A few quick questions since the forum search isn't working as my friend (can't search for strings "waxing wheels" or "wheel waxing" because it returns multitudes of threads that have words "waxing" and "wheels" anywhere inside them, yet have nothing to do with wheel waxing).

From previous threads, I learned that it's a good idea to wax my wheels to make them easier to clean and not get hard to remove tar and such stuck to them (or OctaneGuy suggested detailer wipes). Also synthetic waxes were preferred as carnauba waxes were deemed to not hold up in the heat.

With that knowledge I headed to local auto part stores and figured some NXT paste wax was my best bet for what I could buy locally. I waxed the wheels up and even got a pregnant Ms. Speednut to help with the wax removal. The results came out very nice (photo), but this weekend "Twiggy" will need washing again.

My typical routine is to use Griots wheel cleaner and a sponge to wash the original S-heavies. Now that the new wheels are waxed, I should just be able to wash them with regular car wash soap once I'm finished washing the car, right???
Now that I can see the red JCW BBK caliper (which did not get waxed), is it safe to still squirt some Griots wheel cleaner on it, or will some of the overspray take the NXT wax off of my wheels?

Is the NXT wax good enough, or should I be using something else?
How long before I'll need to wax again on my daily driver (20-30 miles/day)?

Thanks for any advice you can offer!

 

Those rims look faaaahbulous, man! What are they?

As for car wash soap, you can try that first, yeah, but brake dust IS tough. Start there and use the harder stuff (actual rim cleaner) if the dust just won't come off.

Or...instead of actual wheel cleaner (which might strip the wax pretty fast), I'd make a concentrate of your usual car wash shampoo (not Dawn - the stuff you use on the waxed paint), made like 3X stronger than usual. Put it in a spray bottle and use THAT to "pre treat" the wheels and the calipers. Soak it for a few minutes then agitate with a good, rubber-tipped wheel brush to remove the dust from cracks and crevices. If you use one of the ones shaped like a long Xmas tree, you can slso scrub the back parts of the wheel pretty well.

Eventually the wax will go bye-bye, but it should make your life easier in the short term. In spring you can re-apply.

 

#1 thing to remember now that you've waxed them......only wash them when the wheels are stone cold. Seriously.

I waxed our white wheels with Zaino Z5 and it held up for only a couple of washes. My theory is that brake dust is very abrasive and the act of washing it off scrubs the wax off the wheels. The wax did help though. I'm going to try again but this time I going to apply 2-3 coats of Zaino. Hopefully that will help get us through the winter.

I've also been told that with a brand new car, brake dust is really bad for the first few thousand miles while the pads are breaking in. But then the excessive dust get's a little better. (crossing my fingers!)

BTW, according to Zaino, Dawn removes wax. I used standard car wash soap in a bucket of water and lots of it.

 

The NXT paste wax is not very durable for wheels. I would use a straight, hardcore non-paste synthetic instead (Prima Epic, Klasse AIO/SG combo, Zaino Z-2 or Z-5). With the NXT paste, you may have to reapply it weekly. With the others, you should be able to get more like 30 days out of them (unless your daily driving is on a track! ). It's hard to estimate that until you try it on your own situation though. I've found you have to trial/error each time with each different car (and as the brake components age...).

Yes, wash using just your car soap and water. With the tougher waxes on your wheels, this should be plenty. Although, you may need to aggitate a bit... I like to use my cotton mitt that I have specifically designated for "wheel cleaning only" to aggitate with the soap and water.

Any wheel cleaner, even the pH neutral ones, will strip off wax in a heartbeat. I wouldn't use them until the time at which you are re-waxing your wheels. Then you may need the wheel cleaner deep clean the wheels in prep for waxing.

Of course, you'll have to see how your wax works... you may just need to use the wheel cleaner some days anyway. I'd definitely try the soap/water route first though. It should work for most washings when you have a durable wax on your wheels.

-Heather

 

One of the first things I did after getting my new MINI was to remove the wheels and wax with Zaino Z-2. This did not keep the brake dust from sticking and accumulating on the wheels, but what it did do was make it very easy to clean them. Most of the time (like every damn day) I would use Zaino Z-6 and just wipe them down to remove the dust. When I washed the car I would use the same soap solution on the wheels and a nice wheel brush I found at Pep Boys that was cone shaped with no brushes but covered in sheep skin instead. The dust just comes right off. Sparkle, sparkle.
After about 2 months I could tell it was time to wax again because the dust was a little more stuck and need more conviction to remove. So on went the Z-2 and life was good again.
Now Detailers Paradise has some stuff that Heather gave me. It is called Once and it is the nastiest looking crushed-cockroach brown synthetic stuff you ever did see (luckily it does not smell as bad as it looks). I've got that on now and I think it is even slicker than Z-2 since the dust doesn't build as fast and I can get away with wiping down with Z-6 every other day.
So, I recommend waxing your rims for sure. Use a good synthetic and then just QD between car washes to keep them fresh.
I'm thinking that removing the brake pads all together would help keep my wheels clean.

