Cleaning wheels and tires -- my amateur process - Page 2

Michael Stoops · Nov 5th, 2009, 03:42 PM

Looks to be a very effective and safe way to go, regardless of wheel type. APC also works very well as both a wheel well cleaner and tire cleaner - spraying onto both surfaces and letting dwell for a while will reveal all manner of gunk falling out of the wheel wells and plenty of brown washing away from the tire sidewall.

Still, you've done a great job documenting a process that continues to frustrate many people, so kudos to you, Al!!!!

the_invisible · Nov 5th, 2009, 03:45 PM

Wow, Al, that's quite a process for just cleaning wheels! Do the S2K brakes dust so much that you have to wash it so many times? I thought they swaped out less agressive pads on the AP2 to reduce dusting.

Your method is really good. You could serve salad on your wheels

akimel · Nov 5th, 2009, 04:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by the_invisible

Wow, Al, that's quite a process for just cleaning wheels! Do the S2K brakes dust so much that you have to wash it so many times? I thought they swaped out less agressive pads on the AP2 to reduce dusting.

Actually, they only get washed once. I just use different products on different locations: APC on wheel well and rim barrel, Eimann Fabric on the tire, NXT shampoo on the wheel face. I go with the gentler car wash solution on the wheel face because I don't want to remove whatever sealant may still be on it. If I'm not worried about removing sealant, I suppose I could just as easily go with the APC. Hmmm ...

3Fitty · Nov 6th, 2009, 11:27 AM

Hey Al, I was just wondering... have you given the P21s Gel Wheel Cleaner a try?

That was the one product which interests me, because it is non-acidic, safe for all finishes, yet seems pretty effective (but not very cheap). Any thoughts?

akimel · Nov 6th, 2009, 01:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 3Fitty

Hey Al, I was just wondering... have you given the P21s Gel Wheel Cleaner a try?

That was the one product which interests me, because it is non-acidic, safe for all finishes, yet seems pretty effective (but not very cheap). Any thoughts?

No, I haven't used it yet. But my friend Dan Wendell has. He uses it all the time and really likes it.

Perhaps because I wash our vehicles fairly frequently, I simply do not need anything much stronger than NXT car shampoo to effectively clean the wheel face. Maybe I'm doing something wrong ...

john m. · Nov 6th, 2009, 02:48 PM

Nice process Al! I have pretty much the exact same process on my car! The brush I use on the wheel well is almost the exact same too!

Its just a tad to narrow for a regular brush so I had to improvise.

Nice job outlining it for people!

swcarter · Nov 6th, 2009, 07:17 PM

Great info. What do you do for applying a dressing to final the process? Specifically, I have a Jeep Patriot where the wheel wells are pretty exposed compared to other vehicles. I can clean the wheels and the wells and dress the wheels, but when the wells dry, even if clean, and without a dressing, the overall look is less than it should be. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Tim Lingor · Nov 7th, 2009, 12:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by swcarter

Great info. What do you do for applying a dressing to final the process? Specifically, I have a Jeep Patriot where the wheel wells are pretty exposed compared to other vehicles. I can clean the wheels and the wells and dress the wheels, but when the wells dry, even if clean, and without a dressing, the overall look is less than it should be. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

I would suggest using Meguiar's Hyper Dressing at a 3:1 ratio for the wheel wells. You can either mist it on or pour some into a plastic container and brush it on. I like mist it on and then use a foam paint brush to spread the HD around. When it dries it looks fantastic!

Tim

Murr1525 · Nov 7th, 2009, 12:16 AM

Yes, a foam paint brush is great. Wait until the end of course, then do the well, and then tire.

akimel · Nov 7th, 2009, 11:24 AM

I have updated and corrected the process.

Nov 5th, 2009, 03:42 PM	#11
Michael Stoops Administrator Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Trabuco Canyon, CA Posts: 4,167 Rep Power: 4520	Re: Cleaning wheels and tires -- my amateur process Looks to be a very effective and safe way to go, regardless of wheel type. APC also works very well as both a wheel well cleaner and tire cleaner - spraying onto both surfaces and letting dwell for a while will reveal all manner of gunk falling out of the wheel wells and plenty of brown washing away from the tire sidewall. Still, you've done a great job documenting a process that continues to frustrate many people, so kudos to you, Al!!!! __________________ Michael Stoops Internet Technical Specialist Meguiar's Inc. (800) 854-8073 xt 175 mstoops@meguiars.com

Nov 5th, 2009, 03:45 PM	#12
the_invisible Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Calais, France Posts: 1,228 Rep Power: 4561	Re: Cleaning wheels and tires -- my amateur process Wow, Al, that's quite a process for just cleaning wheels! Do the S2K brakes dust so much that you have to wash it so many times? I thought they swaped out less agressive pads on the AP2 to reduce dusting. Your method is really good. You could serve salad on your wheels

Nov 6th, 2009, 11:27 AM	#14
3Fitty They call me fitty Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Toronto, Canada Age: 100 Posts: 1,399 Rep Power: 95	Re: Cleaning wheels and tires -- my amateur process Hey Al, I was just wondering... have you given the P21s Gel Wheel Cleaner a try? That was the one product which interests me, because it is non-acidic, safe for all finishes, yet seems pretty effective (but not very cheap). Any thoughts? __________________ ---------------------------------- 3Fitty - Now recommending products I have never used.

Nov 6th, 2009, 02:48 PM	#16
john m. Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Denton, TX Age: 19 Posts: 1,182 Rep Power: 160	Re: Cleaning wheels and tires -- my amateur process Nice process Al! I have pretty much the exact same process on my car! The brush I use on the wheel well is almost the exact same too! Its just a tad to narrow for a regular brush so I had to improvise. Nice job outlining it for people!

Nov 6th, 2009, 07:17 PM	#17
swcarter Tony Z Join Date: May 2009 Location: St. Louis MO Posts: 13 Rep Power: 2	Re: Cleaning wheels and tires -- my amateur process Great info. What do you do for applying a dressing to final the process? Specifically, I have a Jeep Patriot where the wheel wells are pretty exposed compared to other vehicles. I can clean the wheels and the wells and dress the wheels, but when the wells dry, even if clean, and without a dressing, the overall look is less than it should be. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Nov 7th, 2009, 12:16 AM	#19
Murr1525 Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Pittsburgh, PA Age: 29 Posts: 10,047 Rep Power: 507	Re: Cleaning wheels and tires -- my amateur process Yes, a foam paint brush is great. Wait until the end of course, then do the well, and then tire. __________________ '08 Subaru Legacy 2.5i SE - Newport Blue Pearl

Nov 7th, 2009, 11:24 AM	#20
akimel Eternal Dodo Newb Join Date: May 2008 Location: Roanoke, Virginia Posts: 1,760 Rep Power: 847	Re: Cleaning wheels and tires -- my amateur process I have updated and corrected the process. __________________ Swirls hide in the black molecular depths, only waiting for the right time to emerge and destroy your sanity. --Al Kimel

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