Quoi?

Bought an S2k a couple of months ago.
Car is 5 years old and from what I can tell the wheels were never given more than a cursory wipe down on the outside.

Consequently there is a significant amount of road dirt, brake dust etc caked onto the back/sides of them. So much so that it creeps around the spokes in parts.

I've twice gone at cleaning them without success in getting them where I want them - i.e. fully clean.
First I used Autoglym Bodywork shampoo - which cleared the light stuff, then Autoglym Clean Wheels which helped clear a little more light stuff - however, despite use of a scourer type spunge, I couldnt get anything more off.

So I got Autoglym Tar & Glue remover, which I tried this evening, but although this clears the obvious spots of glue, I cannot get it to clean the back of the wheels (maybe if I spent a few hours per wheel of constant scrubbing to the point of having no fingers left....), or some small speckles of tar on the front ( these are probably not noticeable to anyone else though).
Again I was using the scourer type spunge.

After I finished I thought I should probably have tried Petrol and/or spirits/thinners but would these be any stronger than the Tar&Glue remover without damaging the finish?
Some pics below, including how the outside looks after cleaning & a quick polish with AutoGlym Super Resin polish - curbing is amazingly invisible to my cameraphone!

slanguage

Meguiars wheel brightener.

dilute 4:1. if this dilution doesnt work, try 3:1 next. so on and so on until you get the stuff off.

can be found at autodetailingsolutions.net

JunD

I've been using P21S Wheel Gel Cleaner ordered through our sponsor, Detailers Domain, with great success of removing stuff off the wheels at ease.

Example:
http://detailersdomain.wordpress.com/2009/...brake-calipers/

krshultz

If WB won't get it off, it's probably on there for good.

NH_s2k_Guy

Is there such a product that is TRULY spray on/hose off and it removes
ALL the residue on a wheel as good as if you wiped it off?

I've yet to find such a product so I just use the leftover soap and water
from washing the car with a different microfiber mitt. Takes almost as
long to do the wheels as the rest of the car.

PanteraKitty

I use an assortment of Mean Green first and then Meguiar's or p21s. Have you looked at:

https://www.s2ki.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=420668

I dont believe what the labels say. I have never found a cleaner that did not need brushing.

slanguage

http://detailersdomain.wordpress.com/2009/...in-your-wheels/

NH_s2k_Guy

I haven't either, so I guess I'll just save my money and use the car wash soap
left over from washing the car.

PanteraKitty

I hope you are using an actual car wash soap on your body. Dish detergents are a little strong and they will strip wax.

Brake dust on the wheels does require something stronger. I have found Mean Green to be a great tire cleaner and I have not seen any damage to the clearcoat on the wheels, yet. If there is still brake dust caked on the wheels after cleaning with Mean Green, I get out the wheel cleaner. If that doesnt get it, I go after it with the thumbnail. Wish I could find a cup brush with bristles rather than wire.

NH_s2k_Guy

Yeah I use Meguiar's Gold Class car wash.

I only use dish detergent before a claying, polish and swirl remover.

The way I look at the wheel cleaning thing, if I have to scrub them anyway, the car wash
soap cleans them up just fine and there really
is no sense in paying all that extra money for "wheel cleaners" that don't
get all the stuff off without scrubbing.