Is Hot Rims Wheel & Tire Cleaner safe for newish clean coated aluminum wheels?

[prr]

I have a 2006 Toyota Highlander that has wheels that are fairly clean. I have attached pics of the driver side wheels. As you can see, there is no major grime at all, but they do look a bit dull.

A couple of weeks ago, I used https://www.meguiarsdirect.com/megui...aner-24oz.html on some grime-ridden wheels on another Toyota, and I was awed with how clean they are. Not only did most of the black grime get taken out, but much of it is sparkly clean. I would like to restore these relatively clean highlander wheels to that same shiny look.

Is the purple bottle Hot Rims Wheel & Tire Cleaner safe to use? I know it is ok to use on dirty wheels, but I'm hoping that the lack of grime won't mean that the acid goes right to work on the coating for these fairly clean wheels. Ordinarily I would just buy the blue stuff and use that, but since I already have the purple stuff, I'd like to save a few bucks if I can.

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[prr]

Re: Is Hot Rims Wheel & Tire Cleaner safe for newish clean coated aluminum wheels?

Having a lot of trouble getting these images to upload and be viewable.

Well never mind about the second one. All four wheels look the same. As far as I know, none of them have had any treatment apart from regular car soap & water during a car wash.

[prr]

Re: Is Hot Rims Wheel & Tire Cleaner safe for newish clean coated aluminum wheels?

In the pic the wheel does look kind of shiny, but that is just glare from the flash or the sun. In real life they are not bad at all, but kind of dull looking.

[prr]

Re: Is Hot Rims Wheel & Tire Cleaner safe for newish clean coated aluminum wheels?

Now that I thought about it, I'm thinking logically, the Hot Rims wheel & tire cleaner would have to be ok for cleaner aluminum coated wheels--even with dirty ones, there isn't grime over every square inch of surface area.

OK I should have thought this through before posting. Mods, if you want to delete this thread that's ok. If you think it makes sense to keep it here, that's ok too.

[prr]

Re: Is Hot Rims Wheel & Tire Cleaner safe for newish clean coated aluminum wheels?

UPDATE
Mods please don't delete this thread Live and learn I guess. I went ahead and used the purple product to clean off these wheels, and there is a noticeable amount of scuffing and peeling on the two wheels that I treated. I had a hose with a nozzle right at my side, made sure to rinse it off within 30 seconds, but there is without a doubt scuffing that wasn't there before. I did not dry the wheels after rinsing them off, for a couple of minutes, but why should that matter? Perhaps it does. I won't be using this product on clean wheels any more at all. I do wish there was some warning about this, however. I called Meguairs tech support and the guy did say I could use them, as long as I rinsed them off after 30 seconds. the brush itself had very soft bristles.

[Old Bear]

Re: Is Hot Rims Wheel & Tire Cleaner safe for newish clean coated aluminum wheels?

PRR
I have moved to the new Ultimate All Wheel Cleaner.
It has a PH that is closer to neutral.
That way, I should not need to worry as much about damage from acidic or basic chem products.

If you think about it, I might have wheels that were chrome, yet have brake calipers behind them that are powder coated.
A product on either side of neutral might work for one, yet damage the other.
So I use a product with a PH closer to 7.

https://meguiarsonline.com/forums/showthread.php?66201-Meguiar-s-Ultimate-All-Wheel-Cleaner&highlight=all+wheel

[bluelaser2]

Re: Is Hot Rims Wheel & Tire Cleaner safe for newish clean coated aluminum wheels?

If the wheel is dull then use some ultimate compound to bring back the shine

Then follow up with some wax protection after to prevent the clearcoat from going dull again.

[The Guz]

Re: Is Hot Rims Wheel & Tire Cleaner safe for newish clean coated aluminum wheels?

UPDATE
Mods please don't delete this thread Live and learn I guess. I went ahead and used the purple product to clean off these wheels, and there is a noticeable amount of scuffing and peeling on the two wheels that I treated. I had a hose with a nozzle right at my side, made sure to rinse it off within 30 seconds, but there is without a doubt scuffing that wasn't there before. I did not dry the wheels after rinsing them off, for a couple of minutes, but why should that matter? Perhaps it does. I won't be using this product on clean wheels any more at all. I do wish there was some warning about this, however. I called Meguairs tech support and the guy did say I could use them, as long as I rinsed them off after 30 seconds. the brush itself had very soft bristles.

The image you posted is a factory OEM clear coated wheel. The wheel & tire cleaner is safe to use on this type of wheel. If the wheels already have exposed material under the clear coat then the product can stain as the protection has been removed. The wheel cleaner alone can not cause damage unless it is used and left to dry in the sun.

Did the wheels already have damage on them?

If the wheel is dull then use some ultimate compound to bring back the shine

Then follow up with some wax protection after to prevent the clearcoat from going dull again.

This is a good option. Even ultimate polish would work.