NickelPlated.45
New member
I use what william uses. Then every so often i take my wheels off and give then a thorough cleaning.
What are ya'll using to get DEEP inside the wheels
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Eliot Ness
Active member
Patrick, is that a 201 or a 301 in the picture?a.k.a. Patrick said:
Setec Astronomy
Well-known member
ron231 said:
But it's patented!
imported_weekendwarrior
New member
I detail my own cars (I have 3), as well as cars that belong to friends and family members - so I see some cars with relatively clean wheels, and some with caked on dust.
The brushes I like are those foam paint brushes with the plastic handles that you get in the paint section at WalMart. You typically get about 10 brushes of various sizes in a pack for under $2. I will mix up some APC and QEW in a bucket of water, then dip the paint brush into the mixture and use it to wipe around the inside portion of the wheel. I will then use the smallest foam brush, which is about 1" wide to get around the lug nuts, if they are exposed on the wheel I am cleaning. I also keep a tooth brush in my bucket to get any area of the wheel that requires a little more "bite" than the foam brushes can provide.
I have found that these brushes always do the trick, but I do vary the amount of APC I mix into my bucket of water depending on how dirty the wheels are. In the case of REALLY caked on dust, I have a pesticide sprayer with a wand. Sometimes I put a little wheel cleaner in it, and am able to use the wand to spray some cleaner into the inside of the wheel, let it dwell, and then go after it with those same foam brushes. For $2 a pack, I just pick up a new pack every few months, and have never had any problems.
The brushes I like are those foam paint brushes with the plastic handles that you get in the paint section at WalMart. You typically get about 10 brushes of various sizes in a pack for under $2. I will mix up some APC and QEW in a bucket of water, then dip the paint brush into the mixture and use it to wipe around the inside portion of the wheel. I will then use the smallest foam brush, which is about 1" wide to get around the lug nuts, if they are exposed on the wheel I am cleaning. I also keep a tooth brush in my bucket to get any area of the wheel that requires a little more "bite" than the foam brushes can provide.
I have found that these brushes always do the trick, but I do vary the amount of APC I mix into my bucket of water depending on how dirty the wheels are. In the case of REALLY caked on dust, I have a pesticide sprayer with a wand. Sometimes I put a little wheel cleaner in it, and am able to use the wand to spray some cleaner into the inside of the wheel, let it dwell, and then go after it with those same foam brushes. For $2 a pack, I just pick up a new pack every few months, and have never had any problems.
a.k.a. Patrick said:Use what you want, spend it where you want, but the PS pays for itself in short order. Maybe its just not in your economic range of acceptance.........
Get yourself in a boatload of these positions, and you'll see what I mean.......
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Or you could just roll the car forward about a foot and use a sponge.
a.k.a. Patrick
New member
John, thats probably the 301. The Vette wheels are pretty deep, so Im pretty sure I went with the longer 301.....
a.k.a. Patrick
New member
HansB said:Or you could just roll the car forward about a foot and use a sponge.
Hans, notice the towel behind the wheel. I placed towels in front, and behind each wheel so I wouldnt get cleaner on this gentlemans epoxy floor. (I know it wouldnt hurt it but its the esthetics). And your right, I could have rolled it forward or backward, which would have involved me picking up and replacing the towels all over again, putting something on the floorboard so my shoes dont contact the carpet, as well as the seat etc......Ya ever get the car your working on in just the right spot of lighting and reflection? Ya kind of hate to move it and it becomes just plain weird when ya do so? Your use to seeing lighting/dents/scratches/swirls from a certain perspective? Call me weird but once I start working (polishing) a surface, I HATE moving it............it throws me off!
The Powerstick isnt for all, thats for sure. Theres some who wont spend more then $20.00 on a sealant, and Im one of those. Theres some who think more then $20.00 for a qt of polish is too much, Im one of those. But when it comes to wheels which can be a difficult task, I dont mind going over budget if it makes my life and the task at hand a little easier......:dance
John, thats probably the 301. The Vette wheels are pretty deep, so Im pretty sure I went with the longer 301.....
imported_themightytimmah
New member
I usually use Wheel Brightener and a pressure washer - I just push it in as far beyond the spokes as I can, and try to move it around and hit everything.
a.k.a. Patrick said:
Whoa Pat you use some nice towels to keep the floor clean :chuckle: I love those towels
After seeing the Powerstick I wonder how the Powerball would work to accomplish the same?? One problem might be though that the "stick" part on the Powerball is not as flexible as the Powerstick. :nixweiss
Pats300zx
Super Moderator
twitch said:Whoa Pat you use some nice towels to keep the floor clean :chuckle: I love those towels
After seeing the Powerstick I wonder how the Powerball would work to accomplish the same?? One problem might be though that the "stick" part on the Powerball is not as flexible as the Powerstick. :nixweiss
The flexibility of the Powerstick shaft is one of the advantages of it. It allows you to move and flex it to reach the harder to reach areas. I have the Mothers Powerball and I don't think it would work in a wheel cleaning application.
