No HTwo O

A month. 6 weeks. Over a 1,000 miles.

It takes me about as long to wash the 4 wheels, as it does to wash the entire car.

Start-to-finish, tools & supplies out, tools put away, wash & dry, jambs, everything, takes me 2.5 hours. If one of my daughters helps me, I can shave off about 30 minutes. Wife refuses to help.

jhg41977

When I got my car the inside or the wheels hadn't been cleaned in a long time. I tried a few things, nothing worked. Then someone recommended Sonax. It worked very well. I use the Adams green wheel cleaner once a week when I wash the car. I keep the Sonax on hand for when I need it.

Quadcammer

hmm, that seems like a long stretch between wheel cleanings. I occasionally clean mine with spray detailer and a microfiber. Takes about 15 minutes.

Might save you some aggravation?

No HTwo O

Oliver, keep in mind, my usual weekend drive is about 320 miles. I try to get one car each weekend. So I can easily get 1,000 miles in within 3-6 weekends, depending on which car I take out.

1pcarnut

This is one of the reasons I love the MY02 rims. I cut a sponge in half and can clean the insides every time I wash the car so very little build up of crud.

Stealth 993

The Griot's stuff is almost exactly the same. Just a lot cheaper. It even does the color change. I do really like the Sonax stuff, but it's to much money IMHO.

If the wheels are bare aluminum, I would stay away from Simple Green, it can
corrode the metal. So be careful. I saw a set of HRE's get ruined by Simple Green.

Mark in Baltimore

Fikse (the original company) used to recommend a 50% Simple Green solution to clean their wheels. It's what I've used for the past ten years on my raw aluminum FM-10 rim halves, and I've never had an issue.

Michael S.

Another vote for the SONAX stuff... It's friggin' magic! I'm a chronic skeptic, so I bought a small bottle initially,.. I just bought 5 litres of the stuff for the summer. It works!

Stealth 993

50/50 should be ok, but don't use full strength & leave it on there.

bw-porsche

I have found that Rimwax is excellent for keeping brake dust from sticking to the wheels. Since applying it I find that any cheap alloy wheel cleaner is good enough when washing the car. It is like creamy ointment to apply, smells pleasant and after using it, find that a soft wheel brush and spray cleaner, then rinsing, is all that's needed. I have even cleaned wheels with a dry tissue before now! I have cup 1 type wheels not BBS's which I take it are more intricate? Brian.

RocketJohn

Simple green dilution with a yellow green sponge, simple, works...

http://www.google.com/search?q=green...=1024&bih=672#

ToSi

Learned this trick from one of the BMW forums. I wish I remembered where so I could give credit to the original poster.

Bar Keepers Friend is a mild abrasive / polishing powder. Similar to Comet but less chemicals / grit. Company website -> http://www.barkeepersfriend.com/car-care

Here's what it can do to clean up ~50k mi of BMW brake dust, this is the sort of grime that the various autoparts store sprays don't stand a chance against. $1.49 @ your local Home Depot.

I haven't tried Sonax or the Griot's cleaners - would they be effective in this case?

IXLR8

Wheels off...once a year, otherwise every wash.


Same here! I've bought my share of overpriced products that disappointed.

I use WD-40 to remove tar and my usual water-based degreaser to clean them to as-new condition. As for the dark colored oxidation found in the narrow cavities of the spokes where factory paint didn't make it, I use another commercially available product.

IXLR8

An update now that I have the name of the product.

Swish Facto AT34 Aluminum Cleaner & Brightener.
It is used on aluminum, but I have used it on the back sides of my wheels, both on the painted and bare aluminum surfaces.
A wooden Popsicle stick was used to agitate the dirt/solution with zero detrimental effects to any painted surface.

No before pics, but we all know that it is next to impossible to get that grime out from the cavities on the back sides of the spokes and also the hub.

The smallest quantity of this product comes in a pail. Würth makes a product that goes under the name Aluminum Brightener. It comes in a spray bottle and feels and smells the same as Facto AT34. Pricey though for the size that you are getting.

EMBPilot

lol geez alex, you're making us all look bad here!