Wheel Cleaner???

[Isalvus]

Not really a TTT question, but you guys are normally a wealth of knowledge. Has anyone here ever found a wheel cleaner (mainly for brake dust) that really is spray on and wash off with out elbow grease. They all seem to say they are but none I've found ever work.

[CliffinGA]

I haven't yet especially on the sprinter I drive, it has really bad heavy brake dust on the fron wheels. Everyone of the wheel cleaners I've found you still have to spray, let set and then use a scrub brush and then spray again and then rinse.

Cliff

[CARS]

No. But once you get them clean, put a coat of wax on them. Should make the next couple cleanings easier. (But that requires elbow grease too.)

[Isalvus]

Chris, they're chrome spoke wheels on a motorcycle, will the wax hurt them at all?

[CARS]

No. But since they are Chrome, maybe try a Chrome polish first.

[vreihen]

I found a solution that's sooooooo easy that it doesn't even require squeezing a spray bottle trigger...Blue Beacon Truck Wash. They hand-wash big rigs and RV's at over 100 locations across the country, and the one near me will run cars through for something like $20. They have a wheel brightener chemical that cut through a season's worth of baked on brake dust on my race car's alloy wheels like it was nothing, and I run my pickup truck through there about twice a year to clean those wheels as well.

With that said, the friend of mine who originally pointed me to the truck wash now uses oven cleaner on his wheels. Test in an inconspicuous place, YMMV, and all the usual disclaimers.....

[wagondude]

Mr Clean magic erasers do a good job of cleaning wheels without a lot of effort. They work on both smooth and textured surfaces.

Bill

[stevem50]

i worked at a bike shop for a few years and found with real chrome (not polished aluminum) honda spray works the best. spray the rag and just wipe. i think its like 6 bucks a can- a can will last you a good long while. just dont get it on the tires unless you like sliding around

with polished wheels, compound on a buff ball on a variable speed drill is the quickest

[doghouse]

it will etch them deeply, they will be difficult to repolish,
ask me how I know,

[stevem50]

what will etch? and on what finish?

if you use the s-100 cleaner,(someone should have warned you what to clean with it, pretty caustic) it will etch polished aluminum- that is different than "honda spray".. the stuff i'm talking about is an aerosol spray that is silicone based. comes in a black and red can, and will clean any and everything, and any surface. painted,chromed,polished,glass,etc..

spray it on thick and let it maranate for a bit, and it will get road tar and adhesives off too

[John Palmer]

what will etch? and on what finish?

if you use the s-100 cleaner,(someone should have warned you what to clean with it, pretty caustic) it will etch polished aluminum- that is different than "honda spray".. the stuff i'm talking about is an aerosol spray that is silicone based. comes in a black and red can, and will clean any and everything, and any surface. painted,chromed,polished,glass,etc..

spray it on thick and let it maranate for a bit, and it will get road tar and adhesives off too

S-100 wash, and Honda Cleaner are both great products. They are different products intended for different uses. You can "miss use" most anything, just follow the directions. S-100 needs to be highly deluted.