Ceramic Coating for Wheels

[Azkyrie6]

Just received Gtechniq Wheel Armor ceramic coating kit for oem wheels:

looking forward to using pressure washer to clean wheels instead of wiping down brake dust, grease and other junk so often.

never done ceramic coating before but seems straight forward for DIY mini project

I’ll check back in later when I find some time to do it

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[optronix]

These brakes generate a lot of dust, and you'll find that you'll still have to actually clean the wheels... but they are much, much easier to clean than if you didn't have the coating, and they stay looking clean longer.

Curious to hear how GTechniq stacks up compared to other coating options for wheels. I'll be doing my OEM wheels sometime in the next few days, AMMO has a formula specific to wheels as well that I've tried before with good results but still open to options before getting an expensive set of forged wheels next spring.

 

[RUNN1N]

I just ordered a set of winter wheels and tires, so I'm planning to ceramic coat both sets at once--I picked up CQuartz Dlux after having great results with CQuartz 3.0 on the rest of the car. It's wild people will pay $1,000+ to get this work done as it's really not that hard (and oddly enjoyable).

 

[optronix]

I just ordered a set of winter wheels and tires, so I'm planning to ceramic coat both sets at once--I picked up CQuartz Dlux after having great results with CQuartz 3.0 on the rest of the car. It's wild people will pay $1,000+ to get this work done as it's really not that hard (and oddly enjoyable).

No shit!

I am too lazy to take the OEM wheels off, so I could kind of understand paying to do that, but seeing people post on here that they pay in excess of 1000, 1500+ for ceramic ANYTHING makes my head spin. You can get solid products for less than $300 tops; is 2-3 hours of your time really worth $1000 or more?

I will obviously be applying the ceramic to the new wheels before they go on the car.

 

[ZeroGSR]

No shit!

I am too lazy to take the OEM wheels off, so I could kind of understand paying to do that, but seeing people post on here that they pay in excess of 1000, 1500+ for ceramic ANYTHING makes my head spin. You can get solid products for less than $300 tops; is 2-3 hours of your time really worth $1000 or more?

I will obviously be applying the ceramic to the new wheels before they go on the car.

The problem is that it isn't 3 hours. Maybe you can coat the car in 3 hours (took me around 5 going slow and using small sections as instructed). But that doesn't include all the prep: wash, fallout, clay, 2 step polish...

I "enjoy it" so it's ok, but if I didn't I would pay in a heartbeat.

I did my rear wheels yesterday, full prep, barrels, etc. They came out fantastic, could see my reflection in the barrels, but it was a lot of work. Will see if the ceramic helps at all with the dust. There was no saving my S3, that thing caked it on no matter what I used...

 

[optronix]

The problem is that it isn't 3 hours. Maybe you can coat the car in 3 hours (took me around 5 going slow and using small sections as instructed). But that doesn't include all the prep: wash, fallout, clay, 2 step polish...

I "enjoy it" so it's ok, but if I didn't I would pay in a heartbeat.

I did my rear wheels yesterday, full prep, barrels, etc. They came out fantastic, could see my reflection in the barrels, but it was a lot of work. Will see if the ceramic helps at all with the dust. There was no saving my S3, that thing caked it on no matter what I used...

I'm not sure what you're seeing on your car, but it's hard for me to believe that these cars as they come from the factory need the level of prep you're talking about.

Again, if you're just "that guy" who enjoys this type of stuff, carry on. Who am I to tell you what you should or shouldn't do?

But my car, to me, looks absolutely stunning and as I detailed in the other thread, all I did was wash it with a "stripper wash" (not detergent... no way I'd put that on PPF and it shouldn't really go on paint) and go directly to applying the coating. It comes as no surprise either; this is the 6th or 7th car I've done this on.

I'll concede that my 718 probably should have been corrected- there were holograms in the paint from the factory/delivery process that I didn't notice right away but should have been dealt with before I applied the coating and admittedly did bother me a bit... but it's not like I couldn't have done the correction at any time and just reapplied the coating.

But as I mentioned, this Integra showed no such signs of defects that needed to be corrected. Very, very few overall, and what I saw didn't bother me enough to try to get rid of, at least not on this car. Maybe I got lucky, maybe my tolerance is higher, but I've posted pictures several times and I'd challenge anyone to point out where paying someone $1500+ would have yielded a better job.

edit- also I'll quickly point out that it wouldn't surprise me in the slightest that many of these $1500 jobs do not include any sort of correction, and probably not even clay. You can't convince me that it's not a complete rip off.

