Wheel Well, Brake Caliper, and Suspension Cleaner

D

dmehak

New member
In the tutorial “How-To Detail Tires & Wheels� Step 7 mentions:



…spray the wheel well, brake caliper and suspension components with cleaner. Allow it to soak for 5 minutes…



What cleaner would you guys recommend using for this?



Thanks.
 
I use Amazing Roll Off for all those parts, including the tires and wheels.



It can be diluted as much as you'd like and is still safe and effective. However you may need to use a brush for tires/wheels to get them perfectly clean.
 
Noting that I haven't tried The Amazing Roll Off, my usual fave is P231s Total Auto Wash. Gotta watch it on some undercoats, but generally it's what I use for the initial clean up. Once things are on a maintenance-only basis, I use EF HI or a diluted wheel cleaner (or even just shampoo mix, on the good cars), but any APC oughta work fine.



How grungy things are determines what I need for the job.
 
Accumulator said:
How grungy things are determines what I need for the job.
Click to expand...



The car is coming from the factory, so things will be nice and clean.



It's not so much a matter of cleaning the wheel well and brake/suspensions components, but rather protecting it from the beginning to make cleaning up easier further down the road.



Should I use the Amazing Roll-Off to clean things up, and apply a protectant afterwards? Or will the Amazing Roll-Off work as a protectant as well?
 
Black240SX said:
I wouldn't use that on the brake components. The wax in it will contaminate the brake pads.
Click to expand...



???? Where does this wax in ARO come from? I've never heard that but if it is indeed there, it would have to be a very small amount that wouldn't hold up to the heat of a braking system.
 
There is no wax in ARO - - It leaves a "wax-like finish" meaning the surface is perfectly clean. It has no protectant properties.



FWIW: Never had problems with brake compenants over the last 9 months I have been using ARO.
 
dmehak said:
The car is coming from the factory, so things will be nice and clean.

It's not so much a matter of cleaning the wheel well and brake/suspensions components, but rather protecting it from the beginning to make cleaning up easier further down the road.

Should I use the Amazing Roll-Off to clean things up, and apply a protectant afterwards? Or will the Amazing Roll-Off work as a protectant as well?
Click to expand...

There is nothing that is gonna keep your wheels (or car) from getting dirty. And between brake dust and road grime, wheels/tires/wells get the dirtiest.

I use Simple Green APC as a cleaner. I have used other stuff and at times, for neglected tires might use Wesley's Bleachwhite. For tires, I've been using Megs Natural Shine. I don't really 'protect' the wells.
 
On the S8, I've treated the calipers (painted at the factory) and everything in the wheelweels (suspension, etc. too) with the same sealants I use on the rest of the car, UPP and/or BF. Noting that the car doesn't get used all that much, after five years everything is still *very* nice in there, and yeah, I do drive it in Ohio winters.



On the other vehicles I clean these areas at *every* wash, but I don't treat/protect them, at least not regularly. While they don't have that "ready to show" look like the S8, they do look nice enough that mechanics ooh and aah about them all the time. My rule-of-thumb: most every surface of the vehicle should be clean enough that you can work on it without getting your hands dirty.



IMO the big thing is to keep dirt from accumulating. Dirt harbors moisture. Check the texture of the painted parts, they won't be clearcoated and will probably be pretty rough. This rough texture will also harbor dirt and moisture, so consider giving them a gentle polishing. At that point you could wax (Collinite) or seal everything pretty easily. Then use a stronger-than-normal shampoo mix to clean at every wash and see how it goes. You can always switch to a stronger cleaner (which will strip off the wax/sealant) if you decide that's gonna work better for you.



That's what I do on my wife's car (and to a less meticulous degree the MPV). Twice a year I do things properly and use the shampoo mix to clean for the next few months. When that quits working (after lots of use and long trips) I just clean with an APC (EFHI, slightly diluted) until the next time I have the wheels off, when I redo it all and start over.
 
SpoiledMan said:
???? Where does this wax in ARO come from? I've never heard that but if it is indeed there, it would have to be a very small amount that wouldn't hold up to the heat of a braking system.
Click to expand...



Hmm, apparently it is a "rust inhibiting wax-like finish" that it leaves behind. You don't want any of that on your brakes either.



And when it burns up due to the heat, that doesn't mean it's all gone. But rather your brakes will be contaminated with the decomposed product.



I've had brake pads become glazed from using wheel cleaning products. The glazing happened gradually and I didn't realize how bad it was until I replaced the pads.
 
Black240SX said:
Hmm, apparently it is a "rust inhibiting wax-like finish" that it leaves behind. You don't want any of that on your brakes either.



And when it burns up due to the heat, that doesn't mean it's all gone. But rather your brakes will be contaminated with the decomposed product.



I've had brake pads become glazed from using wheel cleaning products. The glazing happened gradually and I didn't realize how bad it was until I replaced the pads.
Click to expand...



So you're speculating that using ARO will cause harm to brake pads? Do you *know* what it leaves behind. I've been using it for some time now and there have been no ill effects. Have you used it at all?
 
When you apply it, do you get any on your brakes?



If you care, ask the manufacturer if they recommend using it on brakes. I can just about guarantee they will say no.
 
Black240SX said:
When you apply it, do you get any on your brakes?



If you care, ask the manufacturer if they recommend using it on brakes. I can just about guarantee they will say no.
Click to expand...



Oh, OK. Speculation.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top