TRD PRO wheel used as a spare, lost it's gloss coat.

I have 5 Pro rims, just rotated the spare out & it is matte, is there a way I can get the gloss finish back without taking it to a shop?

 

The dumb question is, have you tried cleaning it? You could apply a detail coating and see but if the clear is gone (do the BBS wheels get a clear?) the only way to get it back is to prep the wheel and apply new clear coat.

 

That's powerwashed & scrubbed.

 

Dang... was hoping it was just caked on dirt and you had somehow not thought to try cleaning

 

Yup, my first hope was dirt.

 

Was it always like this or did its lose its luster from being a spare?

 

What did you clean it with?

 

I have a spare trd pro wheel (installed over a year) and it still looks new. Wonder if you cna make a warranty claim.

 

It lost its luster in the year it was under there.

Cleaned with water and wheel cleaner.

It is over 5 years old, I am sure there is no warranty.

 

I use SONAX wheel cleaner
Made in Germany
Premium product here in the USA

Considered just a average product in Germany


3 years of no cleaning. No amount of scrubbing or power washing can get that much embedded iron out of the wheels finish. I've tried before, in my life. Until I learned about good wheel cleaners.

I cleaned my wheels inside and out, the wheel and the tire. No pressure washer used, no extra physical force used.

Just sprayed the sonax. Let it dwell for 5 minutes. Then a soft detail brush/ paint brush to agitate. Then hosed off with the hose, with a standard hose nozzle.

 

Thanks, I'll give it a try!

Looks like there are several, which one?

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=sonax+wh...4cbf50446339811f2d&ref=pd_sl_986hdwekm5_e_p67

 

I have the 5 liter jug of the full effect.


But, I've bought the sonax beast version before. And it was slightly stronger.

To be honest, all the sonax wheel cleaners work very similarly.

My wheels that I showed you pictures of. Did take 2 rounds to get completely clean like that. After the first round , you have to make sure it's dry again to do a second round.

 

Thanks, ordered beast.

 

This is the brush I use.

It's worth buying a 10 pack. They are great for washing the exterior of cars. And for interiors, i brush up the dash while using an electric air duster. Gets dust out of nooks, then I vacuum the interior.

Don't use the brushes you do wheels with on anything but wheels. Don't use the brush you did wheels with to do interior.

 

Power washing will make a finish dull if it's too strong. It has its place, but you have to be careful not to use too much force with a pressure washer.

Sonax has iron remover, which I'm guessing is the "secret sauce" to how it works. Molecular unbonding of iron in the wheel finish and metal.

Also, cleaning and unbonding the iron particles off the tire sidewall , totally, totally, totally, has made my tires look new till the end of their life. Versus dry rot looking sidewalls.

Those iron particles probably tear up the rubber in the sidewall and that's what makes them look aged and age.

Since I started using sonax I have noticed my tires always look great.

 

@e30cabrio please post the results you get from this experiment for the rest of us to see the beast in action. TIA!

 

I used the 60 degree nozzle, very mild.

I will post the results, it gets here Friday.

 

Here's the wheels from my mom's car. 2015 bmw. First clean of the inside of it's rim since new. Car has 75k miles now.

This is what 10 years of no cleaning to cleaned on a bmw wheel looks like. Took 2-3 applications to get it perfect. Wasn't the dirtiest wheel, but i GUARANTEE no amount of scrubbing would get that off. Soap wouldn't do it, elbow grease can't do it.

Showing you guys to see what to expect through the process. Sonax is yellow or clear in color, depending on which sonax. But they all turn purple after the 5 minute dwell period. When it turns purple, use the brush to agitate, use more sonax if it's dry in places. Spend time using the brush. Then hose off. If you need to go again let it dry in the shade. Then do another round.


I'm sure there is a domestic wheel cleaner that's just as good, would love to know, if any of you guys know, let us know.

I buy the 5 liter jugs of sonax with Amazon subscribe and save. Comes out to $80'ish before tax.
I used to buy by the spray bottle, but it's expensive that way. I did the math it's more than half price by buying 5 liter jugs versus single spray bottle. 5 liter jug has lasted over a year of use. For most of you it'll probably last for more than that. I use the stuff more than most do.

I probably used 1.5 spray bottles to clean those 10 year old bmw wheels. But once clean, a spray bottle should be able to do 4-5 sets of wheels per bottle. 16-20 wheels per bottle.

That's why I'm open to and interested in finding a cheaper domestic product.

Basically, sonax ain't cheap, but it's worth it for the result and time and energy saved.
I feel I'm doing as good as a job as a detailer would, win.

 

Try either Carpro DLux or GTechniq C4. Both of those work wonders on the wife’s matte TRD Pro on her 4runner

 

The Beast made a major improvement!

Thanks!!

 

That’s a really impressive turn around.

 

Wow! It really worked!

 

Looks good bro

 

Quick observation....In before and after photos the tire didn't change much in appearance. I remember reading in the thread that the product sort of restored tires too. So, were you careful to only apply to the rim? Just an observation and curious, not wanting to clean or restore tire cleanliness with wheel cleaner.

 

Thanks for the recommendation!

I did not touch the tire, I clean them, but I'm not a shiny tire guy.

 

Doesn't restore tires. Just unbonds all the iron(dust) out of the rubber. I'm not a shiny tires guy either. But, I hate when the tires go orange in the sidewall , then start cracking.

I do the tires maybe 1-2 times a year to keep them from going crusty. Michelins are expensive, I want to get my 50k miles out of them. And I do get 50k miles and they look new till the end.

After I clean the tires I do put a non silicone based plastic/ rubber protectant on, not for the shiny effect. But for the UV protection.

When i used to not sonax and uv protect. My tires would always turn brown/ orange and then micro Crack.

 

I use SONAX on exhausts and mufflers.
When all cars and trucks are on the road, everyone is making tons of brake dust on the road. And then that flying brake debris hits hot exhaust systems, and the iron particles get extra attached to the mufflers and exhausts.

Sonax can unbind all that mess too. Again with no extra physical force needed. Just spray, let dwell, then hose off. One application is all it needs.

I'm telling all you guys, it cleans exhausts like no other.

Have never had any issues with sonax harming any muffler or exhaust componant

More than half the mess on exhausts is brake material, makes sense that a wheel cleaner removes the grime

 

Me neither, but like this other guy mentioned, I do a little UV protection periodically so you might catch me with clean tires every 4 months or similar.

 

Been using this stuff as my tire and plastic dressing for a couple years. Not going to claim it's the best, I don't really know what else is out there, but i do like it a lot. I get it from Amazon like $10-15.

It's not silicone/petroleum based. Oil based stuff is a no go for me. Makes more of a mess than anything, and accelerates the orange/ brown tire color change.

1 bottle of this stuff lasted me a year
And it's UV protection is real. I have noticed all the bumper plastics look deep and black without being greasy.