Wheel Cleaning - hey, it ain't cool if your chrome don't shine !!

[winddy1]

OK --

now, most of you know how dirty wheels can become when you drive it on the track for two days ....

braking hard - two people sharing it !!

:jawdrop:

One of the tricks is definitely to start out with a clean wheel ....

kind of like - these:

[winddy1]

OK -

I cheated...

that's not the car that we used .....

We used Tim's 99 coupe ...


here is a picture of how bad they looked:

[winddy1]

and,
here is a picture of how they look now:

[winddy1]

How did we do it ??

Well -

here is a picture of some of the products that we use

[winddy1]

definitely use those orange wipes -

and try to find a strong citrus degreaser from your local hardware store ..

If you cannot find it -
ask !! They should have it.

a generic brand is fine - just so it is a citrus degreaser.

Ofcourse, your going to wash the car first -
(we use Zaino car wash on the car itself)

however, if the wheels are exceptionally dirty get yourself something stronger that will help cut the grease. There are different car wash products out there that will work on your wheels.

However - use HOT water - I myself use a small (very small) - let me repeat, just a few drops of dawn into the bucket -
use this on the wheels/tires only. NOT ON THE CAR !! - it will remove your wax.

Wash the wheels/tires once. Wash them again.

Then, use the orange or "citrus" degreaser
Then scrub them with a scrub brush.
Depending upon how bad they are - you may need to keep reapplying the citrus degreaser. Keep scrubbing and be patient - it will come off.

The more layers that are on there - the longer it will take to get it off.

YOu can also use the GoJo wipes with a little bit of the citrus degreaser sprayed on and try wiping with that as well.

I will use these when I am simply wiping down my car after I used it a few times and it really isn't that dirty ..

here is a pictue of the wheels on my every day driver ...
I wipe them once or twice a week depending upon how bad they get.

[winddy1]

oops - heres the picture:


and yes - I'm demanding of this car -- (SVT Contour)

it is not babied !!

it works very hard for me - stop and go traffic - rush hour -

speeds between 20 mph and 80 mph depending upon traffic (I go with the flow) ....

30 miles (work)......

I didn't buy this car so that it could lolligag .....

She works hard - so, I gotta take care of her !!:thumbsup: :bounce: :bounce:

[winddy1]

After they are clean ...

STOP !! Do not pass go



WAX THEM !!

WAX them before you go anywhere !!....

I usually apply two coats the first day ...

then another a few days later...

That way with three coats of wax/polish it is easier to remove the brake dust.

There are many brands out there - good ones !!

WE use Turtle Wax Chrome Polish for the chrome wheels ...

and Turtle Wax Hard Shell Wax for the silver wheels.

For touch up applications (before shows) I use one of the Zaino polish's to really make it shine !!

So that you can go from this:

[winddy1]

TO THIS:


:bounce: :bounce: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

[winddy1]

More suggestions and helpful hints will be appreciated !!

:thumbsup: :bounce:

[Steve Treece]

Nice pics! You said you use Zaino on the wheels before going to a show and wax preceeding track days. A point to consider, all wax based products use an oil of some sort (often laced with silicone) as a delivery vehicle for the wax. It would seem that the oil would cause dirt/dust to adhere more readily to the surface and make cleaning the wheels more of a chore. Since Zaino polishes have no oils in them for the dirt/dust to adhere to, wouldn't that make them easier to clean?

Another point. How hot do you think your wheels get at track day? Wax based products have a low temperature tolerance, therefore less durability than synthetics. There is an interesting chart at www.autoint.com that addresses the thermal resistance characteristics of waxes and polymers. It is simply titled "Wax vs Polymer".

Not putting down what you're doing, but trying to give you another way of looking at it.

[winddy1]

Originally posted by Steve Treece
Nice pics! You said you use Zaino on the wheels before going to a show and wax preceeding track days. A point to consider, all wax based products use an oil of some sort (often laced with silicone) as a delivery vehicle for the wax. It would seem that the oil would cause dirt/dust to adhere more readily to the surface and make cleaning the wheels more of a chore. Since Zaino polishes have no oils in them for the dirt/dust to adhere to, wouldn't that make them easier to clean?

