wheel cleaners

[MADM4]

my car is pretty desperate to be washed and i dont have any wheel cleaner, if i go to autozone what is the best wheel cleaner that will not eat through the clear coat and the painted calipers.
thanks

[darkalley]

order p21s. everything else has way to much acid.

[tom @ eas]

Originally Posted by darkalley

order p21s. everything else has way to much acid.

Agreed. I would go a precautionary step further and use just plain soap/water.

[MADM4]

Thank you i have already ordered the p21s detail kit and it will be arriving shortly, i guess i will use water and soap

[UltimateBMW]

I don't know if you kit you bought comes with it, but there are specialised brushes you can get to help you get in between tight spokes on a wheel and help you reach to the inner parts of the rim itself. It helps alot, and saves your hand from having to scrub every inch of the servace in a rim.

Here is one that I found.
http://www.pinnaclewax.com/deepreachbrush.html

Also, in the videos stickied at the top, they use a Boar's hair brush on the outside of the rim to help scrub it down and make it look nice. Here is that Boar's hair brush as well.
http://www.pinnaclewax.com/8moorbohawhb.html

[dillon733]

i only use soap and water %99 of the time and wash my car between 2 or 3 times per week. however when needed i use p21sGel on needed areas only its the best and is the safest to use on the wheels. i would also recomend sealing your wheels like i did. I used poorbouys wheel sealent and am very happy with the result.

[L~R~G nor cal]

The best wheel cleaners that are safe for all wheels and breaks including ceramic disc's are:

1. P21s Wheel Gel

and

2. Chemical Guys Wheel Gel

You can purchase P21s Wheel Gel anywhere, but the Chemical Guys Wheel Gel is still in development. I have had a couple of prototypes sent my way, and WOW. It works just as good as P21s if not better for almost half the price. The only problem with P21s Wheel Gel is the price. For how much we clean our wheels, and how quickly we go through the wheel cleaning products over time it starts adding up.

On another note, if you guys are worried about scratching your wheel I would highly recommend a couple of products.

1. A good power washer (this is great for cleaning the wheels as much as possible before you even touch the surface)

2. A foam cannon (a foam cannon is great for pre-soaking the wheels. it is amazing when you have really dirty wheels. after a good powerwash, a good soak of soap with your foam cannon and another good powerwash your wheels will almost be perfectly clean)
http://www.detailersdomain.com/index...ROD&ProdID=344

Here is a pic of what my foam cannon makes


3. A Swissvax Wheel brush (the best brush I have ever use for the face of the wheels. it is very soft so you do not have to worry about scratching the wheels and it is the perfect size to get into tight areas like the lugs yet big enough to not take forever to brush the entire wheels.)
http://www.detailersdomain.com/index...ROD&ProdID=195

4. A Ace Power Stick (this hooks up to a drill and is designed to get inside of the wheel. it makes cleaning the inside of the wheel very easy and fast.)
http://www.detailersdomain.com/index...ROD&ProdID=320

As far as adding protection to your wheels I think it is a must. It will not only give your wheels a nice shine, but it will also protect them and make cleaning them a lot easier. Sealing the wheels makes dirt and other contaminates harder to stick to the surface thus making the contaminates easy to get off the surface. My favorite wheel wax/sealant is Swissvax Autobahn.

http://www.detailersdomain.com/index...ROD&ProdID=186

I hope this helps!

Thanks,

Jared

[darkalley]

I just stick with the regular p21s. i have been using it for 10 years without any pitting. It is just as safe as plain soap and water but works a bit better. you still need some elbow grease. i have a microfiber wash mitt i bought at target. i spray the wheels and then rub em down. very fast. hand tools take way to freakin long.

[rsmamg]

1. I can't find p21s in any stores, just onine. What retailers carry this?

2. Will it really make a difference if I just mix some car soap and water, and use a soft wheel brush from target to clean the spokes?

3. Either way, would I rub with a towel or brush?

[darkalley]

i oreder from this guy carcareonline.com

[GregW / Oregon]

Griot's Garage Wheel Cleaner is good, along with the Oxo wheel brush, IMO.
I like that you can buy it by the gallon and refill the quart sprayer, too.

http://www.griotsgarage.com/p2p/sear...rrivals&page=1

http://www.autogeek.net/erwheelbrus.html

I hit the wheels with my car wash soap and brush after letting the wheel cleaner work for a couple minutes and ther results are great.

