Cleaning up my new wheels, advice please

[RhysQ]

Hey guys,

I'm picking up these wheels this weekend and would like to clean them up a bit before putting them on.

I would like some advice from you guys as to what products (including costs) I should use. I am looking at giving the bolts a quick polish (all 156 of them :eek:) and polishing the lips up. Keep in mind they are 2-piece wheels so I am able to pull them apart.

They look in pretty good condition so I wouldn't imagine I would need to do that much work on them. Anyway enough talk, here are the pics...

Impul RS Hoshino Racing 17's.... rare as hens teeth, especially in this condition.
3851

3852

Cheers in advance guys,
Rhys

[DMS_Dan]

P21S Polishing Soap (http://www.carcareproducts.com.au/product/p21s/polishing_soap) would be the easiest thing to use in this situation.

Once done a nice sealant like Z2 pro or Duragloss 105 or Optimum opti seal would be good. Or an easier option would be some Autoglym Alloy Wheel seal (http://www.carcareproducts.com.au/product/autoglym/alloy_wheel_seal)

[RhysQ]

Yep i've seen that already and i've started my own thread to get opinions from a range of people. I will close it myself when i'm ready and get some feedback, cheers anyway Maris. I'd rather not hijack other threads.

Let me expand on it a bit.... i do not have access to a buffing wheel and will be doing this all by hand. I'm not chasing absolute sparkling show quality (like the BBS is that thread) but just a quick generally cheap going over to get rid of any minor blemishes they may have. I would like to have some choice in product to use... with some info on what 'to' and 'not to' use.

Cheers
Rhys

[RhysQ]

P21S Polishing Soap (http://www.carcareproducts.com.au/product/p21s/polishing_soap) would be the easiest thing to use in this situation.

Once done a nice sealant like Z2 pro or Duragloss 105 or Optimum opti seal would be good. Or an easier option would be some Autoglym Alloy Wheel seal (http://www.carcareproducts.com.au/product/autoglym/alloy_wheel_seal)

Thanks Dan, i was hoping to get a reply from you, you seem to be the detailing king around here!

Are those products available from auto stores like Autobarn, Supercheap etc.?

[jasn78]

Rhys, follow Dan's advice mate one guy who certainly knows his stuff and if the polishing soap is as good as p21s wheel gel it will be a good thing.

[jasn78]

;293566']Thanks Dan, i was hoping to get a reply from you, you seem to be the detailing king around here!

Are those products available from auto stores like Autobarn, Supercheap etc.?

lol im too slow again, http://www.waxit.com.au would be best place in bris to get it from plus dave mail orders it

[DMS_Dan]

;293566']Thanks Dan, i was hoping to get a reply from you, you seem to be the detailing king around here!

Are those products available from auto stores like Autobarn, Supercheap etc.?

Oh thanks lol

No they arnt. The link i posted ships them out or if your close Dave can send it also


Rhys, follow Dan's advice mate one guy who certainly knows his stuff and if the polishing soap is as good as p21s wheel gel it will be a good thing.

Thanks mate. The soap is a very easy to use product and is quite effortless. Also the sponge conforms a fair bit so will get round the nuts fairly well

[RhysQ]

I've read those link, but still have a couple of questions...

1. Is that soap product just a cleaning substance, or will it get rid of blemishes on the lips and polish them up a fair bit? It's a bit hard to tell from that pic of the chrome wheels on the site.

2. Is it necessary to put a sealant on, and how well will it fight off brake dust (how often will i need to re-clean my wheels). At the moment i need to do my wheels every fortnight, but i have gloss black on them which shows up dust straight away.

[jasn78]

rhys, im pretty sure u will find the reason for the sealant is to make ur life alot easier when it comes to brake dust, all forums i have been reading on car detailing have basically said thats one of the main reasons of doing it. Next time i get my wheels repainted i def will be

[DMS_Dan]

It does get small blemishes out but not heaps. You will need a more abrasive polish for that.

