Wheel cleaning

[mt308]

Any tips on how to clean the Ultima wheels?

Do people use a brush or can that scratch? Any good polishes?

Thanks

Mark

[V8Dom]

I use duraglit...

but normal washing works as I think they are clear coated?

[Storer]

Mine are not coated!

I use Autoglym Polish most of the time. I never wash the car. I just polish it as it never gets "dirty" but has tree sap, flies, exhaust fumes and finger prints. Takes no longer than washing and leathering.

Alloy wheel cleaner can be a bit vicious so be careful.


Paul

[5paulmv]

I use soapy water then dry off seems to work well the alloy seems to be coated

[Bar Pilot]

Something along the lines of Supernatural wheel cleaner as it's pH neutral. Spray on, agitate with a soft bristle brush (if caked) and pressure wash off. TurtleWax Ice is just as good but a bit cheaper.

Then best bet is to use the old Autosol metal polish on the dishes and apply a sealant once all buffed off.

hth

[F.C.]

If you have coated/clear anodized wheels then using metal polish is pointless, wash dry and seal with a decent wheel wax.
Polishing clear coated/anodized wheels with metal polish will erode the surface coating and ruin the finish.
ETS, Be careful when using "alloy Wheel Cleaner" most of the cheaper stuff is concrete cleaner re-bottled and will dull a bare alloy wheel in seconds (as well as remove brake dust etc.)

Edited by F.C. on Thursday 8th August 08:22

[mt308]

Thanks all.

[GTRMikie]

Bar Pilot said:

Then best bet is to use the old Autosol metal polish on the dishes and apply a sealant once all buffed off.

Yes Autosol is fine on Image wheels (uncoated) but I'm not so sure about the later OZ wheels.

[Ult-Jim]

Done mine recently. Factory wheels, I think mine are uncoated, but the quality is good and on the whole the outer side does not not tarnish, apart from a few side and inner rim parts that are easily fixed with autosol polish. You have to be careful with most of the wheel clean products as they may tarnish the wheels if not coated / annodised. For that reason tend to use ordinary car wash soap on the outsides and wheel cleaners diluted on the inside of the rim only if required making sure it is kept wet at all times. I use a decorators round corner soft brush to agitate the soap and to get all the bolt heads and difficult parts. The wheel brushes seam to be rip off prices, imo. I then use Car Pro Iron-X which dissolves out any iron contaminates in the brake dust that normal detergent cleaners will not budge. Great stuff but smells of rotten eggs! I use tar remover on the inside rim for any stubborn grease spots (my drive shaft uv boot leaked grease recently, now fixed). I also have use 3m adhesive remover to clean any adhesive marks on the inside rims from old wheel rim balancing weight marks and other stubborn spots. Then quickly go over with a clay bar and lubricant to remove any surface micrio overspray and grime spots. I have lightly buffed the outer uncoated ali part with a menzerna ultra finishing polish with a very soft pad connected onto a drill and that worked well to add shine. Finished off with a good wash to clean any polishing product, dry thoroughly and use Wolf's wheel nano sealant, rub on, leave to dry & cure, damp cloth buff off. There are other sealants on the market from many detailing companies.

Stand back, enjoy the bling, go for a drive, wheels dirty again but are sealed and a simple wipe with a soft cloth is all that is required to clean them again. Job done.

[CanAm Dave]

The OZ rims are coated but the billet wheel centres are not.