Armor All Commercial for Wheel protectant

Discussion in 'Detailing' started by galoki, Apr 27, 2010.

  1. putterfarm

    putterfarm New Member

    May 18, 2009
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    :cool:
    This is good to know. Thanks for the tip :Thumbsup: I'm going to try it for protection and ease of cleaning.

    Mark
     
  2. mini_racer

    mini_racer Well-Known Member

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    But the JCW calipers still look skanky dirty!:frown5:
    So, when you applied the wheel protectant were the calipers clean and pretty? Cause if they were, this stuff really works well.

    I bought some as well for my street wheels and so far so good, but I need to put some more miles on it to really know if it is doing it's job.
     
  3. lotsie

    lotsie Club Coordinator

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    If you read the label on the wheel cleaner Armor All - Product Detail it has some pretty nasty stuff in it. You should wear rubber gloves when using it. It also says to not let it drain into storm sewers. So this is another reason to soak a towel with the stuff, and get it on the wheel that way, rather then letting it run all over the place. It does foam up when you spray it on, but it still runs off the wheel. I found it just as effective wiping it on as I did spraying it, even on the backside of those real dirty wheels.

    Mark
     
  4. goaljnky

    goaljnky New Member

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    The calipers are as is. Never touched them.
     
  5. lotsie

    lotsie Club Coordinator

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    goaljnky, when you cleaned those wheels, did they just get sprayed off, or where they wiped off with soapy water and a towel/mitt, then rinsed?

    Mark
     
  6. goaljnky

    goaljnky New Member

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    Sprayed, soaked in simple green, scrubbed, Goo Gone to remove some of the tar and old wheel weight glue, sprayed again, dried with a towel. However, these are two piece rims, some some water gets trapped where you can't get to it and I don't have an air compressor to deal with it.
     
  7. lotsie

    lotsie Club Coordinator

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    No, I mean after it had been applied, then washed.

    Mark
     
  8. mini_racer

    mini_racer Well-Known Member

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    Yeah good question.
    Of course you should not touch the wet product on the wheel just after application, but you should be able to touch it by hand for wheel removal, normal cleaning etc. and still have the product provide full effectiveness, right?
     
  9. lotsie

    lotsie Club Coordinator

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    It says wait at least an hour before touching, depending on temp. and probably humidity. I would hope/think you can touch the wheel after the product cures.

    Mark
     
  10. goaljnky

    goaljnky New Member

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    Oh. No, actually nothing has been done since the product was applied. :D
     
  11. lotsie

    lotsie Club Coordinator

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    :Thumbsup:

    Mark
     
  12. Metalman

    Metalman Well-Known Member
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    So the best way to apply the armor-all wheel protectant is to remove the wheels, so the stuff doesn't get on the brakes?
     
  13. lotsie

    lotsie Club Coordinator

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    We have started talking about 2 different products on this thread. Gee getting off track has never happened before:lol:.

    The wheel CLEANER is very caustic, you don't want that on your brakes. The wheel PROTECTANT says nothing about getting it on brake parts.

    With most spray and wipe products, I tend to load an applicator(cheap micro fibre towel in this case) and wipe it on. I have more control of where it ends up, and most work just as well. Plus you don't lose product to the wind.

    Mark
     
  14. Metalman

    Metalman Well-Known Member
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    Oh, somewhere I was thinking you didn't want to get it on the brake disc for fear of having issues coming to a complete stop.......... quickly enough.:eek:

    So it's not a silicone based product?
     
  15. lotsie

    lotsie Club Coordinator

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    Well that could be an issue, I guess. I would think a couple of light taps on the brakes while rolling along slowly would wear that off though. If not, apply it, go to an empty, near by parking lot, and at a safe speed, jam the brake peddle down, should bake/abrade it off.

    Mark
     
  16. goaljnky

    goaljnky New Member

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    Well, I cleaned the wheels off the car. The wife sprayed the AA stuff while the wheels were on the car. Honestly, I never worried about the brake calipers.
     
  17. lotsie

    lotsie Club Coordinator

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    #57 lotsie, Jul 18, 2010
    Last edited: Jul 18, 2010
    Lets just say I'm not impressed.

    Here is why.

    I cleaned, then applied the product on 2 MINIs. On the Clubmans silver wheels, I did all 4. On Poco, with white hollies, I just did the passenger side wheels.

    For washing, on the wheels the wax was applied, I used the Armor All wheel cleaner after a good soaping/rinse. I then applied the spray on wax, and as per the instructions did not touch the wheels, and the cars sat parked for at least 24 hours.

    On the driver side wheels on Poco I just washed/rinsed the wheels. They have some 3 month old Prima Wheel Shield wax on them.

    So today I washed the cars, it's been 2 weeks since the application, no washing, about 300 miles on both cars, in rain, and general high heat summer weather. Highway, quick hard twisties, and around town puttering.

    All the wheels looked dirty, as per normal, and the passenger side of Poco(treated side) looked dirtier. The dirt/brake dust/crud did not just spray off with water, and after my normal wheel wash, I think the untreated ones look better.

    So, I think all the hype is from folks who do not normally clean/wax their wheels, and their wheels look better than they did. Long term, with no regular washing, and I feel things will look cruddy again. Mass marketing wins out again in quantity, but not delivering a quality product.

    I'm going to continue to use Prima's Wheel shield wax, which also cleans as you apply it, about 2-3 times a year, and wash as needed.

    Dirty drivers side
    [​IMG]

    Clean drivers side
    [​IMG]

    Passenger side dirty
    [​IMG]

    Clean
    [​IMG]


    Mark
     

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