Caring for painted wheels

[Essassin]

Hey guys,

I have just purchased set of 19's finished in 'hyper black'. The name for the colour doesn't make sense to me, as the finish is silver. But that's besides the point.
Just wondering what the do's and dont's are with painted wheels? Ie. which products are safe for cleaning and which aren't, what the best product to use would be and any equipment I shouldn't use on them. This is the first time I've owned a car with any wheels other than factory alloys so I want to look after them.

Cheers

[Essassin]

Bump. Someone must be able to help me out?

[Grennan]

Im bumping this as well because I am also interested. My wheels have been painted and an unsure if the...for example Meguiars Hot Rims will damage the paint/clearcoat etc as its marked for alloy and what products might be available to clean them and help them stay clean such as wheel wax.

[Scruba]

I have Chrome wheels at present but prior had painted wheels.
I use Meguiars Non Acid Wheel Cleaner. It is PH balanced and won't strip the wheels. I've also used Simple Green on them without any hassles.
After washing them, polish with Meguairs Polish and then hit them with Wet Look and Finally Carnabu Wax (liquid form) for a lasting shine and also saves you having to take them off to clean them for ages!

[Car Care Products]

You have several options how to protect your wheels. Custom (2/3 piece), Billet (billet custom), and Painted Wheels including Chrome.

I would always suggest the best way to wash any wheel is with a high pressure washer (eg; Karcher/Gerni).

As mentioned, a good Acid-Free Wheel Cleaner is the safest to use as it will not strip/damage the painted surface or discolour the wheels or cause any marks for custom wheels on the chrome/alloy surface. Most of all a scratch-free brush. I would myself recommend the Vikan Rim SOFT Brush, and also Vikan Wheel & Arch Brush as these 2 definitely do not scratch.

The best sealant for long term would definitely be a synthetic, something like Nanolex Alloy Rim Sealant Kit which would cover 4 Sets of 18" wheels inside and out and offer approx 6-9 months protection at a time. Alternatively you could use Swissvax Autobahn Wheel Wax but this is much shorter lived than Nanolex's Nanotechnology Product.

A wheel sealant you will find is a bit costly, but if you take into account how much wheel cleaner you are purchasing/using it would be much more sensible to apply a sealant and simple blast them off and finish off using a separate mitt every time you wash the car.

Best of all a Sealant will give your wheel a fresh washed/wet look and stop any brake dust/fall out/road & grime embedding itself to the wheel giving you cleaner wheels longer overall!