As for sealing them i would do it it helps HEAPS. If you cant be bothered use autoglym alloy wheel seal its an aerosol so is heaps quicker to use

[Mrk_Mickey]

Would a sealant benefit a freshly clayed wheel in the same way it benefits freshly polished wheels or bodywork? I think it'd be a nice idea to spend a day claying and rejuvinating my wheels and sealing them :)

[DMS_Dan]

Would a sealant benefit a freshly clayed wheel in the same way it benefits freshly polished wheels or bodywork? I think it'd be a nice idea to spend a day claying and rejuvinating my wheels and sealing them :)

Hell yeah.

On the weekend i pulled the wheels of my ute. Cleaned and clayed the insides. Gave them 3 coats of Autoglym alloy wheel seal.

Cleaned all suspension and wheel wells. All metal was coated in alloy wheel seal x 3 all plastics were coated in 303 x 2.

After driving through the rain it all looks as good as it did when it was finished. My mechanic is going to be impressed when he does the service on it :D

[jasn78]

Dan, on this topic since my wheels are 2pak would i just be better using the same sealant as the rest of my car or something else?

[DMS_Dan]

Dan, on this topic since my wheels are 2pak would i just be better using the same sealant as the rest of my car or something else?
The car sealant is fine for the application on painted wheels. Layer it up though so you get good protection

[RhysQ]

Alright I went and picked up the wheels from the TNT depot today so they are now sitting in my lounge room at home.... pretty stoked :biggrin:. I have just (about 5 mins ago) ordered some of that P21S Polishing Soap from carcareproducts.com.au as well to polish them up. How long in the post should that be? Hopefully I can get the stuff by this weekend so I can work on the wheels.

The wheels are actually pretty dirty with quite a lot of brake dust inside the barrels and around the bolts. Would you advise that I give them a bit of a clean over with some warm soapy water to give myself a 'clean canvas' to work with.

I'll put some pics up tonight when I get home.

[DMS_Dan]

You should get the stuff from Car Care Products tomorrow as i assume it would have been sent express post. If it was sent courier you should get it Thursday. They dont muck about with sending out product, because im in Sydney i call up before 10am and i have the stuff by 4 that avo.

Yeah give them a good clean with either a wheel cleaner (i recommend autoglym custom wheel cleaner AWESOME) and a soft paintbrush to get into all the little nooks. Then polish away

[RhysQ]

here are some piccies.....
http://www.vwwatercooled.com.au/forums/images/imported/2009/03/impuls1-2.jpg

http://www.vwwatercooled.com.au/forums/images/imported/2009/03/impuls2-2.jpg

THIS IS THE WORST WHEEL
http://www.vwwatercooled.com.au/forums/images/imported/2009/03/impuls3-2.jpg

http://www.vwwatercooled.com.au/forums/images/imported/2009/03/impuls4-2.jpg

http://www.vwwatercooled.com.au/forums/images/imported/2009/03/impuls5-2.jpg

http://www.vwwatercooled.com.au/forums/images/imported/2009/03/impuls6-2.jpg

[Mrk_Mickey]

Dude...they look awesome. Hope they come out how you want them to!

Of course if they don't I'll take 'em ;)

[RhysQ]

I gave one a quick clean up last night with a wet cloth (the bad one with the black marks/scrapes on the spokes), and I was surprised at how much dirt came off them just from doing that! More than half of that black stuff came off the spokes, and a lot of dirt on the lips. Hopefully the polishing soap will get the tarnish off the lips, that's my main concern.

One main problem I had... I tried to get the studs out last night but because the wheels are so old, they are completely fixed in there. There are nuts on the underside but even with a spanner, i nearly stripped the pattern on the nut. It didn't even move slightly :(. Looks like I'll have to work around them.

Dan you might be able to help me a bit here. Apparently that polishing soap cannot be used on clear coated or painted wheels. The spokes on mine are clear coated silver paint. Will I have to tape them off so absultely NO soap gets on them, or does it more mean not to purposefully rub it on the spokes. Do you reckon it will be ok if I get a little bit on the spokes when cleaning the lips?

[Mrk_Mickey]

Not that I'm Dan, I'm just taking a stab...:rolleyes: My guess would be that unless the soap has an acidic pH level or it's abraisive, I don't think it would matter getting a tiny bit on there.

[RhysQ]

All advice is welcome, not just Dan. I just thought it would be a question Dan would know most about. I thought the same as you Mickey anyway. Just my luck though, the paint will start bubbling away and I'll end up having to get them sandblasted :(. I really don't want to lose the RS logo's...