I will also readily admit there's no way I'm motivated to take the wheels off to get coating on the barrels, or calipers for that matter. I may hit the calipers later when the wheels are off, but these OEM wheels will become my winter set, so I don't care enough to put in the work. Putting coating on the face will be plenty adequate for my use.

 

[ZeroGSR]

I'm not sure what you're seeing on your car, but it's hard for me to believe that these cars as they come from the factory need the level of prep you're talking about.

Again, if you're just "that guy" who enjoys this type of stuff, carry on. Who am I to tell you what you should or shouldn't do?

But my car, to me, looks absolutely stunning and as I detailed in the other thread, all I did was wash it with a "stripper wash" (not detergent... no way I'd put that on PPF and it shouldn't really go on paint) and go directly to applying the coating. It comes as no surprise either; this is the 6th or 7th car I've done this on.

I'll concede that my 718 probably should have been corrected- there were holograms in the paint from the factory/delivery process that I didn't notice right away but should have been dealt with before I applied the coating and admittedly did bother me a bit... but it's not like I couldn't have done the correction at any time and just reapplied the coating.

But as I mentioned, this Integra showed no such signs of defects that needed to be corrected. Very, very few overall, and what I saw didn't bother me enough to try to get rid of, at least not on this car. Maybe I got lucky, maybe my tolerance is higher, but I've posted pictures several times and I'd challenge anyone to point out where paying someone $1500+ would have yielded a better job.

edit- also I'll quickly point out that it wouldn't surprise me in the slightest that many of these $1500 jobs do not include any sort of correction, and probably not even clay. You can't convince me that it's not a complete rip off.

I will also readily admit there's no way I'm motivated to take the wheels off to get coating on the barrels, or calipers for that matter. I may hit the calipers later when the wheels are off, but these OEM wheels will become my winter set, so I don't care enough to put in the work. Putting coating on the face will be plenty adequate for my use.

My point was, MOST quotes at $1500 included all those services, so if they aren't a value to you, that's fine, but these guys put in a lot of work and if anything I now consider it a bargain, LOL. Also, this is a semi-permanent change to your painted surfaces, I considered it worth taking the time to do it "right." If I was using a spray on ceramic, I would agree with you, would have been fine with a good prep wash down and go. Assuming this stuff actually lasts 5+ years, figure a little more work to ensure it's in good shape is worth it.

Also, when doing rims, I would definitely at least clay. My car had zero rail dust and the clay picked up almost nothing, but the rims had plenty.

 

[optronix]

My point was, MOST quotes at $1500 included all those services, so if they aren't a value to you, that's fine, but these guys put in a lot of work and if anything I now consider it a bargain, LOL. Also, this is a semi-permanent change to your painted surfaces, I considered it worth taking the time to do it "right." If I was using a spray on ceramic, I would agree with you, would have been fine with a good prep wash down and go. Assuming this stuff actually lasts 5+ years, figure a little more work to ensure it's in good shape is worth it.

Also, when doing rims, I would definitely at least clay. My car had zero rail dust and the clay picked up almost nothing, but the rims had plenty.

Yeah hard disagree on this stuff "lasting 5 years". I think that's been disproven in many a YouTube video... this is just one I came across for some coatings taking a shit after 3 months... yes many of these are "spray on" but the "5 year" coatings you're talking about are the stuff from like, 10 years ago that would leave high spots if cured incorrectly. I think the technology has just progressed since then, but I'm no expert.

I also still have $1300 in my pocket.



Treat it as fancy wax, this is the way.

 

[ZeroGSR]

Those are spray on products so I agree. I am talking about glass bottle "pro grade" products.

 

[optronix]

Those are spray on products so I agree. I am talking about glass bottle "pro grade" products.

Yeah, fair enough. Still, "pro grade", to me, is sort of a joke. Anything that claims to last 5 years is pretty absurd IMO.

edit- just watched a bit of it again, they're not all "spray on" products. Reflex Pro is in there, holds up well, just keep in mind that's an old formula and Larry has released Reflex Pro II that is claimed to be more hydrophobic over a longer period. Other products like Gyeon Mohs and GTechniq Crystal Serum Light are in there too. Worth a watch.

