This article is written by Jeff McEachran, National Brand Manager of GYEON USA and owner of Denver Auto Shield.

When it comes to protecting and maintaining the look of your car, it is very easy to get fixated on the paint. There are tons of products to increase gloss, provide water beading, and protect from harmful contaminant. All very important things. But when you stand back and look at a car, it is the little things, the details that really pull it all together. Sharp and finished wheels that pop. Deep healthy trim surrounding key accent areas of the car. Clear and clean glass. These are the things that really pull a detail together. Today I’d like to look at three coatings in the GYEON line designed directly for these surfaces: RIM, TRIM, and VIEW so you can round out your protection details perfectly.

GYEON RIM

Your wheels and tires are connected directly to the road and receive a ton of exposure to contaminant and debris. Pair this with harmful brake dust and the high heat that the brakes generate, and you have the perfect setup for slowly deteriorating your wheels finish over time.

GYEON RIM is designed specifically for wheels. And can be applied to all finishes. The key to a proper RIM installation is thorough prep and decontamination. We recommend several rounds of GYEON Iron and GYEON Tar to remove all embedded contaminant within the surface of the wheels finish. Once the wheel is properly cleaned, wipe down thoroughly with GYEON Prep. This will make sure all the lubricants and detergents from the decon process are removed, and the surface is ready for coating.

RIM is a very straightforward coating to apply. Remove the wheels if you can for the best visibility, especially if they are a complicated design. Have 3 high quality microfiber towels ready to remove excess material. Apply a thick layer of GYEON RIM to a quarter of the wheel at a time. I like using tape on the tires to mark my start and stop points. Once the coating has been evenly applied to the finish remove immediately with a high-quality microfiber like GYEON SoftWipe.

GYEON TRIM

Well finished trim and plastics just set a detail off. There is nothing worse than faded plastic around nicely finished paint. Protecting your trim and plastics from the start is hugely important to keeping them looking healthy long term, so that they can just be cleaned and maintained.

GYEON TRIM is designed specifically to absorb well into plastics, to enrich the color and keep them from fading over time. TRIM can also revive faded plastics and bring the color back to them.

The key to a proper TRIM coating application is a deep cleaning of the plastics. You just don’t know what heavy silicone-based product may have been applied at the dealer or by the previous owner. APC is a great tool here. Perform several cleanings of the trim and plastics to really ensure all previous product is removed. Use a soft to medium bristled brush to work the cleaners in to the plastics.

Once the decon stage is done, a wipe down with GYEON Prep is always advised to make sure all detergents from the previous step are removed and the coating can interact directly with the trim. Also make sure the trim is completely dry. Use forced air if you can.  Apply GYEON TRIM heavy and really make sure it absorbs well into the pores and textured finish of the plastic. Apply the coating in criss cross and circle patterns to make sure everything is well covered. Wipe off should be very easy as most of the product will penetrate into the plastic. I like a tight knit GYEON BaldWipe when working on trim as it moves over the plastics nicely.

GYEON VIEW

Clean and crisp glass is usually the final process and the cherry on top of most details. You want a clear reflection and to be able to easily see the interior elements without your eye catching dirt or spots. GYEON VIEW will make cleaning much easier, but as an added bonus it increases visibility hugely during poor weather driving conditions by repelling rain water.

As has been said many times in this article, cleaning and prepping the glass is a very important step. If your glass is several years old or heavily contaminated, then clay bar and polishing is probably a good idea.

VIEW is a two-part coating system consisting of Cleanse and Repel. The product to really focus on of the two is Cleanse. It is a light polish and will prep the glass well for Repel. But it is also a bonding agent that is hugely impactful on the durability of the hydrophobic effects of the coating. The key is to be generous with the Cleanse application and use more downward pressure during application than you would imagine. Work Cleanse into the glass in tight circles. And use enough downward pressure so that you hear the applicator “squeak” as you work it over the glass. This ensures that you are really packing the product into the glass and building up a solid base for Repel to adhere to. Once you have Cleanse applied to the whole glass panel, wipe off first with a wet towel and then come back with a second dry towel to remove any excess. For this I like GYEON Baldwipe.

Now it is time for Repel. Repel is a fluorine based product so you will not see it lay on the glass as a heavy layer. You want it to interact with Cleanse underneath to achieve the desired effect. Again, I like to work in circular motions to make sure I get an even layer and interact with all of the glass. Remove excess with a dry microfiber towel. Don’t forget to treat the windshield wipers with Repel as well, as this will keep them from jumping across the windshield when used.

And that is it! You’ve just focused on three highly important areas of the car’s exterior that are not the paint but will really contribute to the total visual experience of the car. These surfaces are now well protected, easy to clean, and will look great for years to come.