Woob
New member
How strong is the shaft? Seems like a really ideal cleaner, I've seen another drill cleaning design with the brush bristles and this looks like a better design.
Pats300zx
Super Moderator
The shaft is very strong. Its not going to break.
I might be tempted by the Powerstick, but really how good is it with getting caked on brake dust off inside the wheels? This has to be one of my biggest pains when it comes to washing.
Yeah, I thought the same thing on those towels Patrick is using!!! I'm thinking, "D@mn, I use those to dry my car, but he uses them to catch splatter and overspray!!!"
Yeah, I thought the same thing on those towels Patrick is using!!! I'm thinking, "D@mn, I use those to dry my car, but he uses them to catch splatter and overspray!!!"
SVR
Dream Machines
Anyone who wants interiors done, I put the car on the hoist and take em off and give a damn good soaping, polishing and coating of nyalic
a.k.a. Patrick
New member
DJ_JonnyV said:
Hey you've got two Pats endorsing it! lol. If that was a concrete or a asphalt garage floor I might have used some old MF's, but it was epoxy'ized and I cleaned it before I did that Vette......Sometimes I think you guys cherish MF's and WW's more then spouses and girlfriends!
As for the PW shaft, it is pretty resilient. I wouldnt say "unbreakable" as I havent bent it end over end, but its not going to break under normal usage.
If you have really caked on brake dust, I would opt for removing the wheel, then maintaining it with the PW. Its not a miracle tool, just a handy implement you can use to get to those areas that you couldnt before.
Again, the price deters a lot of users, until they have used one, then its not that much of an issue. Me and Pat exchanged several emails and he brought up some valid cncerns,but I think in the end, Pats pretty content.
SuperBee364
New member
I just use the OXO wheel brushes. They have several different ones available, including one that is made specifically for the recesses around the lug nuts. The only complaint I have with the OXO brushes is they are a bit aggressive.
Accumulator
Well-known member
Setec Astromomy- Bentley quips aside, my EZ Brush would mar the wheels on the S8 and the Jag. It's safe enough for some of the other vehicles (and I do use it so I don't want to sound all negative about the thing) but man you gotta be careful or you'll be polishing wheels for a good long time. I would generally prefer to use something safer and not have to worry about it. The EZ Brush does work well for stuff like getting the floorpan up around the exhaust system and doing the minivan's coil springs though.
That is a good practice- I often do that, funny how I manage to find dirt that I missed the first time But I'm not all *that* happy with starting an engine just to run it for a minute or two and there's no way I'm gonna push some of the vehicles manually.
But with some wheels (e.g. BBS RGR), it'd be *infinitely* easier to clean the inner portions with that gizmo. Reaching through the slots on monocoque-style wheels is a true PIA.
I still think you just *gotta* reach back in there with something to clean the back sides of the spokes though, it's the only way I can ever get every bit of them white-glove clean.
Somebody here used a Powerball on his wheels a while back and damaged the finish. I forget the details, but IIRC he wasn't being especially careless or anything and he sure was surprised that he had problems.
HansB said:
That is a good practice- I often do that, funny how I manage to find dirt that I missed the first time
But I'm not all *that* happy with starting an engine just to run it for a minute or two and there's no way I'm gonna push some of the vehicles manually.But with some wheels (e.g. BBS RGR), it'd be *infinitely* easier to clean the inner portions with that gizmo. Reaching through the slots on monocoque-style wheels is a true PIA.
I still think you just *gotta* reach back in there with something to clean the back sides of the spokes though, it's the only way I can ever get every bit of them white-glove clean.
Pats300zx said:
Somebody here used a Powerball on his wheels a while back and damaged the finish. I forget the details, but IIRC he wasn't being especially careless or anything and he sure was surprised that he had problems.
I've used my EZ-detail brush on the "backside" of wheel offerings from Volvo, VW, and Honda. I haven't witnessed any visible marring, but granted these wheels don't have highly polished inside rims and I haven't pulled the wheels to do any close-up inspection.
I certainly respect Accumulator's rule:
Still in my specific application the EZ-detail brush is a highly effective tool.
I certainly respect Accumulator's rule:
Accumulator said:
Still in my specific application the EZ-detail brush is a highly effective tool.