What's a good strong wheel cleaner these days?

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: matrass
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.

I appreciate the offer; however, I'll be ordering a cleaning brush from Autogeek anyway, so I'll just grab a bottle of Sonax at the same time and see how it goes.

 

[asiancivicmaniac]

The paint sounds like it's about gone so maybe you can try 3M Adhesive and Wax remover. You probably won't do anymore harm short of completely removing the paint.

 

[nleksan]

Griot's "gel" wheel cleaner... pH neutral so no corrosion or pitting, yet it is so good that I have seen it clean 10k miles' worth of brake dust without any manual scrubbing...

Personally, I take my wheels off when I clean them so that I can get every little spot, polish the aluminum (DPE's), apply wheel wax, as well as to clean my calipers (I use wheelwax on them too, as well as a sealant occasionally) and everything else.

 

[RTexasF]

Since the finish feels rough to the touch you might try some detailers clay. If that does nothing then you will know not to waste your time. It would be time to have the wheels renovated if you feel they are worth it.

 

[Russell]

I use A to Z wheel cleaner. fairly strong so i only clean with it a couple times a year. I especially use on the inside of my wheels when storing my winter wheels and tires

 

[ryanschillinger]

I spray diluted degreaser on my wheels, then scrub them with a brush before rinsing immediately. Tires, too. I repeat until rinse water is clear. Sounds like you might do well to repaint the wheels since the finish sounds damaged....

 

[sleddriver]

I've always had good results with Mother's wheel cleaner, the stuff with acid. Been using it over 10 yrs now on the sled. Works better than anything else I've tried in the past. My aluminum wheels are (still) coated and it hasn't damaged them.

If you want to go the alkaline route, mix up a tablespoon or two of TSP powder in a gallon of HOT water. It should feel incredibly slippery. Dump it in a spray bottle. Use gloves and keep it off your paint. It'll aggravate your skin when mixed strong enough, so afterwards you can rinse your hands with white vinegar to neutralize it.

Either way, a good long brush designed to get into the nooks & crannies will help.

 

[matrass]

Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Originally Posted By: matrass
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.

I appreciate the offer; however, I'll be ordering a cleaning brush from Autogeek anyway, so I'll just grab a bottle of Sonax at the same time and see how it goes.




Sounds like a plan. the Sonax is good stuff and makes the chore of cleaning wheels easier while being safer than using an acid on them. good luck on your wheels !

 

[CharBaby]

I was detailing a customers car one time(~20 yrs ago) and I told the customer that when I do get the grime/brake dust off of his wheels, they're not going to look very good...And they didn't. I made him sign a waiver on the Wheels only!

The car wasn't too bad(I can work with this) but the wheels were neglected. Too many machine car washes with kids wiping down the car for their dollar tip, prior to the customer driving off. But, never any attention paid to the wheels.

These wheels were SOOOOOO BLACK that, the only product that I had that made the wheels look like, well wheels again(although very pitted) was...foamy oven cleaner. Real strong and nasty stuff. I had to remove the wheels from the car as not to get this oven cleaner near the rest of the car.

I charged an extra $120 for all 4 wheels and I got screwed! It took me that long to clean'em all. But, this is what I agreed on!

I mean, it was a $400 detail job on top of the wheels($520 total + tax) and it took me an entire weekend(in which we both agreed on too) for a pickup on Monday afternoon.

I turned this car inside-out. I wish I had before/after pics.

 

[dwcopple]

^ 20 yrs ago you got $520 to detail a car??? I am in the wrong business.

 

[The Critic]

I have heard that P&S Aluminum Brightener can work very well.

 

[CharBaby]

^ 20 yrs ago you got $520 to detail a car??? I am in the wrong business.

_________________________
2007 Ford Fusion SEL AWD
2011 Honda Civic DX-VP



This was at the higher end of the detailing business with vehicles such as Jaguar, MB, BMW, Porsche/AUDI. Your wouldn't believe how some people treat their vehicles and don't care what it cost to make it right. I didn't take advantage of the fella, I chaged him accordingly for the services that I provided which was the "Whole Detail PKG"(Everything!) I didn't get these jobs everyday!

And too, this car needed everything from engine detailing, complete interior shampooing, much paint compounding/waxing and wheel removal and underside painting. This wasn't just your wash/wax job and some interior cleaning, which was typical for most of my customers. This was a full blown detain without being a complete restoration project.

 

[CharBaby]

Also, this was an agreed on price as this customer got prices by other shops for the same work and I was able to beat the competition due to lower overhead.

I'm resting now! I dont' detail any longer(for money). Haven't in several years. Had been doing it for over 30+ years, on & off...Side business on my own. I just do our vehicle now(for therapy)

I have also been fortunate to have worked for 2 large major corporations in my career(36 year between the two).
16 months and I'll be retiring. Man, what a feeling! I just want to putter around and do all of the things that love doing...Gardening/cooking/brakes.

 

[ltslimjim]

How does Amazing Roll-off work for aluminum wheels, possibly with the protective clear coat gone? I think my old VX wheels fall into this category and the bare spots of aluminum make it limited in 'safe' (easily) to use cleaners. I've heard of Amazing Roll-off, something like a marine products shop carrying it? Amazon has it.

Also, I've heard mention of using Simple Green PRO HD for aluminum, that being safe vs their all-purpose simple green easily damaging aluminum if not washed off immediately(within 5-10 min max). Some other thread a long time ago.

 

[Quattro Pete]

I finally got around to giving Sonax Full Effect a try on the wife's car. I must say, I am impressed. That is some powerful stuff. It cleaned up her wheels rather well in no time. A bit expensive though... $16 for a 16.9 oz bottle, and half of it is gone after doing 4 wheels.

 

[Capa]

Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
I finally got around to giving Sonax Full Effect a try on the wife's car. I must say, I am impressed. That is some powerful stuff. It cleaned up her wheels rather well in no time. A bit expensive though... $16 for a 16.9 oz bottle, and half of it is gone after doing 4 wheels.


Yeah, too expensive. I recently tried Griot's Heavy Duty wheel cleaner. It has the same effect as Sonax---it turns reddish/purple when in contact with metal. It cleaned well and I bought a gallon on Autogeek for $50, plus 15% off and free shipping. However, even though it did clean well I still had too agitate with a brush and I wondered if I should go back to my Eagle One and save money. You essentially paid a dollar an ounce;I paid about 33 cents an ounce. Eagle One is about 20 cents an ounce or so. Decision, decisions....

 

[R2d2]

I have tried Sonax full effect after it being recommended in this thread. Fantastic results, just ordered 2 more bottles from Amazon.

 

[The Critic]

I have found that 5 oz of purple "Super Clean" mixed with a quart of water works incredibly well.