Before I bought my '08 G37 coupe the dealership had a mobile rim repair service do the wheels. I used Sonax on them yesterday and it took the paint they used right the hell off. One wheel still had the factory finish only, and it looks fine. I'm not saying there is anything wrong with the cleaner, but you might want to be extra careful when using it. Looks like my wheels will be going out for powdercoating

 

Did they coat them with fingerpaints? Sonax shouldn't take off any wheels finish; it didn't seem to have adverse affects on the factory finish. Did you consider taking them back and telling them the finish that they used is too fragile to hold up to normal cleaning?

 

I've had the car for almost a year now, so I didn't even consider it. Judging by the way the paint came off, it was probably a laquer based paint or not prepared correctly. I don't really want them working on my stuff again. One of the guys in the motorcycle club I race with had a couple of sets of wheels powdercoated for his track bikes. The place he used was very reasonable and the wheels were beautiful. I'll probably just live with it until I replace the tires in a couple of months. I'll try to post some pics later today

 

Just to be perfectly clear, I am not in any way shape or form knocking the Sonax. I just wanted to let my fellow forum members know that if they have used a mobile rim repair service for rash repair etc., there is the possibilty of finish degradation. THE FACTORY FINISH IS FINE on the one wheel

 

Same thing happened to me. My dealer used a mobile wheel service to fix my wheels much like any other dealership would and they came out great. I used Sonax and the paint started coming off. The wheel guy agreed to redo them. I am getting them done next week, I diluted the Sonax and it seems ot be working better. You might want to try P21S Gel wheel cleaner also, it's pH balanced.

 

Definitely not painted properly, I used sonax on graphite vossens never had any issues. You should argue for a refund, that's horrible.

 

Sonax is good stuff. Gotta watch out for the mobile wheel repair. Some of those setups are a joke.

 

Whats wrong with just using regular car wash and tire cleaner on the rims and tires? I always hear about these issues and just can't figure how rims need a special cleaner. Have I missed something along the way.

OP: Powder coating the rims, is a great option. I had my GSXR rims powder coated Suzuki Metallic Blue and it made cleaning them a breeze. Powder coating is also very durable, so chips and scrapes are a little less common.

 

My wheels had brake dust built up on the inner barrels that caused rust stains over the winter. The Sonax takes all of that crap off, that's why I used it.

 

Oh, I see. That makes sense then. I've washed my car (rims and all) every two weeks since purchasing it. I've never had the brake dust build up but that sounds like a good reason to use other cleaners. Thanks for the clarification.

 

Sonax is great followed by Meguiars ultimate soap and quick detailer spray. Heavy brake dust can penetrate and ruin the wheel finish. The guys using the factory akenbono pads don't really have this problem. Anyone using an aftermarket bbk or track pads know the struggle.

If you want the very best protection look into opticoating the wheels. They'll stay beautiful and will reject debris, oils and dust.

Opti Coat 2.0 / Opti-Coat Pro

 

I bought my car used and the backs of the wheels were never cleaned properly. I did alot of research before I used Sonax and was pretty comfortable that it wouldn't hurt the wheels. If the finish had been repaired correctly I don't believe it would have been an issue. I see you live in Florida so you don't have to deal with road salt and grime during the winter. I envy you.

 

I've used Sonax on multiple cars without any issues - the stuff is top notch and appears to be safe on just about everything. Sounds like the wheel repair folks didn't do the job right.

 

Yes, living in the sunshine state does have a few benefits!

 

I just wanted to add I highly doubt Sonax was the problem, it was definitely the paint finish. I just diluted the Sonax to enable me to continue using it and it work despite the wheel finish being inferior.

Where can I buy?