What do you guys use to clean wheels?

[BMW335i]

What types of things do you guys use to clean wheels? Do you use brushes? If so what kind? Or is it better to use mitts to clean the wheels? Is the finish on wheels as delicate as the paints finish? Is a WW towel sufficient enough to dry them when clean?

[fdizzle]

if your goinf to use a mit, which will work fine, dedicate that mitt for wheels, and use a seperate bucket with soap. not the same one for your paint.



i typically use my remaining car wash soap to wash the wheels. i use an oxo brand tire brush to clean the tires, but for tires typically you will need a more intense cleaner, like simple green or megs all purpose cleaner. i also have an oxo brand wheel brush to use on larger, dirtier rims.



i personally dont use "spefcific" wheel cleaners. i figure my soap or simple green works perfectly fine, and i have too many products as it is. some of those wheel cleaners can damage the finish on your rim if the directions are not followed or from the chemicals inside if used on the wrong type of surface



always throughly clean your brushes, mitts after a wheel cleaning, to help keep them debri and brake dust free!

[Accumulator]

I do the initial cleaning with made-for-wheels BHBs. Then I use smaller BHBs to go around the lugs and tight spots. I use swabs as needed for really tight areas (e.g., recessed valvestems). I use either a Quickie Sponge Mop or an EZ-Detail brush (not for my most delicate wheels) to do most of the back sides and then I use swabs or a three-finger sponge to get whatever areas I missed. On some wheels where there isn`t much room I wrap a MF around a stick and use that.



I usually clean them with slightly stronger-than-normal shampoo mix (wheel cleaners would strip their wax/sealant) and after seeing the damage that Simple Green has done I`d never let it anywhere near my wheels.



Most of today`s wheels are clearcoated and the clear is usually both thicker and tougher than the regular clear on the car. But on the Jag`s and S8`s wheels I still use the foamgun when cleaning the outer surfaces as an added insurance against marring.

[JohnZ3MC]

What types of things do you guys use to clean wheels? Do you use brushes? If so what kind? Or is it better to use mitts to clean the wheels? Is the finish on wheels as delicate as the paints finish? Is a WW towel sufficient enough to dry them when clean?

Cleaner - car shampoo first, then Eagle 1 A to Z if the crud remains.



Brush - approx. 2 inch bristle paint brush, angle cut (called a sash brush), duct tape wrapped around metal ferrule. With the handle, it gets through the spokes to clean the calipers. It does great work for little places, thin places, and corners too.



Finish - what Accumulator said.



Dry - your ww towel is fine. My leaf blower is fine. A brisk drive at 200 mph is really fine.

-John C.

[Glossmaster]

Accumulator:



I need your help with some info on your Simple Green problems. I bought an `06 300C in late September & have used Simple Green to clean my tires & chrome rims twice. ( shampoo the rest of the times ) What types of damage has the Simple Green caused? I respect your opinions & need to know so I can stop using it on my "C". Thanks!! Feel free to PM if you`d like.



Rob

[fitzski]

For routine cleaning, I give a quick rinse with the hose, a quick brush over the whole wheel (tire + rim) with a soft long-bristle brush and soapy water to remove the majority of dirt, then get into the nooks and crannies with a dedicated wash mitt.



Once in a while I`ll go over the rims with a "retired" clay bar. Works really well for removing stubborn debris. I also use P21S wheel cleaner (I have the gel stuff), which does a really good job for removing any oil/grease/grime.



For the tires, I use a stiff short-bristle brush (from the dollar store!), lots of soapy water, and scrub, scrub, scrub. Over the years, I`ve gotten away from any kind of spray or wipe on tire treatments. As long as you`ve got the elbow grease, a good scrubbing will get the tire to an "as new" clean matte black condition - which is the look I prefer, over anything shiny and glossy.



To dry, I just keep a dedicated cotton towel and dab dry.

