Question about using waxes/polishes on wheels....

[strader327]

Hello everyone, I was wondering can you or does anyone here ever apply MEGS wax/polishes/detailers to their wheels? For me I'll already admit I've used detailer to clean any excess dirt, brake dust, or any kind of grime off my wheels and it works fantastic!

Also in the past I've used another brand of wax called "Formula 113" that's like a versatile synthetic wax that can be used on wheels or even glass. And since I can use waxes like that on my wheels and glass why not use MEGS Ultimate liquid or paste on them?

But before I try it I was going to ask you all if you either recommend it or if you have tried it in the past and if so what were the results? In case if you all are wondering, I currently have silver titanium alloy wheels on my car. They are made by a company called MB Motoring. Here is a picture of what it looks like...

http://www.discounttire.com/product/wheels/mbm005.s.xl.jpg

If you all don't think it's safe to use on my wheels what would you recommend as far as added shine and protection? Thank you all for your time.

[Murr1525]

Re: Question about using waxes/polishes on wheels....

You certainly can use any of them.

Do you have anything to clean up/fix? Or looking just to make them shine, or easier to clean, etc?

[strader327]

Re: Question about using waxes/polishes on wheels....

Well, either or I guess. I know to clean them initially you use a wheel cleaner during the car washing process. For instance I'm currently using MEG's All wheel and tire cleaner. I used it yesterday when I washed the car. I go with the all wheel cleaner since I can't find a titanium wheel cleaner.

I know MEGS also makes wheel cleaners for chrome wheels and aluminum wheels, but I guess the all wheel cleaner works great on titanium as well. From what I can tell it worked very great on mine. And to keep them clean I know that MEGS recently came out with a brake dust barrier and before that I think Eagle One had or has a similar product called "keep clean".

But I guess mostly for this thread I was looking for something to make them shine more. I was curious as to what MEGS recommends as far as making titanium wheels more shiny.

[Murr1525]

Re: Question about using waxes/polishes on wheels....

Well, the Brake Dust Barrier works very well for me, and I have just been using car wash soap all summer. However, I dont know that it nessicerily adds the shine of a wax.

So I guess it kind of comes to which matters more to you.

Also, it is good to note that if you were to use a wax for your wheels, using the All Wheel Cleaner, or other dedicated wheel cleaner, would mostly remove any wax you applied. So would want to go to car wash soap unless you wanted to wax more often.

The pic looks to be clear coated, does it seem like they are?

[strader327]

Re: Question about using waxes/polishes on wheels....

Yeah they do seem to be clear coated, when they are fully clean they are as slick as the car's finish.

[1994Gen1L]

Re: Question about using waxes/polishes on wheels....

I wash my painted and alloy wheels with car soap and water. I then dry and apply a coat of Color X wax. I perform upkeep with Ultimate Quick Wax and spray detailer.

[Michael Stoops]

Re: Question about using waxes/polishes on wheels....

Those wheels, although aftermarket, have a finish that's very similar to the typical factory coated alloys you find on all sorts of makes and models. That means they're painted and clear coated. If Hot Rims All Wheel & Tire Cleaner has been working well for you, that's just further confirmation of this. That also means you can treat them much the same way you treat the rest of the paint on the car: fine swirl marks can be buffed out by hand with SwirlX or Ultimate Compound, or you can routinely use Cleaner Wax, ColorX or M66 for maintenance or go full on with a good synthetic like NXT Tech Wax 2.0 or Ultimate Wax for both protection and added gloss. Just keep in mind that if you do use a wax on these and then subsequently clean them with All Wheel & Tire Cleaner, you're going to take off the wax.

Whether you choose to polish/wax these wheels or use Brake Dust Barrier on them is your choice, but there is a bit of a trade off when choosing between the two processes. While a good coat of wax can help with cleaning, it's not going to be as long lasting as Brake Dust Barrier, nor will be as repellent to brake dust and road grime as BDB. On the flip side, BDB isn't going to increase the gloss of the wheels (it shouldn't detract from the gloss either, though) but it will make future cleaning super easy and it will last a crazy long time. What you might want to do, to get the best of both worlds, is to thoroughly clean the wheels, polish them up with SwirlX or Ultimate Compound, then skip the wax and apply a couple very light coats of BDB. That way you prep the wheels beautifully and maximize the finish, then you coat that beautifully prepped surface with BDB to help keep them protected and easy to clean in the future.