Hoseless wheel and tire washing

[budman3]

QEW and ONR and DP 4in1 are all great hoseless washes for the paint but cleaning neglected wheels can be difficult without using a hose. So here is a little how I do such a task.

I had a hose available to use but the temperature was dropping below freezing fast so I decided to do a quick body wash and leave everything else to do in the garage. This inluded the wheels. Now mind you, the wheels aren't in the best condition so don't expect flawless results.

Process:
-Spray wheels and tires with water
-Lightly spray wells, wheels and tires with favorite wheel and tire cleaner (I prefer Eagle One All Wheel and Tire Cleaner)
-Scrub everything that you can reach
-Spray more water to clean off cleaner
-Take an old terry towel and dry tires, wells and wheels
-Follow up with another towel
-After dry, spray wells with tire shine and apply favorite tire dressing
-Apply wheel sealant / wax if wanted

Pictures:
Before-

During agitation-

After drying-

Products used-

This is good for quick cleanings but because of some large brake rotors and thin openings of the wheels, it may not be possible to reach the inside of the wheels for a complete cleaning. This was the case for these wheels so take the pictures with a grain of salt. I have been meaning to type this up for a while and decided it'd be better than nothing, right? Wheels that have been protected and taken care of could probably just get by with a S&W wipedown or a quick Q&W wash. Hope this helped someone who doesn't always have access to a hose

 

[audiboy]

The wheels look good, but I would just be worried about having leftover cleaner on the wheel after the final rinse. Some of the wheel cleaners I've used in the past take a really good spraying to get the wheel completely free of the cleaner that was used. If you think those rotors are hard to work around, you should try to deal with my big brake kit. 14" rotors and huge 4 pot calipers are a pain to clean around.

 

[budman3]

True, I don't think I'd feel safe doing this on a BMW or Mercedes but on something like this (97 Toyota Avalon) I think the water in the spray bottle and drying will do the trick of removing the big amounts of cleaner. Atleast the face and front portion of the wheels are clean.

 

[Troy@Protekt]

I really feel sorry for you guys that have to use a hoseless wash for your wheels and tires. :snow:

I am so spoiled having year round detailing weather and the daily use of a pressure washer. I just rinse my wheels now and then while I am doing a customers car. It takes me less than a minute to make them clean again.

Did a car with honeycomb type wheels today. They would have been a nightmare without a pressure washer.

 

[budman3]

You take what you get and work with it. It's better to have the option of an alternative rather than skipping it all together. BTW the rest of the car is not going to be a cake walk either... here is a teaser shot- will have more when I finish it in the morning: