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Having read where several people use S&W almost exclusively, I had a few questions.
1. How do you handle cleaning wheel wells?
2. How do you clean the wheels?
3. How do you clean the tires?
4. How do you clean the underside of the rocker panels?
I quite often use S&W and really like the stuff, but I still think I need to bucket wash once in a while to take care of the areas listed above.
Hi Charles.
thought I`d chime in myself;)
for #1 it depends on how dirty ...for mud etc..definitely use a hose ...for light dirt a scrub brush and terry towel
for # 2 I still like terry here and sometime a small detailing brush for tight corners...depends on the wheels, but the S & W takes the brake dust right off a good wheel surface
for #3 I use S & W before the dressing again with a terry towel and rub real good
for # 4 also depends if there is just fresh road dirt and grime or caked on mud and tar ..in which case you would need a polish or cleaner ...again this area I wouldn`t waste a mf towel ..unless it`s a show car/truck
how did I do?
IMHO S&W makes easy that two times per week clean.
What I do is, wash w/ hose less than once a month and this is when I clean the rims interior, QEW 2-3 times a month and clean the wheel wells here, S&W 2 times a week.
It has been working fine to me this way.
Well, while I`m rapidly becoming an avid fan of the S & W, I`m with Charles on this one.
I`m sure lot`s of people are having great luck with using only S & W for all their cleaning. However, I`m just not comfortable using it on some of those of the areas Charles pointed out. Beside, a good washing once in a while will get all the dust and dirt out of those areas that wiping with S & W won`t normally reach.
Still, the S & W has me back to doing frequent QD`ing, which keeps my vehicles looking better for a longer period of time. For that reason alone, it`s a keeper for me.
The suggested ways pretty much are what I am doing now. The terry cloths that I use for wheels, tires, fender wells end up being so dirty that I have been just pitching them. I have been afraid I would leave some residue in one of them and mess something up.
Just bucket washing the wheels, tires, and wheel wells is also a method I sometimes use. I then do the body of the vehicle with S&W.
Don`t mistake this for bashing S&W in any way. I have nothing but good things to say about the product. I just didn`t see how it could replace bucket washing completely.
It seems like the bucket wash once in a while works better for me.
for me it doesn`t replace bucket washing, just keeps my car cleaner for the in between periods which have started to become stretched due to this product.
Charles, Boss and Thomas ...I agree with your thinking and sometimes I use a portable pump sprayer to get in those same areas when I let it go too long...which happens when you have twins;)
Even though I use Spray & Wipe daily on some part, or all, of the truck, I still go to the pressure washer about once every two weeks to spray all the undercarraige, wheel wells, back side of the wheels etc. I go late at night when they are not busy and take my creeper with me so I can lay down and do a good job on the undercarraige and back side of the chrome wheels.
Jeez JimS-
That`s dedication!
Dedication? Well...I suppose that is what it sounds like...or may be.
This is the first really NEW vehicle I`ve had in the 60 yrs I`ve been around...this time around. It was clean underneath and everywhere else when I got it and it`s pretty easy to keep from getting really filthy...it just takes an occasional quick spray underneath and it`ll never get really bad.
I knew a guy who put his truck up on jack stands every night and wiped the entire undercarraige off....yep, every night! That, imo, is crazy.
So, I just want to keep mine looking nice from all angles and a quick spray to spruce up the undercarraige won`t win any show medals but it`ll keep it pretty nice.