Wheel protection
Rim & Wheel Coating Penang
A high-temperature ceramic coating on the face and barrel of all four wheels. Brake dust stops bonding to the finish, and cleaning your rims goes from a scrubbing job to a rinse.
Wheels take more chemical and thermal abuse than any painted surface on the car, and they get the least attention.
Brake pads shed iron particles at high temperature. Those particles land on a rim that may itself be at 100–200°C after a hard stop, and they bond into the finish rather than sitting on it. Then they oxidise. That is why brake dust cannot be rinsed off after a few weeks and needs an acidic wheel cleaner and a stiff brush — which slowly strips the rim's lacquer and starts a cycle of accelerating damage.
What a high-temperature coating changes
The coating we use is formulated for sustained heat, unlike standard paint coatings which degrade at wheel temperatures. It creates a slick, non-porous surface that hot iron particles cannot embed into. They sit on top and rinse off with plain water and a pH-neutral shampoo.
The practical effect: cleaning four wheels drops from twenty minutes with brushes and acid to about three minutes with a hose. And because you stop using aggressive wheel acid, the rim's lacquer survives.
The barrel is the part that matters
Most workshops coat the visible face of the wheel and stop. The barrel — the inner surface you only see through the spokes — is where brake dust accumulates most heavily, and it is the hardest area to clean by hand.
Coating the barrel properly means removing the wheel from the car. That takes time, which is why it is often skipped or quietly charged as an upgrade. We remove all four as standard on our full package. If a quote elsewhere seems low, ask whether the wheels come off.
Related services
Scope of work
What's included
Wheels removed from vehicle
All four off. There is no way to properly decontaminate and coat a barrel with the wheel on the car.
Deep decontamination
pH-neutral wheel cleaner, iron fallout remover on face and barrel, then tar removal from the inner lip where it accumulates.
Clay treatment
Bonded contamination lifted from face, spokes and barrel with clay and lubricant.
Light machine polish (if required)
On lacquered alloys with light oxidation or swirls, a gentle polish restores clarity before coating. Assessed per wheel.
Full degrease and panel wipe
Every trace of wheel cleaner, polish and residue removed so the coating bonds to the finish itself.
High-temperature ceramic coating
Applied to face, spokes, barrel and inner lip in two layers, formulated to withstand sustained brake heat.
Brake caliper coating (optional)
Calipers cleaned and coated with a high-temperature product. Available in clear or a colour change.
Tyre dressing and refit
Wheels refitted, torqued to manufacturer specification with a calibrated wrench, and tyres dressed with a satin finish.
Answers
Rim & Wheel Coating — questions we get asked
Is rim coating worth it?
It is the highest-satisfaction, lowest-cost item we sell, purely on time saved. Wheels are the dirtiest part of a car and the most tedious to clean. Coating them turns a twenty-minute brush job into a three-minute rinse, every single wash, for two to three years.
It also prevents the slow destruction of your rim finish from repeated acid wheel cleaner use, which is what leads to pitted, dull alloys on older cars.
How long does wheel coating last?
Two to three years on the face, and slightly less on the barrel where heat exposure is highest. It is bundled with our ceramic and graphene packages, and the wheels are inspected at your annual coating check along with the paint.
Can you coat painted, polished or chrome wheels?
Painted and lacquered alloys, yes — the most common case. Polished lips and chrome, yes, though preparation differs and polished aluminium needs more careful decontamination. Raw unfinished aluminium, no — it oxidises continuously and a coating will not adhere reliably.
Do you coat brake calipers as well?
Yes, as an option. Calipers are cleaned, degreased and coated with a high-temperature product that stops brake dust bonding and prevents surface rust on cast iron. We also do caliper colour changes if you want them painted, though that is a separate quote and requires longer cure time.
Can I add rim coating to a paint coating job?
Yes, and it is cheaper as an add-on than booked separately, because decontamination is already happening. Our Ceramic Protect package includes wheel face coating; Graphene Elite includes face, barrel and calipers.
Book rim & wheel coating in Penang
Send photos on WhatsApp for a same-day quote. Inspection at the workshop is free and takes about 30 minutes.