Page 1 of 3 123 LastLast
Results 1 to 15 of 35
  1. #1

    Join Date
    Mar 2009
    Posts
    676
    Post Thanks / Like
    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 :nixweiss 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.

  2. #2

    Join Date
    Jul 2007
    Location
    Macomb Michigan
    Posts
    2,088
    Post Thanks / Like
    nice, how much was your steamer? any pics?

  3. #3

    Join Date
    Mar 2009
    Posts
    676
    Post Thanks / Like
    Quote Originally Posted by MotorCity
    nice, how much was your steamer? any pics?


    thanks - it was only a very cheap domestic Vax V-081







    but it did a surprisingly good job

  4. #4

    Join Date
    Mar 2006
    Location
    White Plains, NY
    Posts
    2,714
    Post Thanks / Like
    Champion write up. I use one also. Its amazing what it can clean.
    Detailing Technology - specialista vernice di correzione

  5. #5

    Join Date
    Sep 2008
    Location
    Fairport NY
    Posts
    285
    Post Thanks / Like

  6. #6

    Join Date
    Feb 2009
    Posts
    8
    Post Thanks / Like
    Does it take a long time with steam?

  7. #7

    Join Date
    Mar 2009
    Posts
    676
    Post Thanks / Like
    Quote Originally Posted by supershineMJ
    Does it take a long time with steam?


    takes less time IMHO - just hold the steamer nozzle on an area, then wipe off. Its that quick

  8. #8

    Join Date
    Sep 2002
    Location
    NE Ohio
    Posts
    86,972
    Post Thanks / Like
    Bigpikle- Glad things worked out so well for you! The steamer oughta be a good addition to your ONR regimen :xyxthumbs



    Yeah, my steamer was the only way I could get the never-cleaned calipers on my `84 RX-7 clean without trashing the factory cad plating. Heh heh, the back side of your wheels wasn`t all *that* bad in the "before" pics, it`ll go slower on wheels that`re in really nasty condition



    Yeah#2, the AG Bumper Care is nice for jobs like that, does a little bit of extra cleaning too. It`s a good product that doesn`t get much attention here.



    One caveat for people trying this sort of thing with the steamer: if the vehicle has factory undercoating/sound deadening, especially the wax-based stuff common on European cars (the stuff that`s often incorrectly called "cosmoline"), be a little careful. It`s not too hard to melt/soften/compromise such coatings if you get a little too aggressive with the steamer. If you heat the stuff up to the point where it gets "milky" looking you`ve gone too far.

  9. #9

    Join Date
    Mar 2009
    Posts
    676
    Post Thanks / Like
    Quote Originally Posted by Accumulator
    Bigpikle- Glad things worked out so well for you! The steamer oughta be a good addition to your ONR regimen :xyxthumbs



    Yeah, my steamer was the only way I could get the never-cleaned calipers on my `84 RX-7 clean without trashing the factory cad plating. Heh heh, the back side of your wheels wasn`t all *that* bad in the "before" pics, it`ll go slower on wheels that`re in really nasty condition



    Yeah#2, the AG Bumper Care is nice for jobs like that, does a little bit of extra cleaning too. It`s a good product that doesn`t get much attention here.



    One caveat for people trying this sort of thing with the steamer: if the vehicle has factory undercoating/sound deadening, especially the wax-based stuff common on European cars (the stuff that`s often incorrectly called "cosmoline"), be a little careful. It`s not too hard to melt/soften/compromise such coatings if you get a little too aggressive with the steamer. If you heat the stuff up to the point where it gets "milky" looking you`ve gone too far.


    yep - they werent too bad before I dont do `wheels off` on other people`s cars though.



    I hope to try steam on some underseal I need to remove on my `69 MG, so I hope it softens it up to help me get it off...

  10. #10

    Join Date
    Jan 2009
    Location
    CA
    Posts
    36
    Post Thanks / Like
    For second there I thought you actually laid the wheel face on top of the rocks. lol

  11. #11

    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Location
    Sacramento, California
    Posts
    1,166
    Post Thanks / Like
    Quote Originally Posted by Irkie500


    Yep!! That`s the steamee I use!! I am on my second one. It amazed me everytime about what all can be cleaned with this thing!!

  12. #12
    Greg Nichols's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2009
    Location
    Great State of Utah
    Posts
    1,935
    Post Thanks / Like
    Quote Originally Posted by John Roberts
    Hello there guys...Your steamer had done a great job..I bought a steamer with the same model as yours and it really cleaned up my wheels pretty well..The pictures you have posted really made me convinced that the steamer really works well..


    :beware:beware:beware:beware



    You place a hyperlink to a wheel web site, and you say you bought the same steamer and it worked well, only to say the thread convinced you the steamer works well? Smells like spam to me.



    Cheers,

    GREG



    Removed link from quoted text. --Tort
    Reflections Detailing of Utah
    "Detailing for the Discerning owner"
    State of Utahs most experienced detailing detailer
    Meguiars/Ford Detailing team SEMA 2010, 2011

    duPont Registry Endorsed Detailer

  13. #13

    Join Date
    Mar 2009
    Posts
    6,727
    Post Thanks / Like
    Quote Originally Posted by John Roberts
    Hello there guys...Your steamer had done a great job..I bought a steamer with the same model as yours and it really cleaned up my wheels pretty well..The pictures you have posted really made me convinced that the steamer really works well..


    Nice spam Mr. Parts Train!

  14. #14

    Join Date
    Mar 2009
    Posts
    6,727
    Post Thanks / Like
    Quote Originally Posted by Bigpikle
    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...



    ...



    A very worthwhile session for me, in terms of results and learning, and the first step on getting the most from my steamer.


    Thanks for the nice pictorial and writeup on what looks to be a great little home steamer.



    :tribe::kewlpics

  15. #15

    Join Date
    Dec 2008
    Location
    Coconut Creek, FL
    Posts
    533
    Post Thanks / Like
    Bissel has a tiny little steam cleaner that looks interesting. Anyone tried this thing out yet? I might have to buy one of these from work (gotta love the employee discount!)



    YouTube - Bissell Steam Shot Handheld Steam Cleaning Tool

 

 
Page 1 of 3 123 LastLast

Thread Information

Users Browsing this Thread

There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)

Similar Threads

  1. Steam cleaning
    By Custom Care in forum Interior Car Care
    Replies: 3
    Last Post: 03-10-2013, 01:15 PM
  2. steam cleaning
    By lw81 in forum Car Detailing
    Replies: 3
    Last Post: 10-23-2009, 08:01 PM
  3. Steam Cleaning
    By rezbmr in forum Car Detailing
    Replies: 3
    Last Post: 08-04-2007, 12:37 PM
  4. steam cleaning
    By tooklean in forum Auto Detailing 101
    Replies: 3
    Last Post: 04-29-2006, 09:15 PM
  5. are there any dangers in using a steam cleaner on alloy wheels?
    By CamV6 in forum Car Detailing Product Discussion
    Replies: 2
    Last Post: 11-10-2005, 10:23 AM

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •