Does anyone have any suggestions for a really good alloy wheel cleaner? Everything I have used is total crap. I tried using a Turtle Wax wheel cleaner and it did NOTHING. I got the same results as misting water would have gotten me. I read that Griot's is supposed to be great, but you can only get it through mail order. Any help?

 

Products are limited if you're looking to buy strictly OTC. Eagle One Wheel & Tire cleaner, Megs Wheel Cleaners or Mothers WHEEL MIST ALL WHEEL are some you can look at. Online products offer a much wider choice of manufacturers. I've been using PB Spray & Rinse Wheel Cleaner with very good results. Check some of the online detail sites (Autogeek, Autopia, Exceldetail, Detail City, & Chemical Guys) and see what they have to offer.

 

DEFINITELY Eagle One Wheel/Tire cleaner, hands down

 

I just used PB Spray and Rinse. It worked great. AUTOGEEK...

 

I just switched over to Griot's Wheel Cleaner and I must say it works fabulously.

Spray on cold wheel, let it work for a minute, take the sponge that is provided, give the wheel a good scrubbing, spray water on to rinse, and voila! You have a real shiny wheel. Don't forget to dry!

Also Griot's Wheel Cleaner is the only wheel cleaner on the market that is approved by BBS for use on their wheels. Also it's biodegradable. Another big plus.

www.griotsgarage.com

 

I used to use Eagle One A-Z wheel cleaner with good results, but I switched over to Meg's Hot Rims cleaner, and I love the results. I used it on my ex-gf's car, whose wheels were seriously neglected, and they came out like brand new.

 

Same here, just used it yesterday for the first time! Works well, at least better than the Meguiar's stuff in that hot pink bottle... "hot rims" cleaner i think it's called? That's what I used before.

 

Mark me down for the megs hot rims - works perfect, says its safe for clearcoated wheels, and is cheap and available everywhere.

 

I tried out the DuPont wheel cleaner and I have to say that it worked very well. I sprayed it on the wheels, let it sit for 30 seconds and rinsed them. The dirt came right off the wheels! I followed it up by drying them off with a towel and removed the remaining dirt with ease. I plan on trying some more products, but I recommend the DuPont!

 

As you can see, there are many cleaners that worked well for everyone. Good luck finding "the best"! Personally, I use Charliesoap for the grunge, then follow up with Vanilla Moose, or Mr. Buffer.

 

Good to hear, I got a free bottle of that stuff recently.

 

Eimann Fabrik Hi Intesity Cleaner works great on really gunked up wheels.

 

Pat - whats your take on PB's wheel wax? Have you used it, and how do think it compares to the VM on say a factory clearcoated alloy? I'm thinking about picking some up. Could i use Natty's?

BTW - Just recieved my shipment - very nicely packaged! Thanks a million, cant wait to get working on the cars now.

 

The PB Wheel Sealant is designed to withstand slightly higher temps, therby allowing better durability then a traditional Nuba. I acvtually use Four Star UPP Spray. If you can just keep them from building up brake dust, you should never have any issues. A little additional protection would allow for easier removal come your next wash routine. Im not one who likes to spend a lot of time on wheels, so when they do get dirty, its Charlies, VM or Mr Buffer, then a shot of UPP Spray. (I failed to mention the UPP Spray earlier)
Anything on factory CC wheels is a bonus. Thank God for CC wheels!

 

Ok, now that I have gone through my bottle of DuPont, I picked up Black Magic. It also works pretty well, but I am still more impressed with the DuPont so far. When I wipe down the wheels the dirt was a lot looser.

 

Here's my question. I have Eagle One Tire Cleaner. The bottle says to just spray onto the rim, wait for 30secs, and rinse off. It mentioned that there is no need to scrub. Well, when I rinse the rim, the parts that got sprayed on did come out clean but it's like impossible to spray/saturate the whole rim with that stuff. Do you guys actually scrub the rim??

 

Most wheel cleaners will remove a good percentage of the crap that's on the wheels. But I always end up agitating certain areas with a wheel brush regardless what the label says. I believe Eagle 1 has a new formula for their Wheel & Tire cleaner but have not tried it yet.

 

I tried the Meguiars Hot Rims and I think they damaged my factory 04 TSX rims and now anytime I clean my rims with like soap and water it looks like it is leaving some water spots on the rim and it looks very nasty. Does anyone recommend any product to fix this problem?

 

Eagle One!!!!

 

Which product??

 

I have heard amazing reviews on this product: http://www.autopia-carcare.com/p21-105g.html . Plus its imported from Germany, so its gotta be good right?

 

Dupont Teflon Wheel Cleaner, used it every wash and now that its on the rims I can actually use it about every other wash, just spay on let it sit for a few seconds and then just wipe the rim off rinse, no drying needed. Love the stuff

 

Eagle one all wheel and tire cleaner.

 

Another vote for Meguiar's hot rims. It works pretty well.

To get even better results, I use it with a wheel brush. I spray the wheel 3 or 4 times, then agitate with brush, and then rinse with hose while agitating with brush. Gets 'em very clean and shiney.

 

I like the meguires hot wheels myself, but when i used to work for a bodyshop we had stuff called slam and that stuff was the truth, very strong though you had to wear gloves when doing the wheels.


slam

 

i use Eagle One Wheel & Tire cleaner for normal cleanings...works great on my TL. i maintain the rims regularly though, so it's very easy going. i also use P21S gel and it is great stuff too. safe on pretty much everything. the drawback to the P21S is that it is expensive.

.02

 

I just use soap and water and scrub brush, let it dry and then use eagle one nverdull and buff it off after it hazes, looks blinging.

 

I'll do one better. Car Wash Soap, water and a dish scrubber MF sponge with the net meshing on the back. The MF side for the painted part and mesh side for stubborn dirt and brake dust. No hard scrubbing (that is if your rims are properly sealed).

I don't see the point of metal polish unless the rims are actually bare metal. Clearcoated rims either machine finished or painted needs sealing.

 

i am told that wheel cleaner is bad for your rims because it strips the finish... true or false??

 

Most of todays "Wheel Cleaners" are acid free, and pose no problem to your wheels. A polish actually strips more from your clear coated wheels then a cleaner would......

 

I'm going to add another vote for Meguirs Hot Rims All Wheel cleaner in the pink-ish bottle. I've used this for years now and I have no complaints... I like the fact that you wet the wheels first, then spray it on. I don't really care for the type that you spray on the wheel dry, IMO.

I use it with one of those wheel brush scrubbers...I'm assuming this is OK for the factory rims, but has anyone experienced any problems with using these (like scratches)?

 

I use Eagle One Aluminum wash & cleaner on my new Volks with an anno lip. And I use All Wheel & Tire on my TSW's.

What is something extra....extra strength to clean neglected interior parts of the rim? I took my wheels off to paint my calipers and almost had a heart attack by the amount of sludge on the interior rim.

 

Do you really need a cleaner for every part of the car? lol I just use the same soap I wash my car with (Meguires Gold Class), which takes almost everything off. Once thats done, I spray some Mothers quick detailer on it to get all the water spots off and give it that nice clean look. I just don't get buying into all these products

 

well i use eagle one because it is acid free.......and its needed for alum wheels