997 gts centrelocks

[joinery80]

Anyone know the best product to clean the centre nuts mine are a bit faded and look a bit tatty compared to the immaculate wheels

[Podro]

Unfortunately, if the damage is done there isn't a great deal you can do. Like mine, someone prior to you will have used an acidic cleaner. You must ensure your wheel cleaner is Ph neutral to avoid the spotting on the wheel and nut. It might be an excuse to change the standard nuts for some nice all red ones though

[joinery80]

Cheers Podro.
I love the red ones but They are expensive 600 quid ish ouch

[chrisABP]

Once heard a suggestion that they come up well using olive oil (!) to clean them. Never had any need to try but let us know if it works....

Chris

[Hugo911]

I recall Indy dealer said that he was going to soak the nuts in acid for 24 hours as part of delivery prep. Is that not recommended?

Mine were like new on delivery and never had any issues in 2 years' ownership.

[NBTBRV8]

I had red, but they fade. There is not much you can do about cleaning them up in general, because if you recoat them you lose the inscription colour.

[Big E 118]

When I bought my car the centre locks were in a sorry state, obviously cleaned with acid. I tried the olive oil and other cleaners/sealants but they still looked pretty poor.

A month or so back I was going to order some new red ones (at £760!) but my mechanic suggested getting them re-anodised as he knew a place nearby. For £180 (I think) we decided to give it a try and if they looked rubbish then I'd just buy a new set. Anyway they came up pretty well. The thing I was concerned about was losing the text on the nut.

Anyway they came up quite well, certainly not as good as new but without close inspection you'd never know. Since I've had them done I haven't driven the car more than 20 miles so I can't vouch for the durability.

I've only got one photo which is a bit poor, they are actually the quite deep red of the OEM locks but look a bit washed out in the photo.

[Podro]

Big E 118 said:

They look great - champagne gold wheels as well? If so, that's a nice combo...

I can't vouch for the quality of the anodising, but I know from when I used to have various motocross parts anodised it would eventually peel off. Obviously, that's quite a harsh environment and a centrelock may fair better, but whatever you do I can't emphasise enough to use a Ph neutral wheel cleaner. Some of them on the market are like paint stripper

[Geoff997]

Much cheaper at Carnwal 490euros/set
http://www.carnewal.com/products/P97/p97114/Red-Ce...

[Big E 118]

Podro said:

They look great - champagne gold wheels as well? If so, that's a nice combo...

I can't vouch for the quality of the anodising, but I know from when I used to have various motocross parts anodised it would eventually peel off. Obviously, that's quite a harsh environment and a centrelock may fair better, but whatever you do I can't emphasise enough to use a Ph neutral wheel cleaner. Some of them on the market are like paint stripper

The wheels are a bronze colour rather that champagne, I've had the decals made to match. The inspiration was from RS's with champagne gold wheels though.

The OEM centrelocks are anodised, hence why they do wear fairly easily. I'll update this thread with how they look after a couple of track days!

Yes, I've found Bilt Hamber Auto Wheel to be an excellent remover of brake dust while being PH neutral, especially once the wheels have been sealed with a ceramic coating.

[Podro]

Big E 118 said:

The wheels are a bronze colour rather that champagne, I've had the decals made to match. The inspiration was from RS's with champagne gold wheels though.

Good choice Exactly the combo I had in mind for my next GTS, possibly with a black car which I think would look amazing...

[rbh]

Resurrecting the topic, is there any way of protecting the centre locks assuming one has to use a car wash ?

[dtmpower]

rbh said:

Resurrecting the topic, is there any way of protecting the centre locks assuming one has to use a car wash ?

spray them with ACF-50 ?

[Big E 118]

rbh said:

Resurrecting the topic, is there any way of protecting the centre locks assuming one has to use a car wash ?

Gtechniq C5 wheel armour will protect as much as any sealant would. My local hand car wash use ph neutral cleaner, ask your local place what they use. It's the very acidic stuff that some dealers used to/tend to use to make wheels look like new that is really bad.

Whenever I get my car serviced I always decline the complimentary clean!

[rbh]

John have you used ACF-50, the blurb indicates that it could well be perfect (http://www.acf-50.co.uk/automotive.htm). Does anyone else have any experience or a view?

Rob

Edited by rbh on Saturday 14th January 11:44

[Cheib]

Big E 118 said:

rbh said:

Resurrecting the topic, is there any way of protecting the centre locks assuming one has to use a car wash ?

Gtechniq C5 wheel armour will protect as much as any sealant would. My local hand car wash use ph neutral cleaner, ask your local place what they use. It's the very acidic stuff that some dealers used to/tend to use to make wheels look like new that is really bad.

Whenever I get my car serviced I always decline the complimentary clean!

I doubt C5 would protect if they use the very acidic cleaner would it? You should also avoid those are washes if your wheels are diamond cut....it lifts the lacquer.

[Big E 118]

Cheib said:

I doubt C5 would protect if they use the very acidic cleaner would it? You should also avoid those are washes if your wheels are diamond cut....it lifts the lacquer.

Sorry that's not what I meant. C5 will not protect against strongly acidic wheel cleaner but will protect against general day to day contaminants and help preserve the finish.