"Carpeted" Wheel Wells - Process and Product ?'s

[imported_MCA]

I've got some questions regarding the correct cleaning/maintenanace process of my Mazda 6's wheel wells. About 3/4 of the wheel wells are covered in what I can best describe as "hard carpet"...it's shaped to conform with the well, but it's fuzzy. I don't how to clean or what products to use for this task. I'm assuming that Mazda/Ford used this material to reduce road noise so I definitely do not want to cause any damage. Any guidance would be greatly appreciated.

 

[4830Deuce]

lol wow... Im gonna ahve to see this one for myself... i couldnt tell u.... :think:



-Justin

 

[imported_hadboosttroy]

I have this on the tl and really dislike it!! audi's have had it for a while i think, so maybe an audi owner can chime in. I just hose it down, that's it

 

[chml17l]

My 2002 Audi A4 has similar "carpet" in the wheel wells, too. I've never bothered trying to actually clean them since I seem to need all the time I can find just to keep the black paint looking presentable.

 

[Mark77]

Our company van(Ford) has mats like that in the rear wheelwells. I just hose it and it usually looks clean that way.

 

[stilez]

Audi's have it, too.





You will need to pressure wash them and even still, will probably not get them 100%.

 

[Hey Moe!]

My '05 Focus has it in the rear wheelwells, as did my '02. I typically hosed them out, though I had to hose for a while, since they seem to trap dirt.



Hopefully, someone else has a better idea.

 

[imported_topnotch]

I have them on my Audi on the rear wheel wells although S4's and the higher end Audi's have it on all 4 corners. They is this material as a sound deading material so you hear less road noise. To clean them I use light pressure from a pressure washer and if needed some light brushing, I only brush them when there is some mud on them etc. Hope this helps

 

[Brazo]

I have them on my Toyota corrolas rear wheels.



I usually hose them of and then hit with a degreaser/APC or traffic film remover, leave it to 'soak' for a while and then rinse clean. Brings them up clean but you don't get that nice 'black' look that you can get with dressed plastic arch liners.

 

[Accumulator]

Our A8/S8 don't have them, but some of our previous Audis did.



I cleaned the stuff with an APC (TAW, EFHI, or Griot's Wheel Cleaner) and dressed with Griot's Undercarriage Spray. The heavy silicones in the Undercarriage Spray seemed to keep the material looking OK and also kept [stuff] from building up/adhering.



The big thing seemed to be to *not* let 'em get too nasty between washes. I was able to keep the stuff looking OK despite Ohio winters by doing a little somethig at every wash.



Oh, and don't scrub/abrade it too harshly. Not the most durable stuff in the world.

 

[imported_mirrorfinishman]

I've noticed this material on a few cars too and it usually cleans up with just plain water and a little brushing.



Personally, I would not recommend using any type of harsh cleaning product unless it was absolutely necessary. I also think it would be smart to keep any of those bleach type tire cleaners away from this carpet-like material too.

 

[TN9thSi]

I've had my Mazda6 for 2-1/2 years and my rear wheel wells look pretty much like new. All I've ever done is just hose them off and lightly brush them with car shampoo when needed. They seem to hold in a lot of dust and small gritty particles, so I brush them with a stiff brush ocasionally before I hose them off. I was concerned about the carpet-type material at first, but it seems to be holding up just fine.

 

[benpocock]

My BMW has them - I hose off, apply APC, scrub, and then rinse. Quite simple really and what I like about them is they dry themselves and you don't have to dress them. I suppose you could apply black carpet dye if you were being particularly anal, but personally I can't see the point.



Ben