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[This is a how-to article I recently posted over at the CR-V forum. Given that I do mention a couple of Meguiar's products, I hope it is not inappropriate to publish it here on MOL, too. I tried to recommend products that are fairly widely available, though as you will see, I did not restrict myself to over-the-counter products. The intended audience is ordinary car-owners, not detailing enthusiasts.]
We have owned our 2009 CR-V for a year now. I thought I'd share with my CR-V brethren some provisional thoughts on cleaning our wheels, tires, and wheel wells.
Wheels
I have found that if one washes the wheels regularly, brake dust does not pose a problem, unlike other vehicles I often hear about. Assuming that your experience matches mine, then this means that we do not need to use strong cleaners on our wheels.
My cleaner of choice is Griot's Wheel Cleaner. This is gentler and safer than many of the wheel cleaners that are commonly available. With Griot's Wheel Cleaner we don't have to worry about the cleaner damaging our painted alloy rims. Spray it on. Let it sit for a minute or two. Agitate with a soft brush and hose off with water. Voila, the wheel is clean. Unfortunately, Griot's Wheel Cleaner is not available over-the-counter. It can be purchased online from AutoGeek. Wait until AutoGeek has one of their many 15% or 20% off sales. AutoGeek will also sometimes offer free shipping on orders over $95. Get on their mailing list and look for the special sales.
A significantly less expensive option is to use Meguiar's Deep Crystal Car Wash on the rims. This seems to work almost as well as the Griot's. You can pick up a jug of Deep Crystal for $4-$5 at Lowe's or Walmart. Pour two gallons of water into your bucket and add two ounces of Deep Crystal. Hose down the wheel and lather the soap onto the wheels with a wheel brush and let it sit for a minute or so. Then agitate it with a brush and rinse off. If your wheels are like mine, you'll find they have cleaned up well. I do not use the Deep Crystal Wash on my car paint (I prefer a shampoo with more lubricity), but for the wheels it seems to work just fine--and you can't beat the price. Be sure to dry off the wheels with an old towel at the end of the detail.
Tires
First you need a decent tire brush. I haven't been impressed with the ones available at my local auto stores, but I guess they are serviceable. I like the Meguiar's Versa-Angle Tire Brush, but unfortunately it can only be purchased online.
For an over-the-counter tire cleaner, try Eagle One's A2Z All Wheel & Tire Cleaner. You can also use it on your wheels, if you find that my above suggestions are not powerful enough to clean off the brake dust and grime. Just be sure to read and follow the directions carefully. Even though the Eagle One is non-acidic, you don't want to leave it on the wheels longer than specified.
Hose the tires and wheels off and then spray the Eagle One onto the tires. Let it sit for the specified time and then give the wheels a good brushing and rinse off. The Eagle One should work well for you, especially if you are using water-based tire dressings. Solvent-based dressings, on the other hand, present a tougher challenge. Tires that have been dressed with a solvent-based dressings need to be cleaned well before they are dressed again. I no longer use solvent-based dressings and do not know how effectively the Eagle One will work on tires that are dressed with solvent-based dressings. I assume it will work fine. If not, you may have to move up to a stronger tire cleaner, e.g., Amazing Roll-Off (great stuff--available at marine supply stores or online) or Westley's Bleche-Wite (but don't let it dwell on your painted rims very long--it can damage them). I have a bottle of Eimann Fabrik Tire Cleaner that I use on such occasions.
As mentioned, I presently use water-based tire dressings. They do not last as long as solvent-based dressings, but they make it much easier to clean up the tires. I have now gotten into the habit of re-applying my tire dressing each time I wash the tires, which is every time I wash the car. Advance Auto has begun selling Surf City Garage's Beyond Black tire dressing. I recommend it. It's expensive; but I very much like the look and it seems to last a tad longer than other water-based dressings. I like to apply the dressing with the Eagle One tire sponges, also available at Advance Auto and other local stores.
Wheel Wells
Given the visibility of our CR-V wheel wells, you should wash and brush the wheel wells each time you clean the tires and wheels. If you don't, dirt and grime will begin to accumulate and the wells will just look a mess. Spray the wells with your Eagle One tire cleaner or an all purpose cleaner. Let it sit for a while and then brush them down. You can find suitable long-handled brushes at your local auto shop. Mother's Wheel Well Brush works very well.
Wheel Barrels
The wheel barrels are the inner part of the rim. They should be cleaned each time you clean the wheels. Spray them with the Eagle One or all purpose cleaner at the same you you spray the tires and wells. Brush them with a wheel spoke brush. I use the Meguiar's wheel spoke brush, but there are many out there. Be sure to get a brush that will not scratch the wheels.
Process
Everyone figures out a process that works well for them. I always do the tires and wheels before I wash the rest of the car. I fix up a two gallon bucket with my Deep Crystal Wash. I hose off the rims, tires, and wells. I spray on the cleaner onto the wells, tires, and barrels, and let it sit for a minute or so. I then brush down the wells, tires, and barrels with the Deep Crystal wash and rinse off. I apply my chosen wheel cleaner (either Griot's or the Deep Crystal), let it sit for a minute, agitate with a brush, and rinse off. I dump and clean the bucket, fix up a fresh batch of car wash, and attend to the rest of the vehicle.
When all is washed and dried, I then dress the tires. I also like to spray the wheel wells with a dressing to temporarily darken them. For this purpose I like to use Stoner Trim Shine, which is often available at NAPA stores. If they don't have it, they will usually order it for you. I understand that Advance Auto will also order it, too, though I have not inquired directly. Griot's Undercarriage Spray also works well to hide the wells.
