Hello Folks,
Speaking of detailing, here's a copy of a review I did on Detailing World, which I've
posted here because it involved recent cleaning of my Coupé wheels. Enjoy...
What Is It?
ArtDeShine ArtDeWheel - a glass coating designed for wheels
What Does It Bring to the Table?
The ArtDeWheel coating is specially formulated to create a hydrophobic
effect on the treated surfaces. It is durable and excellent for anti fouling of
brake dust and protects the treated material surfaces. This innovative
product was formulated with special chemical which lay strongly to a cleaned
wheel surface, to produce a barrier coating.
What Am I Using It On?
The entire wheels of my Renault 5 GT Turbo, fresh from a wheel refurb and
powder coating in Titanium. Also, the inside of the wheels from my Renault
Laguna Coupé a year after these were powder-coated in Shadow Chrome.
After coating the R5GTT wheels...
What Do I Think Of It?
In two words? Very impressive! However, the purpose of this review is to
give a bit of a longer term impression. Applying a coating from the ADS stable
is pretty straighforward, as I'll describe, but how long does this stuff last?
Having found application of the ArtDeWheel (ADW) on the R5 wheels quite
easy, I decided that I'd use the remainder on the Laguna wheels. However,
I was immediately presented with a problem. Would there be enough to do
all 4 wheels and just how would I tackle the spokes? The latter presented a
problem of how I might apply an even coat with my gammy hands, especially
into all those tight corners.
The answer was to coat the spokes with wheel wax. After all, I don't need to
get the wheels removed to maintain them. The insides of the wheels would
get the coating. This was to happen in early August 2014 in preparation a few
car shows in succession. I was also planning with Matt (stangalang) on taking
the car for a damp sand treatment in September, so I wanted as little
distraction as possible!
Applying the ADW
As ever, preparation is key! With the R5GTT wheels, there was little that
needed to be done apart from a thorough wash and dry. With the Laguna
wheels, well they were powder-coated back in August 2013, so it was a case
of a full clean, starting with one of those products that turn purple. Having
gone round to Karl's workshop to get the wheels removed I cursed because
I'd not taken my camera with me :wall:
Having got fully cleaned wheels, it was time for some PPE preparation too.
There is no extreme danger, but the instructions from ADS are clear...
Wear solvent-resistant gloves (eg: butyl or nitrile, rubber gloves) when
applying the product. Wear suitable eye protection gear (safety glasses).
Wear a half mask with filter types A2 B2 E2 k2 hg/P3 when applying the
product is recommended.
I used one of the cloths which came with my ADS Octagon kit, cut in half.
I simply applied a few drops to the cloth and immediately wiped it on, taking
care not to go too far over areas where I'd already applied. This was achieved
using the tyre valve as my marker. You might notice some dirt gathered into
the application cloth. That's quite normal and not an indicator of any inferior
preparation. The ADW will simply displace ingrained dirt.
You can go straight in with your MF cloth for buffing. Take care to note that
you use one side of one cloth only once! Immediately after use, drop them
into a bucket of soapy water. That way, most of the air-borne safety risks
can be avoided.
8 Months On
With March this year being the car's 6th anniversary, I took the opportunity
of cleaning the wheels whilst they were off the car during its major service.
Here's one of the dirty wheels...
...and a close-up of the wheel interior...
I was quite surprised at the clean condition of the interiors! Although I do try
to get behind the spokes when I do my wheel washing it is quite a struggle
for me. So this was good news so far. The next surprise, though it shouldn't
be because of my experience with the Octagon Formula, was just how easy
they were to clean.
One of the wheels being washed...
Although I'd walked round to Karl's workshop with my purple cleaner in the
bucket, it was wholly redundant. I could tell that just from watching my
cleaning pre-spray, no touching involved. I needed nothing more than two
capfuls of my usual rinseless wash liquid in 4 litres of cold water and a very
quick, light flick with the noodle mitt.
One of the guys, who helped lift and turn the wheels over for me, was quite
astonished as he observed... "I'd better bring my wheels round for you to do",
until I told him that I wasn't using a harsh wheel cleaner!
I then invited him to run his fingers around the interior. He gasped at just how
slinky smooth it was! The next thing I know, he's disappeared, only to fetch
out both Karl and Jason to come and witness it too. I think they have both
come to expect surprises from me, and the potions I use...
The first wheel, dried and ready...
...and after its wax coating
One of the benefits of using these coatings is that you're free to coat them
with wax, if you want to. There's isn't any need, but if you do, it then acts
as the "sacrificial" layer. Unlike other occasions, where I'd apply 2 coats of
wheel wax at 40 minute intervals, in ambient temperatures of 15DegC, I only
gave the surface a quick and very thin coat. There didn't seem much point
in doing anything more.
Conclusions
In common with almost everything that has come from ADS, the results from
ADW so far have been very satisfying indeed. At first sight, the price might
seem a tad daunting. However, there's a satisfaction gained from the sheer
performance of this product that will soon banish any doubts.
I've been using high-temp wheel waxes for a while and they are extremely
good at what they do, considering the conditions they have to resist.
However, particularly if you have difficult to reach areas, as I do, the extra
level of protection from ArtDeWheel is just extraordinary!
If you have wheels where access to the rears is more exposed, it's pretty
clear that this coating will make your cleaning easier for much longer. Unlike
a wax, the coating won't be affected either by the gentle cleaners you'll need
or the gentler brushing needed to remove the dirt.
A full wheel detail can be a really grubby job. Using ArtDeWheel will make any
future processes much quicker and easier to do. It's worth it just for that,
and I haven't even mentioned how fantastic your wheels are always going to
look between cleans! I'd better stop, before it sounds like I'm getting paid :doublesho
You can probably tell that how much I recommend this product 
Where Do I Buy ArtDeWheel
ArtDeShine ArtDeWheel comes in 30 ml bottles, enough to coat 4 wheels twice,
and is available from Matt (stangalang) direct from his Obsidian Web Site.
The bottle costs £23 excluding delivery.
Acknowledgements
My thanks go to Alfred in Singapore for his gift of the Octagon Formula kit and to
Matt the EU distributor for his guidance on how to apply these magic potions.
Regards,
Steve
Reply With Quote
Originally Posted by DaveL485
)
It would be interesting to see this, I've never seen one before and it looks good.
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Fantastic beading there Steve. Nice work.
