Dirty Wheels

[Mr Purple]

Ive got very dirty wheels on my DBS , what are peoples experiences with wheel cleaners that are kind to the alloy and ceramics. I seem to remember something called bilberry juice might work? Help appreciated

[t1blk]

It's great stuff, I tend to dilute it 50/50 and spray on, leave it for 5 mins and agitate with a small brush around the outer wheels and into the spokes then use an E-Z detail brush to get right to the back of the wheel. Mind you for quality info you need to contact Francis- Paddy328 on here he's our detailing guru.

[robgt]

First of all please do not use any acid based wheel cleaner! I found this one out to my cost. The acid content will strip the paint off the hub centres plus eat the paint on the calipers. There are any number of products out there which will do the job though it does still take time and effort. I start off using a pressure washer with detergent, then I use a product called Muc off, leave for 5 mins then pressure off with clean water. The end result is perfect. I have recently started using One Minute Wheels made by a company called Greased Lightening this seems to be even more effective though I have only used it twice so far.
To conclude whatever you use there will be effort involved with final buffing and polishing to maximise your wheels appearance this is where the red wine comes in!

[Gio1210]

robgt said:

First of all please do not use any acid based wheel cleaner! I found this one out to my cost. The acid content will strip the paint off the hub centres plus eat the paint on the calipers. There are any number of products out there which will do the job though it does still take time and effort. I start off using a pressure washer with detergent, then I use a product called Muc off, leave for 5 mins then pressure off with clean water. The end result is perfect. I have recently started using One Minute Wheels made by a company called Greased Lightening this seems to be even more effective though I have only used it twice so far.
To conclude whatever you use there will be effort involved with final buffing and polishing to maximise your wheels appearance this is where the red wine comes in!

Hi guys, do you know if Autoglym Clean Wheels contains any acid?

Thanks

[paddy328]

Yes it does, it's an acid based wheel cleaner. They do one that is called custom wheels or something like that, which isn't, but the clean wheels really is bad for your wheels.

[steveatesh]

Gio1210 said:

Hi guys, do you know if Autoglym Clean Wheels contains any acid?

Thanks

I

I believe it does. Of the stuff mentioned in the other posts Bilbury Juice is reputed to be fine. Personally I just use water and detergent, and I have them all finished with Rimwax to add a layer of protection and they still look perfect after 2 years.

I think to be on the safe side this is one for Francis !

[Gio1210]

I used Clean Wheels until now, and of course will stop!

Any chance of damage/paint coming off (none till now)?

[RichB]

paddy328 said:

Yes it does, it's an acid based wheel cleaner. They do one that is called custom wheels or something like that, which isn't, but the clean wheels really is bad for your wheels.

It's funny, all the 'detailing chaps' say this but I've been using AutoGlym wheel cleaner (together with Tesco's and Halford's cheapo stuff) on my TVR wheels since it was brand new in 1999 and they are still perfect in every respect as are the calipers. I don't know if TVR wheels and calipers are particularly resistant to acid but I doubt it, in any case the wheels were made by Raceline and the calipers are AP Racing. By all means use dildo juice or whatever takes your fancy but my theory is that acid based wheel cleaners are fine if, like I do, you rinse it off quickly and then further wash the wheels with the car shampoo afterwards.

[paddy328]

Acid wheel cleaners like the autoglym one do work very well, however, they can cause damage on some alloys, especially, like you said, if they are left on too long. One guy could use it on his car and have no problems with it, but then someone else might. It depends on the quality of the wheel itself. I wouldnt use it on early vantage wheel, which were of very poor quality or polished rims.

For the DBS or V12v, i would use a good degreaser like this one:

http://www.elitecarcare.co.uk/surfex-hd-all-purpos...

Or of course, you could use a diluted down bilberry or autosmart smart wheels.
smart wheels is my favorite wheel cleaner.

http://www.elitecarcare.co.uk/autosmart-smart-whee...

http://www.elitecarcare.co.uk/bilberry-safe-wheel-...

or even the dodo juice one, but ive not tried thia yet:

http://www.elitecarcare.co.uk/dodo-juice-supernatu...

