Has anyone had bad experiences with any of the well known brands of alloy wheel cleaning fluids e.g. Wonder Wheels? If so, which ones and what happened?

Also, can anyone recommend a good brand where no problems appeared even after several uses?

wonder wheels seems ot be OK just don't leave it on for too long before rinsing it off

Just use car shampoo and a sponge. If that doesn't get the dirt off you're not cleaning them often enough.

Wonder Wheels is acid based and is alright if used once in a while and rinsed off thoroughly after, as said don't leave it on for long.

A good cleaning routine should be enough but for baked on stuff then something like WW is fine.

I use a non-acidic cleaned which can be diluted Virosol is popular or Aldi and Lidl sometimes sell an All In One cleaner which is basically Ph neutral and is great value if diluted down to 10:1.

If you get some protection on after cleaning it will make future cleaning no bother at all!

HTH.

Get a decent wax on the wheels to keep the crud from getting ingrained on the wheels. Wonderwheels will erode the lacquer over time.

I find using Megs quick wheel detailer every 3 or 4 days keeps the wheels under control.

Get a decent wax on the wheels to keep the crud from getting ingrained on the wheels. Wonderwheels will erode the lacquer over time.

I find using Megs quick wheel detailer every 3 or 4 days keeps the wheels under control.

every 3-4 days, I wouldn't have the time to do it that frequently. :confused:

I do over 1000 miles a week

And a black car.................

Thats why I have quick detailer, quick wheel detailer and quick interior detailer at all times

BTW it only takes 5-10 minutes to detail the wheels

I do over 1000 miles a week

And a black car.................

Thats why I have quick detailer, quick wheel detailer and quick interior detailer at all times

BTW it only takes 5-10 minutes to detail the wheels

how does the quick detailer stuff work, what does it consist of please. 1K miles a week, what do you do?

Air conditioning engineer, I live on the South coast and I work in Central London, usually 6 or 7 days a week.

Quick detailer info Here

Methinks this thread will get shifted to the car care section eventually

I have to agree that all of the acidic cleaners should only be used relatively infrequently and only if really needed. I use WW or Autoglym in those cases which is about twice a year.

Normally I use Meguiars quick detailer on mine and they leave some sort of coating that seems to make it easier next time I clean them. I do them weekly on both cars even if I don't have time to wash the cars. I too do a high mileage (in the Leon) of 800 miles a week and by Friday, they need it!

i use megs hot rims which i think is none acid based. also have poorboys wheel sealant on there so the dirt comes off easy with a bit of the above spray then pressure washed off.

a quick jet wash does the trick here once a week.

The secret is to keep on top of things. That way you won't need to use anything too nasty!

Thanks guys - I do mine weekly with sponge and water/shampoo - sometimes just warm water - and they do keep pretty good - best alloys I've ever had in that respect - but now at 2 years old a bit of tougher black crud is getting a little harder to shift, especially in the angles between rim and spokes.

Used Wonder Wheels a few times on past cars, and noticed that it did attack surface lacquer of Rover Coupe wheels - maybe that was just a Rover quality, rather than a WW problem!!

I'll try the Meguires detailer stuff if I can find it.

I use just the ordinary car shampoo on a fortnightly basis then use something stronger like wonder wheels or autoglym now and again to really clean them up! but again they key is not to leave the stuff on for too long. If you've got the patience then using a wheel polish is well worth it to stop brake dust etc encrusting on your rims!

Polish is deifinitly the answer but between times I use Autoglym motorcycle cleaner which I spray on to loosen the dirt and dust. Also the 17" pegasus wheels need to be kept clean inside as well so the spray gets in to all the cranny's. I usually spray it on the wheels and inside the wheelarches and hose it off as i hose the car down before washing. then it is just a case of sponging the wheels clean in a few seconds. Autoglym say that the motorcycle cleaner is a mild alkaline solution and does not strip the wax.

Don't ask but baby wet wipes work fantastic for shifting brake dust, then a quick rinse.

Last time the wheels on the Disco had done 1500miles between cleaning with some heavy use and took 15mins to do all 4.

Find Pampers work better than Johnsons

Don't ask but baby wet wipes work fantastic for shifting brake dust, then a quick rinse.

Last time the wheels on the Disco had done 1500miles between cleaning with some heavy use and took 15mins to do all 4.

Find Pampers work better than Johnsons

What exactly do you get on your wheels !!!???

i used Autoglym and wonderwheels in the past but i noticed they dulled the finish. i now use Autosmart no acidic wheel cleaner, it just desolves the break dust and simply jet washes off. Best stuff on the market i'd say. better than the other two.

Autoglym professional range acid free wheel cleaner