Just applied a wheel wax for winter protection. Will spray on aluminum wheel cleaners remove this wax the next time I wash my G?

 

Most likely yes. Even the mildest wheel cleaners are designed to remove most foreign coatings. If you're concerned, just use wax safe carwash.

 

The wax should hopefully prevent the wheels from getting too dirty and needing anything too aggressive.

Realistically, you should be OK to just use a sponge and your normal car wash (use a different bucket/sponge for the wheels, obviously).

 

Everyone should clay and wax their wheels a few times a year, so good job. However, I think you should buff them out now, otherwise they're going to pick up all kinds of crap over the winter, at which point buffing them out in the Spring could do more harm than good.

Wheel cleaners are bunk sold to lazy people looking for a silver bullet. Just keep the wheels waxed, then all you'll need is soap & water to clean them. After all, that's just paint and clear-coat... like the car.

 

I was using a wheel cleaner and then waxing here and there. As pointed out I guess defeating the purpose. Ive never clayed before and always afraid Ill screw the paint up.

 

You need to, you'll come out of it amazed

 

I used Sonax and clayed my wheels a week ago and then applied Klasse AIO on them and my calipers. My wheels were gunmetal in about two days but washed right off with just water lol.

 

Well at least you now know what gunmetal wheels will look like, lol.

 

Amen. The other bonus is how much longer the top coating lasts with a fresh surface to attach to.

 

Start with a very mild clay bar (mothers or Meguiars) and keep the surface wet. Any marring from the clay can easily be fixed by hand with a light polish.

 

Yes! That's exactly right.

For the longest time, I was using warm soapy water in a spray bottle. But this year I started using Detail Spray, instead. It just works better, although it certainly costs more that $0 soapy water.

Specifically, I've been using Wizards Mist & Shine.

 

Keep the paint well lubricated (I like to use Meguiar's Quick Detailer), fold the clay into itself after a few passes to give you a fresh/clean clay surface, and if you drop it on the ground, don't use it again!

Or step up to a coating/sealant and don't worry about it for a few years!

Don't forget to take the wheels off and clean/coat the inner barrels as well!

Edit: Also, if you don't want to use a traditional clay bar, you could go with the Nanoskin Autoscrub towel or Speedy Prep Sponge!

 

Hmm so I can use a detail spray as a solution for the clay bar? Ill start with the inside of the wheel and go from there. Last time I had my wheels off I waxed the insides also. Figure the inside of the wheel will give me some practice.

 

Indeed. As a matter of fact, if you buy the Meguiar's Clay Kit, it actually comes with their Ultimate Quick Detailer.

Basically, your steps are going to be:
1) Wash the wheels (using your car wash soap and sponge)
2) Clay wheels using UQD as lubricant
3) Wash wheels again (using new bucket with car wash soap and sponge)
4) Apply wax/sealant
5) Apply a second coat of wax for more protection

If you are on a budget, I cannot suggest Collinite 845 enough. It has a slight learning curve, but it will offer 4-6 months of protection. Pretty amazing for the money.

 

That's what I use, and I also cut the clay into three equal pieces (w/ a fresh exacto blade, don't want ANY contaminants in the clay bar.) You then spread the clay piece out so you can work an area. The other two pieces you put into a ziplock bag w/ a couple squirts of detail spray to keep it moist. Get a lot more mileage from your clay bar that way.