Keeping those alloy wheels shiny
Discussion
Hello all. I'm picking up my first Elise this Sat, a 2009 Elise SC and wondered what advice you knowledgable people have for keeping the alloys shiny (other than lots of soap & water...or getting the missus to clean them...!). What products do you use ?
And also a big thanks for all the great tips/advice on here...really helped me find the way to my chosen car.
And also a big thanks for all the great tips/advice on here...really helped me find the way to my chosen car.
It's a good job you asked for advice otherwise you would have been all kinds of trouble. lotus alloys have a special coating that requires special care. You need to use water that is no more than 32 degrees centigrade (I check my water every ten seconds using one of those prongs that use for beef when cooking. The cleaning fluid you add to the water is available off the Lotus website but they always seem to be running out so it's a good idea to stock up when it's available.
Get a donkey sponge from Halfrauds for washing _ a bit softer on the wheels to prevent scratching. Cannot what they retail at but priceless in car terms.
Finally, you can save your self a lot of time if ask the garage where you are buying the car from if they can get the new armour fend package for wheels _ 30 quid a wheel but once on your worries are over and you can pretty much a scourer on them without damaging your p and j.
edited for awful spelling.
Get a donkey sponge from Halfrauds for washing _ a bit softer on the wheels to prevent scratching. Cannot what they retail at but priceless in car terms.
Finally, you can save your self a lot of time if ask the garage where you are buying the car from if they can get the new armour fend package for wheels _ 30 quid a wheel but once on your worries are over and you can pretty much a scourer on them without damaging your p and j.
edited for awful spelling.
i've owned three elises, so i would like to think i know what i am talking about.
no disrespect to the sage words from the first response, but i could save you a whole load of cash and bother on this subject.
basically, it's as simple as this.... take a pee over your alloys, leave for about 10 minutes (any longer and they get a bit stinky) aggitate a little and then rinse off. the benefit is that the acid in your wee will gently clean the brake dust etc from the alloys whilst not damaging the alloy coatings. the temperature will also be about right at 36.5 degs. the product is entirely natural and organic, and most importantly, it's free!
glad i could be of assistance.
no disrespect to the sage words from the first response, but i could save you a whole load of cash and bother on this subject.
basically, it's as simple as this.... take a pee over your alloys, leave for about 10 minutes (any longer and they get a bit stinky) aggitate a little and then rinse off. the benefit is that the acid in your wee will gently clean the brake dust etc from the alloys whilst not damaging the alloy coatings. the temperature will also be about right at 36.5 degs. the product is entirely natural and organic, and most importantly, it's free!
glad i could be of assistance.
S Works said:
Paul_M3 said:
Get the wheels off the car and give them a proper clean using whatever products you wish.
Then give them 2 or 3 coats of "Poorboys wheel sealant".
This will protect them, and make future cleaning much easier.
^^ This ^^Then give them 2 or 3 coats of "Poorboys wheel sealant".
This will protect them, and make future cleaning much easier.
Nothing special about the wheel finish, just clean them as per normal 
village idiot said:
i've owned three elises, so i would like to think i know what i am talking about.
no disrespect to the sage words from the first response, but i could save you a whole load of cash and bother on this subject.
basically, it's as simple as this.... take a pee over your alloys, leave for about 10 minutes (any longer and they get a bit stinky) aggitate a little and then rinse off. the benefit is that the acid in your wee will gently clean the brake dust etc from the alloys whilst not damaging the alloy coatings. the temperature will also be about right at 36.5 degs. the product is entirely natural and organic, and most importantly, it's free!
glad i could be of assistance.
Its also worth mentioning that despite an unending supply of 'cleaner' it can come in quite small doses which may not be enough for 4 wheels. If you have a dog or can borrow one this will save you a lot of hassle. Also it will mean that you won't be driving around with 2 clean wheels and 2 dirty ones (aleternating each time you clean them obviously). HTH.no disrespect to the sage words from the first response, but i could save you a whole load of cash and bother on this subject.
basically, it's as simple as this.... take a pee over your alloys, leave for about 10 minutes (any longer and they get a bit stinky) aggitate a little and then rinse off. the benefit is that the acid in your wee will gently clean the brake dust etc from the alloys whilst not damaging the alloy coatings. the temperature will also be about right at 36.5 degs. the product is entirely natural and organic, and most importantly, it's free!
glad i could be of assistance.
village idiot said:
i've owned three elises, so i would like to think i know what i am talking about.
no disrespect to the sage words from the first response, but i could save you a whole load of cash and bother on this subject.
basically, it's as simple as this.... take a pee over your alloys, leave for about 10 minutes (any longer and they get a bit stinky) aggitate a little and then rinse off. the benefit is that the acid in your wee will gently clean the brake dust etc from the alloys whilst not damaging the alloy coatings. the temperature will also be about right at 36.5 degs. the product is entirely natural and organic, and most importantly, it's free!
glad i could be of assistance.
Now you're taking the piss!no disrespect to the sage words from the first response, but i could save you a whole load of cash and bother on this subject.
basically, it's as simple as this.... take a pee over your alloys, leave for about 10 minutes (any longer and they get a bit stinky) aggitate a little and then rinse off. the benefit is that the acid in your wee will gently clean the brake dust etc from the alloys whilst not damaging the alloy coatings. the temperature will also be about right at 36.5 degs. the product is entirely natural and organic, and most importantly, it's free!
glad i could be of assistance.
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