Carpro FingerPrint Wheel Cleaning Mitt

[DFB]

Carpro FingerPrint Wheel Cleaning Mitt

For those who have been here for a while, you'll remember the lengths I went to in attempting to clean the gloss black Performance Pack wheels on my first Mustang. This was a process of trial and error that involved multiple tool and technique changes over several years trying to find the sweet spot. Gloss black wheels are hard to keep clean at the best of times, but the intricate spoke design made it even harder on these. If nothing else, those wheels taught me how to thoroughly clean just about any wheel design, forcing me to try different tools and techniques.







In 2020, I spotted a certain Youtuber using a small lambskin mitt, which I thought would be ideal for the Performance Pack wheels. I don't like regular wash mitts, I find them cumbersome to put on and remove between the use of each tool. So, the concept of a finger mitt seemed like the perfect solution.

This is around the same when I began to get frustrated by how slowly the detailing industry moves in Australia. Everything I would see and want was never available.................not unless you wanted to pay several hundred dollars to ship a $20 order. So, do you think I could find someone to sell me a small finger mitt for wheel cleaning? Of course not. And so began a search for something similar to those wool mitts.

The first was these small Gyeon microfiber applicators. These are typically used for the application of coatings, dressings and conditioners. While they worked, I found them too small to be efficient and they'd fall off my fingers to easily. FAIL.







Twelve months later, and many hours of searching, I bit the bullet and ordered the Flexi-pad wool mitts that had originally caught my eye. The shipping was insane, but it's what I wanted and I made sure to order enough to make the shipping more palatable. Finally, the search was over, and it turned out to be EXACTLY what I had been looking for.





And..........................a few months later Maxshine started to offer their microfiber take on those Flexi-pads. Again, this sort of thing became a pattern, me not finding what I want, settling for something sub-par or paying through the nose on shipping, then what I had been pinning for suddenly turns up not long after. Following the Maxshine's, The Rag Company introduced the microfiber Ultra Wheel Mitt, then in recent times, the Ultra Wool Mitt. And that's before you consider all of the no-name Amazon copies that have surfaced since.

I mention all of the above because the situation went from being absolutely nothing available to now being spoilt for choice. And now Carpro have joined the party with their new FingerPrint wheel cleaning mitt.



The FingerPrint uses the same microfiber as used on their benchmark Dab Dab wash pads. That means a thick, lush microfiber material that has just the right amount of weight. Measuring 15cm x 15m, the 2cm thickness makes it contourable and able to fit between tightly spaced wheel spokes. The FingerPrint has a divided inner lining, which helps keep the mitt located on your hand rather than flopping from side to side and potentially coming off. There is also a banded cuff and elasticated loop for hang drying.





FingerPrint vs Rivals -

- The Maxshine's I don't recommend. The microfiber material they went with is far too grabby, in that I mean it does not release dirt and debris properly. That gets old pretty quick.

- The Flexi-pads in Australia are economically unviable. I also didn't like the lack of a cuff, which made it hard to find the opening after being submerged in water. Both are reasons why I never re-ordered them.

- The TRC Ultra Wool, TRC Ultra Microfiber and Carpro FingerPrint all have a banded cuff. Might sound like a minor thing, but it certainly improves the functionality.

- In terms of sizing, the Ultra Wool is the smallest, the Ultra Microfiber the largest, and the FingerPrint sits in the middle. I personally prefer the size of the Ultra Wool, with the Ultra Microfiber being a touch large and tends to move around on your hand when in use.

- I find the thickness of the Ultra Microfiber is too thin, which combined with the extra size, it compromises the effectiveness. The Ultra Wool and FingerPrint are winners here because they have a thicker, plusher material to hold their shape better.

- From experience, the Ultra Wool material degrades very quickly. In that I mean the dye washes out of the fibres, and they tend to shed material over time. The microfiber alternatives will last in service much, much longer.



