what do you use to clean wheel wells?

B

BigAl3

New member
i was wondering what everyone uses to clean your wheel wells as far as.... soap, wheel cleaner, brush, sponge, and dressing (if applicable) afterwards, etc... to me, this is the part of the car i least like to clean. :chuckle:
 
I jacked up the car to the point where each tire is nearly off the ground.



I use Meguiar's EXTRA and an old brush and I spray the EXTRA on, let it sit for about 5 seconds and use the brush and loosen the dirt and all and get into every corner. I rinse with a strong stream of water



I then continue washing the rest of the car (might I mention this takes about 1/2 an hour to do the minivan)



When I dry everything up, I take my Armor All protectant original formula and dress it up thinly and it shines well.
 
QEW and an assortment of brushes. Sometimes I need to use Greased Lightning's Orange Blast and some water pressure the first time, but once I get them clean it is easy to maintain them with QEW, brushes and old towels.
 
Dawn for soap. Go to a truck stop to get industrial cleaner. Follow dillution and you won't get a better cleaner and the price is unbelievable. Better than that $12 for 12oz bottles some places sell. Use AIO to mild polish, clean and protect. Use SG to protect from harsh contamints and it makes them easier to clean.

Magic Eraser is the bomb digidie for cleaning rims. It's non abrasive like some cleaners and won't remove toppers you put on your rims. Eagle one makes a great chrome polish and especially semichrome.
 
Same tools, different cleaners depending on the vehicle.



Tools: Quickee Sponge Mop, small Griot's BHBs, swabs as needed.



Cleaners: Beaters- diluted EFHI applied with "Under-leaf Sprayer"; "Pampered Cars"- Slightly stronger than normal Griot's Car Wash applied with a regular spray bottle.



While I'm doing the wheelwells I also do the undercarriages with various brushes- Griot's BHBs for wheels, Griot's Flow-through BHB, and TOL's EZ Brush. I lie on a creeper when I do the underside.



I too use a jack to raise up the low vehicles (and sometimes the others as well). I keep one floor jack on each side of the wash bay so I don't have to drag them around as much. If I'm gonna slide underneath I take a second to put a jackstand under there.
 
a cheapo sponge from walmart, and the left over soapy water with extra soap in it from washing the vehicle.



I'll wash it out, the front ones get soaked with armor-all tire foam to give that wet look, and the rear ones get wiped dry and waxed.
 
liquidtiger720 said:
would simple green be bad?
Click to expand...



Maybe not for the initial cleanup of something *really* dirty, but Simple Green is some pretty potent stuff and I keep it away from our vehicles. The only time I've used it for wheelwell/undercarriage work was on a thirty year old Jaguar that had never had them cleaned before (think "very nasty").
 
I just use some A2Z while I'm cleaning my tires and wheels. Then I use a dedicated long handle soft brush to scrub out the wheel wells. Hose it all off and dress the wells with original AA.
 
Once or twice a year, I'll use an APC and really brush them clean, otherwise it's just whatever soap I'm cleaning my wheels with (usually GC or Z7) and a soft-bristled brush everytime I wash.
 
tkr128 said:
Once or twice a year, I'll use an APC and really brush them clean, otherwise it's just whatever soap I'm cleaning my wheels with (usually GC or Z7) and a soft-bristled brush everytime I wash.
Click to expand...



Similar here. By the way, cleaning the wheel wells in big vehicles is MUCH easier than in small cars. Cleaning the wells of the minivan takes almost no effort as my hand fits perfectly and I have plenty of space to manouver. In the Astra it is harder, but it is still possible. But try an Opel Corsa (13" rims) and you will need brushes.



Edit: By the way, I prefer tire dressing over AA. In specific, the new mothers FX tire shine is killer for wheel wells. What do you use and why?
 
I use Castrol's Super Cleaner/Degreaser or Greased Lightning. The GL surprised me, I wasn't expecting much from it, but it does well.
 
AlexRuiz said:
..I prefer tire dressing over AA. In specific, the new mothers FX tire shine is killer for wheel wells. What do you use and why?
Click to expand...



Gotta admit that on the daily drivers I often don't dress them at all :o Actually, they don't look bad, just keeping them very clean seems to go a long way. If I'm redoing the tires, I'll use the leftover Z-16 dressing on the more prominent plastic parts.



On the good cars, I generally use AIO and SG/BF/UPP, even on the plastic parts. Doesn't wash off as easily as dressings. This only works for so long (until the plastic gets really worn), and then I resort to stuff like Griot's Undercarriage Spray or the Z-16.
 
Any brushes to recommend for tight to reach wheel wells? I tried today using the new Megs wheel brush, and the brush head was too large to fit betwen the tire and the body of my Accord. Another thought was to use a separate wash mitt, but that's pretty messy.
 
I use AG Engine and Machine cleaner and an assortment of brushes. I was thinking the other day though (and don't laugh!) whether a toilet brush would be a good tool for the job? Long handle so you don't scrape your hands on the tyres (sorry, tires;)) and bristles all around the head so you don't have to articulate the brush at all to get the bristles in the right place for what you're cleaning.



At the momnt I dress with with Meg's natural shine or AG vinyl and rubber care.



Ben
 
aslong as its a NEW toilet brush i dont see the harm in it the bristles on those arent exactly anything near soft though so id watch the painted areas
 
I use simple green and an old wash mitt about twice a year to get them clean. After that, I can keep them clean pretty easily when I wash the car. Then I just use Armor All to shine them up. As long as I m basically throwing dressing away, it may as well be cheap too.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top