Cleaning Alloy wheels
- Thread starter theochh
- Start date
Personally, i have an aversion to alloy cleaners. I think you should use it only sparingly for the times when your wheels are REALLY dirty. If you want to use one all the time buy the BMW alloy cleaner: it's expensive but formulated properly.
Other than that i just use dishwashing liquid in warm water for my alloys and they come up very nicely indeed.
Other than that i just use dishwashing liquid in warm water for my alloys and they come up very nicely indeed.
If it bothers you a lot, then go with an acid-free wheel cleaner, such as the TurtleWax Wheel Cleaner. But even the stronger wheel cleaners aren't too aggressive on your wheels....these companies want you to use their wheel cleaners every time you wash your car, so they're not out to kill your wheels in the long run....just the brake dust!! ![[;)]](/images/smilies/wink.png "Wink [;)]")
![[:p]](/images/smilies/tongue.png "Stick Out Tongue [:p]")
I use Meguiars' Hot Rims wheel cleaner. I dont necessarily saturate the wheel, just enough to cover. It gets the dirt loose enough for me to follow with good ol' soap&water and elbow grease. I use a regular terry cloth to scrub in between the spokes. Niced sparkling wheels after. Make sure that you dry the wheel after rinse with a clean cloth to prevent hard water spotting.
I love my car and would never want to put anything on it that would harm it. You have to be real careful with wheel cleaners to make sure that what you are using won't eat the clear coat off of the rims. The only thing that I have ever used to clean my Corvette and Bimmer is P21S. It's a little more costly than what you would buy at Wal-Mart but the results are outstanding and I swear by it.
www.p21s.com
www.p21s.com
![[:D]](/images/smilies/biggrin.png "Big Grin [:D]")
, my mom doesn't want to spend much money on extra washing stuff
Just remember, most alloys are painted, very similar to your car's paint.
My rule of thumb? Don't put anything on your wheels that you wouldn't put on your car's paint. It my take more elbow grease to clean the wheels but the finish will last longer. Personally, I use the P21S wheel cleaner when soap and water don't do the job.
My rule of thumb? Don't put anything on your wheels that you wouldn't put on your car's paint. It my take more elbow grease to clean the wheels but the finish will last longer. Personally, I use the P21S wheel cleaner when soap and water don't do the job.
I also use P21S wheel cleaner. It is acid free and totally safe, so no worrying about your wheel cleaning procedure being harsh in the long run. I was using the spray liquid and recently ordered the gel spray - which is recommended for BMW wheels because of the massive amounts of brake dust. This product does require rubbing, it is not a spray on / spray off wheel cleaner. Consider this! The product is safe and works great. I also use a teense of Wheel Wax for spots of tar that won't come off with P21S.
