Car Detailing - What products are your go to?

[DFB FGXR6]

Originally Posted by real time

@dbf have you any recommendations for ceramic coating new rims? thanks.

First of all, well done you!

Product wise, you have a few options. Firstly, you can simply use any paint coating, but longevity will be limited due to heat and added contamination that wheels have to deal with. Expect 6 - 12 months from this solution.

Personally, I prefer dedicated wheel coatings for longevity. Depending on how you use the car, you can expect 12-18 months from a dedicated wheel coating. I will say that most wheel coatings are "stickier" to apply, not as slick as you would hope for and lack some of the hydrophobics typical with regular paint ceramic coatings. The slickness and hydrophobics are easily dealt with by using a topper, the sticky application is just something to be aware of.

On my Mustang, I used NV Wheel. I then maintain the coating with NV Boost and Carpro Hydr02 to re-introduce some of the slickness missing from the base layer coating. Well priced too.

https://www.waxit.com.au/products/nv...nt=17948582532



Carpro DLUX is another good option that can also be used to coat plastic trim and headlights. Again, not a slick coating, which can be fixed by a layer of Gliss or by using a topper like I do with NV Wheel. DLUX is said to be one of the more durable wheel coatings.

https://www.waxit.com.au/products/ca...iant=641821829
https://www.waxit.com.au/products/bo...40579857645657
https://www.waxit.com.au/products/ca...=7538833162268



Another product, one that you will need to order from the USA to get some, but Armor Detail Supply's Wheel Coating is what I intend to use next month on a project I have coming up. Expensive, but it delivers the slickness that I want without having to apply a secondary layer like you would with DLUX.

https://armourdetailsupply.com/colle...eramic-coating



Application wise, ceramic coating brand new wheels is far easier than applying a coating to existing wheels. As such, you typically skip all the decontamination steps and can go straight to the IPA wipe down and apply the coating.

Personally, I would have the tyres and wheel weights installed before coating. It's bulkier to work with, but you then eliminate issues with wheel weights not sticking or having to clean fitment soap from your freshly coated wheels.

For a detailed instructional, have a read the following post -

https://www.fordforums.com.au/showpo...postcount=1197

A couple of things to add to that -

- Use a microfiber coating applicator, this is more appropriate compared to traditional block and suede applicators that Carpro and NV supply. I'm going to use the small Carpro/Gyeon finger mitts next time.

https://detailingshed.com.au/product...d1c1dd56&_ss=r
https://detailingshed.com.au/product...62ac1dd9&_ss=r
https://www.waxit.com.au/collections...39569904533593

- Apply a layer of Carpro Reload, Gyeon Cure or NV Jet after application to protect the coating while it cures over the next couple of weeks. This will also prevent spotting during the initial 12-hour cure period. (Just buy the sample size, a little goes a long way).

https://www.waxit.com.au/products/ca...40406212149337
https://www.waxit.com.au/products/nv...nt=17910570116
https://detailingshed.com.au/product...b736963e&_ss=r

- Have a healthy supply of towels. These don't need to be ultra plush, that will actually work against you. Choose a low gsm towel and have at least 4 to 8 on hand. These towels are binned or demoted after use, so don't overspend here.

https://detailingshed.com.au/product...68989a69&_ss=r
https://detailingshed.com.au/product...21e30085&_ss=r



- You will also need an IPA type product prior to application. I like Carpro Eraser and Gyeon Prep for this, I would avoid NV Clarify as its terrible.

https://detailingshed.com.au/product...72b0c55d&_ss=r
https://www.waxit.com.au/products/ca...iant=641822121

- A wheel stand is also nice to have -

https://detailingshed.com.au/product...-wheel-coating
https://www.detailstore.com.au/produ...39628079104055




Some helpful videos to have a look at -

DLUX & Gliss -




Armor Detail Supply -