On another note, I've just jumped off the phone with another custom wheel shop (Dr Wheels) here on the Gold Coast and they quoted me $10+GST per wheel to bore the centres out :eek:. Another place (Depulu Wheels - very high quality, many exotics go through this place) quoted me $25 per wheel!! Looks like i'll be getting them done THIS Friday instead of next. If all goes to plan they will be on and rolling this weekend :D

[jasn78]

Rhys, have a look on google for threads about maintenance etc on 2 and 3 piece rims might want to give them a good check up first.

[RhysQ]

Rhys, have a look on google for threads about maintenance etc on 2 and 3 piece rims might want to give them a good check up first.

got any links. i can only find basic things like 'clean foreign material' and 'throw out cracked rims'.....duh! haha

[jasn78]

geez im too kinda sometimes (http://importnut.net/wheelinfo.htm#patterns) :)

[RhysQ]

Cheers. The only thing is on the inside of the wheel barrells, at first it looked like caked on dirt/brake dust but I think it might be some light surface rust as I could not clean it off. I'll buy some steel wool this afternoon and give them a good rogering tonight! j:

Any other tips to get rid of this?

Dan, the Polishing Soap arrived at my house at 10am this morning! :eek: I only ordered it at about 1.30pm yesterday afternoon!

[jasn78]

Yeah Greg @ car care products is great, mind you every car detail guy i have dealt with so far seems ultra nice and helpful which so far is limited to Greg, Dan and Dave @ waxit

[Mrk_Mickey]

Lol, what do you expect? They're detailers...things in their lives have to be close to perfect otherwise they'll clean outside of the job!

[DMS_Dan]

;297237']Dan you might be able to help me a bit here. Apparently that polishing soap cannot be used on clear coated or painted wheels. The spokes on mine are clear coated silver paint. Will I have to tape them off so absultely NO soap gets on them, or does it more mean not to purposefully rub it on the spokes. Do you reckon it will be ok if I get a little bit on the spokes when cleaning the lips?

Just dont rub it on. If it touches it will be fine. If you rub it your essentially polishing clear coat with metal polish, not cool. You could probably bring them back using car polish but best to avoid the issue. If your really worried cover then in plastic bags, will mean less taping.


Not that I'm Dan, I'm just taking a stab...:rolleyes: My guess would be that unless the soap has an acidic pH level or it's abraisive, I don't think it would matter getting a tiny bit on there.

YOU WILL NEVER BE ME MWAHAHAHAHAHAHA:bowdown:

[Mrk_Mickey]

Just dont rub it on. If it touches it will be fine. If you rub it your essentially polishing clear coat with metal polish, not cool. You could probably bring them back using car polish but best to avoid the issue. If your really worried cover then in plastic bags, will mean less taping.



YOU WILL NEVER BE ME MWAHAHAHAHAHAHA:bowdown:

Hahaha no I don't need to be you, I'll just take over you some day! :nana:

[KI11Z]

wow, i think these will definately look the biz!! i'm looking forward to seeing them on! What tyre sizes are you going with?? streeeeeeetch?? :biggrin::biggrin: just do eeeet, it looks wicked ;)

[RhysQ]

What tyre sizes are you going with?? streeeeeeetch?? :biggrin::biggrin: just do eeeet, it looks wicked ;)

im going with my current 205/40 R17's so there will be a liiiiittle bit of stretch.

I gave one of the barrels a clean with steel wool last night to get rid of the surface rust....... worked a treat! am going to do the other 3 tonight. then they are off to get the centre bores done in the morning. I will be able to give them a polish tomorrow night before they get put on saturday morning. :D

[RhysQ]

Ok heres a pic of the barrels before and after the steel wool attacked them... really stoked with how they turned out. I'm not going to worry about the section that is still black in the corners in the 'after' photo. When they are on, you won't see that. I actually went over them again after this photo was taken, so they look even better again. I also took them down the car wash and gave them a good spray off after these photos. Here are the pics anyway...

