22ple continues to raise the bar with their products with the introduction of VM1 Extreme Rim and Metal Coating. They have reformulated and refined the previous version of VM1 for enhanced durability, chemical resistance and gloss. Wheels are exposed to some of the harshest elements of any part on the exterior of your vehicle. Unlike traditional sealants, VM1 Extreme offers durability of 3-5 years depending on how many layers you apply to the wheel. The coating is formulated to withstand temperatures of nearly 700 degrees from exposure to heat generated during braking. Without proper protection it does not take long for the finish on a set of wheels to begin to fail.
For this example, I am coating the face of one of the wheels on my 3 series BMW. BMW’s are known for generating a fair amount of brake dust, resulting in wheels that look dirty rather quickly. Brake dust can also be very corrosive to the coating on your wheels.
Typically, I would pull the wheel off and do the face and barrel when doing wheel coatings, however in this example I am only going to be doing the face. Application is fairly straight forward, like any other wheel coating you may have previously used. You will want to thoroughly clean and decontaminate the surface your placing the coating on.
I sprayed the wheel down with some Meguiar’s Wheel Brighter and agitated with a wheel brush for the initial cleaning. As mentioned earlier I am only going to be coating the face on these wheels so I did not clean into the barrels on the wheels. It should be noted that you do want to get the wheel as clean as possible before applying the coating.
I followed up the washing process with a quick pass of Meguiar’s M205 to further clean up the surface. The wheel was then sprayed with Eraser for a final wipe down before the coating installation, you could also use an IPA for the wipe down if you do not have Eraser. Typically, it would be a good idea to use a product like Iron-X on the wheel to remove any brakes dust or iron deposits on the surface of the wheel.
At this point you have a nice clean surface to being the installation. I typically like to airbrush wheel coatings, but due to the higher cost of this product I will hand apply the product as there is far less product wasted when applied by hand. You will want to be certain the surface is cool and completely dry before beginning application of the coating.
Here are the applications that are recommended by 22ple and posted on Detailed Image.
22ple Application Instructions:
- Ensure the surface is cleaned & polished.
- Remove all oil/polishes on the surface by doing an IPA (Isopropyl Alcohol) wipe down. Use a mixture of 50% Isopropyl Alcohol with 50% distilled water.
- Please make sure the surfaces are cool and TOTALLY dry before applying the glass coat.
- Pour a small amount of glass coat liquid onto the 22ple Glass Coat Applicator (Double Sided) and apply to the metal surface. Do not over-apply as it does not give you additional benefit, but it might make it difficult to remove.
- Allow approximately 6~10 minutes of dwell time (at 25 degrees C / 77 degrees F) or slightly longer in colder (below 20 degrees C / 68 degrees F) ambient temperature. Lightly buff off all coating residue with a clean microfiber towel.
- Allow approx. 4~6 hours for the coating to settle, reapply a second layer as necessary.
- It is highly recommended to cure the coated surface under infrared curing lamp.
- If you choose to cure the glass coat with the aid of infra-red curing lamp. You may use the following settings as a guideline: Set temperature at 65 degrees C / 150 degrees F, cure for between 6 to 8 minutes at a distance of 2 feet
Durability: 3~5 Years
Recommended: 2~3 Layers, Applied 4~6 hours apart
For application of the product you can use a 22ple double side applicator or a 4″ x 4″ Carpro Suede Applicator like I used during this application, as I have many of them laying around. You want to apply the product on the entire wheel taking care to apply the product evenly over the surface. As shown in the picture below you will want to run a solid line of coating across the applicator to begin applying the coating.
After being allowed to sit for roughly 5 minutes or slightly longer if applied in cooler temps, you will want to take a clean microfiber clothe and lightly buff off any high spots or remaining coating residue. It is recommended to allow the coating to cure for minimum of 4-6 hours, although 22ple highly recommends that you cure the coating with an IR curing lamp at a temp of 150ºF for 6-8 minutes. At this point you can apply additional coating for enhanced durability. 22ple is claiming 3-5 years of durability with 2-3 coats applied to the surface.
If you are tired of spending a good amount of time trying to clean your wheels, a wheel coating is the perfect option for you. Wheel cleaning has never been so quick and simple!