Don C

I removed all my wheels this weekend, primarily to give my rims a really good detail. While I had them off I thought I should also clean the wheel well area. I was able to get some of it clean, but there were areas where the dirt and grime was just caked on and no amount of brushing and high pressure blasting with the hose would take it off.

I used a bristle brush and Simple Green. I am sure a much stiffer brush, or even scraping, would remove it, but I am also afraid to scratch the paint underneath all the gunk.

Suggestions?

cobalt

Try the Wurth Citrus degresser. Just use it straight out of the can, it cuts through most anything.

mwc951

After I scrubed & pressure washed all the crud out of my wheel wells I used Griot's "Undercarrage Spray" It turned the wheel wells & suspension components BLACK. It seems to be silicone based, but not as heavy as armor-all or lexol. It easily flows into all the nooks & crannys and covers very well. IMO.........it's a great product.

epbrown01

I think Cobalt has the right idea. I did what you did - Simple Green and and stiff bristle brush, but I spent quite a while on each well doing "later-rinse-repeat." IIRC, the rear wells, took about 5 washes each. Something that could cut the crud better would have helped! Good thing this is one of those jobs where, if you keep doing it a couple times a year, it's never as difficult as the first time.

Emanuel

Ponchobroke

I agree with Colbalt... a citrus based product works very well. I use Orange Blast (from Walmart) along with a long bristle nylon brush on all vehicle under carriages and wheel wells. It cleans right to the original paint without any ill effects.(it took more than 80,000 miles of grime off in about 6 hours one Saturday.

Turtle256

Just my .02 cents worth, on all of my older cars I have cleaned the wheel wells with a stiff brush and soap and water, let it dry then I used 3M undercoating. What a difference, it sprays on like a paint, but provides a rubberized undercoating the is black and looks like new. I have pics if anyone wants to see them.

Turtle

Anthony Orosco

Be cautious in cleaning wheel well areas as what you think is gunk and grime just might be a protective insulation applied at the factory that has become impacted with grit and grime through the years. It is sprayed on much like the 3M product spoken of and if I remember correctly it will most likely be found on earlier Porsche models.

As noted a citrus based cleaner is a good one to use BUT these types of cleaners work on dwell time. They need to sit on the area for at least 5 minutes so the acids can begin to emulsify the gunk.

Once cleaned you can treat the areas BUT no matter what you use it will gunk right back up again if you use that greasy kiddie stuff on your tires! This is whats helping this gunk accumulate in the wheel well areas. It slings off the tires, sticks up in the wheel wells and then acts like an adhesive for road grime.

Seek out water based or water-bourne tire dressings instead of the solvent based dressings, which are normally blue to clear in color and many have some wild fruity smell to them. These can also harm your paint by way of staining it and also stain your painted wheels. I can recommend several "safe" tire dressings to you all if anyone is interested.

Here is a tid bit.....buy some Futura Acrylic Floor Polish (sworn to be the best by many) and use it in your wheel well areas if you want a really glossy look. It doesn't last long but for a few days it looks pretty slick. Clean often though as anything really glossy attracts more grime quicker than dressings with a matte sheen.

Hope that helps,
Anthony

texas911

On my cars, the wheel wells are body colored. So coating it with black doesn't look good. Had anyone tried the new steamers that are out there? Maybe a little heat will get the gunk off?

Orient Express

Go down to Home Depot and get a gallon of Mineral Spririts. Spray it on the area and let it set for half an hour, but make sure that it stays wet. Then use a power washer to clean off the residue.

I have found that this works great. The black plastic parts like the wheel liner etc can be made to look good with tire dressing. Here is what my undercarriage looks like at 37K miles.

theclaw

Is that car levitating?

Res Ips

Steam the wells regularly. Works very well.

robmug

I thought the same...and the harder I look, the more it looks like there are no supports!

theclaw

Castrol has a good cleaner but is is very, VERY, strong. Contains acetone. Wear gloves. I didn't and the chemical burns took 4 days to heal (the sacrifices we make). Make sure it doesn't get on the paint.


jeff