- Messages
- 12
I had my neglected alloys sent to be refurbished on Saturday at a cost of £300 at A1 Alloys in Bilston and decided to keep the OEM alloys but opted for a darker finish than standard silver. I eventually settled on the titanium finish (or smoked chrome as it is more commonly referred to). On Tuesday I went to pick up the new alloys and was delighted with the finish. All kerb damage, peeling lacquer and bubbling was fully repaired and the titanium finish was absolutely perfect. So it was a case of waiting until today to clean and seal them... and the wait was finally over this morning.
Let's start with the arches. A combination of Meguiars Super Degreaser and Meguiars APC was used on the arches and calipers and a strong-bristled brush and boars hair brush was used to remove all the winter crud. The calipers are to be repainted in the summer so it was just a quick wash and scrub on them.
Next up was the cleaning of the wheels which had accrued a load of winter grime over the past 4 days or so. Bilberry Wheel Cleaner diluted 10:1 was used on the tyres and alloys (the tyres were agitated with a wheel brush) - the alloys were simply rinsed. And then a cocktail of Meguiars Shampoo Plus and Meguiars All Purpose Cleaner was used to wash the alloys with a lambswool wash mitt.
The alloys were then fully dried with a waffle-weave towel ready for sealing.
And the products used for sealing. Two coats of JetSeal109 followed by a couple of coats of Collinite 476S was the order of the day. I decided to use half a Meguiars Applicator Pad (cut in half) as it gets into the nooks and cranies much better than a full pad. What I will say is do not be scared to use a larger than normal helping of Collinite 476S - it is far easier to remove a thick layer on an alloy than a car body panel. Inner rim and front face including spokes were done.
And for someone who PM'd me about my tyres a few weeks ago. These are the Yokohama Parada Spec 2s which have replaced the Pirelli PZero Asymetrics. And you can see from the tread pattern why I love these so much. The grip over the past few winter days has been phenomenol.
Alloys all sealed and put in a darkened space in the garage to reflect how well they came up.
And tyre walls given two coatings of Meguiars Endurance Gel.
The car was also given a wash and the wheels were put back on. The car's bodywork is still great with a couple of coats of Collinite 476S which were applied in early October.
Let's start with the arches. A combination of Meguiars Super Degreaser and Meguiars APC was used on the arches and calipers and a strong-bristled brush and boars hair brush was used to remove all the winter crud. The calipers are to be repainted in the summer so it was just a quick wash and scrub on them.
Next up was the cleaning of the wheels which had accrued a load of winter grime over the past 4 days or so. Bilberry Wheel Cleaner diluted 10:1 was used on the tyres and alloys (the tyres were agitated with a wheel brush) - the alloys were simply rinsed. And then a cocktail of Meguiars Shampoo Plus and Meguiars All Purpose Cleaner was used to wash the alloys with a lambswool wash mitt.
The alloys were then fully dried with a waffle-weave towel ready for sealing.
And the products used for sealing. Two coats of JetSeal109 followed by a couple of coats of Collinite 476S was the order of the day. I decided to use half a Meguiars Applicator Pad (cut in half) as it gets into the nooks and cranies much better than a full pad. What I will say is do not be scared to use a larger than normal helping of Collinite 476S - it is far easier to remove a thick layer on an alloy than a car body panel. Inner rim and front face including spokes were done.
And for someone who PM'd me about my tyres a few weeks ago. These are the Yokohama Parada Spec 2s which have replaced the Pirelli PZero Asymetrics. And you can see from the tread pattern why I love these so much. The grip over the past few winter days has been phenomenol.
Alloys all sealed and put in a darkened space in the garage to reflect how well they came up.
And tyre walls given two coatings of Meguiars Endurance Gel.
The car was also given a wash and the wheels were put back on. The car's bodywork is still great with a couple of coats of Collinite 476S which were applied in early October.
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