BEFORE
http://www.vwwatercooled.com.au/forums/images/imported/2009/03/rust1-2.jpg

AFTER
http://www.vwwatercooled.com.au/forums/images/imported/2009/03/rust2-2.jpg

[Mrk_Mickey]

Not bad mate, not bad at all. I even reckon your soap will do one step better than what you've already done!

[RhysQ]

OK well the wheels are all done now (good enough for my standards anyway). I gave them a good couple of hours polish with the P21S Polishing Soap and I'm really happy with the outcome, thanks for the advice Dan, that stuff is amazing! I'll quite happily say they look 1000 times better from when I first got them.

Photo's anyone?

THIS IS ONE OF THEM WHEN I FIRST GOT THEM
http://www.vwwatercooled.com.au/forums/images/imported/2009/03/impuls6-2.jpg

HOW THEY LOOK NOW
http://www.vwwatercooled.com.au/forums/images/imported/2009/03/final1-2.jpg

http://www.vwwatercooled.com.au/forums/images/imported/2009/03/final2-2.jpg

http://www.vwwatercooled.com.au/forums/images/imported/2009/03/final3-2.jpg

[KI11Z]

Wow! i likey! you might want to have those lips 2pac cleared otherwise you'll be 2hr polishing every weekend :duh:

[jasn78]

Rhys, omg they look good want to sell em? lol

[Treza360]

Those wheels look awesome. Next questions though, is do they look awesome on the Polo? Look forward to seeing them next week Rhys. :)
Cheers,
Trent

[RhysQ]

dramas dramas dramas....had a sh*t morning! I went to get them put on this morning and ended up being a huge failure :(

My list of issues :

- Front wheels didn't clear the brakes, need 5mm spacers (will have to speak to Tim)
- Wheel studs didn't fit through the stud holes, need them bored out
- Tops of wheel studs are too long so i will not be able to fit the centre caps back on, will need ones with shorter tops

Looks like I'll be getting spacers and the stud holes bored out during the week just to get them on in time for the cruise. I will worry about the studs at a later date, so next weekend they may be centre cap-less and won't look as good. Anyone know where I can get a good range of wheel studs from? I need ones that actually screw into the hub through the wheel, not just the nuts.

[jasn78]

oh well mate we all where pretty sure bout the spacers wherent we? as for the others at least it doesnt sound to drastic like wrong pcd etc

[Jarred]

wheels look mint.

pitty bout the fitment issues though :duh:

[RhysQ]

oh well mate we all where pretty sure bout the spacers wherent we? as for the others at least it doesnt sound to drastic like wrong pcd etc

haha yeah, I made sure of that! The front wheels only juuust scrape the brakes, which is why I only need 5mm ones (I could probably get away with 3mm spacers but i'd rather be sure, and get a little more clearance from the strut tower. I took a little red paint off testing it :duh: so i'll have to get a can of high temp red as well for when i fit them. I have some red paint flaking off one of my rear calipers so I need to do it anyway.... so not really concerned there. I was surprised with the 8" wide wheels as they are a higher offset and didn't hit the brakes.... they fit on the back perfectly. On the front they just whacked straight into the strut tower lol.

[KI11Z]

Just get the heads of the bolts shaved down, 2min $2 job, thats all i had done a while back . . . . 5mm spacers are a given, a lot of jap wheels have poor brake clearance, stupid small jap brakes :duh: and holes you could do yourself, otherwise its another pissy 2min $2 job for a rim repair shop :biggrin:

[RhysQ]

Just get the heads of the bolts shaved down, 2min $2 job, thats all i had done a while back . . . . 5mm spacers are a given, a lot of jap wheels have poor brake clearance, stupid small jap brakes :duh: and holes you could do yourself, otherwise its another pissy 2min $2 job for a rim repair shop :biggrin:

Shaving the bolt heads down is a good idea, except the pattern is a circle around the outside and you need a hexagon key to undo them (like a massive allen key lol). I can't remember how deep they are, will sus that out tomorrow.

As for the holes needing to get drilled out, I wouldn't have thought that would be a huge cost. I'll just call Dr Wheels on Monday and have a chat to the bloke, he charges pretty awesome prices there! Put it this way, he charged me $40 to machine the centre bores out when Depulu Wheels just nearby quoted me $100 minimum. The funny thing is, Depulu send their work to Dr Wheels...haha!

