Cleaning Wheel Wells

J

Just02

New member
Okie, so I'm sure this topic has been discussed before, but I have a new question...



What affect, if any, would spraying an all-purpose cleaner in the wheel wells have on suspension and whatever other components are in there?



I typically spray diluted Poorboy's Biodegradable All-Purpose Cleaner into the wheel wells and let it sit as I rinse and wash the car. When I'm finished rinsing the car (10 minutes?) I return to the wheel wells, throughly spray them with water [from the hose], and then do a final wash with an old mitt.



Am I setting myself up for issues? :wall









If you're wondering, this is mostly done on my 2007 Accord.
 
playing devils advocate here: it might cause premature wear on things like bushings for sway bars and end links if you are spraying a degreaser on to an area that needs grease. not that its likely to happen but it might contribute to it happening sooner.
 
I've been doing this at every wash for ages and it's never caused any problems for me. But I'm not using harsh degreasers either...just diluted APCs and/or mild wheel cleaners (or strong shampoo mixes for the good cars). Also, I don't work blindly, I pay attention to what's going on.



I can think of examples of what advs1 is referring to...greased urethane anti-swaybar bushings some to mind..but again, it's just never been a problem. Perhaps because I apply a little common sense ;) But you know what they say about "common sense" so :xyxthumbs to advs1 for pointing out that you gotta put a little thought into this.
 
Accumulator said:
I've been doing this at every wash for ages and it's never caused any problems for me. But I'm not using harsh degreasers either...just diluted APCs and/or mild wheel cleaners (or strong shampoo mixes for the good cars). Also, I don't work blindly, I pay attention to what's going on.



I can think of examples of what advs1 is referring to...greased urethane anti-swaybar bushings some to mind..but again, it's just never been a problem. Perhaps because I apply a little common sense ;) But you know what they say about "common sense" so :xyxthumbs to advs1 for pointing out that you gotta put a little thought into this.
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That makes sense. I'm not using a harsh degreaser by any means, especially since it's pretty heavily diluted. Maybe I should just use a wash mitt soaked in the solution rather than spraying the wells, which would eliminate the worries. :idea
 
You're not going to hurt anything with a degreaser... the worst thing it's gonna do is help you remove thin layers of grime ;)
 
An APC or diluted Tire Cleaner should fit the bill here.



IMO, you can't be doing more harm than the salt, tar, brake dust, dirt, etc a wheel well sees on a daily basis.



Keep them clean, dress them regularly and enjoy.
 
How much of your suspension is getting soaked when you spray APC in your wheel wells? It seems like the only thing that's open on most vehicles is the shock/strut and those are sealed units. The knuckle and control arms are also sealed and have grease fittings. Pretty much all suspension parts are manufactured to get wet and a little APC shouldn't hurt anything. I apply APC with a pump sprayer & power wash and I've never experienced any premature failure on any of my vehicles.
 
I think everything that is in the wheel wells is designed to withstand alot of abuse and dirt of all kinds. So APC or any degreaser only makes it look better, no harm what so ever from what I have done either.
 
Is there an easy way to get into the wheels wells on cars with small fender gaps without taking off the wheels? I tear up my hands scrubbing in there and could use a nice rigid thin handled brush.
 
bumoftheday said:
Is there an easy way to get into the wheels wells on cars with small fender gaps without taking off the wheels? I tear up my hands scrubbing in there and could use a nice rigid thin handled brush.
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I keep a floorjack on each side of the washbay and I raise the (low) vehicles up just enough to gain access.



As for the wash medium, I prefer paintbrush-style BHBs for some areas as a) they rinse clean easier than sponges and b) they get into convoluted areas a bit better. But I still use the Quickee Sponge Mops (sorta a sponge-on-a-stick) for larger/smooth areas.
 
bumoftheday said:
Is there an easy way to get into the wheels wells on cars with small fender gaps without taking off the wheels? I tear up my hands scrubbing in there and could use a nice rigid thin handled brush.
Click to expand...



Ace power stick.
 
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