What's a good strong wheel cleaner these days?

[Quattro Pete]

The rims on wife's car have been neglected a bit over time. They're covered with dirt/brake dust that is not coming off in many places... and the rims are shaped in such a way that they have very many nooks and crannies that are very difficult to get to with just your finger and a rag. The worst rim design from a cleaning perspective on any car that I have ever seen or worked on...

I've been out of detailing scene for a long time, so I'm looking for recommendations for cleaning products (both cleaners and tools) to get this job done.

It needs to be something fairly powerful. I tried CLR Bath&Kitchen cleaner yesterday as that is all that I had at home, but it did not help at all.

 

[matrass]

are you looking for an over the counter product ?

 

[yonyon]

I'm pretty lazy, so I like the Michelin brand wheel cleaner. Spray it on. Hose it off. Black German brake dust is gone. It doesn't clean grease or oil off though.

 

[JHZR2]

Id say less chemical, more elbow grease. I use P21s gel.

 

[cchase]

I'm interested as well. My car gets what I could best describe as "chunks" of brake material stuck to them on the interior surfaces. I have not been able to get them off with even the most powerful solvents and scrubbers. In one area I actually started removing the paint and they still wouldn't come off.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: matrass
are you looking for an over the counter product ?

Well, yes. If I can get it locally, that'd be great. If not, I don't mind ordering online.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: JHZR2
Id say less chemical, more elbow grease. I use P21s gel.

I hear ya, but these rims are beyond elbow grease at this point. I've used all the elbow grease I had yesterday, and I'm all out.

What I suspect happened is the previous owner used something very abrasive to clean the wheels at one point and now the wheel surface is not slick anymore. It feels a bit porous and dirt sticks to it like glue. These rims may need to be refinished at some point because of this...

 

[yonyon]

kalecoauto.com sells has the 4oz. jars of elbow grease for $7. If you can't find it cheaper locally, it might be worth looking at.

 

[Corvette Owner]

Meguiars All Wheels cleaner works well.

 

[mikered30]

Poorboy’s Spray and Rinse Wheel Cleaner is fantastic but is pricey and can only be found online. Eagle one A2Z All Wheel & Tire Cleaner is also a good one and can be found in stores, make sure you follow the directions carefully as both of those chemicals are very strong.

 

[Trav]

Purple power. leave it on for only a minute, light brush and hose off.
Don't use it on unpainted aluminum for very long at all, spray on, light brush and hose off quickly.

 

[matrass]

Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Originally Posted By: matrass
are you looking for an over the counter product ?

Well, yes. If I can get it locally, that'd be great. If not, I don't mind ordering online.


to be honest Sonax full effect wheel cleaner sounds like what you are looking for. it is a very effective and easy to use wheel cleaner. not too much scrubbing here. you can also try an all purpose cleaner ( I am partial to poorboys all purpose cleaner as it is safe on most surfaces ) with some agitation from a soft bristle brush. poorboys spray and rinse works well on wheels. with the apc I can vary the strength of the mixture to my needs. what does work well on the baked on stuff is a mr clean magic eraser, making sure to take it easy on the elbow grease and not rub too hard, most people scrub too hard. with any wheel cleaner or apc remember to rinse the wheels well and do not apply when they are hot. if you can use some type of sealant or wax on the wheel when they are clean, future cleaning can be done with regular car wash

 

[Quattro Pete]

Thanks!

Any recommendations for a soft bristle brush for very closely spaced spokes? One of the Sonax reviews I've read recommended the Daytona Wheel Brush. I'd probably want the Junior version of it to better get into small openings...

 

[matrass]

Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Thanks!

Any recommendations for a soft bristle brush for very closely spaced spokes? One of the Sonax reviews I've read recommended the Daytona Wheel Brush. I'd probably want the Junior version of it to better get into small openings...


The only brush I use on my stuff is the Datonya jr brush. the brush and wheel cleaner are more expensive than some of the other options but they make the job a lot safer and will give you good results.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Thanks!

So between Sonax Full Effect and Poorboy's Spray and Rinse - are these two comparable in terms of cleaning power? Sonax is about twice the price of Poorboy's.

 

[matrass]

Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Thanks!

So between Sonax Full Effect and Poorboy's Spray and Rinse - are these two comparable in terms of cleaning power? Sonax is about twice the price of Poorboy's.


The spray and rinse will need more agitation and is the weaker of the two. are you using these on clearcoated wheels or uncoated wheels ? I might be able to send you a small sample of the poorboys spray and rinse wheel cleaner ( you will just need a spray bottle to put it into ) let me know

 

[RTexasF]

They are comparable but a big difference in the way they clean. Sonax is not acidic but Poorboy's is. I've used Poorboys's for years and never had a problem but you do not let it dwell a long time as you do with Sonax. Since you scrubbed and scrubbed to no avail is it possible that the finish is kaput and nothing will clean it? Yes on the Daytona Jr brush. DO wear eye protection though...when drawing the brush back towards you the bristles can give you a face full of whatever product you are using.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Yes, clear coated wheels, or at least they used to be clear coated at one point. But the way the finish feels to the touch now isn't smooth in many places at all - possibly someone used a very abrasive polishing compound and took the top coat right off.

RTexasF, yes, it is possible the finish is shot at this point.

 

[matrass]

Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Yes, clear coated wheels, or at least they used to be clear coated at one point. But the way the finish feels to the touch now isn't smooth in many places at all - possibly someone used a very abrasive polishing compound and took the top coat right off.

RTexasF, yes, it is possible the finish is shot at this point.


The roughness could be brake dust into the clear. let me know if you want a sample of the poorboys stuff. this way you can try and see if the wheels are too far gone without spending a ton of cash.

 

[97tbird]

Sonax is great.

Protecting the finish after you get the wheels clean with Poorboy's Wheel Sealant (pink stuff) is what i do.
Stuff doesn't stick as much, and the next wash/clean is 10x easier and uses less Sonax - hardly any scrubbing needed.