qboy3388

Hi guys!
Recently I bought a set of TSW Cadwells for my ES350 and now I'm learning how to maintain them since they are my first set of aftermarket wheels. I have a few questions I'd like to ask you experts here. The wheels are gunmetal with mirror cut face and lip.

The wheels got some minor scratches on the lip and a friend gave me a bottle of F1 The ultimate metal polish and told me it should be able to fix those minor scratches. Is it safe to use it on my wheels? Do you guys think it'll fix the scratches?

I washed the wheels once last week and I already noticed the wash made even more minor scratches on the lips. I'm guessing I didn't clean the wheels good enough when I wiped the lips the dirt scratched my wheels. So I bought a bottle of Eagle one PVD&aluminum wheel cleaner after but now I'm afraid to use it lol. Is it safe to use it on my wheels? I'm afraid I would ruin the gunmetal part of the wheels because I read some horrible stories online about wheel cleaners ruined their painted wheels. God. I just wanna keep my new wheels clean.. Is it really so hard lol... help please my expert frds

zmcgovern4

iTrader: (2)

There is a good chance that the wheels are actually clear coated and therefore the metal specific products may cause more harm than good since you will not be working with bare metal.

Before you do anything, I would contact TSW directly to confirm what finish is on these wheels. If it is clear coated, you can simply use a polish that is designed for your vehicle's clear coated paint (like Meguiar's M105 and Meguiar's M205). You will also need a general wheel cleaner such as P21S Gel Wheel Cleaner that can be used on any type of wheel and is pH neutral, so it is safe when used as directed.

Also, I imagine it is your washing technique/products that may be causing these scratches you are talking about. A soft brush (like this boar's hair wheel brush & wheel woolies kit) are great tools that are very safe to use, even on delicate finishes. In any case, it is important to use a lot of lubrication (ie soapy water) when cleaning dirty paint and wheels. Rinse your tools very often. Also, I would highly recommend blowing your wheels dry with the Master Blaster Sidekick rather than wiping them with a towel. This will greatly minimize the risk of scratching.

-Zach

mcolommena

Hi Zach! Just went through my test bottle of sonax full effect for cleaning my wheels. My wheels are ceramic pro coated. So i wonder if there is another alternative to cleaning the wheels. I still want something that does not require that much work on my part.... The sonax was pretty good.

sydtoosic

i actually coat my wheels with OC 2.0, so easy to maintain... i only use car shampoo and water to clean my wheels. i use a 2" wheel woolie for the barrels and a dreadlock MF sponge for the rest of the wheel. i have a couple of layers of Car Pro Hydro 2 on my wheels also.