I think a lot of my bias stems from my personal source of truth, Larry Kosilla. He's kind of a big deal in the detailer community, and I take his word over pretty much anyone, especially dealerships but also to include random forum bros and even local detailer shops.

To be clear, I mean no offense with my "random forum bro" comment. From one forum bro to another, we're all good- I just disagree with the whole $1500 for ceramic thing, and think people who charge that are crooks.

If a shop decides to charge $1500 for a correction and application of a sealant, I still think that's criminal.

Here's the vid; he does a Q&A after the how-to (about halfway through) where he starts to get into these things. As a reference, AMMO Reflex Pro is a glass bottle, "pro grade" product that Larry personally developed (and has improved upon, as per my earlier comment ).

Larry is a great follow on YouTube, even if you're just casually interested in detailing. He very minimally promotes his products, if that's something you're concerned about.

 

[Azkyrie6]

These brakes generate a lot of dust, and you'll find that you'll still have to actually clean the wheels... but they are much, much easier to clean than if you didn't have the coating, and they stay looking clean longer.

Curious to hear how GTechniq stacks up compared to other coating options for wheels. I'll be doing my OEM wheels sometime in the next few days, AMMO has a formula specific to wheels as well that I've tried before with good results but still open to options before getting an expensive set of forged wheels next spring.

No kidding about the dust generation and accumulation. It was a pain having to get the grease and dust off. Which is why I’m going to ceramic coat.
I’ll try to double layer it, let it cure for a couple of days. I can understand if it’ll still attract dust but if everything can be easily sprayed up I’ll consider it worth it . I’ll check in on the process

 

[Steve48]

I applied ceramic coating to a previous P-car I used to own (first time doing it). I did a wheels off clean, decon, etc, and a couple of layers of a good wheel coating. I found it made a huge difference in the first several weeks, and after that I would still need to agitate the wheels to get them clean. Definitely better than not having a coating, but not as good (in my experience) performance vs doing ceramic coating on paint.

 

[Azkyrie6]

The problem is that it isn't 3 hours. Maybe you can coat the car in 3 hours (took me around 5 going slow and using small sections as instructed). But that doesn't include all the prep: wash, fallout, clay, 2 step polish...

I "enjoy it" so it's ok, but if I didn't I would pay in a heartbeat.

I did my rear wheels yesterday, full prep, barrels, etc. They came out fantastic, could see my reflection in the barrels, but it was a lot of work. Will see if the ceramic helps at all with the dust. There was no saving my S3, that thing caked it on no matter what I used...

You’re right about the prep work but I’m still learning the process properly before I begin. I figured ceramic coat would be effective for at most 1.5 years. So I’d rather learn and do it myself.

did you get the iron remover for your wheels? What else did you do to prep them? I’ve driven 1000 miles on them so I’ll have to be diligent in prepping them properly

 

[Azkyrie6]

I’ve read that

I just ordered a set of winter wheels and tires, so I'm planning to ceramic coat both sets at once--I picked up CQuartz Dlux after having great results with CQuartz 3.0 on the rest of the car. It's wild people will pay $1,000+ to get this work done as it's really not that hard (and oddly enjoyable).

I’ve read that CQuarts 3.0+Gliss V2 is superior to many other also with extra hardening qualities.
Ill be getting PPf in a month, I’ve looked at Gtechniq HALO or Cquartz Skin since those are made specifically for ppf adhesion, protection against yellow, UV protection and filling porous gaps in the PPF. I don’t know if this is better than the hard ceramic costs people typically put over their ppf.

XPEL recently dropped a bombshell of voiding warranties for people using si02 or ceramic costs not made from xpel. So be wary. Of course if you are doing ceramic only then pick the best

 

[ZeroGSR]

You’re right about the prep work but I’m still learning the process properly before I begin. I figured ceramic coat would be effective for at most 1.5 years. So I’d rather learn and do it myself.

did you get the iron remover for your wheels? What else did you do to prep them? I’ve driven 1000 miles on them so I’ll have to be diligent in prepping them properly

I used wheel cleaner on the rims (acts as iron remover as well), then clay, then iso surface prep, then ceramic.

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