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No it's not. Factory paint is kilned and cured the moment you pick it up even at ED. Modern paints are water based and even when resprayed at a body shop and not kilned, they'll be fully cured in about a week in cold weather and pretty much instantly in hot weather. The curing thing applied to older, oil based paints and factory cars were still traditionally kilned even back in the early 90's when oil based paints were still being used.
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06-29-2012, 10:52 AM | #12 | |
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Poorboys will certainly protect your wheels, but it doesn't offer much help with keeping the wheels clean in the way the AA stuff does. Meguairs makes some similar stuff to the AA, but it doesn't seem to hold up nearly as well. I've used the AA stuff for years on the 1er and on my old powder coated wheels on my previous car. I always use sealant on my wheels, clay and polish them once a year or so and just spray the AA stuff on and let it dry overnight so it doesn't sling (and it certainly can if you don't let it set up). It's about $6 for a can at Target and I get about ten to twelve washes out of a can. |
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06-29-2012, 11:00 AM | #13 | |
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06-29-2012, 11:18 AM | #14 | |
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Provided you're out of the sun (I wash in my garage) you can let ONR dry on the paint before you do your final wash. So you could dump a bucket of ONR over the whole car as a pre rinse if you have enough drainage and really wanted to be as thorough as possible. Many detailers add a cap of ONR to the rinse bucket of a normal wash setup as it helps separate the dirt from the wash medium. It's pretty cool stuff. |
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07-02-2012, 02:02 PM | #17 | |
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08-23-2012, 10:13 AM | #18 |
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Where can you buy the Optimum No Rinse in the Toronto/Durham Region area? I'm assuming you can't get it at Walmart!! lol
Tks
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