Another point. How hot do you think your wheels get at track day? Wax based products have a low temperature tolerance, therefore less durability than synthetics. There is an interesting chart at www.autoint.com that addresses the thermal resistance characteristics of waxes and polymers. It is simply titled "Wax vs Polymer".

Not putting down what you're doing, but trying to give you another way of looking at it.

==============================


that is interesting --

&
thank you !!!

thank you, thank you !!

My suggestion has always been to use Zaino on the wheels - in fact, the first few times that I did so, my husband became "upset" with me ..... I convinced him that it was o.k. and I have been using it on my chrome wheels ....

however, "wheels" have always been his "department" and that is his car. He is the one that makes those wheels look so good !! He has 10 work vehicles - 6 of them with polished/silver or chrome wheels. Several of them are very very old. However - the wheels look like brand new. :bounce:
:bounce:

His '97 Expedition has 80K miles on it -
the wheels look like brand new ....

Hey - we tied for first place at the first SCMC show that was held the day after a track event at Road Atlanta ....

(he did the wheels)


How can I "question" that??

I use Zaino -
I am an assistant "distributor" in the Chicagoland area.

I love Zaino - there isn't anything better !!

However - until I see "problems" with what he uses -
and I don't, not for countless numbers of years ;)


I'm not going to argue with him .....

Your suggestions are excellant ..
If anyone tries it - let me see a few pictures of the wheels after several two day track events, or some serious driving like we do. ... It's hard to fix something that isn't broke ....


Oh - and the answer to your question, how hot do you think the wheels get?

Hot enough to hurt your hands if you touch them !!
The brake calipers were painted red when we arrived-
they left "smoke" black ....

perhaps, well,
maybe I can convince him to do a "trial" ..... ?? using Zaino only??????? not, he isn't going to do so, not unless he sees actual "results" from someone else doing it.....

;) ;);) ;)

[winddy1]

Originally posted by Steve Treece
Nice pics! You said you use Zaino on the wheels before going to a show and wax preceeding track days. A point to consider, all wax based products use an oil of some sort (often laced with silicone) as a delivery vehicle for the wax. It would seem that the oil would cause dirt/dust to adhere more readily to the surface and make cleaning the wheels more of a chore. Since Zaino polishes have no oils in them for the dirt/dust to adhere to, wouldn't that make them easier to clean?

Another point. How hot do you think your wheels get at track day? Wax based products have a low temperature tolerance, therefore less durability than synthetics. There is an interesting chart at www.autoint.com that addresses the thermal resistance characteristics of waxes and polymers. It is simply titled "Wax vs Polymer".

Not putting down what you're doing, but trying to give you another way of looking at it.

===================


Steve --

here is another point for you to "consider"...

I don't think that it would've been very easy for my son to write in those wheels if the dirt/grime/rubber/BRAKE DUST adhered to the wheels if as you say - QUOTE
if it adhered to it "more readily".... UNQUOTE

just LOOK at the shine that is there under what he wrote .........

If you can provide evidence to my husband that Zaino will protect them wheels better than "hard wax" under that kind of stress -

he'll use it !!:thumbsup: :bounce: :bounce:

[winddy1]

Originally posted by winddy1


===================


Steve --

here is another point for you to "consider"...

I don't think that it would've been very easy for my son to write in those wheels if the dirt/grime/rubber/BRAKE DUST adhered to the wheels if as you say - QUOTE
if it adhered to it "more readily".... UNQUOTE

just LOOK at the shine that is there under what he wrote .........



If you look at that picture of Flash on the track - the front wheels are "black" because of the smoke that came from the brake calipers when the red paint BURNT off !!
-- notice the back ones are not that bad .... we are going to have our calipers powder coated .. that will eliminate that.
However, when I saw that "smoke" I swore it would never come off them wheels ... but it did !! :bounce:

If you can provide evidence to my husband that Zaino will protect them wheels better than "hard wax" under that kind of stress -

he'll use it !!:thumbsup: :bounce: :bounce:

[blucobra03]

