cleaning alloys

von dreyse

Hello all,
I am wondering what product would clean the brake dust off a set of alloys best without damaging the lacquer?
WD-40 or degreaser or something else altogether?

thanks

von D.

puzzle factory

petrol will dissolve brake dust for you,it evaporates fairly quickly,so not much chance of doing damage.

von dreyse

puzzle factory wrote: »

petrol will dissolve brake dust for you,it evaporates fairly quickly,so not much chance of doing damage.

Thanks, used to use petrol to take tar off but then discovered degreasing fluid was much quicker.
Just dont want to take the shine off them as well as the black dust!

puzzle factory

I know what you mean,ive brought alloy cleaner before in the motor factors, absolute rubbish stuff.maybe it was just the brand,but il never again waste money on the stuff.

mooman

I saw Aldi have an alloy wheel cleaning kit for about €3 last week, I didnt buy it but it might do the job for you, I use autoglym alloy wheel cleaner which is very good but I think it's €15 for the bottle

TomMc

Whatever alloy wheel cleaner you buy, get one that is acid free. Although some can be highly alkaline which isn't ideal either. The best wheel cleaners are generally only available online, rather than sold in shops. You get what you pay for by and large. Two really good ones are Carpro IronX and Orchard Autocare iron cleanse or wheel cleanse.

TestTransmission

Meguairs Wheel Brightener is fantastic, available to buy online.

Chimaera

I've been using WonderWheels for a long time, find it fine. Each to their own

ongarite

Iron X, the best in the business, its the one most professional car detailers use.
http://www.cleancar.ie/car-pro-iron-x-500ml.html

For something cheaper but nearly as good, Very Cheery Acid Free Wheel Cleaner is recommended.
http://www.cleancar.ie/verycherryacidfreewheelcleaner.html

tossy

Heard good things about iron X,poorboys spray and rinse is also very good.Petrol not so good.

The trick with wheels is when you have the spotless to use a good sealer like poorboys to protect them 2 or 3 coats of that and the brake dust will just run off with a good wash.

vectra

As above
Carpro Iron X

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a3QCCL_e4lg

biko

A thread a while back suggested Very Cherry.
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056419383

von dreyse

Thanks for all the advice guys,
I was trying to stay away from specialist products and use something I had like degreaser, etc. not so much to save a euro but when I am finished it would just be another bottle on a shelf in the garage for a couple of years till I need it again !

vectra

von dreyse wrote: »

Thanks for all the advice guys,
I was trying to stay away from specialist products and use something I had like degreaser, etc. not so much to save a euro but when I am finished it would just be another bottle on a shelf in the garage for a couple of years till I need it again !

If you are not pushed about looking after them and only want them to look clean then here is what i did some time back to a manky set of alloys.

Went to lidl and picked up a bottle of degreaser for the kitchens, It was in an orange bottle sort of bulb shaped if yuo get my drift and had a trigger to spray, I also got a wash up brush on a handle ( kitchen util again )
Gave the wheels a good spray and let it soak a while. Gave them a nother spray and a scrub with the brush. Washed them down and repeated next wash time.. They came up damn good for a set that ware literally black alloys from built up brake dust and dirt.

All in all cost about 4 euro or so in total

listermint

von dreyse wrote: »

Thanks for all the advice guys,
I was trying to stay away from specialist products and use something I had like degreaser, etc. not so much to save a euro but when I am finished it would just be another bottle on a shelf in the garage for a couple of years till I need it again !

vectra wrote: »

If you are not pushed about looking after them and only want them to look clean then here is what i did some time back to a manky set of alloys.

Went to lidl and picked up a bottle of degreaser for the kitchens, It was in an orange bottle sort of bulb shaped if yuo get my drift and had a trigger to spray, I also got a wash up brush on a handle ( kitchen util again )
Gave the wheels a good spray and let it soak a while. Gave them a nother spray and a scrub with the brush. Washed them down and repeated next wash time.. They came up damn good for a set that ware literally black alloys from built up brake dust and dirt.

