Wheel Rim Care
Alloy Wheel Rims: Don’t worry about foul weather!
It is best to use an acid free cleaner to clean high quality wheels. Nearly all of us have high quality alloy wheel rims on our cars, so how can we keep our alloys clean in this foul weather? The answer is simple: In principle exactly the same as in summer. But there are several points to observe.
THE WHEEL CLEANER
Not every wheel cleaner is effective, and not every effective wheel cleaner is suitable. Products which contain acid do clean the wheels, but they tend to corrode metal surfaces at the same time. Together with the de-icing salt on the roads, the consequences are, for example, rusted wheel bolts. That’s why only acid free cleaners, such as CCC's Devil's Mist or TENZI Bleeding Rim are recommended.
CCC's Devil's Mist and TENZI Bleeding Rim draws out contamination and is acid-free. It is safe on all car painted surfaces and alloy wheels, it will open up paint pores to release 'ferrous' which create corrosive compounds that eat into your paint. Both wheel cleaners will turn red due to the chemical reaction during use which will indicate contamination!
TENZI Clean Rim vs TENZI Bleeding Rim.
We have two wheel cleaners in this range and both are different - I will explain:
The key ingredient in a fallout remover (Bleeding Rim) is Thioglycolic acid which bleeds red on contact with ferrous materials which in this situation is mainly brake dust on wheels and paint. While this product can be pH neutral in the bottle this (active) ingredient reacts with the ferrous material becoming highly acidic (think high school chemistry pH test paper turning red).
Now while a fallout remover is an excellent product for decontamination you really don't want an acid to be in contact with your Alloys continuously, so this is where the ‘Clean Rim’ comes in.
For a more gentle (maintenence wash) product, wheel cleaners as apposed to fallout removers are best for daily cleaning. It’s a lovely product with both a foam and spray nozzle like all the TENZI Range and very little is required to reach the desired effect.
In summary, use fallout removers when wheels are heavily coated in carbon deposits and wheel cleaners when not so bad.
SEALED RIMS
Sealed rims are even easier to clean. For full protection from the elements apply a coat of KILLERWAXX Moon Shine. This is a fine light compound / polish and will restore the lustre of weathered / neglected paint.
Follow this with KILLERWAXX Paint Sealant (KWS) which provides durable surface protection to both painted and standard gel coat surfaces. Crystalline polymers combined with real carnauba wax offers unmatched protection against UV rays and salt degradation.
DON'T FORGET THE TYRES!
The final step is to protect the rubber of the tyres and restore that black 'new look' lustre. A coat of CCC's Long Life Plastic and Rubber Dressing or KILLERWAXX Tire Gel applied to clean tyres will restore the appearance to 'new tyre' black and hydrates the rubber to keep it flexible.
These products are water repellent and provide a long lasting shine.
Our professional Tyre Dressing Applicator Sponges are designed to apply tyre dressing products quickly and easily.