Hi there Winddy1 and you too Steve. I have been cleaning and sometimes showing various cars for years. I've always done pretty good for myself. However, I haven't been into it for about 4 years now. Whenever I clean a tire, I use comet with a scrub brush. I go over it several times until there is no dark color coming off. I always applied a good hard wax such as Turtle wax to the rims as well with several coats. My favorite car to clean was an 87 Grand National. I had the car repainted right away as the factory paint was terrible. Black is black. That thing was awesome when I was done. No swirls anywhere. I used a 3M product to remove all before applying the wax. And always with a 100% cotton diaper.
My question to you folks has to do with these Zaino products. I have never used them and only recently heard of them. I use Meguires for the most part these days. I have a new 03 Cobra (Sonic Blue) coming in a week or so. I plan on showing the car. Do you feel that most people who show cars today use the Zaino products ? I realize you both sell this stuff but I will take you at your word. I know you will tell it straight. To get a real good shine, what process would you use and what products ? Thanks for the time helping me :)

[winddy1]

wow -
I finally met someone else who uses 100% cotton diapers !!
nothing else will do !! :bounce:

And honestly J.D. -
I wouldn't sell Zaino or any other product unless it works!
Seriously, I've just about tried them all. Meguires is good -
but Zaino is better!

You can go here to see an actual "test" that was taken:

http://www.nsxsc.com/nsexcitement/waxtest.html

As far as the correct procedure:

Go directly to Zaino's site - they have the best directions !! http://www.zainobros.com/files/tips.htm

[winddy1]

QUOTE:



For some time now, there has been a great debate being raged on the NSX Forums about which wax is better; Zaino or Zymol. I've had my doubts about waxes over the years, but never took the time to buy 3 or 4 products to test them side-by-side. But after all of the discussions on the forums, I figured it was time that we settled this thing once and for all.

I decided to take a 1991 Acura NSX hood with minor damage and section it off, then apply the two waxes and see which looked the best and lasted the longest. My wife was a big help, she figured out how to section off the hood without damaging it. She went to a local car wash and asked them to donate a wax pencil which worked great and held up perfect for the 30 day test period.

I had some Zymol NSX wax, but needed to get some Zaino and maybe a couple of others to test. I emailed 3M, Zaino and Meguiar's. Only Zaino contacted me back and offered to send me some products to test. Since some people swear by Meguiar's, I decided to go buy some for the test. So we used Zymol, Zaino, and Meguiar's. I even bought a cheap bottle of the blue Zymol that you see in Wal-Marts to see how much better the expensive Zymol NSX wax is. I've been told that the cheap Zymol wax is just re-bottled Turtle Wax. But I wasn't able to confirm that rumor.

WAXES & POLISHES TESTED:
Zaino Z-2 Show Car Polish - $12.95 per bottle
Zaino Z-1 Show Car Polish LOK, "Pre-Cleaner and Gloss Conditioner" - $8.95 per bottle
Zymol NSX Glaze - $144.00 per jar
Zymol HD-Cleanse - $25.50 per bottle
Meguiar's Gold Class, Liquid Clear Coat Car Wax - $12.95
Zymol Natural Liquid Auto Polish - $20.00

THE STEPS OF THE TEST:

1.) The hood was cleaned with a mild detergent. All of the water spots were removed and the hood was checked for problems.

2.) After confirming that the hood was good and clean, I used the wax pencil to section off the hood into five parts and mark each section as 1 through 5.

3.) The first section was cleaned with Zaino's Z-1 Show Car Polish LOK, "Pre-Cleaner and Gloss Conditioner". The directions say to apply the Z-1 with a cloth or applicator, and then apply the wax right over the product. It say's that you don't have to wait for it to dry and you do not remove the haze before going to the next step. This was really easy work.

4.) I then applied the Zaino Z-2, "Show Car Polish for clear coat finishes", to the section 1 directly over the Z-1. The directions were simple, using the applicator, apply a small amount of polish to the surface and let it dry for at least 1 hour. Then remove it with a 100% terry cloth towel. Applying the Z-2 polish was simple and easy to remove after an hour. No buffing or polishing was required to create a perfect shine.

5.) On the second section, I applied the Meguiar's Gold Class, Liquid Clear Coat Car Wax. The directions said to apply the wax and remove it with a 100% cotton towel. We used new towels for each section to be sure we weren't contaminating them with the other products. The Meguiar's was simple to apply and didn't require a lot of effort to remove and buff to a nice shine.

