Spray and rinse wheel cleaners

R

RangeR135

New member
My mesh style wheels take a lot of effort and time to clean by hand. I'm looking for a cleaner that I can spray on and rinse away with a hose or PW.

I know that meguiars WB is capable of this but it's a pretty harsh chemical. Also Sonax wheel cleaner is capable of this but it's very pricey..Are there any other options?



My wheels never go for more than a few weeks between washes but it takes me much too long to wash them and I still miss some tight spots. Basically I'm looking for a product that can take care of this light coat of brake dust without scrubbing. Is there a better choice than the products I mentioned?
 
I have used the Sonax and it is a great product but for the money I have not found anything to beat Royal Brown. you can buy it in larger quantities and dilute it down. The first time I used it I was nothing short of amazed.
 
I'm curious, too. I've never found a good all-around wheel cleaner.

I've got some Poorboy's Spray and Rinse that arrived today and some Sonax on the way (on sale at autogeek).

I remember the P21S being pretty good stuff, but it's also pricey.



I guess it may be a trade-off. Price or time. A good, thin wheel brush is your friend in any circumstance.
 
Thanks for the opinions. I'm leaning towards sonax and brown royal now. I may buy some of both. I'm currently using a griots 3 finger sponge and car soap so I'm sure either of these will be an improvement. I'll have to experiment with the brown royal to see the most I can dilute it while still being effective. I want it to be safe for regular use for me and my wheels.
 
I am skeptical of anything that is strong enough to clean without touching. I too hate dirty wheels and I've struggled with the issue, using stuff like brake dust repellents. What has solved the issue for me is changing to Akebono brake pads.
 
I have used Poorboy's Spray and Rinse over the years with great success. It has never caused harm to any wheels and 98% of the time is as the name implies.....Spray & Rinse. I saw no reason to search for different products after using it the first time.
 
WB for me. It isn't as bad as people think it is. Man that stuff works. It is the only wheel cleaner that I have found that takes off brake dust on it own. I have two BMW's so it saves me a lot of time, and it is cheap
 
lol man this is getting confusing..I hear you on switching brake pads but I really don't want to lose the grabby brake feel in my car. I've never heard of the poor boy's cleaner but it looks like another acidic cleaner so I'm going to group it in with WB. I'm not sure I want to be using those on a semi-regularly basis. TedFred, do you use WB full strength or diluted?
 
For some wheels, there is no amount of spraying and rinsing that will clean them. Some agitation will be needed. For narrow bits and places, the best brush for agitation I've ever found are these. Hard to find, hard to get, but the best I've ever found.

So, when some agitation is needed, try these:

Eimann Fabrik Wheel Woolies - Eimann Fabrik Car Care & Detailing Products



Properautocare used to carry them but they don't seem to any more. Hopefully, someone in North America will pick up the ball.
 
D_Nyholm said:
I think that griots new wheel cleaner is supposed to be a lot like sonax and cheaper as well.
Click to expand...



What's this "new" Wheel Cleaner from Griot's?



Their regular Wheel Cleaner is nice, but way too gentle for touchless cleaning.
 
RangeR135 said:
Basically I'm looking for a product that can take care of this light coat of brake dust without scrubbing. Is there a better choice than the products I mentioned?
Click to expand...





  • Manual labor is going to be involved if you want your wheels spotless, Range.


  • Weekly cleaning is critical, IMO (on a daily driver).


  • Try one of the brake dust repellants....that may give you a bit of breathing room between cleanings.



Griot's wheel cleaner (in the gallon size @ $30) is the best value out there for wheels that are regularly cared for. It is not a potent wheel cleaner and probably not best suited for wheels that aren't cleaned on a frequent basis.
 
RangeR135 said:
I'm not sure I want to be using those on a semi-regularly basis. TedFred, do you use WB full strength or diluted?
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1 to 4 WB to water. I do not use it on my bare aluminum wheels just the clearcoated or painted ones on the Beemers
 
JohnZ3MC said:
For some wheels, there is no amount of spraying and rinsing that will clean them. Some agitation will be needed. For narrow bits and places, the best brush for agitation I've ever found are these. Hard to find, hard to get, but the best I've ever found.

So, when some agitation is needed, try these:

Eimann Fabrik Wheel Woolies - Eimann Fabrik Car Care & Detailing Products



Properautocare used to carry them but they don't seem to any more. Hopefully, someone in North America will pick up the ball.
Click to expand...

My wheels do not need much agitation at all, it's just very time consuming going over the multiple spokes and pockets. That looks like a useful tool if I could find out where to buy it..

tom p. said:
  • Manual labor is going to be involved if you want your wheels spotless, Range.


  • Weekly cleaning is critical, IMO (on a daily driver).


  • Try one of the brake dust repellants....that may give you a bit of breathing room between cleanings.



Griot's wheel cleaner (in the gallon size @ $30) is the best value out there for wheels that are regularly cared for. It is not a potent wheel cleaner and probably not best suited for wheels that aren't cleaned on a frequent basis.
Click to expand...

I agree that weekly washing is ideal, and my car gets washed once a week more often than not. The brake dust comes off by simply passing over the wheel once with a mitt and car soap so I'm not sure what use a mild wheel cleaner would be to me if I still need to go over the entire surface. My BMW lays down a lot of brake dust but it comes off very easily so I'd expect a more powerful cleaner to work by spraying on and rinsing off if used once every week or so..the question is are any of them safe enough for this use? I'm planning on ordering Sonax tonight, it seems to be the "safest" option for spray and rinse.

Edit: I forgot to add that I used armor all wheel protectant on my stock wheels with great success but it leaves a horrible rainbow finish on my current gloss black wheels..I ordered the sonax tonight so hopefully it works well without melting my lungs..lol
 
Man, I'd love to get some of those woolies! Does that site ship internationally? It's a lot of money, tho, when you consider the dollar/pound difference plus international shipping :o
 
Accumulator said:
What's this "new" Wheel Cleaner from Griot's?



Their regular Wheel Cleaner is nice, but way too gentle for touchless cleaning.
Click to expand...



It is the new Heavy Duty version they came out with - still pH neutral. It sounds pretty cool - I almost ordered it last weekend.
 
2005GTPinMD said:
It is the new Heavy Duty version they came out with - still pH neutral. It sounds pretty cool - I almost ordered it last weekend.
Click to expand...



Gee...never heard of it :think: Maybe it'll be in their next catalog...oops, I mean "handbook" :chuckle:
 
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