Cheers for the advice Alex!

[Mrk_Mickey]

Far out mate your wheels look TUFF....wanna help me find some in 16x8 with 5x100 for my car? :D:D

[RhysQ]

Far out mate your wheels look TUFF....wanna help me find some in 16x8 with 5x100 for my car? :D:D

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/Alloy-Wheels-3-Pc-16-5x100-Rays-Eng-Volk-Racing-JDM_W0QQitemZ120392229455QQcmdZViewItemQQptZAU_Car _Parts_Accessories?hash=item120392229455&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=66%3A2|65%3A1|39%3A1|240%3A1318

[Mrk_Mickey]

;299066']http://cgi.ebay.com.au/Alloy-Wheels-3-Pc-16-5x100-Rays-Eng-Volk-Racing-JDM_W0QQitemZ120392229455QQcmdZViewItemQQptZAU_Car _Parts_Accessories?hash=item120392229455&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=66%3A2|65%3A1|39%3A1|240%3A1318

Unfortunately those spokes won't clear even the new VR brakes without at least 18-20mm

[RhysQ]

OK I have ordered a pair of 5mm hubcentric spacers from dubaddiction so they should arrive in the mail this week. Also, I have booked the car in to Dr Wheels on Thurs to get the stud holes drilled out a bit. He quoted me $22 per wheel.

Money keeps piling up on these wheels :duh:. HOPEFULLY it will be worth it in the end! Saturday morning will tell, just before the cruise!

By the way, I went and saw my old mechanic on the weekend and he has a set of these Impul RS's (in better condition) sitting in his workshop. He is looking for $1,000 for them but has had no interest because they are also 5x100 fitment. We didn't check but he's sure they are the same specs as mine. Damn I wish I had know that before I bought mine! haha

[KI11Z]

;299448']OK I have ordered a pair of 5mm hubcentric spacers from dubaddiction so they should arrive in the mail this week. Also, I have booked the car in to Dr Wheels on Thurs to get the stud holes drilled out a bit. He quoted me $22 per wheel.

Money keeps piling up on these wheels :duh:. HOPEFULLY it will be worth it in the end! Saturday morning will tell, just before the cruise!

By the way, I went and saw my old mechanic on the weekend and he has a set of these Impul RS's (in better condition) sitting in his workshop. He is looking for $1,000 for them but has had no interest because they are also 5x100 fitment. We didn't check but he's sure they are the same specs as mine. Damn I wish I had know that before I bought mine! haha

$22 a wheel? jeez, thats expensive for drilling out the holes :duh: oh well, and damb about the other set you've spotted! double DOH! but i'm sure they'll be worth it! :biggrin:

[Mischa]

are they on yet

[Mrk_Mickey]

are they on yet

He said Saturday morning dude, it's thursday :moonie::wasntme:

[RhysQ]

are they on yet


He said Saturday morning dude, it's thursday :moonie::wasntme:

I have organised for them to go on tomorrow afternoon now... tyres fitted, wheels fitted, and a balance at the cost of a 6 pack of coldies :D.

Keep posted, I will get pics up as soon as I can.

[Treza360]

;301155']If we did it Sat morning we would be pushing it for time to make the cruise meet-up at 11am. I'd rather have Sat morning free to take the car to the carwash cafe and get it properly done.
Keep posted, I will get pics up as soon as I can.
You know the cruise is Sunday right?

[RhysQ]

You know the cruise is Sunday right?

:duh::duh::duh: hahahaha, geez im a f**king retard! I was the one that suggested it to be on the sunday as well! Lucky you said something trent, I would have rocked up there on saturday thinking 30+ people played a nasty trick on me :frown:

[KI11Z]

;301480']:duh::duh::duh: hahahaha, geez im a f**king retard! I was the one that suggested it to be on the sunday as well! Lucky you said something trent, I would have rocked up there on saturday thinking 30+ people played a nasty trick on me :frown:

oh dear . . . . :oops:

[jasn78]

Trent, y oh y did u say something the whole forum would have been able to have a good laugh for the next yr :) j: :wasntme:

[RhysQ]

haha, you're a good egg Trent. Well then, 45 minutes and counting 'til my new wheels get put on. Hoping everything goes ok. I went and picked them up from Dr Wheels AGAIN today and we tested the studs through the wheels... they fit in perfectly! One other bonus is that the bolt heads sat low enough down so the centre caps fit on! Pretty happy about that.

