Dr_Pain
Certified Finest Installer
Show "N Shine: Porsche Panamera (Part 1) How to clean and protect wheels like a Boss!
The title of the thread is a little self-indulgent so please don't think I am that conceded. Just to be honest, that is the only title that came to mind LOL!
I recently did a paint correction/coating on a 2013 Porsche Panamera which involved multiple steps and procedures, so instead of having one enormous thread with TONS of pictures I thought it would be fun to break them down in multiple "satellite" Show 'N Shine projects. Our first order of business was to remove the wheels for a complete wheel off cleaning, correction and coating, so let's start there.
DISCLAIMER: For those not in the habit of taking wheels off, please make sure to read and understand the manufacturer torque specs. This is a major liability!!!!
The Disassembly Process:
As you can see, the wheels were taken off BY HAND! The main reason is to avoid burnishing or scarring the lug and wells with an impact wrench. The socket was properly wrapped and care was taken to keep all the lugs together with the wheel they came off of. Take your time and be smart in your preparation and procedures. Nobody is above a wrench slip, and those are expensive!
The Inspection Process:
As you can see, these wheels were covered in brake dust and had nice blobs of tar everywhere. One thing that was hard to show with a pic was the surface scratches in the clear. I do have a picture to share after the clean up.
The Wash/Decon Process:
The wash process started with a nice power washing.
Then came the IronX decontamination of the face, spokes (front and back), and inner barrel and tar removal using TarX
Inspection following the wash and decon revealed face, spoke and barrel scratches. It is hard to see but the darker portion of the inner barrel (on the left of the picture) shows fine scratches
The Polishing Process:
Test spots demonstrated that Menzerna PF2500 on a 3.5" CarPro Flash Pad (using my GG6 fitted with a 3" backing plate) did wonder on getting rid of those unsightly scratches. did destroy my Flash Pad in the process
. Those grooves in the inner barrel as well as the sharper edges of the spokes did not show mercy. All tight corners and hard to reach places were hand polished.
Some hard labor but the results do speak for themselves though!!
The Inner Fender and Caliper Process:
Sorry for the lack of pretty pictures but this is pretty simple. Soap solution, APC, brake cleaner + a variety of brushes did wonders for those suspension parts and calipers, as well as for the plastic and fabric fender inserts. The rotors were treated with Hydes Serum Ruststopper. This is done to prevent flash rust from forming as you are detailing all those rust prone parts
After proper decontamination with a generous Erasor wipedown we coated the plastic inner fenders and caliper with CarPro DLUX. On the other hand, we experimented using 303 fabric protectant on the fabric inner fenders as a means to repel some of the dirt and grime. Only time will tell if we were geniuses or just plain fools
The Coating of the Wheels Process:
The customer selected our highest Finest package which included using CQuartz Finest on the wheels as well. The results were stunning!
And that's it folks!!! After all this work the wheels were re-installed (BY HAND!) using the torque specs provided by Porsche, and the car was lowered back to the ground.
The title of the thread is a little self-indulgent so please don't think I am that conceded. Just to be honest, that is the only title that came to mind LOL!
I recently did a paint correction/coating on a 2013 Porsche Panamera which involved multiple steps and procedures, so instead of having one enormous thread with TONS of pictures I thought it would be fun to break them down in multiple "satellite" Show 'N Shine projects. Our first order of business was to remove the wheels for a complete wheel off cleaning, correction and coating, so let's start there.
DISCLAIMER: For those not in the habit of taking wheels off, please make sure to read and understand the manufacturer torque specs. This is a major liability!!!!
The Disassembly Process:
As you can see, the wheels were taken off BY HAND! The main reason is to avoid burnishing or scarring the lug and wells with an impact wrench. The socket was properly wrapped and care was taken to keep all the lugs together with the wheel they came off of. Take your time and be smart in your preparation and procedures. Nobody is above a wrench slip, and those are expensive!
The Inspection Process:
As you can see, these wheels were covered in brake dust and had nice blobs of tar everywhere. One thing that was hard to show with a pic was the surface scratches in the clear. I do have a picture to share after the clean up.
The Wash/Decon Process:
The wash process started with a nice power washing.
Then came the IronX decontamination of the face, spokes (front and back), and inner barrel and tar removal using TarX
Inspection following the wash and decon revealed face, spoke and barrel scratches. It is hard to see but the darker portion of the inner barrel (on the left of the picture) shows fine scratches
The Polishing Process:
Test spots demonstrated that Menzerna PF2500 on a 3.5" CarPro Flash Pad (using my GG6 fitted with a 3" backing plate) did wonder on getting rid of those unsightly scratches. did destroy my Flash Pad in the process
. Those grooves in the inner barrel as well as the sharper edges of the spokes did not show mercy. All tight corners and hard to reach places were hand polished.
Some hard labor but the results do speak for themselves though!!
The Inner Fender and Caliper Process:
Sorry for the lack of pretty pictures but this is pretty simple. Soap solution, APC, brake cleaner + a variety of brushes did wonders for those suspension parts and calipers, as well as for the plastic and fabric fender inserts. The rotors were treated with Hydes Serum Ruststopper. This is done to prevent flash rust from forming as you are detailing all those rust prone parts
After proper decontamination with a generous Erasor wipedown we coated the plastic inner fenders and caliper with CarPro DLUX. On the other hand, we experimented using 303 fabric protectant on the fabric inner fenders as a means to repel some of the dirt and grime. Only time will tell if we were geniuses or just plain fools
The Coating of the Wheels Process:
The customer selected our highest Finest package which included using CQuartz Finest on the wheels as well. The results were stunning!
And that's it folks!!! After all this work the wheels were re-installed (BY HAND!) using the torque specs provided by Porsche, and the car was lowered back to the ground.