I hope this article may prove helpful to some of you. I am not a professional detailer--just a CR-V owner like the rest of you. I'm sure others on the forum have even better suggestions to offer. Good luck and have fun!
We have owned our 2009 CR-V for a year now. I thought I'd share with my CR-V brethren some provisional thoughts on cleaning our wheels, tires, and wheel wells.
Wheels
I have found that if one washes the wheels regularly, brake dust does not pose a problem, unlike other vehicles I often hear about. Assuming that your experience matches mine, then this means that we do not need to use strong cleaners on our wheels.
My cleaner of choice is Griot's Wheel Cleaner. This is gentler and safer than many of the wheel cleaners that are commonly available. With Griot's Wheel Cleaner we don't have to worry about the cleaner damaging our painted alloy rims. Spray it on. Let it sit for a minute or two. Agitate with a soft brush and hose off with water. Voila, the wheel is clean. Unfortunately, Griot's Wheel Cleaner is not available over-the-counter. It can be purchased online from AutoGeek. Wait until AutoGeek has one of their many 15% or 20% off sales. AutoGeek will also sometimes offer free shipping on orders over $95. Get on their mailing list and look for the special sales.
A significantly less expensive option is to use Meguiar's Deep Crystal Car Wash on the rims. This seems to work almost as well as the Griot's. You can pick up a jug of Deep Crystal for $4-$5 at Lowe's or Walmart. Pour two gallons of water into your bucket and add two ounces of Deep Crystal. Hose down the wheel and lather the soap onto the wheels with a wheel brush and let it sit for a minute or so. Then agitate it with a brush and rinse off. If your wheels are like mine, you'll find they have cleaned up well. I do not use the Deep Crystal Wash on my car paint (I prefer a shampoo with more lubricity), but for the wheels it seems to work just fine--and you can't beat the price. Be sure to dry off the wheels with an old towel at the end of the detail.
Tires
First you need a decent tire brush. I haven't been impressed with the ones available at my local auto stores, but I guess they are serviceable. I like the Meguiar's Versa-Angle Tire Brush, but unfortunately it can only be purchased online.
For an over-the-counter tire cleaner, try Eagle One's A2Z All Wheel & Tire Cleaner. You can also use it on your wheels, if you find that my above suggestions are not powerful enough to clean off the brake dust and grime. Just be sure to read and follow the directions carefully. Even though the Eagle One is non-acidic, you don't want to leave it on the wheels longer than specified.
Hose the tires and wheels off and then spray the Eagle One onto the tires. Let it sit for the specified time and then give the wheels a good brushing and rinse off. The Eagle One should work well for you, especially if you are using water-based tire dressings. Solvent-based dressings, on the other hand, present a tougher challenge. Tires that have been dressed with a solvent-based dressings need to be cleaned well before they are dressed again. I no longer use solvent-based dressings and do not know how effectively the Eagle One will work on tires that are dressed with solvent-based dressings. I assume it will work fine. If not, you may have to move up to a stronger tire cleaner, e.g., Amazing Roll-Off (great stuff--available at marine supply stores or online) or Westley's Bleche-Wite (but don't let it dwell on your painted rims very long--it can damage them). I have a bottle of Eimann Fabrik Tire Cleaner that I use on such occasions.
As mentioned, I presently use water-based tire dressings. They do not last as long as solvent-based dressings, but they make it much easier to clean up the tires. I have now gotten into the habit of re-applying my tire dressing each time I wash the tires, which is every time I wash the car. Advance Auto has begun selling Surf City Garage's Beyond Black tire dressing. I recommend it. It's expensive; but I very much like the look and it seems to last a tad longer than other water-based dressings. I like to apply the dressing with the Eagle One tire sponges, also available at Advance Auto and other local stores.
Wheel Wells
Given the visibility of our CR-V wheel wells, you should wash and brush the wheel wells each time you clean the tires and wheels. If you don't, dirt and grime will begin to accumulate and the wells will just look a mess. Spray the wells with your Eagle One tire cleaner or an all purpose cleaner. Let it sit for a while and then brush them down. You can find suitable long-handled brushes at your local auto shop. Mother's Wheel Well Brush works very well.
Wheel Barrels
The wheel barrels are the inner part of the rim. They should be cleaned each time you clean the wheels. Spray them with the Eagle One or all purpose cleaner at the same you you spray the tires and wells. Brush them with a wheel spoke brush. I use the Meguiar's wheel spoke brush, but there are many out there. Be sure to get a brush that will not scratch the wheels.
Process
Everyone figures out a process that works well for them. I always do the tires and wheels before I wash the rest of the car. I fix up a two gallon bucket with my Deep Crystal Wash. I hose off the rims, tires, and wells. I spray on the cleaner onto the wells, tires, and barrels, and let it sit for a minute or so. I then brush down the wells, tires, and barrels with the Deep Crystal wash and rinse off. I apply my chosen wheel cleaner (either Griot's or the Deep Crystal), let it sit for a minute, agitate with a brush, and rinse off. I dump and clean the bucket, fix up a fresh batch of car wash, and attend to the rest of the vehicle.
When all is washed and dried, I then dress the tires. I also like to spray the wheel wells with a dressing to temporarily darken them. For this purpose I like to use Stoner Trim Shine, which is often available at NAPA stores. If they don't have it, they will usually order it for you. I understand that Advance Auto will also order it, too, though I have not inquired directly. Griot's Undercarriage Spray also works well to hide the wells.
I hope this article may prove helpful to some of you. I am not a professional detailer--just a CR-V owner like the rest of you. I'm sure others on the forum have even better suggestions to offer. Good luck and have fun!
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