Have a 2000 SE with stock 16s. Everything tried from PEP boys sucks and is a waste of time. Is there anything stronger that I can get that will take off the grime.

thanks

 

I've had great results using scrubbing bubbles bathroom cleaner on wheels/tires,just spray it on,then you can actually watch the foam turning brown very quickly,lifting the dirt from the wheels/tires..after a minute or two,i use a wet rag or brush to scrub the remaining stubborn dirt off..

I know it sounds a little silly to use bathroom cleaner on wheels,but seriously try and you will see..

 

dang thats a very interesting idea i think i will have to try that out. good tip!

 

You'll need to add elbow grease to whatever cleaner you use. Invest the $5 in a good wheel brush that will allow you to get inside the rim and give it a gentle scrubbing. A spray alone will not lift all the gunk in there.

Also a nice soft wheel brush for the outside rim and spokes is a nice touch. Makes sure you don't scratch up your rims.

Finally a good wax coating on the rim. Poorboys makes a nice rim wax. However you can definately use the same wax as you use on the rest of your car. Once the rim is clean and waxed it will be soooo much easier to clean the next time. There's also a Michelin Brake Dust Repellant spray. I've used it too...works fine as an added touch, but not absolutely necessary.

CM.

 

try something called P21S Gel Wheel Cleaner best thing I ever used. Leave it on for about 2 hours and your gonna see RESULTS MAJOR RESULTS trust me... Only drawback a lil expenisive paided $15 for mine

 

Try a commercial floor degreaser. Proforce at Sam's Club, CLeanforce, Breaker Breaker by Alco, or try a local janitorial supply. They are usually $10 per gallon and you can dillute them down with water. I use it 100% on greasy areas and in the engine bay.

Spray, soak for 10 mins, brush and repeat if necessary (usually not).

You might want to read the labels if going this route. Beware of cleaners you cannot use on aluminum for example.

Bottom line... it's cheap and works great against Ohio-winter-salt-buildup and it will last almost forever if used sparingly.

 

The best cleaner I ever used was a commercial cleaner called Body Sol. That stuff was amazing. It would remove just about anything from paint and wheels. Spray it on, give a a little rub and EVERYTHING would come off. Increadible product. Hard to find but if you look online, you can find it.

 

I have chrome wheels on my car and my wheels are detailed (i.e. buttons around the edges, groves in the middle and on the stems - check signature pic). Cleaning these bad boys every week keeps 'em good, but miss a couple of washes and let the brake dust pile on, good grief!

I tried Meguiar's spray on chrome wheel cleaner and WOW! This stuff is GREAT! You might want to try some on your wheels. I think they make some for non-chrome wheels too. Man, I stand by this stuff for real!

 

Well I used Grease Lightning engine degreaser last weekend, and it worked pretty well. Will see future results or impact.

 

i just use soap and water... works great.

 

Some stores, like General Dollar and Family Dollar, sell a "as seen on tv" cleaning product, called AWESOME.

Its usually only like a buck or two, and man......I hate to say it.....but that stuff is AWESOME.


Seriously.

 

Yall do realize that using things like greased lighting commerical floor cleaners, scrubbing bubbles, etc, all have a high concentration of acidic chemicals. Yes they work, however its actually eating away at the metal/alloy. It opens up the pores and basically eats pits of it.

Wheels that are clear coated they dont have much of this problem as the clearcoat keeps the acidic chemicals from eating away at the metal, now try this on uncoated wheels and you will CLEARLY see it eats away. Dont believe me, try it once on a polished alloy wheel, it will chemically scuff the wheels nicely and wherever the chemical touched it, that area of the polished metal will no longer look chrome/polished, it will look like someone took a sandpaper to it.

I know most of you going to think, BS, it works im going to continue to use it, thats fine. But if you want proof, take a sample piece of bare metal/alloy or polished uncoated alloy (as many polished wheels are) and you will see it eat the crap away.

All Im saying is you gotta be careful in using your normal cleaners, there is a high acidic concentrate that will cause more issues instead of spending the extra $2-3 per bottle for something that is clearly safer for the wheels.

Dixit

 

sorry to be OT, but damn you are BALLIN! now! what's your secret?

 

Commercial realestate investments and not wasting money unecessary cash on material items (when I was younger). Still have my day job as a Product Manager for a software company called Verint, I manager a few software lines from development, to QA, to beta, to GA release.

Dixit

 

When I rotated my tires last weekend, I cleaned the rims inside and out by spraying with Simple Green. That's an alkaline product (base), which is the opposite of acid.

The insides of the rims had years of build up. I sprayed the Simple Green and waited a few minutes, then scrubbed with a brush and sprayed with the hose. Stuff came right off. My BBS wheels are not polished to a mirror type shine. More like a brushed aluminum finish.

Since I cleaned both sides of the wheels, they now look especially clean from the outside.
The Simple Green website recommends Simple Green Max Metal for quality chrome plated products

It was a lot easier to clean the wheels when they were off the car, too.

 

No matter what cleaner you use, gotta get on them hands and knees. Soap, water and elbow grease works best in my experience.

 

My father is a mechanic and the body shop has this blue liquid in about 10-15 gallon containers. It has a rela sweet but tangy smell. I know its a commerical wire wheel cleaner, for use on real wire wheels that are hard to get into. I have tried everything of the shelve and they all stink. They may clean a little but not good. Ill have to look and see what it is called but this stuff is amazing. Wash the car and then wet the rims, spray liberally on the rim and let sit for 5 or so minutes. Then use a high pressure hose and spray off. You dont even need any elbow grease. It leterally eats thru all the dirt, tar and junk. I know i know it prob is not good for the wheels thats why you dont let it sit there. But man the rims come out clean as a the day they were made.