How much time do you spend on wheels?

2wheelsx2

2wheelsx2

New member
Lately, it seems everyone who brings their car to me has really badly caked on brake dust. I have been getting in there with Simple Green and a toothbrush, but this sometimes takesmore than 1/2 hour! So I am wondering what you guys do when hat tsomeone brings in a car like that. The paint is in decent shape, but dirty, so I would do the usual SMr, light claying, and than a coat of sealant. But do you guys charge extra for dirty rims, or do you just wash what you can get at, and do light scrubbing, and explain to the owners that it'll take another appointment to get the rims to look clean? I think most of the owners don't even notice the job I did on their rims!:(
 
I charge by the Hour, so it it takes 1/2hr to get it CLEAN than it take a half hour........................I have found that if I take my time and do it the best I can and charge a flat rate I will loose my Butt because I take so long:nono cant have that:)
 
Yeah, that's my dilemma too. My car has spotless rims now, but when I first got it (used) the rims were very badly stained with brake dust. I bet I spent over 5 hours on those rims, pulling them off and scrubbing each one inside and out. Oh well, I will be using them for winter rims this winter, and will be getting new mags! :)
 
Seems like a lot of ppl here detail for money.



It hardly takes me any time. Look back at my thread "Look What a rotary did!" and look at the wheels on that truck. Using ProWax's Non-Acid WHeel cleaner and a nylon brush I was able to get everything off them. The few black spots you see are where her rims where damaged. Took me maybe 5mins a wheel including the scrubbing I did on the tires.
 
I used to dread doing wheels. I used small foam and towel pieces, took a long time and my hands would cramp up. Got a nice set of wheel brushes and they do a great job very fast. I’m sure different combos are just as effective i.e. what Intel486 uses but the CMA good grips (oxo) brush set and EF Hi-Intensity do a great job for me.



SJS
 
Thanks for the tips guys. I am going to have to invest in a better brush I guess. I am currently using EO Aluminum Wash and it works great for lightly stained rims, but for the ones which are really bad (these ones I am talking about have never been washed except at Auto washes), it doesn't work as well. Time to try other cleaners I guess.
 
2wheelsx2 said:
Thanks for the tips guys. I am going to have to invest in a better brush I guess. I am currently using EO Aluminum Wash and it works great for lightly stained rims, but for the ones which are really bad (these ones I am talking about have never been washed except at Auto washes), it doesn't work as well. Time to try other cleaners I guess.
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Have you tried the EO All wheel cleaner? It works very well and is easy to find.
 
No I haven't. I have seen it, but wasn't sure if it contained acid or not. The Aluminum Wash specifically states safe for all finishes and pH neutral. Have you tried the all wheel cleaner?
 
2wheelsx2 said:
No I haven't. I have seen it, but wasn't sure if it contained acid or not. The Aluminum Wash specifically states safe for all finishes and pH neutral. Have you tried the all wheel cleaner?
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The Eagle One All wheel cleaner? Yes, I have tried it and have a bottle sitting here. Used it on several wheels and it really cleans them up. I only use ProWax's Non-Acid Wheel Cleaner because I can buy it in bulk.
 
I checked out the ProWax stuff on the web and it said it's only for sale for authorized dealers only. I wish I could get some stuff in bulk too, as the hobbyist stuff is too expensive to use for client cars.
 
2wheelsx2 said:
I checked out the ProWax stuff on the web and it said it's only for sale for authorized dealers only. I wish I could get some stuff in bulk too, as the hobbyist stuff is too expensive to use for client cars.
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Did you try to find a dealer in your area? Doesn't matter how close they are though as they usually deliever pretty far. I know the place here has like 9 trucks and they pretty much cover all of the state.
 
Intel, thanks man, but the problem is that I am in Canada (Vancouver, BC). A lot of the stuff you guys buy easily at Pep Boys and Autozone, I have to scour the area for. It took me 5 emails and a bunch of phone calls before I found a ClayMagic distributor to try the stuff out. And mail order is nuts for some stuff. I tried to order a 5" counterweight for my PC from Coastal Tools, and they quoted $11 shipping plus UPS brokerage fees. Then when it gets here I have to pay GST and PST. So this $2 US weight would have ended up costing me something like $20 US, which would be about $30 CDN!!! Luckily, a Canadian Autopian (99ESMAX) who has set up the Abay CDN pad buy is willing to get me the weight from Ontario and ship it to me. Cost? $3 CDN! This site has cost me money and saved me money! Great people here.
 
The only way to truely clean wheels is with an acidic wheel cleaner followed by a neutralizer. Your wheels will come out sparkling everytime.
 
What is the wheels is older and has some chips in it? Won't the acid get underneath the paint then and cause more problems? I can see using an acid cleaner when the rims are new, but mine are, and the previous owner put some chips in a couple of them.
 
I clean the wheels and the tires using Productions Red power at a 1/2 mixture for the tires and a 1/4 mixture for the wheels. I wet the tires and rims with my power washer, spray the solutions on wait a minute, use a stiff scrub brush on the tires and the Oxo wheel brush on the rims. Rinse with the power washer. Sparkling clean every time. 5 min. max/wheel and thats if they are really bad. This is considered in the total cost of the detail. Extras that are charged by the hour would include Engine shampooing, Paint chip repair Sampooing upholstry or if the vehicle was absolutely horrible inside or out and in my opinion would take longer than 5 hrs.
 
Car brite and Auto Majic make a very good acidic wheel cleaner. As far as a neutralizer, you can use your favorite all purpose cleaner.
 
I use a wheel cleaner (Auto Magic's Magnificent) and my pressure washer to remove brake dust. A coupleof weeks ago I detailed a1987 BMW 325 for a elderly neighbor of mine... the car belonged to her late husband. It is her daily driver, and she keeps it clean, but the wheels were "brake dust black" .



I sprayed each wheel and let it stand for about 2 minutes, then sprayed them again and pressure washed them. No muss, no fuss...clean wheels!
 
for my own car..i wax the wheels once a month (about 40 mins to an hour for all wheels)...the bmw has a break dust issue that is unreal...waxing makes it a bit easier to clean...off the shelf wheel cleaners or simply green...& power spray...



towel dry...30-40 mins all wheels
 
wolf said:
for my own car..i wax the wheels once a month (about 40 mins to an hour for all wheels)...the bmw has a break dust issue that is unreal...waxing makes it a bit easier to clean...off the shelf wheel cleaners or simply green...& power spray...



towel dry...30-40 mins all wheels
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What wax do you use?
 
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