When I picked up my GTS back in November, I had the entire car coated with CQuartz (including the wheels). The ceramic coating on the car's paint is amazing and seriously cuts down on washing time.

My issue, however, is with the wheels. Even though they're coated, stubborn water stains (minerals) and dirt still stay on the wheel surface even after a wash.

I spent a good amount of time this weekend scrubbing away at the wheels with both P21S and IronX. But, the wheels *still* look like they haven't been washed in ages.

Any recommendations? I have no idea if non-coated semi-gloss wheels are as difficult to maintain (hinting that CQuartz may actually be causing my issues here, but I doubt it). Maybe I need to buy a better wheel brush as mine is pretty soft, but I also want to avoid scratching the wheels.

 

I don't have any coating on my satin finish CL wheels on my GTS. I have owned it for 15 months. I don't use any wheel cleaners, just car wash and water. I have never had any stains on mine. Just brake dust that washes off. I guess I might have water stains on them if I didn't dry them after I wash them.

Sounds like your problem might be related to the coating. Any chance they were not perfectly clean when they coated them?

 

Just finished my annual routine of pulling the wheels, thorough cleaning, and an application of Rejex. I agree that the problem sounds like it might be with the coating. Have you tried to use vinegar as a cleaning agent? Works great on water stains.

 

Are they simply not staying clean, or can you not even get them clean at all? If the latter, it sounds like they coated in some hard water stains and you're not going to be able to address them without first having the coating stripped off.

 

The wheels were squeaky clean when they were coated initially. Car was driven home from the dealership and given a full detail before coming into the garage for the CQuartz treatment.

Maybe I'm just not scrubbing hard enough with the soft brush? I'll do another round of P21S and/or car wash soap and see what happens.

We had a few random rainstorms in LA that literally sh*t on our cars over the last few weeks. One of them left a nasty coat of dried stains, and I'm assuming some of this has to do with it.

If it's the CQuartz that's actually getting in the way of cleaning, then I'll wash them with something that can strip the ceramic coating off. I'm really not digging the cleanliness (or lack of) with the wheels lately.

 

I can't get them clean at all, period. Spent Saturday/Sunday washing and detailing the car myself, and it's sitting in the garage at home looking pretty. Everything looks perfect... everything but the wheels.

 

Pictures?

 

Sure; I'll have them up in a few hours once I'm home.

 

Talk to your detailer who applied the CQuartz.

 

You shouldn't need to scrub them. I would be very careful scrubbing them with a brush.

 

Maybe it has something to do with the Cquartz coating not interacting well with the matte finish of the wheels? Will be interesting to see the pics.

For reference my wheels were coated with Opticoat Pro and while they are not easy to keep clean with some effort I can make them look pretty much flawless. At least until I pull out of the garage and brake dust immediately collects of course. I do however find I need to wipe them down with a damp rag to get any dirt/brake dust missed during the actual wheel cleaning process.

 

I have the 50th anniversary wheels that have a matte black finish. Same problem the brake dust sticks to the wheel finish and has a reddish hue even after scrubbing.

Finally, I took off each wheel and gave it a good scrub down with straight APC. Masked the tire portion and sprayed the wheel with a thick layer of clear coat front and inside of wheel.

Now I just wipe it down with a microfiber cloth and wheels clean easily.

 

I believe all these coatings do more harm than good. I don't like them, I don't use them and never will. I can get a much better look with sealers and wax than with any of this nano expensive coatings. I consider them the snake oil of the detail world.

 

Not sure I'd agree with you in terms of coating the car paint. I was very, very hesitant about ceramic coatings but I did my research, saw the pros/cons, and got a killer price from a detailer in LA.

While I'm not saying it's absolutely revolutionary/magic, the coating has seriously cut down on my wash times and anything that stains the car slides right off. Bird droppings literally pop off; dust and dirt come right off with water. You can get away with no soap if you really wanted to. The hydrophobic qualities are also crazy. Water doesn't stay on the car, period. It's fun to watch when you're driving under the rain.

Wheels, though? I'm not so sure.

Here are the pics.

 

After you wash your wheels, do you blow them dry? That will help you. Use your leaf blower or buy the BlastMaster when on sale from Detailers Donaine (25% off and free shipping).

Lots of water marks, too? Strange. Hard water there?