I have the 17" inch rims on my Maxima. I was wondering how you guys clean the inside of the rims. I havent done this yet and it has 8 months of dirt on them. The way that i thought would be the best was to take each rim off one by one and then clean them up real good. The only bad thing about this is it is really time consuming. What methods do you guys use or what chemicals do you apply?

 

I don't use any chemicals. I use Meguiar's Gold car wash and water. I get the water slimy.

I stick my hand in between the spokes and use a rag. I don't think a sponge will do it, especially after it builds up. Don't forget to get behind the spokes.

I thought about taking the wheels off, but it is time consuming plus you increase the likely hood you'll damage the rim due to handling fumbles, etc.

The outside of the rim can be easily damaged, so be careful there. The best bet is to get them clean and keep them that way: it is much easier to clean them if you keep them maintained.

PS: I use Playtex gloves so I don't nick my hands up working around the caliper. Using gloves also allows you to wash the car in cold weather.

 

never thought of using gloves to clean the car, not only the rims, that will save time at the end when cleaning up.

 

I found a really soft toilet scrubber.... used soap + water... The unique shape of the brush cleans the inside of the rims really nicely...

(I figure even if it does scratch a little (which I doubt it does), there's no possible way that it could be noticeable)... Just don't clean the outside of your rims with anything harsh, and you'll be happy...


-Tom

PS.. the gloves in cold weather are a REALLY good idea... they prevent evaporative cooling...

 

I do what mdeal does......car soap + water + playtex gloves = nice clean rims..... After you clean the rims, you also want to wax the outside of them to keep them nice and shiny....

 

The gloves prevent "dishwater hands", too.

 

Toothbrush any one???

 

no joking about the toothbrush. i have to use one on the rims on my Protege. Way too many small crevices!

The rims on the Maxima are easy to clean. Soapy water and a small sponge. I can get my entire hand wrapped around the rims. I can also wash the entire inside of the rim off as well. They look beatiful!

Soap and water just isn't cutting it for the tires themselves though. What can I do clean the tires?

 

I use a hand held brush for the rubber part, using the same soap and water as the rims. The hand held brush is the same variety as used on, say, floors of a kitchen. They sell them in autoparts stores advertised as "tire scrubbers".

I use Meguiar's tire shine which reduces the "browning" effect, so the rubber cleans up easily as well.

Note: I try to wash my car every week. So, the cleanup is easy for me, unlike if I wanted several weeks between cleanings.

 

Oh, you have a protege? Me too. A 98 ES.

 

I'm sure this question gets asked every year around this time...but which brand of wax do you guys prefer? I'm looking for something moderately priced, but easily applied/removed. The stuff I used on my '93 last summer was so hard to remove it left my wrists completely worn out. i couldn't hold a pen to write my name when i was done.

 

I like Meguiars #26 hi-tech Yellow Wax. The stuff is great!