Wheelwells

And polish/LSP the painted areas and anything that's plated. Most of the painted areas will *not* be clearcoated so I usually just use 1Z Ultra/Extra Polish topped with Collinite unless it's one of the good cars; e.g., such areas on the S8 are finish-polished and sealed with UPP, then cleaned with shampoo mix so as to *not* strip the UPP.



Welcome to Autopia, 311vibe! Doing the dreaded search will bring up a lot of info on wheelwells, including reasons why polishing painted areas so they're smoother is a good idea.
 
On most vehicles with plastic liners and black painted surface I prefer to use an APC/brush, rinse, then follow with Meg's Hyper Dressing at 4:1. Once dry it creates a tack-free like-new sheen that isn't greasy.
 
Just spend some time in them. Use an APC or the shampoo you are using to wash with and a brush. I have a client with an Escalade, it is all plastic under there. I wash her car every 2 weeks. I used to put the tire dressing I was using for the tires in there but noticed it was easier to clean with no dressing at all. It is not greasy, does not sling, or any of that but stuff sticks to it when applied to the wells. With out anything there, they stay clean look great and are much easier to clean.
 
chemical guys barebones...best tire dressing and wheel well plastic dressing I have used...much better than megs hyper dressing! It actually eats away at dirt and breaks down the old hyper I had on a few clients cars that were building up after multiple washings/hyper applications. Plus it has a deeper darker look to it, while still not slinging!
 
I use 3m Undercoating, thats whats all over the undercarrage. I never could stand all that greezy stuff all over the fender wells. It takes some practice though since it is a paint base some overspray can occur. But you spray it all down before you clay the car (after washing and scrubbing of course) and it looks pitch black. Besides most of OEM always miss a spot or two where they just hazed a layer over. Also its good to reduce the chances of rust on metal parts since its designed for harsh weather. After the first application its always alittle easier to clean the wells afterwards since its a new layer.
 
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Diluted degreaser and a sponge.

Chemical Guys Silk Shine.

Dry excess.
 
I have used hyper dressing, 303 aerospace, and CD2 engine detailer. HD is cheap and easy, 303 looks the best, and cd2 lasts the longest.
 
i clean the wells with car wash and a seperate sponge (also wear nitrile gloves) and spray HD 3:1 and they come out great. i've also used AA tire foam with good results as well...
 
I think the real question is how do you clean the plastic wells without dulling them? I have a Civic that has nothing but plastic, I need to dress the wells all the time just to hide the dull/scratched look. I use car shampoo and a Mother's well brush.



Howard
 
YankeeFan said:
I think the real question is how do you clean the plastic wells without dulling them? I have a Civic that has nothing but plastic, I need to dress the wells all the time just to hide the dull/scratched look. I use car shampoo and a Mother's well brush.
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Seems like you need to clean with a minimum of scratching (just like the paint on the rest of the vehicle). Maybe that Mother's brush isn't soft enough or you're being too aggressive with it. Also, try using a lot more water/shampoo mix so nothing gets worked while dry.



Once the plastic is really scratched, I dunno what you oughta do :nixweiss Maybe try a plastic polish, but otherwise just keep 'em dressed. My minivan's wheelwell plastic has developed a lot of pitting/etc. from stuff the tires throw up and now it just never looks really great if I merely clean 'em; they need the dressing to look really nice.



But for years it *did* look OK with just regular cleaning, and I don't use dressing on the wheelwell plastic of most of our vehicles.
 
I'll usually clean them with APC and dress them with Stoner's Trim Shine. I have a brand new bottle of Hyper Dressing I haven't even used yet.



Never thought about using CD2 for wheelwells...Hmm...I have six unused cans of that stuff just lying around after people said it was going to be discontinued.
 
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