Arrwin

Hi guys,

I will be entering my car in her first concours in a couple of weeks. It will only be in the "Street Car Class" (exterior only). I was wondering how you guys clean the inside of the wheel? Do all you guys take the wheels off? The rims don't really have enough space to fit my hand through, so i'm thinking of getting this tool to get in there.

Think this will work or just a waste or $?


Here is a pic of my wheels:


Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Randy M '96 Silver 993

I use that tool on the 5 spokes and it works great. it should work for yours also.

Good Luck.

Alon

1- hire a small-handed child or horse-jockey and tell them that the burning they are feeling from the hot caliper is no big deal,
2- jack the car up and crawl underneath, cleaning each section of the wheels and spinning to access the other areas,
3- take the damn wheels off and do it right

Sorry, I couldn't resist




If you're that serious about it, you'll take them off. By the way, some judges look for crazy stuff like the crest aligned properly with the valve stem, etc. Get ready for a Concours headache.

InTheAir

I use this one:



It works well and is available here: http://www.autopia-carcare.com/meg-x-1160.html (no aff...yada....yada)

These brushes do a good job of getting the gist off. But, to do the job right, no need to remove the wheel. I will be doing the same, once I purchase a good floor jack.

Arrwin

Whoah! Are you serious? Hmmm....i may not be ready for this afterall. I also have a lot of dirt buildup where the tire valve meet the rim. I figure a Q-tip can perform this task.

Arrwin

I was always a little weary of those brushes scratching the rims, but I guess it's soft enough to cause any harm?

InTheAir

They are quite soft and flexible. The handle is plastic and the tip is covered in rubber.

I recently had my wheels resprayed, so I definitely would have seen if the brush was causing scratches. All is well so far.

By the way, they are cheap enough to buy and decide if you like them. If you don't, just relegate them to the wife's car.

cmoss

Once you get them clean, put a ton of cheap liquid car wax on them. The will clean up much easier the next time. Do this 2-3 times per year.

Alon

Yes, I have never personally entered any of these Concours but have seen them. They can be that picky but then again, it might be the one thing that differentiates you from your competitors.

g_murray

Believe me, if you are entering your car for a 'concours' you should leave the 'cleaning' to an EXPERT shop -- who will, literally, take your car apart, wash and polish it and then put everything back together. It will look *amazing*. They will ALSO clean the engine ***properly***. It WILL co$t you though.

Check out DETAILING DYNAMICS in Mineola ...gell Matt 'Gerry with the blue 993' sent you!

http://www.detailingdynamics.com

Even 'street class' competition judges will balk at any 'simple dirt' on the glass, paintwork, trim and wheels.

If you're starting this 'late' -- i.e. if the 'competition' is only weeks away then I would ***seriously*** think about merely 'cleaning the living daylights' out of the car -- and entering it ONLY for the 'street class' -- otherwise you are going to find yourself WAY outa yer league ...and mighty embarassed to boot! A "FULL CONCOURS" is warp factor nine where cleaning and polishing is concerned !!!

I have a 'street class' comp. coming up too ...and here's me cleaning the wheels (and other parts) ...PROPERLY !!! (As others have said "to clean the wheels PROPERLY ...you have to take them OFF")

http://i-fly.freeyellow.com/miscell/...ning/index.htm

G.

(BTW, good luck on 'the day')

993Dave

Arrwin: Concours? You really are going off the deep end. Of course, with that car, I couldn't blame you. Thankfully, mine has enough little lived-in imperfections to prevent me from even entertaining the idea.

That hasn't stopped me from engaging in some obsessive behavior, though. As far as wheel cleaning goes, if your wheels are at all like the standard cup wheels, there are too many little hidden crevices on the back side of the spokes and elsewhere for you to be able to effectively clean the wheel without taking it off. Removing the wheel will also allow you to detail the well and brakes.

Good luck with the show!

Coleman

After you have taken the wheel off and cleaned the backside of the rim, make sure to wax the inside of the rim, this will help repel brake dust and extend the effort that you just put into removing the wheels!!!

Coleman,

RT7

I took the wheels off, while you're at it, clean the calipers, rotors, etc. I did this couple weeks ago.

Crimson Nape Racing

I read a book on concour preperation years ago. I remember reading the first 4 chapters about the interior, exterior, undercarriage, and engine compartment. I was tired just from reading what he said to do..... I then got to the part where the author said "now that the surface dirt is off, we'll get down to really "cleaning" the car. I put the book down and never finished it!

Dudley

Once I had them clean, I put a couple coats of Rejex on to make the next cleaning process much easier.