Maintaining 19inch Diamond Cut Wheels

[Shminkypinky]

After some advice and interested to hear how people are keeping their standard cupra 19inch diamond cut with black infill alloy wheels clean.
I clean mine weekly but they never seem to look clean for long.
The black coating is almost rubber like and seems to mark very easy. I find it does not take to conventional polishing.
I have noticed there is a small amount of etching starting in a few corners where the spokes meet the outer rim.
Just interested to hear everyone opinions and processes for keeping clean and the products they use.
I have been using Autoglym Custom Wheel cleaner and sealing with Poorboys wheel sealant.
I can see me swapping these wheels out for some powder coated ones tbh.
The wheels are the std ones on a 2019 Cupra.

 

[SRGTD]

Not a Cupra, but my VW has diamond cut alloys. How do I keep them clean? I took them off the car, put them in a set of wheel bags and stored them on a ‘wheel tree‘ with a cover over the lot - that keeps them clean . They’ll stay that way until I decide to sell my car, when they’ll be put back on.

In the past, I’ve found the black sections on diamond cut alloys are quite ‘soft’ and prone to scratches and swirls, however careful you happen to be when cleaning them. I find with any wheels - whatever the finish - a couple of layers of a wax or sealant with good durability applied every 3-4 months or a product such Gtechniq C5, followed by regular cleaning (every 10 days or so) avoids the need to use dedicated wheel cleaning products. I find a good quality ph neutral car shampoo wash mix and washing with a lambs wool or micro fibre mitt is all that’s needed. Be aware that some wheel cleaning products can be quite harsh and some are acid based and in my opinion are a definite no-no for use on diamond cut alloys as they can degrade the lacquered surface; if that happens, the machined face of the wheels is likely to take on a cloudy, dull appearance.

I‘ve got a set of powder coated alloys on my car now because IMHO they’re much better suited to all road and weather conditions on a car that’s used as a daily driver in the UK because powder coating is a much more durable finish than diamond cut. Powder coated alloys are also cheaper to refurbish if you’re unfortunate enough to scrape them.

 

[Shminkypinky]

Not a Cupra, but my VW has diamond cut alloys. How do I keep them clean? I took them off the car, put them in a set of wheel bags and stored them on a ‘wheel tree‘ with a cover over the lot - that keeps them clean . They’ll stay that way until I decide to sell my car, when they’ll be put back on.

In the past, I’ve found the black sections on diamond cut alloys are quite ‘soft’ and prone to scratches and swirls, however careful you happen to be when cleaning them. I find with any wheels - whatever the finish - a couple of layers of a wax or sealant with good durability applied every 3-4 months or a product such Gtechniq C5, followed by regular cleaning (every 10 days or so) avoids the need to use dedicated wheel cleaning products. I find a good quality ph neutral car shampoo wash mix and washing with a lambs wool or micro fibre mitt is all that’s needed. Be aware that some wheel cleaning products can be quite harsh and some are acid based and in my opinion are a definite no-no for use on diamond cut alloys as they can degrade the lacquered surface; if that happens, the machined face of the wheels is likely to take on a cloudy, dull appearance.

I‘ve got a set of powder coated alloys on my car now because IMHO they’re much better suited to all road and weather conditions on a car that’s used as a daily driver in the UK because powder coating is a much more durable finish than diamond cut. Powder coated alloys are also cheaper to refurbish if you’re unfortunate enough to scrape them.

I am considering doing exactly this and taking them off to store and running a powder coated set. The weather and the roads in this country are terrible and not good for diamond cut wheels.

 

[Fishbowlhead]

First night i drove my Cupra home i curbed them badly as someone pulled out on my home road and the curb is wonkey all the way down, then same situation a week later. Will get them refurbished if i ever sell the car, they look fantastic but are a nightmare to keep pristine.

 

[black_sheep]

I had them professionally ceramic coated when new and cleaned weekly with a ph neutral cleaner.

After a few weeks the brake dust started to burn though the lacquer/ceramic coating.

I then had two wheels corrode and the lacquer start to peel whilst stored in the garage during the winter - wheels were undamaged.

Just got them powder coated gloss black and ceramic coated them myself.

I purchase some foam cone and ball attachments that can be fitted to a cordless drill. Clean as much as possible, then fine cutting compound and soft foam cone is normally good enough to get them clean again.