Wheel cleaning advice

C

ChicagoRob

New member
What are the best methods and materials for cleaning/removing brakedust,

etc. from the backsides of my Mazda P5 aluminum wheels?



Rob
 
BigAl3 said:
EZ Detail Brush, E-Z detail brush, Wheel Brush, Tire Brush, Detailing Brush, Corvette brush, Mercedes brush, sport wheel brush, brush for spoke
Click to expand...



Thanks, BigAl3. Can you recommend any specific products that work well

to remove caked-on brake dust on the back sides? I've tried Simple Green,

etc, but need something stronger. I've searched the forum and have found

some good recommended products for the wheel fronts, spokes, etc., but

not for the heavy buildup on the inner portion of the wheel.



Rob
 
ChicagoRob said:
Thanks, BigAl3. Can you recommend any specific products that work well

to remove caked-on brake dust on the back sides? I've tried Simple Green,

etc, but need something stronger. I've searched the forum and have found

some good recommended products for the wheel fronts, spokes, etc., but

not for the heavy buildup on the inner portion of the wheel.



Rob
Click to expand...



try using some EO1 all wheel & tire cleaner (great OTC product) and see if that does the trick. if it doesn't, a pretty strong wheel cleaner like megs wheel brightener should do it. just be careful and follow the directions on dilutions (also make sure you're suing it on the right rims/wheels), it's strong stuff...



AWTC.jpg


A2Zâ„¢ All Wheel & Tire Cleaner



Wheel Brightener D14001 Product Information
 
BigAl3 said:
try using some EO1 all wheel & tire cleaner (great OTC product) and see if that does the trick. if it doesn't, a pretty strong wheel cleaner like megs wheel brightener should do it. just be careful and follow the directions on dilutions (also make sure you're suing it on the right rims/wheels), it's strong stuff...



AWTC.jpg


A2Zâ„¢ All Wheel & Tire Cleaner
Click to expand...





Sounds like a plan. The wheels are clearcoated, so hopefully the EO1 will do

the trick.



Rob
 
Best way take them off and scurb them with the all wheel cleaner brand of your choice and then remount them
 
ChicagoRob said:
Sounds like a plan. The wheels are clearcoated, so hopefully the EO1 will do

the trick.



Rob
Click to expand...



All Wheel & Tire Cleaner is safe for all types of metal hubcaps and steel or aluminum alloy wheels. Safe finishes include: anodized, clear coated, factory painted and chrome.
 
BigAl3 said:
All Wheel & Tire Cleaner is safe for all types of metal hubcaps and steel or aluminum alloy wheels. Safe finishes include: anodized, clear coated, factory painted and chrome.
Click to expand...



The wheels come off tomorrow and will get thoroughly scrubbed. It's good timing,

since they have to be rotated anyway.



Thanks for your assistance.



Rob
 
ChicagoRob said:
.. The wheels are clearcoated..
Click to expand...



Note that many wheels aren't finished the same way on the backs as they are on the surfaces that show. Sometimes they're *barely* painted back there at all, with just a "mist coat" over the bare aluminum. So I'd be a little careful.



FWIW, you might try claying while the wheel cleaner is dwelling. It'll trash the clay PDQ, but it might make the job go quicker and easier.



Once they're clean, polish them before sealing. Smoothing the finish a bit with a polish will make it easier to keep them clean.



Then be sure to wash the back sides at every wash. If the EZ Brush mars, you might try the little sheepskin pads made for wheels. Griot's calls theirs (pn 10209) a "four finger mitt" and I like it a lot more than I expected to. Works better for me than the "foam on a stick" style of big swabs, but those are handy too.
 
Accumulator - Is there a real advantage of using clay over a small (soft) brush? Both can aggitate the area you're working on as you allow the product to dwell. But, it's alot cheaper to use a brush. It's never made sense to use clay to assist in "pulling out" the bonded contaminants when you're using a good enough cleaner that does the same thing.
 
David Fermani said:
Accumulator - Is there a real advantage of using clay over a small (soft) brush?... It's never made sense to use clay to assist in "pulling out" the bonded contaminants when you're using a good enough cleaner that does the same thing.
Click to expand...



I find that the clay doesn't so much "pull out" as it does "shear off", and yeah, I find it works *much* better than a brush (which I also use). Not as well as a brush on a Dremel, but I only resort to that when I'm at my wits' end ;)



But that "good enough cleaner" bit makes me think that, well...yeah, if you have a cleaner that'll do the job without the added [everything] of using clay then you should be all set. I just never seem to have anything on hand that'll do the job by itself so I use the clay to help things along.



The strongest stuff I have on hand is some wheel cleaner from TOL; I forget the exact name, it's their strongest "house brand" stuff. It was a little *too* strong on (the bare aluminum areas of) some wheels that had compromised finishes. That experience made me a little leery of using it (let alone stronger products, which I *have* used in the past) on the wheels I'm dealing with these days. With milder products and the clay, I'm able to tackle anything *I* deal with, with no worries about doing any harm. People like pros, those of you who have to tackle really *nasty* wheels, might be in a different situation.
 
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