Spent some time today with the wheel off the Saab as I wanted to paint the hub and calipers. While I was at it I took the opportunity to try steam cleaning the wheel and arch, to see how it did...
I decided last year that i wanted to eliminate as many chemicals as possible from my detailing routine, and develop the most eco-friendly techniques I could, so with some advice from Yvan and Jim here, I took the plunge and bought a steamer the other week. A few test sessions went well but now was the real test - could I completely clean a dirty wheel and arch with NO chemicals, especially tar removal and tough dirt etc?
1. Steam Cleaning Wheels
These wheels have never been off the car in almost 2 years and about 23k of miles, but being quite an open design they are pretty easy to clean completely and protect. These wheels had a full detail at the start of winter, with a couple of layers of FK1000 for protection, and have been cleaned reasonably frequently since with shampoo, ONR etc. They are not horrendous but wearing a winter of grime, tar and general muck...
Before
During
The steamer produces a pressurised stream of steam that lifts and emulsifies the dirt, making it simply wipe off with a MF. I worked about 25% of the wheel at a time, running the nozzle around the area for about 10 seconds and immediately wiping off the emulsified dirt with a cloth :thumb:
50/50
After
the final result was superb :thumb: Very clean wheel, with only the worst tar spots, old glue residue and a few bonded contaminants left. The steam removed minor tar spots and with a bit of elbow grease some pretty bad marks. Only the glue from an old wheel weight needed any extra attention (visible in the shots below at the top of the wheel), so a dab of Tardis and a flexible scraper was needed on that 1 spot only. The rest of the rim was clayed to remove the bonded bits and it left a super clean finish
As you can see in the pics, there was ZERO run-off from the entire process, with no water or grime hitting the floor. This could easily be done in a garage or anywhere else where there isnt the luxury of safe chemical disposal. It didnt use any chemical, there was no need for agitation or soaking, and no rinsing needed
It left a perfect finish for a layer of Prime Strong and 3 x FK1000 for max protection :thumb:
2. Steam Cleaning Arches
I also decided to clean the arches while I was at it. I wasnt going to initially, as i had painted both the hub and caliper a little earlier and neiter were 100% dry yet, but decided with the lack of run-off and no rinsing needed it would probably work....I hoped.
The arches are NOT regularly cleaned on this car, as I hate doing it, and since switching exclusively to ONR, they havent even had the usual regular blast out with a PW. Considering all that they werent in a terrible state, but far from clean
Before
During
Same technique as the wheels, with small sections steamed and wiped with an old MF..
I actually went over most of it a 2nd time, as it needed a little extra to get them really clean and I missed a few bits the first time due to the cloud of steam developed under the arch itself - the learning process I guess
The entire thing took probably 3-4 mins maximum though and only needed 1 cloth
After
They then had a wipe over with AG Bumper care, as it was all I had available at the time, and the final finish looked like this...
I have to admit to being surprised what a difference it made, and how fast and easily it worked. I hate cleaning arches, but this was superb for 3 reasons:
1. NO spray and splash all over me while I did it
2. Very fast, easy and effective - and I only have a small domestic Vax steamer
3. Only a few drips hit the ground and the cloth covering the freshly painted caliper underneath, and with a little more care and attention those could easily have been avoided :thumb:
My Conclusion
Steam is very effective as well as speedy and clean. I used perhaps 300ml of water for this wheel and arch and a few other bits I did while it was fired up, needed no chemical except for some tough old wheel glue removal (and next time I have a better way to attempt that) and there was no run-off or rinsing etc needed. This was my first attempt, so it should get even quicker, but I reckon you could do 2 wheels with 1 MF, and I could clean 2 arches in this condition with 1 MF, which includes drying. Not bad considering I use that pretty much to dry after a wet wash anyway :thumb:
A very worthwhile session for me, in terms of results and learning, and the first step on getting the most from my steamer.
Steam Cleaning Wheels & Arches...
Linear Mode
