vjd3

I got in the habit years ago using the P21-S cleaner because anything else would trash the Fuchs adonized rims, but I'm curious what others are using on the painted Cup rim finish. The P21-S isn't bad but it does require some scrubbing and it never seems to get the rubber clean. And with winter on the way, the quicker the better. Is there a spray-on hose-off cleaner out there that won't damage the finish?

VIc
95 C4

stinky

I bought the P21S because its Porsche approved or something like that, but I found it a lot harder to get the brake dust off than Eagle One A2Z. You still have to scrub, but I find not as hard. You can buy the Eagle One at Walmart or Target and its a lot cheaper.

If you put a thin coat of wax on your rims, its supposed to make the dust come off easier, although the jury is still out on this one.

Allen

The ONLY spray-on-wash-off wheel cleaner that I have ever seen or heard of was a product by ArmourAll (sp?) called Quicksilver. It is still available, but in a completely diffrent formula that doesn't work any better than anything else. <img src="graemlins/crying.gif" border="0" alt="[crying]" /> The original formula was last available about (5) years ago and worked fantastic...spray on, wait 5 minutes, spray off, wheels sparkled like you had scrubbed for a week on them. And before everyone jumps in and says that it was eating my wheels...I used it weekly for about (5) years on my 5-series and my wheels looked like new. I actually called the company to find out why they changhed the formula. It seems that someone drank some of the product, and died as a result...so they changed it.

My bottom line is this: I tried the P21 wheel cleaner. It is expensive and it didn't work any better than all the rest...in other words, it required additional washing with a rag to get the wheels clean. I now use Simple Green; available at Walmart, and a rag. For my 5-series with the "honeycomb" type wheels, it's a real pain in the a**, but the wheels look great.

BradB

Please, please, PLEASE do not use Simple Green on your wheels.

It will not be evident right away. In fact it will take a long, long time for you to realize. But you are damaging the surface of your wheels!

I had a set of Speedline wheels on my (new) Audi Coupe GT that I used Simple Green on. I am a detailing fanatic. I do everything very carefully. I would wet the wheels first. I would work only on cool wheels. I would use only clean soft sponges. I even used diluted SG. Over the course of a year I noticed the clearcoated aluminum rims and painted centers were getting just a little dull. There was spiderwebbing starting to happen at the edges of the clearcoat which I contributed to age. The clearcoat was getting a little "white". It just wasn't looking as sharp as it used to. It wasn't horrible, I guess, especially from 5 feet away, but I could tell they weren't like new. I had reason finally to compare the matching spare wheel. I was horrified. The wheel was way worse that it should have been. The surface of the clearcoat was "feathery" and just not as clear as it should have been. It had degraded the clearcoat.

The change and the damage was so slow that I had not really noticed it happening but once I had compared to the new wheel again it was obvious.

I called representatives from Speedline and asked them about Simple Green and they couldn't have emphasized more emphatically NOT to use SG. Just out of curiosity, I talked with representatives from BBS, MOMO, OZ, Moda, Borbet, AMG, Crager and a few others. I got the same answer.

Use a non-acidic cleaner such as P21S or Eimann Fabrik All Purpose Cleaner (my favorite, I buy it by the gallon and save $) <a href="http://www.properautocare.com/hi-c32.html" target="_blank">Einmann Fabrik</a>

Waxing the inside of the wheels with a sealant (a carnuba will not last) WILL make the wheels much easier to clean. A foam ended bottle brush is a great tool to clean the insides of the wheels.

Also, paint the inside hubs with a high heat paint. It will look a LOT better and it will make the area a lot easier to clean.

Mike W

Brad, I am surprised at what happened to your wheels, by using simple green. I have Fiske's and they strongly recommended it's use on there wheels. I have been using Simple Green for over a year with out any problems. Fiske did recommend to dilute with 50% water. There is a product sold by tire rack called Wheel Wax which also works very well. Mike W

ScottMellor

I also have Fikse's and am using simple green. But, my wheels are not clear-coated...

tchanson

Brad,
I'll echo Mike's comments. The guys at Fikse specifically recommended a 50/50 dilution of Simple Green and water for my FM-10's with polished lips and Satin anodized centers.

I don't let it sit for more than 30 seconds or so on a cool wheel before working it with a natural bristle brush and rinsing thoroughly. Never had a problem.

Given the apparent severity of your experience, is this something you should share with Fikse? Maybe they should reconsider their recs?

Also, perhaps I misunderstood Vic's comments in the first thread in this post, but for cleaning the actual tire sidewall surface, I've used
<a href="http://www.griotsgarage.com/catalog.jsp?&SKU=11136" target="_blank">Griots Rubber Cleaner</a> for years. Don't need to use it very often, but does a great job when you do.