All in all cost about 4 euro or so in total

Very Cherry is no more expensive than going and buying supermarket degreaser. OP if you want the wheels to look clean you need to clean them every 2 - 3 weeks. A regular clean with Very Cherry would keep them in good nick. (and it shouldnt be sitting on the shelf if you want them to look and stay clean)

If you are going to be leaving breakdust and what no on the surface of the wheels for an extended period of time (i.e. the time for a product to just sit on the shelf) then you are only going to damage the finish layer of the alloys in anyway.


regular cleaning with a specificly targeted product is the only way (and its not expensive either)

vectra

listermint wrote: »

Very Cherry is no more expensive than going and buying supermarket degreaser. OP if you want the wheels to look clean you need to clean them every 2 - 3 weeks. A regular clean with Very Cherry would keep them in good nick. (and it shouldnt be sitting on the shelf if you want them to look and stay clean)

If you are going to be leaving breakdust and what no on the surface of the wheels for an extended period of time (i.e. the time for a product to just sit on the shelf) then you are only going to damage the finish layer of the alloys in anyway.


regular cleaning with a specificly targeted product is the only way (and its not expensive either)

It is considerably more expensive when you take cost plus delivery in to consideration.
OP said he would prefer to stay away from specialised products if possible. And yes, it is possible IF you only want to clean the muck off them every now and then.
Anyone that cares about their alloys would not let them get in that state in the first place.

listermint

vectra wrote: »

It is considerably more expensive when you take cost plus delivery in to consideration.
OP said he would prefer to stay away from specialised products if possible. And yes, it is possible IF you only want to clean the muck off them every now and then.
Anyone that cares about their alloys would not let them get in that state in the first place.

True, but proper maintenance can always be thought. Fear of specialised products is unnecessary

In fact Very Berry is diluted so it would go farther than an off the shelf supermarket job. So the little cost is negligible.

vectra

listermint wrote: »

True, but proper maintenance can always be thought. Fear of specialised products is unnecessary

In fact Very Berry is diluted so it would go farther than an off the shelf supermarket job. So the little cost is negligible.

I know what you are saying,
Very Berry and CG wheel wax are my best friends :pac:

listermint

vectra wrote: »

I know what you are saying,
Very Berry and CG wheel wax are my best friends :pac:

Mine too, but my wash mitt loves to come for pints and doesnt skimp on his round

gizmo555

von dreyse wrote: »

Thanks for all the advice guys,
I was trying to stay away from specialist products and use something I had like degreaser, etc. not so much to save a euro but when I am finished it would just be another bottle on a shelf in the garage for a couple of years till I need it again !

vectra wrote: »

Went to lidl and picked up a bottle of degreaser for the kitchens . . .

All in all cost about 4 euro or so in total

FWIW, I picked up a 750ml bottle of Lidl's own brand W5 Alloy & Wheel Rim Cleaner today for €1.69. Haven't used it yet, so can't say how good it is. I'll let you know when I do.

von dreyse

listermint wrote: »

Very Cherry is no more expensive than going and buying supermarket degreaser. OP if you want the wheels to look clean you need to clean them every 2 - 3 weeks. A regular clean with Very Cherry would keep them in good nick. (and it shouldnt be sitting on the shelf if you want them to look and stay clean)

If you are going to be leaving breakdust and what no on the surface of the wheels for an extended period of time (i.e. the time for a product to just sit on the shelf) then you are only going to damage the finish layer of the alloys in anyway.


regular cleaning with a specificly targeted product is the only way (and its not expensive either)

I do wash the car and alloys at the back of the house with a bucket and sponge and a wash and wax car shampoo (motor value) every 1-2 weeks.

Whilst I do clean round the alloys middleing well with the sponge there is still some black dust where the spokes meet the rim, and on the inner dish where I cannot get at.

I was planning for some of these bank holiday weekends doing the tar on the paint with Jizer degreaser and was going to take off the wheels and do a job on them.This is what I wanted the product for.

Do you take the wheels off for the very cherry job or do you just spray it with the wheels on?

Thanks.

vectra

von dreyse wrote: »

Do you take the wheels off for the very cherry job or do you just spray it with the wheels on?

Thanks.

Ideally take them off to clean them spotlessly and wax them before refitting them

von dreyse

vectra wrote: »

Ideally take them off to clean them spotlessly and wax them before refitting them

Do you really do that every couple of weeks?

Do you torque the nuts/studs when you put them on again or just wheel brace?

TomMc

Once a year is grand for a major clean, where taking the wheels off is concerned. Then just tighten nuts as normal, like you would if changing a wheel (puncture).

TomMc

If you go to the trouble of taking off wheels to give them a major cleaning, make sure the rims are sealed both inside and out. This will make them easier to clean for months. No point taking them off and just cleaning them and leaving them unprotected, as they would get contaminated again fairly quickly. Do the job right the first time and you might get away with just using a shampoo to wash/clean them for quite a while at least.

vectra

von dreyse wrote: »

Do you really do that every couple of weeks?

Do you torque the nuts/studs when you put them on again or just wheel brace?

Not every couple of weeks. I would say every 2 months. As TomMc said, Make sure you seal them up with a wheel wax/sealer and this should get you by for a few months Otherwise they will get dirty fairly quickly again which defeats the purpose.