Spray-and-rinse wheel well cleaner?

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Emile

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Hey,

I am not happy with the results of my wheel wells after a wash. I've come to the conclusion that I refuse to manually clean the wheel wells with a brush or wash mitt or sponge or whatever. It's too hard to reach everywhere and it makes me tired.

Does anybody have any good wheel well cleaners that give good results from just spray on, let dwell, and then rinse off?

So far, I've tried Eagle One A2Z All Wheel & Tire Cleaner, Meguiar's Super Degreaser (4:1 Heavy Cleaning ratio), Citrus Wash & Gloss out of my foam gun, Optimum Power Clean (3:1 and full strength), and I don't know what else. But none of these products so far have impressed me, the last product I tried being the Meg's Super Degreaser which I was surprised at because I thought it's aimed at detailers who need excellent results quickly and easily....this was not the case.

Anyways, PerrinFord recommended Surf City Garage Road Trip Grime Destroyer and I was thinking maybe P21S TAW or S100 Total Cycle Cleaner; additionally there are so many available APC's out there that can be used for this task but I don't want to start buying up tons of cleaners and degreasers just to find out what works and what doesn't.

Who here has a nice recommendation, particularly to remove dust/dirt/mud from driving off-road in addition to the normal crap that accumulates from regular driving?

Thanks,
Emile
 
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I suggest you Poorboy’s World Spray and Rinse Wheel Cleaner 32 oz
But it's really strong, be sur to follow the direction on the bottle
 
Sorry if I were to sound a bit 'cheeky' but have you considered using a pressure washer?
 
WG Tire and Wheel Cleaner is the best I have tried and has no harsh smells, tho I always lightly agitate. I think WG and a pressure washer would work well.
 
I like the Surf City grime remover. But my cleaning method may be a little too anal for you. I remove the wheels, clean the inner wheel surfaces. Then clean the fender liner, the suspension components, brake calipers, etc. Then I dress all the now clean surfaces with various protectants. Big hassle but it sure looks great afterward. This is for my own cars only. I do not work on other cars except as a favor or a birthday or something.
 
oldmodman said:
I like the Surf City grime remover. But my cleaning method may be a little too anal for you. I remove the wheels, clean the inner wheel surfaces. Then clean the fender liner, the suspension components, brake calipers, etc. Then I dress all the now clean surfaces with various protectants. Big hassle but it sure looks great afterward. This is for my own cars only. I do not work on other cars except as a favor or a birthday or something.
Click to expand...

That's the plan this weekend for me. :)
 
oldmodman said:
I like the Surf City grime remover. But my cleaning method may be a little too anal for you. I remove the wheels, clean the inner wheel surfaces. Then clean the fender liner, the suspension components, brake calipers, etc. Then I dress all the now clean surfaces with various protectants. Big hassle but it sure looks great afterward. This is for my own cars only. I do not work on other cars except as a favor or a birthday or something.
Click to expand...
That is what I do as well. Actually, my car is on jackstands with the wheel pulled off right now. lol.

I also degreased the wheelwells with diluted purple power then painted them with Duplicolor truck bed liner spray. After that cured, I put on a couple light coats of Duplicolor Satin Black spray paint. This should make them much easier to clean up in the future. :cheers:
 
Thank you for the responses so far. While I don't mind removing the wheels and manually getting in there, I save those cleaning sessions for once or twice a year. But my work requires me to drive off-road a couple of times a week, and my wheel wells get muddy real fast. I think I am going to order some Surf City Grime Destroyer and see how that works out.

Why doesn't AG carry Grime Destroyer? I could have sworn they used to. I'm going to look into the Poorboy's Spray & Rinse Wheel Cleaner, also.
 
I use dilluted simple green-spray and let sit for about a couple minutes, then use a long handle brush to clean. After I rinse the wheel well, I spray them with cheap aerosol tire shine.

I know the brush is a pain to work into the well if you drive a sports car or the car has a lowered suspension.
 
I find that NOTHING can replace the manual agitation of the wheel wells, you just have to get in there and scrub. I have used various APCs, and my pressure washer (3200psi/2.8gpm) and still get my best results with using a brush or towel in the well.

Typically, I rinse with the wells with the pressure washer with a 25-degree tip (40-degree if the well is undercoated) and then spray the APC.. let dwell a few mins, then scrub and then rinse. I have never encountered a "touchless" procedure that gave me the results I am looking for.
 
Thanks for the responses. I ordered some Grime Destroyer and I'm going to give it a try. I guess I am going to have to bring my wheel well brush back out and start scrubbing again. It just sucks because I can't fit anything to scrub the wheel wells of the G35 Coupe.
 
Have you thought about the EZ detail brush or Daytona Speed Master? I have not personally tried it but i think they would be able to reach and clean them easily.
 
could always paint them matte black and start fresh ...
 
you can get a dressing with black dye in it and apply it via spray gun. I use HiTemp Molding Renewer for such tasks. Seems easier to clean next time too. It's almost as if the harsh detergents or degreasers dry out the plastic and cause it to hold onto the grime more. By dressing them regularly, the stuff just comes right off.
 
^

Thats exactly what I have found out, that by dressing them regularly it makes cleaning them next time much easier.

I trick that I use is if I dont feel like taking the wheels off I find that just jacking up the car will allow ample room to effectively clean the wells properly if the space is at a minimum.
 
hey emile, I know you already ordered a product to try out but just thought I'd ask, how dirty do your wheel wells get?

I just tried out the griots engine cleaner ( can use it for wheel wells) on my car, which has no room to stick my hand in, much less a brush.

I angled the sprayer and sprayed it all over the inside of the wheel wells, which had caked on mud ( got caught in a rain storm). i let it sit for about 3 minutes and then sprayed it off with the hose. came out squeeky clean.

the only thing that remained was the pieces of rubber that accumulate on my back wheel wells due to doing burnouts lol.- that might need scrubbing though. just thought I'd share. let us know how that grime destroyer works out :)
 
Thanks guys. The Grime Destroyer arrived today but I haven't been able to try it out since it's been constantly raining here in NJ. I plan on diluting it 1:1 with water since I've read here and there that doing so makes it easier to spray evenly.

I am thinking of placing an order for a few more products to try. Perhaps I will try Griot's Engine Cleaner and Poorboy's Spray & Rinse Wheel Cleaner.

rockst0r, it's not so much dirtiness from the road as it is just pure mud and dirt which coats the wheels wells, from being off-road.
 
Adams or Chemical Guys undercarriage is suppose to be good. I use an APC and brushes, then Armor All spray or if I can get my hands in there Meg ASD
 
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