If i was you, i would buy the surfex hd and get yourself some proper brushes, one for the inside and one for the outside:

inside:
http://www.elitecarcare.co.uk/ez-detail-brush-for-...

outside:
http://www.elitecarcare.co.uk/elite-pro-wheel-and-...

If you want to give the surfex hd a try before you buy a big bottle of it, they do a smaller one:

http://www.elitecarcare.co.uk/surfex-hd-all-purpos...

Also, you might want to remove some built up tar from the inside of the wheel, which will mean you will need a tar remover like this one:

http://www.elitecarcare.co.uk/carpro-tarx-powerful...

I have used this and it is good, but i use the autosmart one, which comes in a much bigger bottle, but for what you will use it for, the one above will be fine.

Right, lets presume the wheels are now clean, you should now be thinking of protecting them.

There are various companies out there and ive found that the swissvax autobahn wax is probably the best wax based wheal sealant:

http://www.shinearama.co.uk/product.php?id=SWI-AUT...

and the best all round wheel sealant is the gtechniq c5:

http://www.shinearama.co.uk/product.php?id=GTE-C5-...

With this one, i would say its best to take the wheels off and coat the whole wheel.

Or, if you what some protection and dont fancy spending ages waxing etc, then there is carpro reload, which is designed for the body, but can be used anywhere. Just spray on and wipe off. Perfect if you dont mind giving it a go every few washes.

Oh, the surfex hd is also very good on tyres, leaving them squeaky clean, ready for your tyre dressing of choice.

Hope this has helped.

Francis

[EpsomJames]

If you are an AutoGlym fan, use Custom Wheels rather than Clean Wheels as it's a PH neutral formula.

[paddy328]

oh, dont forget the trusty ironx for those baked on brake deposits at the corner of the spokes etc. This stuff works wonders:

http://www.elitecarcare.co.uk/carpro-ironx-highly-...

[yeti]

The thinking man has his wheels painted grey. 'Brake dust' grey in fact

I wipe the diamond cut face et voila, they appear clean.

Time is money people

[paddy328]

If everyone did that, it would save me lots of time and effort! Lol

[bogie]

I have my wheels done in brake dust grey matt finish and it dosent stick as bad and is never noticable

on top of that use Gtechniq polymer on them once, tends to last a couple of years at least and then all you do is wipe clean with soap n water

/dont even have wheel cleaner in the garage anymore...nasty stuff

[DB9VolanteDriver]

Mr Purple said:

Ive got very dirty wheels on my DBS , what are peoples experiences with wheel cleaners that are kind to the alloy and ceramics. I seem to remember something called bilberry juice might work? Help appreciated

I would never use anything on the wheels except soap and water due to the reputed sensitivity of the CCM discs. You may have to scrub a little harder, but that's a lot better than shelling out mega bucks to replace a user-contaminated brake disc.

[Lunablack]

yeti said:

The thinking man has his wheels painted grey. 'Brake dust' grey in fact

Time is money people

Exactly what I've done on my vantage.....

Got plenty of time, but can't be arsed sitting on the floor trying to keep the wheels looking clean

[Johnfrancis]

Had my V8v serviced at WS and they recommend Autoglym?

[brakedwell]

Another vote for Bilberry

[paddy328]

With respect to WS thats all they probably know, as its been around in the trade for years and they can get a good price on it. They will have never bothered to try other products to see what it better. A lot of it comes down to cost for them.

[quench]

DB9VolanteDriver said:

I would never use anything on the wheels except soap and water due to the reputed sensitivity of the CCM discs. You may have to scrub a little harder, but that's a lot better than shelling out mega bucks to replace a user-contaminated brake disc.

I'll second that. Cleaning wheels properly is like cleaning the paint properly. You will never get your car really clean just by spraying it with soap or a cleaner - you have to actually touch the surface in question. That's why I've never understood wheel cleaners, when soap, water and a wash mitt do a better job!