[skyline408]

I purchased a spare set of 826M Bi-color wheels for my G80 M3, and since they were already off the car, I decided to DIY ceramic coat to see if it actually helps with brake dust cleaning. It was a somewhat time intensive job - mainly prep work.

- Wash and dry wheel
- Clay bar entire wheel including barrel and every spoke blade
- Wash again with degreaser
- Wipe entire wheel with iso alcohol
- Repeat again with more iso alcohol
- Apply first coat of Gtechniq G5 wheel armor (I did the barrel first, then every nook and cranny of the wheel)
- Wipe off
- Apply second coat of ceramic
- Wipe off

The whole process took me about 5 hours total over 2 days. Since I have another set of wheel that is not coated, I can A/B test to see if the coated wheel is indeed more brake dust repellent or makes cleaning easier.

Will update here!

[ultrared93]

Really interested in your results and observations of coated vs. uncoated. Like you said a tremendous amount of prep is needed - and on those wheels
I did similar prep on my 791M wheels when the car was only a few months old. However I used a spray sealant and did not coat with a full ceramic (glass bottle type). I can't say the effort was worth it. Hence very interested in your comparison.

[Game]

I plan on being in your exact position shortly. Have a set of 826m wheels waiting in the garage for prep and coating.

Must say though, although I'm sure it helps, I haven't seen anyone clay bar their wheels.

[skyline408]

Originally Posted by Game

I plan on being in your exact position shortly. Have a set of 826m wheels waiting in the garage for prep and coating.

Must say though, although I'm sure it helps, I haven't seen anyone clay bar their wheels.

The wheels are used (barely) but the barrel had a lot of contamination you can feel even after washing/decon. The only way to get the ceramic coat to stick properly is to get the wheel as clean and smooth as possible. Once I clay bar'd the barrel, it's as smooth as car paint.

[skyline408]

mounted my wheels and drove for 50-miles mainly on city streets with a lot of stop and go traffic. The old wheels would have been a dusty mess by now, but the coated wheels look decent. I hit them up with some compressed air and a bunch of brake dust cleaned up.

[black_beast]

Following

[Frank_Zuccarini]

I have DIY ceramic coated a number of my vehicles, with very good success. If I was to coat only ONE portion of my vehicle, it would be the wheels. The biggest return on investment (money, time, labour) is on the wheels, which are HUGELY easier to clean once ceramic coated.

Just one man's opinion....................... Frank

[skyline408]

I drove another 50-miles in the rain today in city traffic and some freeway mixed in.

Here are the wheels as they sit. I know on my old wheels after 100-miles of driving they would've been an ugly brown.

The coating seems to do a good job repelling the dust.

[skyline408]

The coating has been working good. The wheels have stayed cleaner longer, however I can't just use high pressure water to clean them. I'll still need some sort of wheel cleaner and minor scrubbing.

I liked how they turned out so much, I decided to coat my other wheels too.