Car Soap Use

M

Malachi71

New member
Do you use the same car soap you use on paint for your tires and wheels or do you use more expensive soap for paint and less expensive for tires and wheels?



Example:



NXT soap for Paint

Zipwax soap for tires and wheels
 
I use the same soap for paint and wheels. I do the wheels last, so use whatever's left with a boar's hair brush to do the wheels. During the nice season, I usually wash weekly so the water isn't too dirty. Wheels are also pretty clean, so I don't need something too strong to help get any brake dust and grime off.



Oh....and NXT wash is a great off the shelf wash IMO. I initially didn't like it because I was mixing it too strong.
 
I switch between using wheel cleaner and car wash soap on my wheels. When I do use car wash soap though I usually do the wheels last with the left over wash water.
 
Tires: I do the tires first, with a diluted mix of (Griot's) wheel cleaner. I keep it off the wheels and rinse it off after scrubbing lightly with a brush. I'll use a rubber cleaner if they need the ERV dressing redone anyhow.



Wheels: I use my regular shampoo, mixed up strong, in a spray bottle. I don't want to risk marring the finish on the wheels any more than I would on the hood so I don't risk using cheaper shampoo. I use the same stuff for the wheelwells of my "good" cars.



Wheel cleaners are awfully tough on LSPs, so I avoid them unless I'm pulling the wheels off to redo them. I let my wheels get awfully dirty sometimes (German cars, driven hard, lots of brake dust) and they still clean up just fine with the carwash shampoo, even the back sides. Seems like it's all a matter of keeping them well-sealed with UPP/KSG/etc. or even Collinite.
 
I agree with what several people have already stated.



If I use a dedicated wheel/tire cleaner, I wash them first. My Mazda 6 has five wide spokes (about 3") so it does not take too long to clean. Otherwise, I clean them last with the leftover soap mix from the car washing.



MCA
 
I was always under the impression that you shouldn't use the same bucket for wheel/tire washing as you do the rest of the car. I have always washed my tire and wheels first with a seperate dedicated bucket. I then move onto the body with two 5 gallon buckets.



Is my method incorrect or should do the wheels last with the same wash bucket used for the car to cut down on some time???
 
Pats300zx said:
I have always washed my tire and wheels first with a seperate dedicated bucket. I then move onto the body with two 5 gallon buckets.



Is my method incorrect or should do the wheels last with the same wash bucket used for the car to cut down on some time???
Click to expand...



I do it your way, with a dedicated wheel/tire/wheelwell bucket and tools.



I do the wheels/wheelwells/undercarriage first as it often results in nasty stuff getting blasted out of panel seams and otherwise getting on things. No point in washing the car and then getting it dirty and then rewashing it. Especially when I do the wheelwells and undercarriage- dirt finds its way onto the strangest places. A lot of stuff comes out between the rear bumper cover and the rear panel/quarter panels, for instance.
 
I understand the approach of washing the wheels first and then the car second. Avoiding the splatter factor, etc.



I don't know if this makes sense to anyone, but when I wash my wheels, I'm barely using any "scrubbing" action. I feel like I'm just tickling the wheels with my BHB. I move from top to bottom and "think" gravity helps with flicking the dirt downward towards the ground, and not flicking on the paint I just washed prior to my wheel regiment.



I like threads that question the basics...every once in a while it's nice to rethink your normal routines.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top