6.) The third section was cleaned with Zymol's HD Cleanse, "Paintwork Cleaner". The directions said to apply the Cleanser with a terry cloth towel and using medium to heavy pressure, work the product into the paint until it feels sticky. Then buff it with a clean cloth. This took some work, but the paint looked very nice when we were finished.

7.) Now the third section was ready for some wax. We applied the Zymol "NSX Glaze" following the directions carefully. I put a very small amount of the NSX glaze in the palm of my hand. Using the warmth of my hands to melt the Carnauba. With my hand, I gently applied the glaze in a light, even pattern. I let it stand for 45 seconds, then used moderate to heavy pressure to wipe slowly with a towel before the wax totally dried. Then I buffed it lightly after three hours later to perfect the shine. This took a lot or time and work, but it sure looked nice when we are finished.

8.) We decided to leave section four un-waxed. We needed something to compare the other sections to. So we did not wax section 4 at all. It was left clean and free of any waxes.

9.) I applied the Zymol Natural Liquid Auto Polish to section number five. The directions were simple to follow, just apply the polish and buff dry. Then buff to a shine. This was as easy to apply as the Zaino because I saved one step by not using a pre-cleaner.

10.) We placed the hood outside, in direct sun light for 30 days. NSX'ers were invited over to vote and we also asked friends to give us an opinion.

RESULTS & COMMENTS
After applying the waxes and polishes, my wife and I stepped back and looked at the hood to see which section had the best gloss finish. Since this was more of a subjective test, I didn't expect us to see much difference and I was right. You really couldn't tell the difference in shine between the cheap Zymol and the expensive Zymol. Even the un-waxed section looked almost as shiny as the others did.

Round one: So we began to touch the hood with our hands, closing our eyes to see if we could feel a difference. Sure enough, we could tell a big difference in sections. The un-waxed section felt like a clean piece of glass; kind of sticky when you run your fingers across the surface. We had a tie for the "smoothest" sections; section 1 & 5. The Zaino and cheap Zymol were by far smoother than the Zymol NSX Glaze and a little smoother than the Meguiar's. One major thing was discovered while doing this test. The Zaino section would not "squeak" when you pushed your finger down hard and ran it across the surface. The others would squeak, not as much as the un-waxed section did, but they still squeaked a little.

Round one was a tie between Zaino Z-2 and Zymol Natural Liquid Auto Polish.

Round two: Over the course of 4 weeks, people stopped by and looked at the hood, touched it, and gave us an opinion. They were not told which products were used on the sections. The voting was as follows:
1.) Zaino Z-2 Show Car Polish (70%)
2.) Zymol Natural Liquid Auto Polish (20%)
3.) Meguiar's Liquid Clear Coat Car Wax (6%)
4.) Zymol NSX Glaze (2%)
5.) No wax (2%)

Round two, Zaino Z-2 Show Car Polish wins easily.

Round three: After 4 weeks, we washed the hood with a mild car wash to remove the dust, water spots, and grime. Using a chamois, we dried the hood off. After the hood was dry, we used a light spraying action from the water hose with the hood tilted at about 10 degrees. We wanted to see which wax was still "beading" or "sheeting". The Zaino performed very well. It still had plenty of protection and the water just ran off in sheets. Very impressive. The Meguiar's was horrible. That section performed the same as the section with no wax at all. The Zymol NSX Glaze did very well. It beaded up nicely and the water ran right off of the hood. The Zymol Natural Liquid Auto Polish performed very well too. It was as good as the Zaino.

Round three, Zaino Z-2 and Zymol Natural Liquid Auto Polish tied for first, followed closely by the Zymol NSX Glaze.

Round four: We then stepped back to look at the shine of the sections. The Zaino was clearly more brilliant and shiny. The Zymol Natural Liquid Auto Polish looked almost as shiny, but not quit as bright. The Zymol NSX wax looked fine, but had a slight "glaze" to the finish; almost like it had a yellow-orange tint to the color. The Meguiar's did not look any different than the section that was not waxed.

Round four, Zaino Z-2 won. The Zymol Natural Liquid Auto Polish finished second, followed by its big brother, the NSX Glaze.

