Cleaning chrome wheels...

[nashan]

Hey all,

Just wondering what stuff you guys with chrome wheels use to clean the build up of break dust and black crap that doesnt come off with soap and water. I know there are a few different products out there. What do you guys recommend?

[rayray086]

I manage to get really gooey, sticky stuff (don't get distracted please) off using "Goof off" from Bunnings. Otherwise, you can try products off the shelf in your local Super Cheap or Repco that cater to cleaning chrome wheels (and other parts) specifically. IIRC, brands like Mothers and Meguiars make them. I've no experience with using those products though, sorry.

[99gti]

I have used the Meguiars wheel cleaner and it's great stuff. Spray on, quick wipe over then hose off and they look like new again!

[HOLEIN1]

a wheel cleaner such as meguiars will do an 'OK' job on its own, however for an even better solution is to use a wheel wax...

i had white wheels on my corolla and they were an absolute bitch to keep clean, much the same as 'chromies'...

what you do is clean your wheels very carefully and thoroughly to remove all dirt and brake dust etc etc and then apply a few layers of wheel wax. usually easier if you take the wheels off to get into all the little places and while youre at it do the inside of the wheel as well

yes a bit of a bitch to do, but it lasts for ages and the brake dust etc etc literally just hoses off, you can also use a wheel cleaner before, but read the label carefully as most will shorten how long the wheel wax lasts. i found it easier just to hose them off frequently to prevent it building up... also remember that this method is better for chrome wheels as every time you wipe them etc etc you are putting scratches on them no matter how careful you are

go to www.waxit.com.au for some wheel waxes and other awsome detailing products

[The_Hawk]

I have used two products.

1. AutoGlym wheel cleaner was very good, easy to use and made cleaning the wheels stupid easy, problem was I absolutely tore through the bottle, two cleans and it was just about gone.

2. A little known product called "elbow grease". It was a little harder to use, but had fantastic results and the best part, it's amazingly cheap!

After reading HOLEIN1's post, that wheel wax sounds like it would be a good investment.

[rayray086]

a wheel cleaner such as meguiars will do an 'OK' job on its own, however for an even better solution is to use a wheel wax...

i had white wheels on my corolla and they were an absolute bitch to keep clean, much the same as 'chromies'...

what you do is clean your wheels very carefully and thoroughly to remove all dirt and brake dust etc etc and then apply a few layers of wheel wax. usually easier if you take the wheels off to get into all the little places and while youre at it do the inside of the wheel as well

yes a bit of a bitch to do, but it lasts for ages and the brake dust etc etc literally just hoses off, you can also use a wheel cleaner before, but read the label carefully as most will shorten how long the wheel wax lasts. i found it easier just to hose them off frequently to prevent it building up... also remember that this method is better for chrome wheels as every time you wipe them etc etc you are putting scratches on them no matter how careful you are

go to www.waxit.com.au for some wheel waxes and other awsome detailing products

I've used that before too, and recommend it Brake dust just wipes off the first few washes. I was slightly annoyed though as I had BBS wheels at the time and it would take me hours to apply it comprehensively on to the whole set!

Oh, and it smells brilliant haha.

[nashan]

Yeah i think the wax sounds like a good option. It almost looks the wheels have slight corrosion on the surface. Ill give that a go and post some photos of the results! Lucky they arn't too many little nooks and crannies on my wheels (one reason i chose the ones i did with the known excessive VW brake dust). Thanx for the help guys.

Nathan

[D3bb4]

Armorall makes a "wheel protectant" which is meant to like, stop brake rust and such. I put it on today, will see how it turns out.

[Mrk_Mickey]

Sorry to steal the thread with an off-topic post, but I have a question about cleaning regular-painted wheels. Is it possible to polish up silver alloys, or do something similar to restore their look?

[HOLEIN1]

Sorry to steal the thread with an off-topic post, but I have a question about cleaning regular-painted wheels. Is it possible to polish up silver alloys, or do something similar to restore their look?

depends on what finish they have on them and what sort of damage they have

if they are just an alloy they can be polished/resurfaced pretty easily, however if they are a painted finish you will have to fix them up, prep them and then repaint them

cost depends on the design of the wheel, size of wheel and how much damage you have (gutter rash etc etc)

few years ago i was looking at getting mine fixed up and it was suprisingly cheap compared to new wheels, around the $100 a corner from memory with a fww gutter scrapes

look in the yellow pages under your usual wheels section, theres usually places in there