what brush to was ZHP wheels, leather conditioner and dash cleaner

[jonnyd330]

What brush do you use to wash your ZHP wheels? I have gone through 3 brushes from different auto parts stores and they keep getting weak and breaking on me, are there any out there that are good to get in between the spokes without breaking? Also I need to get some leather conditioner for the steering wheel/shift boot and some cleaner for the dash

[Steve530]

I have a Meguiar's spoke brush that works well, but I don't know what ZHP wheels are and if that brush would work. Acrually, I heard that Meg's stopped selling brushes, anyway. You might check Griot's, thay have good stuff.

I use 303 Protectant on my dash and Leatherique on the leather.

[SHWELL]

Is it breaking from the pressure you are applying? If so, you are working a little too hard. Let the cleaning agent do the work.

[jonnyd330]

it is breaking because the spokes are so close together and i am trying to get the brake dust out of there.

[maxell0405]

I use a plastic picnic knife and wrap it in a cotton rag to get the right width. Keep a coat of wax on your wheels and ordinary carwash soap will remove brake dust with a single swipe, even from the space between the double spokes. No scrubbing required.

ZHP wheels are gorgeous, and worth the trouble, imho.

[m5time]

Keep a coat of wax on your wheels and ordinary carwash soap will remove brake dust with a single swipe, even from the space between the double spokes. No scrubbing required.

+1

My E39 M5 wheels have the super-sensitive coating, and I don't want to risk using any harsh chemicals.

Waxing the wheels (outside and inside) takes 2 hours for me, and it is very tedious work.

But you really get to know your wheels when you wax them! And cleaning them afterwards is sooo easy. Even after a track day, brake dust disappears with only car shampoo and sponge.

I have noticed Meguiar's NXT Gen Tech Wax stays on extremely well. Here in Finland we need 2 sets of tires, summer and winter, so maintenance interval for the inside of the wheel is 12 months (6 months of driving and 6 months of storage). Even in conditions of dirt, snow and salt, the wheels remain easy to clean.

Anssi

[jonnyd330]

what do you use to wax your wheels, I like my ZHP wheels but I am thinking about getting some 19" wheels for my car.

[m5time]

I already mentioned the wax, and that is unfortunately where my magic ends - I have not found an easy way to do it. All I use is the Meguiar's applicator pad and old t-shirts.... I have seen some polishing balls that you can put on your power drill, looks interesting but will those fit between the spokes of E39 M5 wheels - I doubt it.

So waxing the wheels is a big project, and fingers get really sore. Has someone found a better way to polish the very narrow spaces between the spokes? Luckily, the inside of E39 M5 wheels is very easy to wax!

Anyway I think it is worth the effort, as you are waxing beautiful, clean wheels and you never need to see them dirty again (after a quick shampoo that is).

Anssi

[G. P. Burdell]

What brush do you use to wash your ZHP wheels? I have gone through 3 brushes from different auto parts stores and they keep getting weak and breaking on me, are there any out there that are good to get in between the spokes without breaking?
I use foam-tipped wooden swabs from Autogeek. The yellow foam tips are good for getting in between the spokes. They're also good for cleaning the barrel of the wheel and inside the lug bolt holes.

[m5time]

jonnyd330, it looks to me that you can:

A) spend 2 hours cleaning the wheels
or
B) spend 2 hours waxing the wheels

Unfortunately, to get started, you first need to do A AND B. (G.P Burdell's advice sounds very good. I wish stuff like that was available here as well.)

But then you never need to do A again. Ever. Just B twice a year or so.

Anssi

[NeonStatus]

jonnyd330, it looks to me that you can:

A) spend 2 hours cleaning the wheels
or
B) spend 2 hours waxing the wheels

Unfortunately, to get started, you first need to do A AND B. (G.P Burdell's advice sounds very good. I wish stuff like that was available here as well.)

But then you never need to do A again. Ever. Just B twice a year or so.

Anssi

How many coats of wax do you apply to each wheel?

[m5time]

I think the key was that I started with brand-new wheels, that got my wax treatment (one layer) before they even met with my car for the first time. I believe that is why the wax has stayed on so incredibly well.

Since then, I have not used any chemicals that would remove the wax, so once a year I simply add a new maintenance layer. (But remember my wheels are only driven 6 months a year.)

Anssi

[Steve530]

It's important to realize that you need to use synthetic wax on wheels. Natural wax, like carnuba, has a low melting point. When the brake dust comes off the pads, it's hot. If those hot particles hit a wheel coated with natural wax, it will actually melt into the wax. Then the dust is even harder to remove. So natural wax may actually make the problem worse.

Synthetic waxes are products like Klasse AIO and Zaino. I think the Meguiar's NXT wax products are also synthetic.

Recently, I've been using a product named "Wheel Wax". It's been around for a while, but I didn't buy it because I assumed it was a natural wax. I was given a jar as a present, so I thought I'd try it. The manufacturer's website says it's a blend of polymers and carnuba. It seems to work well and dust doesn't stick to it.

M5time makes a good point that harsh cleaners will strip anything you put on the wheels. So if you have to hse chemical cleaners, you'll need to reapply wahtever you use to make the dust slide off.

[m5time]

Thanks, Steve, I did not know that! I have been wondering why NXT wax works so well on the wheels. Now I know: it is the first synthetic wax that I have tried.

jonnyd330, are we helping you at all with your original questions? I maybe got a little carried away with this wax thing, but I have been so happy with the choice I made, that I wanted to share.

Anssi

[JohnZ3MC]

To jump in,
try a 2 or 2.5 in. inch sash brush to clean.

Collinite 845 to protect. (cheap and long lasting)
-John C.