Wheel cleaner???

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kens56now

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I'm getting wife's 2003 T"bird cleaned up. Wheels are terrible. What's the best off the shelve stuff I can get today to start cleaning them up? Also what works the best for road buggers on lower side of car? I washed and tried to soak to lower rockers today but it still needs some care. Thanks:buffing:

I can place an order latter, but I really want to address these issues now. I'm taking hardtop off tomorrow so I want to get that waxed and ready to put up. I have long day in head of me. Thanks again.
 
For the lower part Meg's Super Degreaser works great with a bug sponge.
 
Purple Power works great on wheels and tires. I would not use it on paint.

For bugs I would try to find a Napa Auto Parts and pick up some Stoner Tarminator.
 
Thanks all. I had to run out and get something for us to eat before I could look at replies. I did pick up some Megs stuff that was on sale. A foaming wheel cleaner safe for all wheels. It made a small dent. Has anyone tried mixing up Oxyclean solution to wash down wheels?
 
I have never tried oxyclean. The best otc wheel cleaner I have used is Mothers Foaming Wheel & Tire Cleaner. Also sold as FX Wheel & Tire. Great stuff. You say the Megs barely made a dent? What type of wheels are they? What is on the wheels? Pics?
 
kens56now said:
Thanks all. I had to run out and get something for us to eat before I could look at replies. I did pick up some Megs stuff that was on sale. A foaming wheel cleaner safe for all wheels. It made a small dent. Has anyone tried mixing up Oxyclean solution to wash down wheels?
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The Mothers mentioned earlier is pretty strong so it should have made an improvement. What kind of wheels do you have (chrome, painted, or ?) and are you using any brushes. Even the foaming type can benefit from some scrubbing.
 
Thanks again all. I looked this morning and the wheels do look much better. It was dark by the time I got back and sprayed them down, let soak and then rinsed off with water. The wheels are stock. Lots of spokes to them (20 or more, drives me nuts) but not a wire wheel. They are aluminum, but not polished. I'm sure they have a clear coat on them. So round two. I'll get some spray and a brush on them today. It started raining but I'll have to go after them. I gotta pull the top too, and maybe wax inside. I'll try some Oxyclean too, just for the heck of it. Thanks again for replies and help. :xyxthumbs:
 
OK round two over. I used the megs stuff again and a wheel brush I got from AG a while back. I got two back then so this one was new and did some scrubbing. It has improved a lot but still have staining from brake dust. These wheels are stock, they are polished on the flat outer of the spoke and brushed aliminum on sides of spoke and inside the wheel. The staining is on the brushed part of the wheel, inner spokes and inner wheel. I'm sure they are clear coated of some sort. Ahhh but it has started raining again. So I will want to get a plan together to get them as good as I can next round.

Oh, I made up some Oxyclean. While it did not seem to do anything more over the Megs, it did wash off the residue of the megs very well. Much better than just the hose rinse. I was thinking of making a paste, and just letting it sit, but the rain started.

Because the wheels are clear coated, can I used a polish or compound to to get more of the staining off? These spokes are very close together (18 spokes, not 20) and I will not be able to get a machine to between the spokes. I'll have to do finger work. I'm thinking I'll pull the wheels off also, so I can clean the inside of the rim. There I can get a machine inside the rim to help with the buffing. I've got a Girots' 3" machine with just red and orange pads.

What type of wax/sealer will work well with keeping the wheels from brake dust. This is the wife's car, and it's a nice little car. She does not help me wash much, nor does she wash it. I wash my vette 2-3 times a week (ONR mostly), so I just get too worn out to keep up with her car with the same vigor. Same on me!

Thanks again for replies. :xyxthumbs:
 
Yes you can use regular polishes on the clear coated wheels. As for sealing, I use my DP Poli-Seal on my wheels. Works pretty good. I rarely have to use anything.mote then carwash shampoo to clean my wheels now. If you do decide to polish, use a clay first.
 
Thanks James. Clay, OK. I've used clay on my car but I never see anything in the clay. I see videos where there seems to be a lot stuff pulled out, but I have yet to see anything in the clay. I use Megs with the spay Quick Detail to lube the surfaces. It all came as a kit.

I've got some Kelly's World Famous T.P.S. Polymer Sealant. I'll try that stuff. Any experience with this out there? Reviews? Thanks

Ken
 
kens56now said:
What type of wax/sealer will work well with keeping the wheels from brake dust.
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Back in early December, we had a mild weekend here in PA, so I was able to spend an entire day on my winter beater. Product of choice was Collinite 845, used on everything including my cleared alloy wheels and glass. To date, they haven't been redone, and it takes nothing more aggressive than my soap or ONR and a mitt or sponge to keep them brake dust-free. I know there are some dedicated wheel waxes out there and they're probably very good, but 845 is all I need.

Bill
 
Go to home depot and grab a gallon of "Zep Heavy duty citrus degreaser" mix it 3:1 and spray and aggitate with a brush and let sit for about 1-2 minutes. Richy turned me on to this stuff and nothing had ever worked better on my rims, mine are chrome, but clearcoated. This stuff also works great for cleaning your wheelwells and engine. And it says not safe for paint but when i am planning on waxing after a wash i use on windshield and front end and doorjams and it is perfectly fine. Richy told me that it wouldnt hurt paint and he was right. And for 9 bucks a gallon you cant go wrong.
 
While I am a huge fan of Zep Citrus, IMO it does not cut through brake dust as good as the Mothers I mentioned earlier.
 
Thanks again everyone for sending in replies. I have got some very interesting recommendations here. I like the idea of the citrus stuff. My wife and had got some cleaner and air freshener from her mom many years ago. It always seemed to work very well around the house. I would also use it to get tree sap off our cars long ago. It worked very well, it almost melted the sap. Beat the heck out of scraping with finger nail, and then cleaning out finger nails. We don't have the juice or those cars anymore. Thanks again all. :dblthumb2:
 
Mothers Foaming Wheel & Tire Cleaner is pretty good. It can also be bought from a local store.
 
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