 

Take it from a guy who has white wheels---the 5 Star Alloys are the easiest wheels to clean factory MINI wheels IMO.



Twice daily cleaning for 65,000 miles! Actually Mintex Red Box pads greatly diminished the brake pad dust, and it got to a point where wiping the dust off once every 2 or 3 days was acceptable.

I know people like to use wax, but honestly, IMO, a good quick detailer with high lubricity is just as effective and a lot easier especially on the 5 stars. Since with or without wax you're going to have to wipe down the wheels. Do this frequently and you won't need to use wheel cleaners. Just like maintaining your paint, keep the wheels free of brake dust buildup and you will have great looking wheels everyday with minimal care. Simple enough as wiping the brake dust off with a MF towel that I dedicate to wheel cleaning even without using the QD.

When it comes time to wash, I just spray on some car wash soap and gently brush with a soft flagged body brush and rinse. After I drive it for a bit and the brake dust builds up, spritz on some more QD, wipe, and they look new, as well as being protected!

Of course the best solution was just switching to black wheels!


Now I wipe maybe once a week if I'm lucky!

Finally if you do switch to a different wheel from factory, choose EASY to clean wheels! Forget intricate spokes or webs, or rivets, because you will never get them clean!

 

I bought a product called Wheel Wax that seems to work better for me than regular wax. I do clean the car and wheels weekly, and Hawk HPS pads have greatly reduced dusting problems.

 

I like your visual description of the Once! I'm glad it's working well so far for you, despite the "crushed cockroach brown" look it has.

By the end of this year, the Once will be available online as well. It will have changed names by then though... to "Wheel Shield." We told the manufacturer that we didn't like the name "Once" so, miraculously, they changed it! Wheel Shield is a much better description.

Keep us posted on how you like it as time goes on too. I'm curious to hear what you think about its durability.

-Heather

 

I have started to use NXT window cleaner on my Konig rewinds to clean them off. I think though that the suggestion of a quick detailer might be more in order as it wont drag the metal dust over them.

 

Yeah I wouldn't use glass cleaner. It's a good product that doesn't leave streaks on glass, but that's not what you want for your wheels. You want a cleaner that leaves behind a slight film to provide a slippery barrier between the brake dust and the wheels.

Use it frequently, and you will have better protection as well as cleaner wheels.

 

It hasn't gotten better after 20K miles for me, sorry but mega brake dust is just a fact of life for the Mini

 

Hm. ok. yeah i wont use the windex then. speedshine again I have to buy like a 55 gallon drum of that stuff

 

Haha, well Meguiar's Last Touch comes in 1 gallon and I think 5 gallon jugs and because you dilute it with water 2:1, that means you get 2 or 10 gallons of quik detailer!!! It's a huge savings over buying small bottles.

Richard

 

you probably have a water dispenser at home with those 5 gallon
jugs. the red tap does #40. the blue tap does the Last Touch.

 

I was just commenting last night to my husband that they need to make a 5-gallon version of Speed Shine. I've had the car for 3 days, and it's already been Speed Shined twice!

It's the damn bugs though, I swear. The bugs drive me mad. I get into the garage and have to get them off immediately.

 

I find QD works very well, too.

 

Ken,

I bought one of these a few months ago off eBay. It's a discontinued item, and from the outside looks impressive, and then you find it's just a metal box with a few tubes going in and out, no pump, or anything electrical--so not as impressive in real life. But it takes a water source, and provides proper dilution ratio for 6 different products!

This pic belongs to a guy on MOL, not my setup.

 

The wheels look like WedsSport TC-005's to me.

And I just found out that Summit Racing sells Wheel Wax for a mere $8.99 this weekend. If you live near one, it's a great place to buy detailing bits.

 

holly crap! and i was only joking. dang, you are the crazy
detailer doc.

 

i used Prima Epic on my wheels and they make my wheels shine like
crazy (good thing, we're talking wax, not Nero right now) especially
when you have like a 3" lip on SSR GT3's in 19x10's like me.

it is VERY nice. extremely easy to clean too with just SpeedShine
and towel.

 

Epic's woprking well on my X-lites as well...

 

Where do the quarters go?

 

I never knew nxt worked on wheels, neat My favorite wheel protectant is a tie between Duragloss #111 or DP Wheel Glaze Paste. Both work excelent. Both are alot more durable than the nxt, so when your wheels get dirty, just spray em off

http://www.duragloss.com/product.asp?pid=269

Wheel glaze is awesome, hands down brightens the rims up and protects for a good while.

http://www.autogeek.net/dp-wheel-glaze.html

-Ryan M