Wheel Coating in Portland, OR
A ceramic layer on the wheel faces and barrels so brake dust and road grime wipe off instead of baking into the finish.
Brake dust is metal shaving from the pads, and it comes off hot enough to etch into a wheel's clear coat if it sits there through a few heat cycles. Portland's hills and stop and go traffic downtown mean the brakes are working more than they would on flat highway driving, so the dust builds up fast, especially on the front wheels.
Most of that dust ends up baked onto the barrel, the inner part of the wheel that never gets touched during a regular wash because it is hard to reach. A wheel coating goes on both the face and the barrel, so instead of grime bonding to bare clear coat or paint, it sits on top of the coating where a wheel brush and hose can knock it loose.
Before any coating goes on, the wheels get decontaminated with an iron remover to pull out embedded brake dust particles and clayed to smooth the surface. Skipping that step means coating over contamination that will keep working its way through the finish underneath.
How a wheel coating job runs
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Decontaminate
An iron remover pulls embedded brake dust particles out of the wheel finish before coating.
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Clay the wheels
A clay pass smooths out any remaining bonded grime the iron remover did not fully lift.
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Coat the faces
Ceramic coating is applied to the visible face of each wheel and leveled by hand.
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Coat the barrels
The inner barrel gets coated too, since that is where the heaviest brake dust buildup happens.
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Cure before driving
Wheels sit in the studio to cure before the car goes back out and the brakes start working again.
Questions we get asked
Does this stop brake dust from sticking completely?
It does not stop brake dust from landing on the wheel, but it keeps it from bonding to the finish, so a rinse and a wheel brush pull it off instead of needing a stripping chemical.
Can this be done on painted or powder coated wheels?
Yes, the coating goes over most factory finishes as long as the surface is clean and properly decontaminated first.
How often does wheel coating need to be reapplied?
It holds up over repeated wash cycles better than an uncoated wheel, but heavy brake dust exposure and curb contact over time will wear it down faster than the coating on the body panels.
How long does a ceramic coating last?
We offer a 5 year and a 9 year ceramic coating package. How long yours actually lasts comes down to how the car is washed and looked after once the coating is on.
What does a ceramic coating do?
It bonds to your clear coat and adds a hard, water repelling layer. It protects against UV, dirt, road grime and water spots, it deepens the gloss, and it makes the car much easier to wash.