We also tested the length of the lug thread and the guy said there is plenty without having to get longer lugs.

While the wheels are going on, I'm going to use some kerosene and a paintbrush and give the calipers a good clean.

Hopefully a good afternoon.... very nervous.

[jasn78]

come on pics rhys :)

[Jarred]

its' been 45 mins.

and a half hour on top of that too!

Time for some pics!

:pics:

[jasn78]

its' been 45 mins.

and a half hour on top of that too!

Time for some pics!

:pics:

im with u mate HURRY UP :)

[Treza360]

Trent, y oh y did u say something the whole forum would have been able to have a good laugh for the next yr :) j: :wasntme:
To be honest I thought I was just reading it wrong and he'd pay out on me. :)
Hey at least this way we'll all get to see his wheels and he won't be all ****ty at everyone. :nana:
But yes you are right sometimes one can be too nice.
Cheers,
Trent

[philthy]

Still waiting for these pics??? :nana:

[RhysQ]

Settle down guys, I only arrived at the workshop at 4:15pm EST to get them fitted.

Well, I'm obviously home now and everything went well....thank F for that!!

I only got one (shaky) pic cos it was dark and I didn't have my tripod handy....so here it is. The car and wheels are quite dirty atm so i'll clean it up tomorrow and get some better pics. To be honest, I thought the wheels would stick out more than they do (considering the fronts are 7.5" wide and ET20!!)....oh well, they still look phat!

well then...
http://www.vwwatercooled.com.au/forums/images/imported/2009/03/impulson-1.jpg

[Mischa]

looks good.

if i were you i'd space the rear out 15mm per side and lower it another 1.5"

[Jarred]

looks good.

if i were you i'd space the rear out 15mm per side and lower it another 1.5"

x2 on everything.

not enough outtage for a down and out sticker yet! :P

I've always been a fan of a tough 5 spoke, on pretty much anything really.

[RhysQ]

looks good.

if i were you i'd space the rear out 15mm per side and lower it another 1.5"

yeah i might get some 10mm spacers for the rear, i'll just drive it around like this for the moment. not gonna lower it more though, i treasure my insurance!


x2 on everything.

not enough outtage for a down and out sticker yet! :P

I've always been a fan of a tough 5 spoke, on pretty much anything really.

Well it's definitely down and its definitely out, just not out as far as I thought. It's further out than the old wheels though, by far.

[Mrk_Mickey]

Mate it looks great. I'm really jealous, I reckon those wheels would look good on my car too :duh: hahah. I call official dibs if/when you want to sell them! :D

[jasn78]

Mate it looks great. I'm really jealous, I reckon those wheels would look good on my car too :duh: hahah. I call official dibs if/when you want to sell them! :D

mickey i beat u to eat a few days ago on that one :)

and rhys looks good mate :)

[KI11Z]

looks nice! spacers for sure though, and hankook tyres? hmm, how are they??

[RhysQ]

Mate it looks great. I'm really jealous, I reckon those wheels would look good on my car too :duh: hahah. I call official dibs if/when you want to sell them! :D


mickey i beat u to eat a few days ago on that one :)

and rhys looks good mate :)

my old mechanic has the same set (same specs as mine i think) for $1,000. you could most prob talk him down. they are in better condition than mine as well.


looks nice! spacers for sure though, and hankook tyres? hmm, how are they??

no no, still the Marangoni's.

[Mrk_Mickey]

;302062']my old mechanic has the same set (same specs as mine i think) for $1,000. you could most prob talk him down. they are in better condition than mine as well.

Maaann...if I had the cash right now, I'd do it.

[Treza360]

Looking good Rhys. How'd that cruise go today?

Looking forward to seeing the rims tomorrow.
Cheers,
Trent

[KI11Z]

;302062']my old mechanic has the same set (same specs as mine i think) for $1,000. you could most prob talk him down. they are in better condition than mine as well.



no no, still the Marangoni's.

oh yeh, my bad :duh: