Cleaning the inside of my wheels

[dcnice]

With my winter wheels now on the car, this gives me a chance to give the wheels that just came off (18" AMG III) a good clean.
What is the best way to clean the insides? I have used soap and water to get rid of most of the brake dust, and then a load of Wonder Wheels. This however has still left them grubby. The faces are nice and clean and Wonder Wheels was not needed for that.
What can I do to get the rest of the wheel looking good (the bit that is very difficult to see) or should I just not bother?

Many thanks.

 

[renault12ts]

I think you know the answer.

 

[A210AMG]

Mine winter alloys went on today and I cleaned the inside...

Soap and water worked great, with a harsh sponge and then autogylm tar remover. I didn't take a final pic but after 7 years not being cleaned they looked pretty good?

 

[dcnice]

The mrs won't let me spend money to refurb them, even though one of them (o/s/r) has a small scratch on it where she curbed it.

 

[dcnice]

Mine winter alloys went on today and I cleaned the inside...

Soap and water worked great, with a harsh sponge and then autogylm tar remover. I didn't take a final pic but after 7 years not being cleaned they looked pretty good?

Guess I need to use a bit more elbow grease then. Will dig out the bug and tar remover and a harsh sponge for the other 2 tomorrow. If the results are much better I'll revisit the 2 I have already done.

 

[A210AMG]

^ careful what you use....


I pinched one that was near the sink (it has a sort of brilo side and a normal side) but as I never returned it...I got some grief

 

[reflexboy]

I did the same recently when mr event tyres paid a visit. I used AG tar remover and wonder wheels. They came out a treat. Make sure you knock the centre caps out from behind when cleaning in the big hole in the middle

 

[dcnice]

I did the same recently when mr event tyres paid a visit. I used AG tar remover and wonder wheels. They came out a treat. Make sure you knock the centre caps out from behind when cleaning in the big hole in the middle

Forgot to get centre caps for the new wheels so had to use the old one. Slightly different colour, but oh well. Will just have to get the winters dirty so you can't tell the difference.

Would Halfrauds Bug and Tar remover do as well as the AG stuff?

 

[A210AMG]

^ probably

 

[mikec32]

Check my wheel cleaning thread out. Works every time

http://www.mbclub.co.uk/forums/detailing-mbclub/112241-how-get-great-wheel-cleaning-results.html

 

[millo777]

As it's for the inside of the wheels, wd40 actually works pretty well, as does gunk engine degreaser. Tesco sell their own brand car polish for about £2.50 which is abrasive enough to remove most marks (similar to autoglym srp in terms of cut) I wouldn't use it on the rest of the car, but it's cheap as chips and good enough for the inside of a wheel!

 

[dcnice]

Unfortunately due to various things happening over the weekend (having to put Xmas tree, up, Xmas shopping, drinking, hangover and weather), I never got around to finishing the job off. Hopefully will be able to get on with it sometime this week, work permitting.

 

[grober]

Wheel off- pressure washer --wheel on. life's too short. Sure you can spend hours bringing the wheel back to what it was like when it left the factory--- BUT---- are you never going to apply the brakes again ---ever?

 

[mct_cars]

Wheel off- pressure washer --wheel on. life's too short. Sure you can spend hours bringing the wheel back to what it was like when it left the factory--- BUT---- are you never going to apply the brakes again ---ever?

If you don't take your wheels off that often, or infact even if you do, make sure you stick some copperslip or similar between the hub and the wheel. Stops the alloy reacting against the steel.

 

[A210AMG]

Also if you keep them clean then each wash they stay pretty clean, of course your going to use your brakes.

For me I like the insides to look clean also. I took around 1hr to do the 4 wheels not perfect but a lot better and then will be easier to keep that way.

 

[Simon_M]

I may be a bit an@l here, but waxing the insides makes them much easier to clean in the future.

 

[Beno]

I may be a bit an@l here, but waxing the insides makes them much easier to clean in the future.

I have to admit I've done this for years

 

[developer]

The guy I bought mine off cleaned the inside of the wheels - it was something that looked great as I viewed it and made me feel I was getting an enthusiast maintained car.

 

[whitenemesis]

When it comes to changing from summer to winter and back, I always give the rims a thorough clean and wax the insides. Fortunately I can get my hand inside to clean the wheels without taking them off, especially my summer 18" rims so wash them every time I clean the car. Makes such a difference to the general appearance of the car

 

[Geoff A]

Iron-X to get the contaminants off, then use detailing clay to smooth the surface to a glass-like finish - then wax and seal. I use three layers of FK 1000P to coat the insides and it withstands high brake temps too - the muck slides off with a soapy wheel brush poked through from the outside. It's the dogs.
Wonder Wheels is way too acidic and long term use will eventually create damage you don't want.
Coat your sidewalls with Megs Endurance Tyre Gel. Job done.
You'll still need elbow grease too....