Cleaning aluminum alloy wheels on a '99 Maxima SE

L

levander

New member
I talked to a guy at the dealership today. I'm pretty sure I got aluminum alloy wheels with no clear coat on them. The rep at the dealership said to use home all purpose cleaner and make sure it was not acidic and to clean them only when they are cold. Wondering what Autopia thinks?



I've seen many recommendations for A2Z, P21s, Griot's wheel cleaner, but since this is aluminum, I have to find something more specific right? Most cleaners will just be too harsh, right?



I found Eagle One Aluminum Wash & Cleaner but haven't seen any reviews of it here. And, the product page on their web site says, "for polished aluminum". There page for it is here: Click



The wheels are really dirty, haven't been washed in years. So, I'm thinking it's worth it to find products that will make it easier to do the job.



And, when I look at the wheel, you can see between the spokes and there's like this barrel thing that like holds the wheel to the car that's covered with specs of rust all over it. If I get to cleaning that thing? What's that thing called?



Also, reading about this, I keep hearing this word "rim". What's a rim?
 
I've been trying out CG Diablo wheel gel and it's been working out pretty good. Safe for just about every kind of wheel, it hs 0 ph level. Just spray on, let it sit for a few mins, agitate with wheel brush a little, then rinse. Depending on how bad they are you might have to clay them, wouldn't hurt to clay them anyway.



A "rim" is another work for wheels
 
Thanks, I'll probably try that Diablo wheel gel.



Their web site recommends to use it with this brush: Click



But, that brush is made out of sheepskin and my wheels are really dirty. Am I going to be able to really scrub with that thing?



Also, I see on the board that many are sealing and waxing after cleaning their wheels. As much work as I'm going to have to do on these wheels, I'll probably want to do that. Should I just choose a sealant and or wax I'd want to use on my paint and use the same thing on my wheels? (I like the idea of using products that are as general purpose as possible).



I'm new and am not going to buy a motorized polisher right now. I've seen videos of how much those help with polishing and waxing your paint. But, I thinking wheels are small enough, not having one won't be as big a deal?
 
levander said:
I'm pretty sure I got aluminum alloy wheels with no clear coat on them.
Click to expand...



Aluminum Alloy wheels with no clear coat, start with basic car wash soap and step up from there. Aluminum alloy is VERY subject to "staining" if you use a harsh cleaner on it. Even a very diluted cleaner like 20:1 simple green or a citrus cleaner is subject to stain them IME.



The best thing I found that works good for me is just simple car wash soap....



Then use a metal polish like Optimum Metal Polish or the Wolfgang Metal trio....



If you do use a cleaner on the wheels do NOT let it sit. (assuming they aren't coated)



edit:



You can test to see if your wheels are coated or not, take a metal polish and rub in a small hidden area first, if it turns black, then its not coated. If it does not turn black then it is coated.



Now that I think about it a little more, those wheels are coated. We are talking about a '99 Nissan Maxima, not some garage queen (no offence), the Maxima is very much a daily driver in its factory form. I believe it was the 96-99 models when they introduced the 5 spoke alloy wheels. Since I believe them to be coated I would start with still a basic car wash soap and step up from there, no need in risking the integrity of the rim or coated surface. Meguiars APC+ is good stuff, and so is there wheel bright. If you doubt they are coated then rub a small area first, turns black = not coated, no black color change = coated.
 
Thanks bwalker.



Aluminum Alloy wheels with no clear coat, start with basic car wash soap and step up from there. Aluminum alloy is VERY subject to "staining" if you use a harsh cleaner on it. Even a very diluted cleaner like 20:1 simple green or a citrus cleaner is subject to stain them IME.
Click to expand...



Have you tried basic car wash soap on really dirty wheels like mine? That's why I'm thinking it's worth it to get a dedicated cleaner, specifically designed. It's gonna be a lotta work. If it'll save time, it's worth it.



You saw the recent thread saying not to use Simple Green on aluminum at all? Just interesting you said the same thing.



