Help with wheel cleaning

[AlpineX548i]

i have no idea what a bunch of the post's even are but to be completely honest almost every 3 days i just take a plain dry rag and wipe down the wheels and at least to me they look as good as new...?

[x5mad]

A few things you can try if not done already.

1. change the brake pads to something which does not emit as much brake dust. do a search, i remember there being a discussion about it before.

2. you've done the right thing by applying sealant/wax to your wheels but as with detailing the paintwork you must do a meticulous job in oreder for the wax/sealant to bond properly.

On my 135i from new these were the steps i took on the wheels
1. rinse
2. soak with p21s (concentrated) - leave for 30 mins - longer if heavily soiled
3. rinse
4. car shampoo - ideally something like a citrus degreaser works well as the aim is to wash all loose dirt and contaminants off as well as any grease, previous products etc which may be on it from those wash n wax car shampoos which leave a residue of cheap wax on it.
5. Clay Bar the wheel
6. Another quick wash and dry well with micorfibre cloth
7. i applied swissvax concorso so i used swissvax cleaner fluid to prep the surface for the wax to bond itself to - very important step if you want the wax to bond properly and to last
8. finally LSP (swissvax concorso in my case)

I did this in april and to this day the wheels need nothing more than a gentle scrub with a sponge and it all comes off very easily with no marks - no need for clay bar. I have not yet needed to top up the wax.

[davidy1688]

I clean the wheel twice a week, and apply wheel sealant once 2 weeks.

[Quicksilver]

There are a lot of products out there that will get the job done
but when I started using professional detail products the results
were (imo) much better. The price for the products is 10 times better
as well. Wheelie Clean not found in stores is a good example. Cost about
$20.00 for a gallon and is a 10-1 concentrate. Does it work??? Oh yes.

url=http://74.125.155.132/search?q=cache:lD_XCG2QHekJ:http://www.prowax.com/wheel_tire.sht...ent=safari]PRO Car Beauty Online-Tire & Wheel Cleaner Products[/url]

Don't buy it online though. Try to find a http://www.productioncarcare.com/shop/ Store. That's where I got it last time

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[Denalio]

Here is my regiment:

I clean the wheels twice a season with a total wipe down/wash using regular dish soap and possibly some all purpose cleaner. Next step is claybar. Then I will wipe them down with something like Prepsol to remove any tar and tough stains. I then coat them with 2 coats of Swissvax wheel sealant. From there I maintain them weekly with a wash with a good quality car soap. I will then occasionally touch them up with either the Swissvax or Chemical Guys Pete's 50/50 wax. During regular wash and maintenance I only use a microfiber wash mitt dedicated to my wheels (usually a wash mitt that has been demoted from body work) I use a Daytona Speed Master Wheel Brush and Swissvax brushes to get behind the spokes. Regular washing is the key. I don't think that there are any easy fixes or "wonder" wheel cleaners that will allow you to just rinse off the brake dust. The longer the brake dust remains on the wheels the greater chance of etching will occur.

[mtech8]

I just bought the Daytona Spped Master Wheel Brush. When I opened it up, I was a bit disappointed in the material. I was hoping/expecting something soft, but it's just something slightly softer than hard plastic. As expected, when I tried it out, it did a horrible job on the rims spokes. But in the product's defense, it was definitely a lot easier cleaning behind the spokes (as Denalio pointed out). Just be careful not to pull it out too fast as it got my clothes all dirty from the dirt-brakedust-water flying off the brush).

The Chemical Guy's "Wheel and Rim Cleaner Gel" was really no better than PS21. Plus it's claim that it "sticks to the rim without dripping" is completely bogus. It ran just like the PS21 gel does.

I'm just going to continue with my trusty California Duster for quick in-between jobs, and with simply wash soap, water and my microfiber thing (don't even know what it's called. It came free with a car wash package a friend bought from Costco). It's just tiring on the hands with all the different angles in the 214's.