how to get CLEAN wheels

[danmason]

There's a place locally where they hand-wash cars in about half an hour, and within that ½ hour they manage to get the wheels much cleaner than I can... I want to know how! There are engraved shapes round the sides of the wheels, and brake dust and general muck collects in there and is very hard to shift.

I have tried Autoglym wheel cleaner, I have tried metal polish , i have used a brush... however to get all the engraved bits on every wheel totally clean myself would take HOURS. They manage to do it in no time - I assume with some kind of chemical, but I would have thought the Autoglym should have been up to the job. Pictures of a wheel both clean and 'dirty' (i.e. cleaned by me!) are below - can anyone help? I'm sure I must be missing something obvious!

Thanks
Dan

 

[Fen]

Dunno, but I have been completely underwhelmed by every Autoglym product I have tried - and that's been quite a few.

I have heard great things about the Wax Wizard's wheel cleaner and I think the Zymol stuff is good as well.

 

[hotblack944]

Dan,

When your wheels are really clean, try waxing them. This makes it much easier to clean them next time.

Jim.

 

[alane]

Hi

Although it sounds a cheap option (!!) Try Halfords 'Own Brand - Alloy Wheel Cleaner'.
Spray it on the wheels, use a 'damp' brush to agitate the brake dust etc, make lots of foam, rinse off after 60 secs or so and 'magic' the wheels come up like new !!
Spray it 'inside' the wheel and get the brush in and they look even better.
Worth a try for £3.99 !!
As suggested above using wax on them after helps to clean them next time

Best of luck
Andy

 

[Fen]

I agree on the wax - but don't use Autoglym for that either. I used to use my Autoglym Super Resing stuff on the wheels to use it up but it only lasted about a week.

Also be aware that some cleaners that get all the muck off with virtually no effort ave very aggressive and can't necessarily tell the difference between crud and wheel finish... Once the lacquer is damaged the brake dust gets even harder to remove.

 

[944Turbo]

I have been quite impressed by the Incero wheel cleaner. They probably have a powerfull jet wash at the car wash place, But be carefull my jetwash lifts the laquer on my (refubished) wheels.
Tony

 

[Guest]

As Fen says Waxwizard, MC2 wheel cleaner is totally natural produce and is simply amazing, also smells great. I managed to get a great deal from him, for 25l of the stuff and have split it with a mate. He deals in Swissol products but makes up this stuff himself, it can be used to clean anything, i have also done my engine bay with it.

 

[Diver944]

I would advise caution with these products as well. I had a demo by a wheel refurbishing company a few years ago and he says they virtually ALL contain either an acid or alkaline agent in them. Eventually they will take the laquer off and then your paint will start to flake. He said they love these products as it brings them plenty of business []

I spoke to the Incero guy at Eynsham last year and he positively assured me, and also on this forum that their product does not cause any harm at all. Finally persuaded I bought some of his. It does work, but it still smells suspiciously chemical to me so I only use it rarely and make sure the wheels have plenty of wax afterwards.

 

[Mark_Bennett]

I like the Zymol znd Swissol products - they smell of mint. Work well. Kind to hands[]

The waxwizard stuff is made from Oranges and other fruits (so I understand). Nice and natural but are these not acidic?

P21S is advertised as being neutrel in PH, so not acidic. Seems to get good reviews but not easy to get in the UK.

 

[daro911]

ORIGINAL: Mark Bennett

I like the Zymol znd Swissol products - they smell of mint. Work well. Kind to hands[]

The waxwizard stuff is made from Oranges and other fruits (so I understand). Nice and natural but are these not acidic?

P21S is advertised as being neutrel in PH, so not acidic. Seems to get good reviews but not easy to get in the UK.

************************************************************************
[]Blimey where am I going wrong guys I just use plain luke warm water on all my tackle and they always look great to me []

 

[Mark_Bennett]

Robert,

Shhhhsssh! I thought it was illegal to clean the car without spending huge amounts of money on such products...[]

 

[daro911]

ORIGINAL: Mark Bennett

Robert,

Shhhhsssh! I thought it was illegal to clean the car without spending huge amounts of money on such products...[]

[:-]Sorry Mark didn't realise even PCGB Members aren't privvy to this info

 

[Guest]

ORIGINAL: Diver944

I spoke to the Incero guy at Eynsham last year and he positively assured me, and also on this forum that their product does not cause any harm at all. Finally persuaded I bought some of his. It does work, but it still smells suspiciously chemical to me so I only use it rarely and make sure the wheels have plenty of wax afterwards.

Paul

I think the Incero Wheel Cleaner is best described as pungent! I make no apologies for the odour, nothing is added to mask it when blended. The formulation does not rely on the traditional car acids or alkalines that can damage wheels but draws on the catering industry for it's basic formulation. The specialist company that manufacturers the product has subjected it to extensive tests and has even secured an Alcan Award for safe use on bare Aluminium without damage (the same material that catering ranges are made of). Several large car manufacturers have tested the product in the past and at least one subjected it to the ultimate test of placing a chromed, forged wheel in a vat of the cleaner for 24 hours. Any mark on the wheel what so ever would have meant a fail - the product passed with flying colours. Incero are fortunate to have access to the product and to be able to bring it to the retail market under the brand.

In terms of its performance - it does work, removing both light road dirt and engrained track debris. It's safe on all wheels and we have demonstrated in the past that the product may be left on wheels for several hours. It even contains a rust inhibitor specifically to protect the studs or nuts of multi-piece wheels. It's kind to hands containing a moisturiser so as not to dry hands out if contact is made and we routinely spray the product on to bare hands with no ill affects or pain! The packaging contains no warnings of toxicity deliberately but I would avoid ingesting it as it tastes like it smells - I know, I've tried it!

In short, one of our best sellers and responsible for much of our repeat business. We have sold literally litres of the wheel cleaner with nothing but good feedback and after 3 years of continual use on our Porsches we know it's good!

kind regards

Peter
Incero Ltd.


Edited for typo

 

[Diver944]

Met the Incero guys at Cornbury House today [] I may have said that the wheel cleaner smelt funny, but I have to say that the Leather cleaner tastes great []

 

[pwebb]

Have just acquired an '87 944 from father in law who's had it since new. Rather tired but my son spent the last few days getting it looking good. The bodywork (apart from a few dents) has come up really well, but the wheels (Teledials) are pretty scabby. Spit and Polish quoted me £49+VAT each today. Has anyone any more competitive places and prices they could recommend?
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[John Sims]

For £250 to £300, you could probably get a set of second hand wheels and tyres in better condition than you originals. Look up Jasmin in Porsche Post.