[boynbeagle7]

At Autozone: Meguiars Hot Rims Aluminum Wheel Cleaner is safe and does not etch the calipers. Avoid the Hot Rims All Wheel Cleaner as this one does etch your discs. It does do a great job of cleaning it off though.

If you want to buy a better cleaner, P21S gel is one of the best.

[TTG]

Originally Posted by boynbeagle7

If you want to buy a better cleaner, P21S gel is one of the best.

So, I have been hearing about this P21S Gel for a while. I usually use Zaino products and use just soap and water for the wheels. Since I have a M3 on order and knowing the fact that the rims that come with the M3's are PIA clean I decided to order some of this P21S Gel cleaner that everyone is recommending, hoping that this product will make it easier to clean the wheels.

I used it on my wife's regularly detailed MCS today. It was fully detailed 2 weeks ago and only had dirt accumulated over past 2 weeks. I wanted the test the P21S on one wheel as I cleaned all the others via soap water & brushes....

For the money spent on the P21S i think it is absolute crap! I let is sit on a fairly clean cool wheel for 15 min or so, hose it off.... and NOTHING.... All the dirt is there among with all the brake dust....

Since I sprayed it on a dry wheel (instructions do not tell you weather it should be sprayed on a dry or wet wheel), I reapplied it again on the same wheel now that it was wet... another 15 min..... again, NOTHING.....

What exactly is the purpose of an expensive wheel cleaner if you still have to scrub, brush & etc? What exactly does P21S does that regular Zaino car wash soap can not do....?????

Anyway, I am a little upset and if OP is still considering buying P21S, I would say stay the heck away from it and use regular soap and water....

Meanwhile I am also out on a search for a wheel cleaner that will actually clean my wheels.

[BMW1986]

Originally Posted by UltimateBMW

I don't know if you kit you bought comes with it, but there are specialised brushes you can get to help you get in between tight spokes on a wheel and help you reach to the inner parts of the rim itself. It helps alot, and saves your hand from having to scrub every inch of the servace in a rim.

Here is one that I found.
http://www.pinnaclewax.com/deepreachbrush.html

Also, in the videos stickied at the top, they use a Boar's hair brush on the outside of the rim to help scrub it down and make it look nice. Here is that Boar's hair brush as well.
http://www.pinnaclewax.com/8moorbohawhb.html

I always found that these brushes scratch the rims, no matter how they are used. Have your or others found the same as well?

[BMW1986]

The best thing to do is every 6 months or so pull the rims off the car and clean them that way.

[808MGuy]

Originally Posted by TTG

So, I have been hearing about this P21S Gel for a while. I usually use Zaino products and use just soap and water for the wheels. Since I have a M3 on order and knowing the fact that the rims that come with the M3's are PIA clean I decided to order some of this P21S Gel cleaner that everyone is recommending, hoping that this product will make it easier to clean the wheels.

I used it on my wife's regularly detailed MCS today. It was fully detailed 2 weeks ago and only had dirt accumulated over past 2 weeks. I wanted the test the P21S on one wheel as I cleaned all the others via soap water & brushes....

For the money spent on the P21S i think it is absolute crap! I let is sit on a fairly clean cool wheel for 15 min or so, hose it off.... and NOTHING.... All the dirt is there among with all the brake dust....

Since I sprayed it on a dry wheel (instructions do not tell you weather it should be sprayed on a dry or wet wheel), I reapplied it again on the same wheel now that it was wet... another 15 min..... again, NOTHING.....

What exactly is the purpose of an expensive wheel cleaner if you still have to scrub, brush & etc? What exactly does P21S does that regular Zaino car wash soap can not do....?????

Anyway, I am a little upset and if OP is still considering buying P21S, I would say stay the heck away from it and use regular soap and water....

Meanwhile I am also out on a search for a wheel cleaner that will actually clean my wheels.

There is no wheel cleaner out there short of staight acid that will totally clean a wheel without some type of agitation. The better cleaners like P21S will help loosen the brake dust and dirt which makes it way easier to get it off once you start hitting it with a brush or sponge.