Tight wheelwells? What do you do?

**Blade9** · 12-03-2008, 08:42 PM

My Audi`s wheelwells have little to no room to fit my hand, much less a brush. I can turn the front wheels a little to get in there, but it`s not enough. The back is hopeless.

It`s my first winter with this Audi. In the summer, I just hosed it down with a nozzle and it`s tight enough that a little dirt is not noticeable. But these past few weeks a lot of brown leaves are stuck on. Hosing down helps but does not remove all of it. The distance between the wheels and the bodywork is about 2 inches.

Short of removing the wheels every weekend (PITA), any thoughts to cleaning these areas?

**Garry Dean** · 12-03-2008, 08:45 PM

Pressure wash the wheel wells that is what I do on my lowered RSX

**Slow_racer** · 12-03-2008, 08:45 PM

get a small jack, thats what i use.

**Blade9** · 12-03-2008, 08:51 PM

I have a pressure washer, and it`s one of the more powerful ones though I forgot the rating. Is it safe to use? Not that I`m thinking of breaking anything, but I was thinking of moisture being forced into areas where it won`t go under normal pressure.

**Blade9** · 12-03-2008, 08:52 PM

Aaah jack it up! Halfway to removing the wheels. Didn`t think of that. But it`s still a PITA to do every week. But I can possibly do that when all the leaves are gone from the road, sometime in January. Then I can go back to hosing it down with a nozzle. Thanks for the idea!

**Garry Dean** · 12-03-2008, 08:53 PM

I`m pretty sure that the pressure is adjustable on all pressure washers.

**Accumulator** · 12-04-2008, 12:55 PM

Originally Posted by Blade9

Aaah jack it up! Halfway to removing the wheels. Didn`t think of that. But it`s still a PITA to do every week...

Yep :xyxthumbs I keep a pair of low-profile floorjacks in the washbay for just this purpose.

Heh heh, speaking of Audis, I just cleaned up the S8 last night and I used the jacks to gain access. It`s so low that my undercar wand won`t quite fit in one area anyhow so I have to jack it up to get things 100% clean.

If you`re gonna crawl underneath to clean up the rest of the undercarriage (might as well IMO), put a pair of jackstands under there just in case.

Oh, speaking of Audi wheelwells, the paint in in there isn`t clearcoated, and it comes from the factory with a sorta rough texture that can retain dirt (and thus moisture). Gently polishing these areas and applying a durable LSP can make future cleanups easier (besides making everything showcar-nice down there). And less retained dirt/moisture bodes well for long-term concerns like rust, easier to see stone chips/etc. when these areas are nicely prepped too so you`re more likely to fix `em before things get out of hand.

**gbackus** · 12-04-2008, 01:34 PM

long handled toilet bowl brush, the older style that are shaped kind of like a connected U.

**Accumulator** · 12-04-2008, 01:36 PM

Originally Posted by gbackus

long handled toilet bowl brush, the older style that are shaped kind of like a connected U.

Yikes, doesn`t that mar the painted areas?

**gbackus** · 12-04-2008, 01:58 PM

Originally Posted by Accumulator

Yikes, doesn`t that mar the painted areas?

None of my wheel wells are painted, even the audi has plastic liners or that felt/carpet material.

If you mean the slight edge/lip of the fender, the handle is taped up so it won`t scratch that tiny area. Also, I slip in the brush from underneath the car, scrub up and around in an arc, and out the other side on the bottom.

**Accumulator** · 12-04-2008, 04:16 PM

Originally Posted by gbackus

None of my wheel wells are painted, even the audi has plastic liners or that felt/carpet material..

Ah, OK, roger that :xyxthumbs

I haven`t done one of those newer Audis since forever, mine have lots of painted areas and none of the felt-like stuff (vaguely recall that my A6 4.2 might`ve had that stuff :think: ). I bet it`s a lot easier to clean up in there when you don`t have to stress about marring things up.

**BlueLibby04** · 12-05-2008, 11:57 AM

Ive got a 2500psi troy built and its fine for any part of my Jeep. I use it mostly for the underbody and fender wells but Ill also use it on the paint if it need be. I use the widest tip so that the pressure isnt concentrated to one area. Cant remember the degrees but I think its > 25degress.

Short of jacking the car up and/or removing the wheels, a pressure washer is a good option.

**Blade9** · 12-05-2008, 12:56 PM

Originally Posted by Accumulator

Yep :xyxthumbs I keep a pair of low-profile floorjacks in the washbay for just this purpose.

Heh heh, speaking of Audis, I just cleaned up the S8 last night and I used the jacks to gain access. It`s so low that my undercar wand won`t quite fit in one area anyhow so I have to jack it up to get things 100% clean.

If you`re gonna crawl underneath to clean up the rest of the undercarriage (might as well IMO), put a pair of jackstands under there just in case.

Oh, speaking of Audi wheelwells, the paint in in there isn`t clearcoated, and it comes from the factory with a sorta rough texture that can retain dirt (and thus moisture). Gently polishing these areas and applying a durable LSP can make future cleanups easier (besides making everything showcar-nice down there). And less retained dirt/moisture bodes well for long-term concerns like rust, easier to see stone chips/etc. when these areas are nicely prepped too so you`re more likely to fix `em before things get out of hand.

Oops, my bad... I missed the last 6 or 7 replies on this thread, thought it was done for until it bubbled up to the top of the list today.

Accumulator, you are right, my Audi`s wheelwell surface also has a rough texture. What do you mean by "gently polishing"? And what products do you use in these areas for polish and LSP?

**JohnKleven** · 12-05-2008, 01:15 PM

I use degreaser, and I have a flexible wand on the pressure washer, works every time.

John

**Accumulator** · 12-05-2008, 01:28 PM

Originally Posted by Blade9

Accumulator, you are right, my Audi`s wheelwell surface also has a rough texture. What do you mean by "gently polishing"? And what products do you use in these areas for polish and LSP?

On my wife`s A8 I polished the painted areas with 1Z Ultra/Extra which leaves things, uhm...nice enough. On the S8 I used a range of polishes, starting with the Ultra/Extra and finishing with something nice and mild (1Z Pro Metallic Polish).

Be a little careful as the paint in there isn`t very thick, but don`t worry about paint pigment transfer to the polishing medium as it is basically the same as polishing single-stage paint.

It`s not like you`re really *removing* the orange-peel texture, you`re just smoothing it up a bit.

I waxed these areas on the A8 with Collinite 476S and sealed the same areas on the S8 with UPP. I wash them with a sorta-strong shampoo mix and small BHBs.