Cleaning alloy wheels

[LTDemps]

Hey guys,

I've decided to start cleaning the beast myself! (And that's not a euphemism!) I was wondering if there was any generic advise out there? And more specifically if there was some do's and don't's for cleaning up alloy wheels as I have heard that some of the 'special' cleaning products can actually do some damage?

Cheers.

[Reflect Russ]

Yeah a fair few products can be used to clean alloys but all depends how bad they are....sometimes you need to know when its best to use an acid based cleaner or a caustic based one but I say you need to know because these are best left to pro's that know....typical example: Wonder Wheels...can be destructive if used week in week out but can come in handy in the right hands...

Hand car wash places tend to use phosphoric acid to wash your car as well as your wheels so stay away from those places....

If your wheels are heavily covered in brake dust i would recommend something called Rim 7 from Scholl Concepts....this is a pH Neutral Wheel cleaner that not only breaks down grease and general dirt build up but also brake dust....leave it on for around 10 minutes in this weather and you will see it go from light purple to dark purple almost black as it sets to work on the brake dust etc...

Once you have got on top of the wheels and got them spotless you can then protect them from road salts and brake dust etc by using a various number of sealants etc...Ceramic coatings seem to be the way to go but i have a new sealant that has PTFE in and has the ability to protect for a heck of a long time....

Maintenance wise you could try my product R-1NE as a maintenance wheel cleaner at a ratio of 1-20....other than that I am currently running test for a wheel cleaner gel that is pH neutral and destroys grime on impact but i will continue testing before marketing....

There a great many products out there and advise will differ from person to person but if you need info on products or anything else cleaning wise then just start a thread with HOLLA as the title and i will pop in and share my knowledge....

HTH