From vague things I've read on the web, it's not clear-coated. But, I will be at the car dealership and can ask someone else who knows about cars. I'll make sure I know before trying to clean them. My wheels look like the 2nd pic in this thread. The pic of the silver color car: Click



Not letting it sit is a good tip. Makes sense.



I'll have to look into metal polishes vs. just using a regular car wax. I just prefer a car wax because it's more multi-purpose. I can use it for other things. But, maybe a metal polish is better. I'll look into it.



I wish someone knew about that gerbil brush I linked to earlier in the thread that Chemical Guys recommends to use with their cleaner. But, I guess I can just call the guys that run the web site and ask them.
 
If they're factory wheels they have a clearcoat.



If you're still not sure what kind of finish you have, post a pic and I can probably tell by looking.
 
My car looks exactly the same as the one in the pic I linked to above. It's the same color and everything, except mine has a spoiler on the back. Instead of linking to the thread, here's a direct link to the picture: Click



I'm looking at bwalker's suggestion now about not using a dedicated wheel cleaner and just using car wash soap. I was going to buy some ONR anyway. That would be as good?



Does a dedicated wheel cleaner do anything special car wash soap wouldn't? Or, is it both their jobs just to get the wheel clean, and nothing else?
 
And, I was just looking at Optimum Metal Polish at Autogeek. I don't have a buffer or a polisher and am not going to buy one right now. How much worse is it when you just use a foam applicator to put it on?
 
I've never used simple green @ full strength, but never had a problem with it diluted 5:1 or such...



I've never had a problem with simple green on a coated wheel. Your wheels ARE clear coated, we are talking about a 99 Nissan Maxima not some super exotic or expensive domestic (read: vette, porsche, etc)



From vague things I've read on the web, it's not clear-coated....
Click to expand...



Your wheels are COATED, I'd be very suprised if they were factory wheels and not clear coated.



Sinse the wheels are clear coated, you could use Wheel Bright from Meguiars on them, or just a wheel cleaner and scrub a lot. ;)
 
I should clarify -- yes, your wheels are what would be called a factory clearcoated or coated wheel. Yes, they are aluminum alloy, but the finish is effectively a tough version of car paint.



If a car wash solution and a gentle brush does the job, or if you have a general purpose cleaner that's safe for paints and it does the job, then fine.



The dedicated wheel cleaners for clearcoated wheels are recommended for built-up brake dust that often cleans off without scrubbing excessively (and risking damage to the finish). If mild soap doesn't work, it would be preferred to chemically scrub than mechanically scrub.



If you have stubborn brake dust and dirt, you'd want to get a good "All Wheel Cleaner" or "All Wheel & Tire Cleaner" -- so long as it says it's safe for clearcoats -- key words are often "all wheels" or "factory wheels" or "coated wheels." Personally I have used Eagle1 All Wheel & Tire, and you can buy it virtually everywhere. But I also really like the brand new Mothers All Wheel & Tire Cleaner. Both are spray on, hose off.



Wax with a car wax afterwards or a spray wax.



Don't use a metal polish -- you're effectively polishing paint.



If you have problem areas we can't see, please post a good close-up pic if you can, but I think all of your questions have been answered.
 
Pictures would definitely help. However, if the wheels have been neglected for years, it is very possible the brake dust has eaten into the coating and to get the wheels perfect again you'll need to have them refinished.
 
Okay, thanks guys. You've given me all this help and it's starting to look like if I hadn't looked into it so much, I would have gotten the right stuff from the beginning. I was gonna go with A2Z to begin with. What confused me was I thought I had non-clear coated aluminum wheels I thought I had to be careful with.



However, I did just see a post here on Autopia where some guy was saying he stopped using A2Z in favor of ONR because ONR did a better job with his brake dust and leaves his LSP in tact. It's here: Click. From what Jim D is saying in this thread:



The dedicated wheel cleaners for clearcoated wheels are recommended for built-up brake dust that often cleans off without scrubbing excessively (and risking damage to the finish). If mild soap doesn't work, it would be preferred to chemically scrub than mechanically scrub.
Click to expand...