Round five: For the last test, we to closed our eyes again and ran our fingers over the surface to see which section felt the smoothest. Again, the Zaino Z-2 felt perfect. Almost as good as I remember it feeling when we first applied it 30 days ago. The Meguiar's felt horrible. Like it didn't have any wax left. It felt the same as the un-waxed section. The Zymol NSX Glaze felt pretty good, but not as smooth as the Zaino Z-2 or even the cheaper Zymol, the Zymol Natural Liquid Auto Polish. The Zaino was smoother than the Zymol Natural Liquid Auto Polish, but not by much.

Round five, Zaino Z-2 won by a hair over the Zymol Natural Liquid Auto Polish. The Zymol NSX Glaze finished third.

FINAL RESULTS

First Place Zaino Z-2 Show Car Polish
Second Place Zymol Natural Liquid Auto Polish (maybe made by Turtle wax)
Third Place Zymol NSX Glaze
Fourth Place Meguiar's Gold Class, Liquid Clear Coat Car Wax

As you can see, the Zaino Z-2 Show Car Polish was the best, hands down. For the money and availability (Wal-Mart) the Zymol Natural Liquid Auto Polish does a nice job. I guess if it's really made by Turtle Wax and bottled with Zymol's name, you could buy a similar Turtle Wax product?

For me, the Zaino just worked better and was easier to apply. I'm surprised it worked so well. For years I was lead to believe that a carnauba wax was the best you can buy. I was wrong. Zaino doesn't use any wax in its formula, its made from a hydrophobic-based formula which they claim contains no abrasives, silicone oils, or carnauba wax.

I'm also disappointed that my favorite wax, the Zymol NSX Glaze, didn't win this test. I was hoping that the $144 jar of wax was worth it, boy was I wrong. It may smell nice, but it doesn't perform better. And it's a heck of a lot more work to apply. I'm sure Chuck will not be sending me a Christmas card this year, but we had to find out the truth behind the battle of the Z's.
- The End
" UNQUOTE

[Steve Treece]

J.D.,
I do not believe you will beat the clarity, gloss, and depth you get with Zaino. No wax based product can touch the durability. One of the really cool things with Zaino is that the more coats you put on the car, the better it looks. It will also go places you would never put a wax based product, most notably the rubber moldings around the windows.

You asked what kind of process. You should consider the following:

Clay Bar...Gets the surface absolutely clean.
ZFX..........Zaino's new flash cure product. Produces higher gloss and the ability to apply up to 3 coats of polish/day.
Z-2 Polish
Z-6 Gloss Enhancer
Z-7 Car Wash

If swirls or fine scratches were an issue, add Z-5 to the list.

I believe that in the long run you will spend less time and money maintaining the finish on your car with Zaino, and it will look better. Recently had a guy order product from me who had spent 2 days claying and waxing a garage queen, only to get to the show and get bested by a 200K mile daily driver with Zaino on it. Made a believer out of him.

The key to using Zaino is to use very small amounts! You should be able to get 3 coats on your new 'Stang with 3/4 oz. Please, please, please, put it on thin.

Hope this is helpful for you.

[winddy1]

Originally posted by Steve Treece
J.D.,
I do not believe you will beat the clarity, gloss, and depth you get with Zaino. No wax based product can touch the durability. One of the really cool things with Zaino is that the more coats you put on the car, the better it looks. It will also go places you would never put a wax based product, most notably the rubber moldings around the windows.

You asked what kind of process. You should consider the following:

Clay Bar...Gets the surface absolutely clean.
ZFX..........Zaino's new flash cure product. Produces higher gloss and the ability to apply up to 3 coats of polish/day.
Z-2 Polish
Z-6 Gloss Enhancer
Z-7 Car Wash

If swirls or fine scratches were an issue, add Z-5 to the list.

I believe that in the long run you will spend less time and money maintaining the finish on your car with Zaino, and it will look better. Recently had a guy order product from me who had spent 2 days claying and waxing a garage queen, only to get to the show and get bested by a 200K mile daily driver with Zaino on it. Made a believer out of him.

The key to using Zaino is to use very small amounts! You should be able to get 3 coats on your new 'Stang with 3/4 oz. Please, please, please, put it on thin.

Hope this is helpful for you.


===========================



very well said !!

:bounce: :bounce: