Cleaning your alloy wheels?

Mr Magnolia

Used this for the first time today. Couldn't recommend it enough. Fantastic job. Wheels as good as new. It did take a bit of elbow-grease too though.

Carplan Wonder Wheels









That's all.


*amazed*

mike65

Oven cleaner every time! *careful now*

Mike.

fletch

Yeh used Wonderwheels a few weeks back for the 1st time and wow :eek: was I impressed. I wash my wheels every week and take them off about once every 2months and wash the inside of them but tar and brake dust still mounts up. This stuff just stripped it all off....well impressed!
I'll probably use it about once a year now as I have heard it can strip the laquer if you have a lot of chips/kerbings on the wheel

MAKE MY DAY

Yes wash my wheels ever week , use a small brush on them it works the business. Only way to keep them right is regular cleaning and to remove them for a serious scrub from time to time. Its amazing how many people clean their cars but leave the wheels in an awful state. I'll have to try some of that wonderwheel stuff ... a nice project for the weekend !

rebel.ranter

Don't forget to give the wheels a coat of car wax/polish on the after using any cleaners like Wonder Wheels. They're easier to wax when dry BTW. Regular waxing makes them a breeze to clean with just water and Car shampoo (Zymol is my current favourite). No scrubbing needed if you cean them every week & polish every one or two months.

milltown

Meguiars Hot Rims has been working wonders for me. Spray on, brush in, rinse off. Bottle is nearly empty though so I might try wonder wheels next.

I had been meaning to ask about polishing wheels to stop the brake dust binding so easily. Will try rebel.ranter's tip this weekend.

ciarsd

Steer clear of the likes of wonder wheels if you like the finish on your wheels! I admit the results can be ok but at a cost. There is no substitute for elbow grease if you want to keep them in top condition

I usually give my wheels a good scrubbing with clean/warm water with Zymol car shampoo while on the car. Every couple of months, they come off and get a similar but more extensive cleaning and a coat of Zymol cleaner wax too. Keeps the brake dust at bay, preventing it caking on over time.

ciarsd

Here's the shampoo and cleaner wax I've used for the past 8 years

Natural Concentrate Shampoo (smells great too )


Cleaner Wax

5500

Im having woefull trouble with keeping white wheels clean on my car,if the cars not washed for a few days its rotten cleaning them.

Liek Ciars said ive used wax over them too but to no avail

NBar

Change your brake pads and use a proper wheel wax product that can withstand the high temps as ordinary wax will not last. I use 'Wheel Wax' and after every wash spray the wheels with 'Auto Glym Wheel Seal'

mike65

EBC green stuff pads are much better than standard items, apart from stopping you faster they don't shed dust anything like as bad.

Mike.

TomMc

I would strongly advise against using wonder wheels or any highly acidic cleaner on alloys. Meguiar's one is OK on standard factory wheels even though it has some acid in the mix. P21S is the best wheel cleaner in the world and is 100% safe for all wheels including the more expensive ones with split rims and special finishes. Many a Porsche owner destroyed their light alloy wheels by using acid base products before they knew better.

As mentioned above normal waxes will not last on alloys. They melt at too low a temperature. An acrylic sealant should be the minimum protection used as it has a much higher melting point or better still a silicate like Glassplexin, which will not even burn off hot exhaust pipes. Anything less is a waste of time.

Mr Magnolia

Very good points there. I've no intention of using the product on a regular basis. The wheels haven't got a good cleaning since the car rolled out of the factory so they were bogging, I doubt much else would have had an impact really.

BTW, I used some surgical gloves when handling the cleaner. I also used a small plastic scrubber to clean around the larger sections of the wheel.

I'll give them a waxing today to protect them so.

Dublinsausage

Here's a tip for Metal , Get an old dirty copper coin for a starter experiment and grab the bottle of soy sauce from the kitchen cabinet (not a joke) try this before you take the big coins off your rig . Place coin in a saucer , pour soy sauce over it & wait a few minutes , the wife/girlfriend/partner, even the kids will be intrigued . Rub gently , Wallah ! Now I don't know how much a bottle of Soy Sauce costs in Ireland compared to Wonder Wheels, but just for fun give it a whizz (the coin) not the wheels , I am talking about metal and not the rubber . Now All I need to hear is that somebody took their wheels off and stuck them in a bath of Soy Sauce.