Reference Shine Wheel Polishing Kit

My Personal Reference Shine Wheel Polishing System.

Somewhere in the male DNA there's a "wheel" gene. It's the part of a guy's genetic structure that compels us to buy a brand new vehicle and then spend hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars to "upgrade" the wheels.

Unfortunately, most aftermarket wheels do not come with instructions for proper care and using the wrong cleaner or polish can harm the wheel's finish. I learned this lesson the hard way as a young man. Having saved for months to buy a set of new "mag" wheels, I etched the finish the very first time I cleaned them. Ever since, I've been obsessive about cleaning my car's wheels, often taking more time to clean and polish the wheels than I spend on detailing the rest of the car. Fortunately, Mothers has come to the rescue with their new PowerBall. Now, using my cordless drill, I've cut my wheel cleaning and polishing time down to minutes-per-wheel.

The following instructions are available for download in PDF format.

Here are the products I use to make my car's wheels sizzle. There are three different kits to choose from depending on the type of wheels you have.

    CLRWHEEL-KIT:    For painted and/or clear coated wheels
    CHRWHEEL-KIT:    For chrome plated wheels without a clear coat
    ALUMWHEEL-KIT: For billet aluminum wheels without a clear coat

Here's what you get:

CLRWHEEL-KIT, my reference clean, polish & shine kit for painted wheels with or without a clear coat contains:

16 oz. Menzerna Gel 7.5 Tire & Wheel Cleaner
8 oz. Mothers Plastic Polish
A Microfiber Applicator Pad for applying the polish
Mothers PowerBall
16 oz. Foam Pad Lubricant
A Microfiber Buffing Cloth
8 oz. Wheel Wax
Wheel Wax Applicator Pad
Wheel Wax, Microfiber Buffing Cloth

Reference Shine Wheel Polishing Kit

Note:This kit contains a plastic polish instead of a paint polish because the clear coat used on wheels is different from the clear coat used on your car's paint. Wheel clear coats are a softer, acrylic urethane formula designed to resist stone chips. Polishing with a conventional polish could haze the wheel's finish. Mothers Plastic Polish is an acrylic urethane formula ideally suited to polishing these softer, acrylic, clear coats.

CHRWHEEL-KIT, my reference clean, polish & shine kit for chrome plated wheels without a clear coat contains:

16 oz. Menzerna Gel 7.5 Tire & Wheel Cleaner
8 oz. Mothers Chrome Polish
A Microfiber Applicator Pad for applying the polish
Mothers PowerBall
16 oz. Foam Pad Lubricant
A Microfiber Buffing Cloth
8 oz. Wheel Wax
Wheel Wax Applicator Pad
Wheel Wax, Microfiber Buffing Cloth

Reference Shine Wheel Polishing Kit

Note: Yes, I'm aware that Mothers does not recommend using any "wax" on top of their chrome polish but if your car is a real world, daily driver and not a garage queen, show car, Wheel Wax keeps the wheel shinier, longer and makes future cleaning easier.

ALUMWHEEL-KIT, my reference clean, polish & shine kit for billet aluminum wheels without a clear coat contains:

16 oz. Menzerna Gel 7.5 Tire & Wheel Cleaner
8 oz. Mothers PowerMetal Polish
A Microfiber Applicator Pad for applying the polish
Mothers PowerBall
16 oz. Foam Pad Lubricant
A Microfiber Buffing Cloth
8 oz. Wheel Wax
Wheel Wax Applicator Pad
Wheel Wax, Microfiber Buffing Cloth

Reference Shine Wheel Polishing Kit

Please Note: All three of these kits require a cordless or electric drill, not included in the kit.

Regardless of which kit you select, the application is the same:

Wash and dry the wheel. Spray the wheel with water, spray wheel with Menzerna Gel 7.5 Tire & Wheel Cleaner, agitate brake dust with a brush or sponge, rinse and dry with a Terry or Microfiber Drying Towel.
Apply polish to Microfiber Applicator Pad and wipe a film of polish over the wheel.
Put the PowerBall on your cordless or electric drill and put an "X" of polish on the top of the ball. Do not apply too much polish on the ball as it will increase splatter when you turn the drill on.
If using a cordless drill, set speed to highest setting. If using an electric drill, set speed to lowest setting.
Mist the top of the ball just once with Foam Pad Lubricant. Don't worry about the polish you applied on the wheel in Step 2 having dried. The Foam Pad Lubricant will reactivate the polish on the wheel.
Press pad on the wheel lightly and turn the drill on. Go over all areas of the wheel until the polish starts to dry. Buff off residues by hand using the Microfiber Buffing Cloth and inspect the wheel. If you feel the shine can be improved, repeat steps 2, 3 and 6 (additional lubricant is typically not needed once the pad has been used.) After polishing, buff off residues using the Microfiber Buffing Cloth.
Using the Wheel Wax Applicator Pad, apply a light film of Wheel Wax on the wheel.
Wheel Wax will dry to a light film. Buff the wheel to a bright shine using the Wheel Wax Microfiber Buffing Cloth.

Clean Up: Wash PowerBall in a bucket of soapy water, rinse, squeeze out excess water and allow to air dry. Machine wash Microfiber cloths and applicators by themself using warm water, a mild detergent (or Micro-Restore Microfiber Cleaner) in a gentle wash cycle. Do not wash with cotton towels. Microfiber will collect lint in the wash water which can result in a lint trail when next used. Do not use bleach or fabric softeners. Machine dry at air temperature (no heat) or allow to air dry.


Clean and dry wheels.	Apply a coating of polish.

Put an "X" of polish on the PowerBall.	Mist once with Foam Pad Lubricant.

Polish with the PowerBall.	Buff off residues.

Wipe on a coat of Wheel Wax.	Hand buff to a brilliant shine.
Future Wheel Cleaning: Wheels treated with Wheel Wax will clean up with just car wash shampoo and water. Using a wheel cleaner is not required and will remove the wheel wax defeating its purpose. I find Wheel Wax lasts about 8 weeks on my Mercedes. When the wheel no longer easily cleans up with just soap and water, I know it's time to start over with step 1 above.