summer cleanup wheels, engine bay, suspension and brakes, and paint

[shnickerlaus]

So I posted a week ago for advice on polishing my wheels as they had really lost their shine. I decided as well as doing the wheels I would do a thoroughly good clean om the whole car. I jacked the car and took of the wheels to get access to the wheels and suspension setup. I had to get rid of all the brake dust and pitting inside and on the face using the wheel spray to loosen the top layer first. Rinse and stay with the bug and tar remover then wet sand with 800 then 1200 and finish with 3000 for smooth finish. Rinse and use wheel spray again to remove and residue and sand. Then I used the polishing wheel (sisal) with the brown then blue polish blocks. Then the felt drill bits to extra smooth polish the face parts. The final touch with the wheel was the autosol metal polish.

Engine bay was wiped down with wd40 and brushes for harder to reach parts.

Wheel arches I used the presume washer and brush first to get rid of any dirt, then used a sponge and the wheel cleaner to cover the springs and suspension to ease of the dirt. Few mins waiting then pressure washed again. Next ivused my wifes floor steamer and steamed of the dirts on the suspension leaving it looking clean and tidy, Tyre shine on the wheel arches for clean look.


For the paint I snow foamed the car and pressure washed the body first followed by drying off with microfiber towels. Then applied the wax with a damp towel and then machine buffed to swirl free finish. Micro fibre towel the whole car to catch any areas the buffing missed.

All that's left on my list is the interior which I'll steam and vacuum tomorrow.

Some before photos

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[shnickerlaus]

after photos

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as well as doing the interior i was thinking about clear coating the wheels with a spray can clear coat. does anyone have experience of doing this and is it worth it or will it make a mess?

[ViperPete]

Wow wheels look amazing.

I need to take my wheels off my car and clean the insides of them. I cant reach to the inside of the wheel to clean it out.

[My98RT10]

after photos

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as well as doing the interior i was thinking about clear coating the wheels with a spray can clear coat. does anyone have experience of doing this and is it worth it or will it make a mess?

I don't think it is a good idea to clear coat the wheels yourself. You will introduce dust particles into the paint if not done in a paint booth and the clear will eat some of the shine. The latter will also be the case if done by a shop...

[shnickerlaus]

Yeah I wasn't sure about the clear coat idea to begin with, I just figured it might help keep the wheels looking shiny for a little longer. Guess it just means regular cleaning to maintain the sparkle, my wife is going to start expecting me to do more house work now she has seen the car looking so clean.

[My98RT10]

I have yet to see a re-cleared wheel that can keep up with the OEM sparkle/shine, even from professional shops. I don't know why that is but they all seem to fall short in this aspect...

So yes, regular cleaning is the key, I guess. Will also save you some bucks ;-)