TRC Ultra Wool Mitt -





TRC Ultra Wheel Mitt -





FingerPrint in Action-

Firstly, I really like how the lining is divided so that your hand stays in place throughout use rather than slipping or falling off. I also like the middle ground size and thickness, the extra body over the Ultra Microfiber makes it vastly more effective.

The FingerPrint is not perfect, but it's much better than the TRC Ultra Wheel Mitt, namely because of the superior size/thickness ratio. The only change I'd make to the FingerPrint, and TRC Ultra Microfiber, would be to size it closer to the TRC Ultra Wool. That would deliver the ideal size and weight with the durability of microfiber.

The below video shows the FingerPrint in action. In this case, I'm using it to clean the wheel face, as well as between and behind the spokes.

Overall, the FingerPrint is an ergonomic and efficient way of cleaning wheels.

 

[Tasmania]

Nice write up Deyon I have been using a MF cloth for the same thing now for the VW spokes.

Plus as I rub the back of them I'm flushing with water at the same time.

 

[MisterSnoop]

TCG also has a wheel cleaning mitt but I wouldn't expect it to be available over there.

 

[BLM]

This may not be for everyone but this works for me.
Just use a regular microfiber full size mitt for outer wheel and spokes
Have an L shaped microfiber brush for back side of the spokes
Smaller diameter microfiber brush for the barrels
A wooden paint stir stick with a microfiber wrapped around it and secured with rubber bands for areas of the barrels that are concealed by the calipers. Thin for the win.
Regular tire brush for tires

As far as using the paint stir stick there are several ways to avoid needing this. You can move the vehicle a foot or two so an already clean portion of the barrel is now concealed by the caliper. Or you can just hope next time a different portion of the barrel is concealed than the last time. But if already using 4 tools to clean wheels and tires what is one more.

 

[John U]

This one from Chemical guys helps me.

 

[Desertnate]

Thanks for posting this!

Until two weeks ago, I would never have thought about using any product like what you show here. However, that all changed the last time I washed my mother-in-law's Genesis G90. Normally I use a series of brushes to clean the over-designed/fussy styled wheels. On our last visit I discovered somehow forgot to pack my wheel cleaning brushes and was forced to use a small ratty MF towel I had on hand. It actually worked way better on those particular wheels.

In the case of those G90 wheels, I think something the size Gyeon applicators might work the best. There are openings hardly big enough to get a couple fingers through.

 

[DFB]

Thanks for posting this!

Until two weeks ago, I would never have thought about using any product like what you show here. However, that all changed the last time I washed my mother-in-law's Genesis G90. Normally I use a series of brushes to clean the over-designed/fussy styled wheels. On our last visit I discovered somehow forgot to pack my wheel cleaning brushes and was forced to use a small ratty MF towel I had on hand. It actually worked way better on those particular wheels.

In the case of those G90 wheels, I think something the size Gyeon applicators might work the best. There are openings hardly big enough to get a couple fingers through.

I had tried so many different methods in dealing with those fussy PP1 wheels that as soon as I discovered the smaller mitts, I knew it would solve the issues I had with alternative means.

Brushes, I find that the angle you hold them for wheel cleaning, they become painful on my hands. Just keep in mind that I'm 25+ years into a career using my hands for a living. In that I mean repeated motions using secateurs, shovels, weeding, vibration from powered equipment.......................ergonomics are VERY important to me and something you learn too late in life. If you watch the video, at the point where I'm cleaning the wheel arches, the brush I'm using is selected for this very reason.

I've also tried the towel method, which I found too hard to manage. Wheel and fender brushes I find ineffective as in they'll leave stuff behind, of which you don't discover until after the wheel is dried. In response to previous posts, I had tried larger mitts, including the glove type but as mentioned in the opening post, they are too cumbersome to put on and remove. I don't even use wash mitts for the rest of the car for this reason and always prefer a pad.





Going back well before discovering Autogeek, I wrote an article for Mustang 6g on how to thoroughly deal with those Performance Pack wheels. It was accompanied by several images, but the one below is the standout because, yes, I NEEDED all of those tools to clean each wheel! You can see I was also using a smaller microfiber noodle pad, workable but not ideal.