How to clean this type of wheel

[paudashlake]

I hate to say it, but cleaning the wheels on my pontiac transport is a royal pain. There are so many tight groovs that are nearly impossible to reach. What do you recomend I use? And no, a toothbrush is too big. Also, they have little black pots all over the inner parts of the wheels, and I want to know how to get rid of them. Ideas? Suggestions? Thanks

[paudashlake]

Re: How to clean this type of wheel

I'm so sorry it is so big. The uploader on this site isn't working for me, and I had to use my photobucket account. But on the other hand, you can really see what I mean!

[Still Learnin]

Re: How to clean this type of wheel

they look as if they could be clearcoated. id suggest buying some meguiars wheel brightener. that should do the job. or you can try claying the rims as well to see if they can be removed. good luck and let us know what route you end up taking

[Calais]

Re: How to clean this type of wheel

A few sprays with Wheel Brightener and a little bit of agitation with a brush would should be fine. Wheel Brightener will do most of the breaking down, the just helps push it away.

[paudashlake]

Re: How to clean this type of wheel

but how do I get into those little slits?

[james0509]

Re: How to clean this type of wheel

but how do I get into those little slits?

Shove a rag in there, or any type of soft cloth. I would NEVER use a rag or anything on my car paint, but for rims it is perfectly fine.

I would just soak a rag in some car wash soap and just shove it into the crack, and then drag it along. Works perfectly fine when I have to deal with those types of rims.

[Murr1525]

Re: How to clean this type of wheel

Have to look around for some thin soft brushes, maybe terry cloth even. Can a toothbrush of some size fit in there? I'd try using something stronger than car wash soap to help out the process, like the All Wheel or Aluminum Wheel cleaner at least.

[JLMex]

Re: How to clean this type of wheel

I would wrap the handle side of a toothbrush into a terry cloth soaked with wheel cleaner or soapy water or whatever you are using. There are also some special lug nuts brushes, very handy, but not very cheap (at least not the ones I see in amazon)
Is a good field for improvisation

good luck!

[Ganesa]

Re: How to clean this type of wheel

you could try to find brushes like these...
seems to be very handy to get into the small and tight spots...

http://www.autodetailingsolutions.net/85-630.html

http://www.autogeek.net/ez-detail-brush-mini.html

[gioprivatemove]

Re: How to clean this type of wheel

You could try APC mix 1:4
spray on, wait approx. 30 - 1 min, brush it. and stream it with water.
you could try painter's brush.

[J. A. Michaels]

Re: How to clean this type of wheel

I would try Apc at a 4:1 ratio. To get in those slits, you say a toothbrush is to large. How about wrapping a towel around a paint Stirring stick? Should be thin enough to go in those slits.

[Tim Lingor]

Re: How to clean this type of wheel

I think the above suggestions should give you a great start in dealing with those wheels!!

As for the size of your photos, they need to be reduced in size before trying to place them in the gallery. Here is a link that will help you!

How to resize your photos before uploading

Tim

[paudashlake]

Re: How to clean this type of wheel

these sound like good suggestions. Last week I spent about 30 minutes per wheel and you could hardly see a difference. (that's two hours!)

[Murr1525]

Re: How to clean this type of wheel

Wheels take forever, even if they are an easy design.

What did you do/use last time?

[William_F]

Re: How to clean this type of wheel

I have never tried this myself but for the slits you might try a foam paint applicator. They come in various sizes, are cheap and are in the craft/art supply section of Wal Mart. If you don't find them there, try Hobby Lobby or Michael's and you'll find some.

These are essentially thin, square or rectangular sponges on a dowel rod handle. They are primarily used to apply acrylic paint when under painting canvas, but my bet is they would work for you in this case.