So, if firegate is right in that post I linked to, and this one product happens to do a better job with the brake dust, I was going to buy some ONR anyway... And, if the ONR fails, since A2Z is OTC, I can just run go by some.



I saw some post on here awhile back that was talking about wheel cleaners and said in order of harshness you have: 1.) A2Z, 2.) P21s, 3.) Griot's, and 4.) forget. Wish I had bookmarked that. A lot of people in the thread after him were saying, "yeah, that's about right". I just looked everywhere for it and couldn't find it.



Scottwax, thanks for posting. I've seen your videos on Youtube. Great stuff. Hope you do more of them. I'll try to get a pic up in the next day or two. I've been assuming they were awful because they hadn't been done in so long. But, I looked at them yesterday, and they didn't "look" that bad. But, that's the thing with this car. None of it has looked awful, but I go to clean it and I'm like, "Wow, look at all the grime in here!!". I'll try to get a pic up in the next day or two.
 
Okay, here's the pic:



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So, for cleaning the wheel, searching the forum, looking at some Scottwax videos on youtube, it seems like the best guesses for wheel cleaner are 1.) ONR and Optimum Power Clean together, 2.) Megs Wheel Brightener, or 3.) A2Z.



I'm assuming Megs is more powerful because of the acid, but do I need that much cleaning power for the tire?



I was going to buy the ONR anyway, so if I can get buy with just that, I'd rather do it. But, if there's a 50% chance I'm gonna have to go back and get the Megs Wheel Brightener, I think I'd rather just go ahead an mail order it now. You can't get it OTC can you?



I'll need brushes, a protectant for the wheels, and tire dressing, but what I need to clean those wheels is the most important thing.
 

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****, I just checked. You have to buy Meg's WB a gallon at a time and it's $8 to shipping because it's so heavy I guess. Between brushes, cleaner, dressings, I was doing the math in my head today, it's gonna be over $50 to get stuff to clean my wheels, as a conservative estimate, and that's before I was thinking about the WB. This is really getting ridiculous.



But anyway, you guys think I need that WB to get those wheels clean?
 
Apparently, there's another option, Surf City Grime Destroyer. From Click:



Works on caked on brake dust too. Not that stuff people here call bad brake dust hat comes of with a light brushing and a hose, but that ugly, wheel-hasn't-been-cleaned-since-Carter-was-President stuff.
Click to expand...



That's what I've got. hasn't-been-cleaned-since...



I'm leaning towards the SCGD.
 
But, what about that plate behind the wheel with the rust spots on it in the pics? I can clean that with SCGD? ONR? WB? A2Z?
 
the plate behind the wheel is the rotor, you can use a brush to clean it, however I would be VERY careful in doing so. Wheel Bright will make your life ALOT easier as far as cleaning that wheel. I use wheel bright some on tires and it hasn't hurt yet, but others will tell you not to do that. You can pick up the Surf City stuff at many pepboys and other places local.



I would say try the Surf City stuff first, if you dont want to spend alot on wheel bright. Of course you could always try a sample from ADS (Meguiar's D140 Wheel Brightener 32 oz.). Its a 32oz sprayer thats only $8.49, and you can/should dilute that 4:1 (water:product)



I've never tried the Surf City stuff, and will be the first to tell you I dont know anything about SC products. But I will tell you this, WB is a great product and I've used it many times.



As far as the rust on the rotor goes, maybe a brush and some cleaner to knock it off, but I wouldn't go crazy...



edit:



Its weird being up at 439am 2 hours before I have to go to work. I can't sleep, its to damn hot in my house....yah it can be expensive to start cleaning your own car, but look at it this way, you wont have to buy the brushes / applicators / etc again, and the dressing will last more than just 1 application, and so will the wheel cleaner.
 
Those are coated wheels. My suggestion is that you remove them from the car to clean them. Go to your local auto parts store and get a good APC (all purpose cleaner) and spray the wheels down, then go after the built up gunk with a good wheel brush.
 
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