Anthony Orosco

Doing a detail on Carrera and because it's also having some service work done we were only able to get to the wheels and wells.

Removed the wheels, cleaned them and removed adhesive residue, they were clayed and then OptiSeal was applied.

The wheel wells were pre-soaked in degreaser, lightly agitated and then hit with my steam vapor machine. I also tried to polish as much of the metal work in there as I could reach.



Rear wheel before being cleaned and sealed.








One wheel done, one to go






Front, one clean, one dirty





Rear wheel after being cleaned, clayed and sealed. Too bad they can't stay that way, eh?











After:






This was a very dirty job and after this picture I noticed I forgot a few areas so back to the scrubbing!!





I hope to have finished pictures tomorrow or Saturday.

Marine Blue

Wheels are looking great! What year is the Carrera?

SA Mike

Fantastic job Anthony!

Anthony Orosco

Well sorry to say but I have no AFTER pictures of the car as the owner had to leave for back home early Friday afternoon and I was buried in my Friday morning regulars so I didn't have time to get over to the dealer before he left. I finished it late Thursday but didn't take any pictures because the sun was getting low.

He tells me he'll be back for a new bumper in a few weeks so I hope to get pictures then. He has me go through the Porsche every time he comes into San Antonio.



Thank you very much. I believe the Porsche is a 99.

Anthony

Anthony Orosco

Hey thanks buddy Those wheel wells were a wreck and it looks like I rode a dirt bike with no helmet when I'm done

Anthony

AndyK

Wow! Great timing since I will be changing back to my summer 18" Twists soon, and will have to clean both sets of rims, one for storage. What is the best way to remove the stickers from previous wheel weights, and how did you get the inside painted surface so clean??

They wont stay like that, but cleaned and coated as they are will reduce the cleaning effort next time, right?

Anthony Orosco

Use Goo Gone. Can be bought at Home Depot or Lowes.

Throw the rag away after using it........bad smell!

You can apply your favorite sealant to the wheels once cleaned and polished.

Happy Detailing!

Anthony

BuddyK

I have a set of 4 wheels off the car right now, and they have been waiting for me to clean them.

Last time I did it, I hauled them to the spray n wash and used some "safe" chemical stuff to get the brake dust and black stuff off the wheels, but it was not fun - water was spraying all over the place. What a hassle.

Anthony -

1. Can you recommend a "degreaser" - I'm not sure what to use.

2. If I take my wheels to a local detailer shop - is this the kind of job that they can do and I don't have to be paranoid about? Or is there any specifications I should pass along to them just to make sure they don't spray acid all over the place or something bad like that. I have seen the local detailers do some really bad jobs on vehicles, (like adding swirls to the paint - no kidding - check the dealers vehicles out - really messed up by the local detailers in my area, the detailers here just don't seem to know what they are doing is my best guess). I don't want to sound like a know-it-all to the local detailer shop guys - so I got a PC machine, clay, and do it all myself twice a year, but for these wheels (winter and summer sets), I think I want to take them to a shop to do.

3. If I go to a detailer - what kind of price range should I expect for cleaning a set of 4 wheels looking about as dirty as the one's you posted in this thread?


Thanks a lot for showing me how to keep my car in such nice shape. I survived another winter and the poly seal keeps holding up so well, I can't believe it - I love that stuff. Update on my use of the polyseal - I got a bottle last year, and I am just about out right now - about 1 year for one bottle, but I put way too much on all the time - it's just so easy to apply and my silver paint really picks up that extra bit of shine.

Marine Blue

Buddy any wheel cleaner and elbow grease will do a good job removing the majority of dirt/grime from the wheels. You'll want to use something soft like a Microfiber sponge to clean the wheels to avoid marring the finish yet give enough oomph to get the dirt off. Follow up with a Clay Bar to remove the deeper dirt/debris and then a nice hand polish and wax.

Wheels are easy if they're off the car, great time to get it done.

Anthony Orosco

Hey BuddyK,

Yeah this can be a very dirty job so making sure you have your duds on is key...and also some gloves is a great help.

For a degreaser you'll want one that's water-based but even more effective than the degreaser would be a dedicated wheel cleaner with a bit more umph.

If your wheels are coated (clear) or chrome you can use a professional wheel cleaner called "Wheel Wash". Do not use it on uncoated aluminum wheels.

http://www.topoftheline.com/32ozwheeltir.html

Just pre-rinse the wheels (removing them is best) then spray them down with the Power Wash cleaner, allow to dwell for a few minutes and then agitate them lightly with a soft brush. A Mr. Clean eraser pad works great for stubborn areas.

If you feel that the local detailers aren't doing a great job on paint then you can pretty much bet that they won't do a great job on detailing wheels. This is something you can do on your own.

If you find a good detailer you should expect a price range from around $25 to $50 per wheel. I would recommend that you remove and then re-install the wheels.

Hope this helps and if you have any more questions please ask.....and thanks for the kind words, glad I was able to help you out in your detailing.

Anthony

AndyK

I had a hell of a time trying to clean the inside of my Twist rims yesterday! Spent an hour on one rim, trying to get rid of the little tar spots and residual stickers. Wound up scraping with a plastic putty spatula, then using goo gone. Still, there are many brown tar spots left. I must be using the wrong thing - is Bug and Tar remover the only way to go?

Marine Blue

Try claying, safe way to remove any embedded dirt and tar.

Not sure it will help if you have a ton of it but if you have a few small stuborn spots it will do the job.

Anthony Orosco

If it is tar then use a tar/wax/grease remover. Turpentine works pretty good on tar and sap as does Goof Off.

Be watchful if using Goof Off as it is a pretty potent solvent cleaner.

You may also want to get Top Of The Line's Wheel Wash http://www.topoftheline.com/32ozwheeltir.html

What you think is tar just might be embedded crud from the brake pads. It can be rather corrosive and if not removed frequently it can cause pitting on the inner wheel portions.

Anthony

AndyK

I had little round lumps that I pried off with the plastic putty knife. That left a stain, and in come cases, pits, making it hard to get in there and remove the brown stuff.

It IS the inside of the rim, and I don't have to have a mirror shine, but after seeing your photos, maybe I am setting my expectations too high?

Anthony Orosco

Hey Andy,

You can soak a towel or cotton ball in the tar remover and then lay that on the contaminated areas. This allows the product to soak in and soften the marks BUT it's always easier to chip off the top of them and then clean the residue.

Then take a nice polish, like Menzerna FPII, Optimum or Klasse AIO and get to rubbing the inside portions out. It can be made easier with a polisher but not completely necessary.

A steam vapor cleaner works great in this situation if you have one or have access to one.

Good luck.
Anthony