Planet 9

Last week I took the wheels off my car to give them a thorough cleaning. It was suggested by I friend that I then seal them with Griots Paint sealant since I have it around as I use it on my truck.

After the wheels were very clean, clayed and ready to go back on the car I applied the sealant. It seemed to add a bit of a sheen to the wheels and they felt much more slick after the application. I have noticed that brake dust isn't accumulating nearly as much as it did before. I am anxious to see how long it lasts.

Two things that I picked up from this site were a big help. The wheel hangers made the job much easier, and using a hockey puck on top of my floor jack worked very well.

You might try WheelWax next time instead, it smells better and I believe lasts longer.

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K-Man S

Nice! Thats good that you're seeing noticeable results from it. Even though they make specific wheel sealants, you can definitely use sealants marketed for just paint. For instance, I've used OptiSeal on my rims before and its worked very well. Makes washing off the brake dust significantly easier for sure

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Thanks K-Man, I may try that next time, depending on how long the Griots sealant lasts. I took a pretty spirited drive yesterday and after I got back there wasn't any noticeable brake dust on the wheels. In the past I usually had some brake dust on the wheels after a good drive. I'm assuming that the wheels are "slick" enough now that the dust isn't sticking to them as badly.

I had been using the Griots BOS wax on my truck as well. To make room for the Cayman and some other toys, including an upcoming Gallardo, the truck sets outside now. A friend suggested the paint sealant since my truck sets outside so much. It's a dually, so doesn't go through car washes, but he still thought it might provide better results, and be longer lasting than the wax. So far I'm impressed how it looks on the truck, and it beads water very nicely. It probably doesn't look as deep as the BOS, but it looks pretty nice. The truck is dark stone metalic. I buffed it using a random orbital and machine polish 3 and was very happy with the results. When the Cayman gets to the point where it needs it I'll probably do it the same, but stick with wax and not sealant.

When you wash your wheels apply a detailing spray (Griots Speed Shine is great for this) to the wet surface when you dry them. It will help in removing the last bit of grime, and leave behind a light protective coating that will help the wax / sealant last longer, and it will make cleaning the wheels easier next time....... The detail spray will also help you clean up your brake calipers when you wipe them down.

In general, I use a detailing spray applied to the wet body panels as well, as it will prolong your wax / sealant and minimize micro scratchs / swirls from your towels when you dry.

As for Griot's BOS, sealant or polishes, reach out to Chris, Phil (Detailers Domain) or Rich (Gloss It) for products that are much easier to use and provide as good or superior results than the Griots wax / sealant / polishes. Yes, I was a long time BOS and Griots Polish user, and had also tried thier Sealant (which does not provide any depth at all to a dark finish from my perspective).

Regards

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In2Esses

2006 CaymanS - Black/Black
2003 BMW 325it
2007 BMW 328i coupe

Thanks In2Esses! I've been using the Griots spray on wax when drying, I haven't tried the Speed Shine when drying. Does it work better than the spray on wax?

With regard to using Speed Shine when drying the wheels, I assume you mean after the wheels have already been sealed, and not prior to putting on the sealant? I will start doing that as I can imagine it does leave a bit of a protective coating on the wheels.

My biggest reason for sticking with Griots products is that there is now a local distributor where I can go to resupply. They've also been a good supporter of a couple of our local car clubs. I do plan to try some of the products from sponsors here though.

I think SOW has a higher wax content but less of a "cleaner" that SS.

If you are using SOW when you dry now, no need to use Speed Shine drying your body panels. I do think it is actaully easier to buff out SS if you do use it instead (always a good fall back). Not too many companies have a spray on wax product, so in that case, I always prefer to use the same spray as I do wax on the paint - I have mixed before and gotten streaks, although I have used SS on other waxes in a pinch, and have not had that issue.

As for the wheels, I have never actually waxed mine, but when I pull them to fully detail the car I use SOW then, and use SS when I wash them normally.

Regards

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In2Esses

2006 CaymanS - Black/Black
2003 BMW 325it
2007 BMW 328i coupe

I've being using the Griot's Sealant on my wheels for years, and have been very happy with the results. I also use the SOW after cleaning the wheels at every wash. I use to use Wheel Wax, but moved to the the Griots sealant, as the latter lasts longer on both the wheels and in the container. Wheel Wax only seems to have a 6 month shelf-life????

I also use G-Sealant on my epoxy-surfboards, and the water will still bead after about 6-10 2-hour sessions. Makes a huge difference on their speed in the water, and their resale value. For comparison Meguiars NXT wax lasts about 2 2-hour sessions, but do a better job of bringing-out the shine on darker boards.