Hello Folks,

What Is It?

"Wheel Protector" a 300ml (236g) aerosol tin containing a hydrophobic coating
to reduce brake dust adhesion on alloy wheels





What Does It Bring to the Table?

Brake dust spoils gleaming wheels and can damage them if ignored.

We joined forces with our motorsport partners to develop the ultimate
solution to this irritating problem.

Wheel Protector is a super-hydrophobic, durable barrier which minimises brake
dust adhesion so your wheels remain cleaner for longer.

Wheel Protector is an aerosol dispensed wheel sealant that prevents dirt and
brake dust sticking to it. This isn't just a barrier between the wheel and the
outside world, the coating applied actually stops dirt and brake dust sticking.

It does this by imparting a very fine uneven coating to the wheel. This
reduced surface area means contaminants have a harder time sticking and
the wheel stays clean, much cleaner for longer. Durability is around 6 weeks.

Application is simple provided you ensure that the wheel is clean and free
from any tyre dressing overspray, wheel waxes, sealants or other dressings.
It also should be bone dry. Just spray on the coating and forget. Don't buff
or rub the coating in or you fill break the film and stop the way it works.

Maintenance is a low pressure rinse down, but you shouldn't observe much
dirt anyway. The coating cleans off simply with a wheel wash ready for
another coat. Welcome to the future of wheel care.

Note:
Unfortunately due to delivery restrictions, this aerosol product can only be
delivered to a UK mainland address

What Am I Using It On?

The instructons say that the product is not suitable for dark wheels, so this
is being trialled on a 2009 Renault Megane Coupé with silver alloy wheels.
As the photographs show, the wheels are not pristine. On this test mule,
I've coated both front and rear wheels on the passenger side. Those on the
other side have had the same level of cleaning preparation.

Preparation

To give this product a fair crack of the whip, each wheel was given a very
thorough cleaning, but without using any harsh chemicals. After all, I'm doing
this job on my neighbour's brand new drive!

This is the front pax side wheel, the first to receive a coating...



...and in close-up



This is the pax side rear wheel, which will also be coated...



...and in close-up



Now we come to the control wheels. Driver's side rear, before I had given
the sidewalls their "bling" treatment. I did take a photo, but my balance got
in the way...



...and in close-up



This is the driver's side front wheel...



...and in close-up



These wheels were last waxed towards the end of August 2014 and have
only been washed with gentle cleaners. Some 8 months on, I'm not expecting
much of the wax to remain, certainly not enough to interfere with this potion.
The car is due for its summer-prep as soon as the weather warms up a bit...

What Do I Think Of It?

The adhesion of brake dust to alloy wheels must be the biggest detailing
problem in existence. With most OE brake pads ready to shed black dust at
the slightest brake application, this is a brave attempt at a solution from a
UK manufacturer. So, will it live up to expectations?

Obviously, the first task is ensure that you have your wheels as clean as
possible. If you're washing them immediately prior to applying this coating,
then you must also ensure the surface is also perfectly dry. The instructions
are also clear that the product needs wax free or sealant free surfaces with
which to bond.

Back to the pax front wheel. First a picture of the dry, untreated wheel, with
the tyre given some bling...



...after treatment



...and in close-up, which shows my being a little too generous.



As far as using the aerosol was concerned, people with better motor function
than I will more than likely have better control. My point being that I found it
easier to do a very quick movement spraying in long bursts, rather than
attempting to apply with many short bursts.

The pax side rear wheel. Again, the dry and prepared wheel...



...after application...



...and in close-up. Take note of the darkness of the surface scrape.



Having only applied this to 2 wheels and having given this a bit of thought
since, getting an even application on sculpted wheels is not easy. Ideally,
I think that this might be more easily achieved if the wheels are jacked-up
individually and allowed to be spun slowly during the spray application.

Getting an even coating will probably take a bit of practice. If you over-apply,
then the surface will dry with a white shadow and there'll be some reduction
in the reflective shine. You should avoid touching the surface, or moving the
vehicle, for at least 90 minutes after application.

Pros

If this coating works as intended, then the savings in work and benefits of
having clean wheels for longer are pretty obvious. I will be keeping an eye
on how long the time between washes can be extended by using this product.

If the product matches its claims, one tin will protect one set of wheels for
almost 6 months, working on 6 weekly applications.

Cons

Obviously, my gammy hands come into play here, but I found that it was too
easy to over-spray the surface, especially when trying to not miss any places
like rounded edges. What is also not clear is what to do if you do over-spray.
In the absence of those instructions, I simply left the product to dry. The
white shadowing was not obvious from more than say 6 feet away.

Of course, use only on lighter coloured wheels is also a significant draw-back,
given the prevalence of dark coloured alloy wheels these days.

Conclusions

With the intention of this product being to extend the "between wash" period
for cleaning wheels, it's way too early to draw longevity conclusions. My
initial impressions are favourable, because stooping down to clean wheels is
not my favourite part of my maintenance process.

The resulting finish is nothing spectacular, but it does give a tidy look to some
fairly neglected wheels as these two photos show...





A couple of hours after application. The white shadows are evident, but not
too intrusive, which I found a little surprising.



Remember my remark about the darkness of the scrape above? I'll let this
picture tell its own story...



With this product being tested on someone else's car, it was important to
check how she felt about how it looked. With the car now looking regularly
tidy, I feel the pressure of a raised bar each time I ask. I received a very
firm thumbs-up!

Progress Report

Here are the wheels, one week on.

Front - treated left, untreated right...



Rear - treated left, untreated right...



What's not evident in the pictures is the difference in brake dust patterns. On
the treated wheels there are distinct demarcation lines twixt dust and clean,
where these are absent on the untreated wheels.

Treated front wheel...



Untreated front wheel...



What's clear is that the OE brake pads are very dusty indeed. My feeling is
that the real test will come at the point of the next clean.

Where Do I Buy It?

Autoglym "Wheel Protector" is widely available from Autoglym stockists right
across the UK and from their Web site, priced at £9.99 (excluding delivery)

Acknowledgements

My thanks to Mark at Autoglym for the product and his guidance notes which
are incorporated into this review.

Regards,
Steve