Question on Mothers Foaming Wheel & Tire Cleaner and wheel types

S

stevea3

New member
Joined
Aug 1, 2012
Messages
12
Reaction score
0
I recently picked up a bottle of Mothers Foaming Wheel & Tire cleaner

I'm curious if anyone has used this and if it is okay on aluminum alloy wheels? I don't see it called out specifically on their instructions so thought I would check here first.
Thanks
 
Mothers Foaming Wheel & Tire Cleaner is designed especially for modern coated wheels.

Mothers Foaming Wheel & Tire Cleaner is formulated to safely clean and restore wheels, including painted, clearcoated, color coated, steel, modular or chrome.
Click to expand...

Do yours fit in any of these categories? If so then it's safe. If they are raw uncoated aluminum then no, they require metal polish and lots of elbow grease.
 
RTexasF said:
Do yours fit in any of these categories? If so then it's safe. If they are raw uncoated aluminum then no, they require metal polish and lots of elbow grease.
Click to expand...

I think they may be painted but I'm not totally sure. They're factory wheels on a 2012 VW Passat and the only info listed in the owner's manual is that they're aluminum alloy.
 
stevea3 said:
I think they may be painted but I'm not totally sure. They're factory wheels on a 2012 VW Passat and the only info listed in the owner's manual is that they're aluminum alloy.
Click to expand...

Trust me your good. They are clear coated. Make sure to try it on your tires, it's amazing at removing the stubborn brown stains!
 
You can test them by polishing a small area by hand. If you see black they are bare metal.
 
They are indeed clear coated.......foam away!
 
Just make sure to hose down or let the brakes cool off before applying that stuff.
 
Thanks everyone for your responses - much appreciated.
 
BlackHawk said:
I find the product to work much better when the wheel and tire is wet, but that may just be me
Click to expand...

My experience is that wetting the wheel first dilutes the cleaner, and it doesn't work as well..

Cool to the touch is good, and never, ever, let a wheel cleaner dry on the wheel - clean one rim at a time before moving to the next.
 
The two greatest wheel cleaners in the history of detailing are the Mother's and CGs Diablo. The Mother's is found locally everywhere, cheap and does a great job cleaning tires as well. Diablo is also cheap because it can be diluted to the strength necessary to do the job (generally, I like a 4:1 ratio of water to product). Sonax and Griot make good ones too but they often require some agitation. Usually, little or no brush is required with either Mother's or Diablo, just a strong stream of water after letting them dwell on the wheels.
 
I love the Mothers and love being able to buy it just about anywhere. I'd love to try the Diablo by CG but what I use works well ya know.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top