[jasonmac]

I seal all of my wheels with AIO & SG (x2), and use Griot`s shampoo and Griot`s wheel cleaner diluted on alternate washes.



fitzski, I also do the stiff, short brush and regular shampoo on the tires -- I`ve always found them to look as good if not better than using something like Westley`s, though I will use that once in a great while.



I have a couple of wheel brushes as well, got them from Autogeek and do a good job. I plan on grabbing some BHBs soon.

[Accumulator]

Accumulator:



I need your help with some info on your Simple Green problems. I bought an `06 300C in late September & have used Simple Green to clean my tires & chrome rims twice. ( shampoo the rest of the times ) What types of damage has the Simple Green caused?

If you`re lucky the Simple Green won`t have damaged the wheels, and discontinuing its use will prevent anything you`d regret.



I`ve never used Simple Green on wheels because of what I`ve seen/heard, so the following (and my initial warning) are *not* from first-hand experience. Heh heh, it`s the sort of experience I don`t *want* to have



The Simple Green problems seem to take two forms. A member here used it to wash the wheels on his VW (who was this It was a few years ago...) and he never noticed any problems. Then after doing it for a long time he thought they looked a little "off" and when he had it next to a similar car with undamaged wheels he realized that the Simple Green had faded the wheels or otherwise made them look "lifeless" in a way he couldn`t fix with polishing/etc.



The other problem is "clouding", where the finish just looks, well, like that. Not crisp and clear but whith whitish clouding where you oughta have normal clearcoat (especially noticeable on clearcoated-metal finish wheels). It`s like a white film that won`t come off. And if you have unclearcoated wheels (not that common these days) the Simple Green can really do a number on theh aluminum. Danase (IIRC) had this happen to some underhood aluminum pieces he used Simple Green on.



If you don`t see a problem, then consider yourself lucky and just relegate the Simple Green to tasks where you aren`t using it on delicate finishes. With the cost of wheel refinishing, it pays to use a truly appropriate product. People use Simple Green and don`t notice any problems, so they assume it`s OK, but when it`s *not* OK you won`t know until the damage is done; better safe than sorry.

[Glossmaster]

Accumulator:



Thanks for your input! much appreciated. It`s back to the old stand by for my new wheels. Shampoo!!

[BobD]

If you`re lucky the Simple Green won`t have damaged the wheels, and discontinuing its use will prevent anything you`d regret.



I`ve never used Simple Green on wheels because of what I`ve seen/heard, so the following (and my initial warning) are *not* from first-hand experience. Heh heh, it`s the sort of experience I don`t *want* to have



The Simple Green problems seem to take two forms. A member here used it to wash the wheels on his VW (who was this It was a few years ago...) and he never noticed any problems. Then after doing it for a long time he thought they looked a little "off" and when he had it next to a similar car with undamaged wheels he realized that the Simple Green had faded the wheels or otherwise made them look "lifeless" in a way he couldn`t fix with polishing/etc.



The other problem is "clouding", where the finish just looks, well, like that. Not crisp and clear but whith whitish clouding where you oughta have normal clearcoat (especially noticeable on clearcoated-metal finish wheels). It`s like a white film that won`t come off. And if you have unclearcoated wheels (not that common these days) the Simple Green can really do a number on theh aluminum. Danase (IIRC) had this happen to some underhood aluminum pieces he used Simple Green on.



If you don`t see a problem, then consider yourself lucky and just relegate the Simple Green to tasks where you aren`t using it on delicate finishes. With the cost of wheel refinishing, it pays to use a truly appropriate product. People use Simple Green and don`t notice any problems, so they assume it`s OK, but when it`s *not* OK you won`t know until the damage is done; better safe than sorry.

Yeah, we stopped using Simple Green a long time ago. I use it as a general cleaner around the house and garage, just not on the cars. It will turn your aluminum parts white.

[firegate]

ONR in a spray bottle is my new go-to wheel cleaner - it leaves the LSP on the wheel intact and eats brake dust for breakfast. My stock of Wheel Brightener and E1 A2Z has been retired as a result.