I took my wheels off today to rotate the tires, and while I had them off I figured I'd clean the backsides and then give the wheels a coat of MSW to prepare for the winter. I started by cleaning the tires with APC and a fender brush. The outer sidewalls weren't bad at all because I had just washed the car this weekend. The inner sidewalls were much dirtier, and have probably never been cleaned before. Next I cleaned the rims with GWC and a boar's hair brush, concentrating on the inner side because, again, this was where it was dirtiest. After seeing where I could have used it, I think I'm going to have to get one of the new lug nut/detail brushes. With the wheels as clean as I was going to get them, I broke out an old piece of clay and the detail spray. It was amazing how much contamination the clay picked up, and I think I could have gotten more but this is a daily driver and I wasn't looking for perfection. The clay was ruined by the end and went straight in the trash when I was done. I gave the wheels one last rinse to get rid of some of the claying residue, blew off most of the water with air, and then wiped them dry with an old drying towel. Next I applied MSW with a MF applicator pad to both the inner and outer faces of the wheel, as well as the barrel. Once it hazed over, I removed the residue with one of my blue plush towels (saving the white ones for the car's paint only.) Next I applied some SVRT to the inner sidewall with a pro tire sponge. I know you can't see it, but I figure it'll help protect it anyway. Finally, I applied the SVRT to the outer sidewall as well. Before reinstalling the wheels, I figured I'd clean out the wheel wells too. Since they weren't that dirty, I just blasted them with waterless wash and then wiped them clean. Next I sprayed the wells down with Invisible Undercarriage Spray and let it soak in a bit. I came back a few minutes later and wiped it down with an old MF towel to cut down the gloss and remove any streaks. I then used this towel to wipe down any exposed undercarriage parts, and it really gave everything a clean look. After that, it was just a matter of putting the wheels back on the car. Overall, I spent a good part of the afternoon doing this. I don't know if this was the proper procedure for doing the job, but it worked for me and I was happy with the results (so I guess that's what matters, right?) Now I have rotated tires and clean wheels inside and out Here are pictures of what I did:
Car in the air, all four tires removed. This is actually the first time I've had the wheels off since buying the car at the end of March.
They didn't look that bad from the front, since I try to keep them as clean as possible.
The backside shows the brake dust and dirt that regular cleaning can't get.
This was taken after spraying the tire down with APC.
This is a different tire, but you can really see the dirt running down the rim after scrubbing the tire a little.
Applying MSW. It was hard to tell if I was laying it on too thin or too thick, but I guess it will just take some more experience to know when I'm doing it right. It seemed to come out ok though.
Here's the backside of one of the rims after cleaning, but before applying SVRT to the tire.
One of the wheel wells after the Undercarriage Spray. This is a truly great product, and like all of Adam's products, smells awesome too.
Here's the finished product before dropping the car back to the ground.
The one casualty of the day (well, other than the clay.) The only problem I've ever had with any of Adam's stuff, is that the two times I've accidentally knocked a bottle to the ground, both times the sprayer shattered. I do have to say though, both broken sprayers still function properly, just with a broken housing. I know my next order will have one of the Save The Day Sprayer Packs with it. I think stocking up on them is the only remedy for my clumsiness.
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LDM
I took my wheels off today to rotate the tires, and while I had them off I figured I'd clean the backsides and then give the wheels a coat of MSW to prepare for the winter. I started by cleaning the tires with APC and a fender brush. The outer sidewalls weren't bad at all because I had just washed the car this weekend. The inner sidewalls were much dirtier, and have probably never been cleaned before. Next I cleaned the rims with GWC and a boar's hair brush, concentrating on the inner side because, again, this was where it was dirtiest. After seeing where I could have used it, I think I'm going to have to get one of the new lug nut/detail brushes. With the wheels as clean as I was going to get them, I broke out an old piece of clay and the detail spray. It was amazing how much contamination the clay picked up, and I think I could have gotten more but this is a daily driver and I wasn't looking for perfection. The clay was ruined by the end and went straight in the trash when I was done. I gave the wheels one last rinse to get rid of some of the claying residue, blew off most of the water with air, and then wiped them dry with an old drying towel. Next I applied MSW with a MF applicator pad to both the inner and outer faces of the wheel, as well as the barrel. Once it hazed over, I removed the residue with one of my blue plush towels (saving the white ones for the car's paint only.) Next I applied some SVRT to the inner sidewall with a pro tire sponge. I know you can't see it, but I figure it'll help protect it anyway. Finally, I applied the SVRT to the outer sidewall as well. Before reinstalling the wheels, I figured I'd clean out the wheel wells too. Since they weren't that dirty, I just blasted them with waterless wash and then wiped them clean. Next I sprayed the wells down with Invisible Undercarriage Spray and let it soak in a bit. I came back a few minutes later and wiped it down with an old MF towel to cut down the gloss and remove any streaks. I then used this towel to wipe down any exposed undercarriage parts, and it really gave everything a clean look. After that, it was just a matter of putting the wheels back on the car. Overall, I spent a good part of the afternoon doing this. I don't know if this was the proper procedure for doing the job, but it worked for me and I was happy with the results (so I guess that's what matters, right?) Now I have rotated tires and clean wheels inside and out
Here are pictures of what I did:
Car in the air, all four tires removed. This is actually the first time I've had the wheels off since buying the car at the end of March.
They didn't look that bad from the front, since I try to keep them as clean as possible.
The backside shows the brake dust and dirt that regular cleaning can't get.
This was taken after spraying the tire down with APC.
This is a different tire, but you can really see the dirt running down the rim after scrubbing the tire a little.
Applying MSW. It was hard to tell if I was laying it on too thin or too thick, but I guess it will just take some more experience to know when I'm doing it right. It seemed to come out ok though.
Here's the backside of one of the rims after cleaning, but before applying SVRT to the tire.
One of the wheel wells after the Undercarriage Spray. This is a truly great product, and like all of Adam's products, smells awesome too.
Here's the finished product before dropping the car back to the ground.
The one casualty of the day (well, other than the clay.) The only problem I've ever had with any of Adam's stuff, is that the two times I've accidentally knocked a bottle to the ground, both times the sprayer shattered. I do have to say though, both broken sprayers still function properly, just with a broken housing. I know my next order will have one of the Save The Day Sprayer Packs with it. I think stocking up on them is the only remedy for my clumsiness.
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