Tim

Ted Brewer

I am also using Simple Green on a set of Fikse wheels without diffuculty (yet?) as suggested by Fikse. It seems to me that SG is fine but, ONLY for unpainted aluminumn wheels. I find it hard to believe Fikse would get it wrong.

Ted

BradB

Bare metal is different. That stuff does not like clearcoats!
<img src="graemlins/crying.gif" border="0" alt="[crying]" />

tchanson

Brad,
All the same, your initial post prompted me to take a look at the <a href="http://www.simplegreen.com/faq.html" target="_blank">FAQ</a> page at the Simple Green site. Even they get a little squirelly when it comes to aluminium, as quoted below:
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"Aluminum - Is it safe to use Simple Green on aluminum?

Simple Green products have been successfully and safely used on aircraft, automotive, industrial and consumer aluminum items for over 20 years. However, caution and common sense must be used: Aluminum is a soft metal that easily corrodes with unprotected exposure to water. The aqueous-base and alkalinity of Simple Green or Crystal Simple Green can accelerate the corrosion process. Therefore, contact times of All Purpose Simple Green and Crystal Simple Green with unprotected or unpainted aluminum surfaces should be kept as brief as the job will allow - never for more than 10 minutes. Large cleaning jobs should be conducted in smaller-area stages to achieve lower contact time. Rinsing after cleaning should always be extremely thorough - paying special attention to flush out cracks and crevices to remove all Simple Green/Crystal Simple Green residues. Unfinished, uncoated or unpainted aluminum cleaned with Simple Green products should receive some sort of protectant after cleaning to prevent oxidation."
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Maybe the key is to never leave the stuff on too long, clearcoat or not?

Tim

tom_993

I spoke with Al Reed (legendary wheel expert here in Orange County) about cleaning and protecting my wheels. They’ve been polished, so they have no clear-coat or paint. His (actually his wife, but same difference) advice was to use a simple glass cleaner (like Windex) to clean them and use a carnauba wax to protect them. The glass cleaner cleans up the brake dust quite well. I tried a carnauba wax to protect them, but it made the wheels look less shiny. I think the wax was drying to a white color in the micro pores of the metal. This probably wouldn’t happen if you had a clear coat. Right now I’m just keeping the wheels clean, as that’s probably the number one thing to protect them, but I’d be interested in another protector that doesn’t discolor the aluminum.

Tom
’95 993

BradB

One thing about wax. Carnubas are hydroscobic, meaning they absorb moisture and will dry white in the pores as you mention.

It also has low durability and a low melting point so it will not last long.

Use a sealant, such as Zaino Z2 for instance, to protect wheels and reduce brake dust adhesion. It will not dry white, will seal the pores so brake dust won't adhere as easily, will make them much slicker and easier to clean and is very durable.

I have done this for years on bare metal and clearcoated wheels.

E. J. - 993 Alumni

[quote]Originally posted by Allen:
<strong>The ONLY spray-on-wash-off wheel cleaner that I have ever seen or heard of was a product by ArmourAll (sp?) called Quicksilver. It is still available, but in a completely diffrent formula that doesn't work any better than anything else. <img src="graemlins/crying.gif" border="0" alt="[crying]" /> The original formula was last available about (5) years ago and worked fantastic...spray on, wait 5 minutes, spray off, wheels sparkled like you had scrubbed for a week on them. And before everyone jumps in and says that it was eating my wheels...I used it weekly for about (5) years on my 5-series and my wheels looked like new. I actually called the company to find out why they changhed the formula. It seems that someone drank some of the product, and died as a result...so they changed it.</strong><hr></blockquote>

Allen , I loved that stuff and still use their quicksilver II wheel cleaner. I just spray it on and wash with a wheel cleaning brush - they clean right up.

Granted, I never drank the old stuff, but I did spray it once and got some on my eyeglasses - after about 1 minute, it had eaten through all the protective and anti scratch coatings and ruined the lenses. I now remove all glasses before using it, but since it's the new stuff, it's probably okay. I miss the old stuff though, sure made life easier.

If anyone cares, this is on my stock 17 and 18 inch wheels, but I would still use it if I had the Fancy Fiskes too.

E. J.

Tom W

EJ: you have it backwards. <img src="graemlins/nono.gif" border="0" alt="[nono]" /> If the stuff ate through your glasses, what's it going to do to your eyes? The lenses are replacable, your eyes are not. Being blind also limits your time behind the wheel.

With vision only in one eye, I pay attention to stuff like this! (and you should too) <img src="graemlins/soapbox.gif" border="0" alt="[soapbox]" />