Best Tool For The Job?

[pilatti1]

I have a 2002 BMW 325xi with the aluminum rims (see below) What is the best way to clean them as there is always a bunch of brake dust and yellowish residue in all of the corners. Not sure if the Turbo Stick or Wheel Woolie would work?

 

Edited December 29, 2015 by pilatti1

[Dan@Adams]

For a multi-spoke wheel like that, as long as it is clearcoated, I would recommend our Deep Wheel Cleaner to remove the brake dust and yellowish residue from all of the corners. Spray it onto the cool, dry wheel surface and let it sit for 2-3 minutes. You will see it change to a purple color as it breaks down the metallic dirt particles. I would then agitate it with our Short Wheel Brush or our Trim & Lug Nut Brush and then thoroughly rinse them off with a hose to remove the dirt and any traces of the Deep Wheel Cleaner. Since it is a fairly strong cleaner, you do not want to let it sit and dry onto the wheel surface.

 

Once you have the majority of the wheel clean, future washes should be a little easier. In other words, you may not need to use our Deep Wheel Cleaner at every wash and you can instead use our Car Shampoo for light wheel cleaning. I do go through Deep Wheel Cleaner fairly quickly though - I will typically use half of a 16oz bottle to clean 4 wheels.

[pirahnah3]

I would go with what Dan said, cant go wrong with the man. Thou I dont think I go thru near that on 4 rims on my truck. 

 

Option 2 in my mind would be the wheel woolie it works great so long as it would fit between the spokes. It does have a fairly thin inner rod for support so it should work its way in there but might be tight at the bottoms. 

 

The wheel woolie is my personal fav for cleaning rims, thou I do have the turbo stick and do use it just not as much. 

[Ricky Bobby]

^Wheel Woolie plus the brush for the face and the lug nut brush would be my combo for those wheels - After initial deep wheel cleaning, seal them up with LPS or GG, and clean them for maintenance with a bucket of suds and those brushes in between the deep cleanings.

[NG13]

+1 or 2 for the wheel woolie! I love that tool. all the other advise is great too.

[Dan@Adams]

I would go with what Dan said, cant go wrong with the man. Thou I dont think I go thru near that on 4 rims on my truck. 

 

Option 2 in my mind would be the wheel woolie it works great so long as it would fit between the spokes. It does have a fairly thin inner rod for support so it should work its way in there but might be tight at the bottoms. 

 

The wheel woolie is my personal fav for cleaning rims, thou I do have the turbo stick and do use it just not as much. 

 

True, it seems like I'm always cleaning 18"-20" wheels, so I do go through more DWC than I would on smaller 15"-17" wheels

[Chris@Adams]

I might add that The Turbo Stick would be your best friend here.......

[BluedogGMC]

I would think the best would be the Wheel Woolie for this style rim. I have the set of three Wheel Woolies and one of them should be the right size for this.

[Junior]

I typically use the wheel brush, the lug nut brush, the wheel woolie and a microfiber towel for just about every wheel I clean. I bought the Turbo stick but I have not given it a try yet. Wheels really require a variety of brushes etc to get into all the spaces and I don't think there is "one tool" to cover each aspect. You have the face of the wheel which the wheel brush excels at cleaning, but then there are typically a good deal of intricate nooks and crannies where the wheel woolie will help and so will the lug nut brush. The DWC will knock about 90% of the brake dust and contamination out. After you use it to get the baked in gunk out you can probably go to regular soap. But some cars are worse than others so you may end up needing it more if you have aggressive high performance brakes.

[Dan@Adams]

I would think the best would be the Wheel Woolie for this style rim. I have the set of three Wheel Woolies and one of them should be the right size for this.

 

Great suggestion, but I just wanted to clarify that we no longer carry the 3 piece set of Wheel Woolies in case he is looking for it on the website

[pilatti1]

Thanks for all the help...looks like Deep Wheel Cleaner & Woolie will be on my next order.

 

Have a Happy & Safe New Years

[KSRegalGS]

i would suggest the Woolie with deep wheel cleaner.  I am a little disappointed with the turbo stick.  The flexible design doesn't allow you to clean off anything other than light brake dust, and it doesn't do the best job in corners where the spokes meet the wheel barrel if you're going for a full clean.  And then you need to reverse the drill so the cloth doesn't form to one direction.  Plus it'll really whip the product off and out of the fibers if it spins while out of the wheel.  

Edited December 30, 2015 by KSRegalGS

[ragin_cajuns]

Question on wheel cleaner.  I have been hosing down my wheels first then spraying with wheel cleaner and using the brushes.  Above it describes spraying on a dry wheel.

 

Does it matter?  Dry better?

[sahls01gmc]

I would think the dry method would cling to the contaminants better, and also not be diluted by the hose water.  Perhaps someone could do one front wheel "wet", and the other front wheel "dry", and see what happens.  

[Ricky Bobby]

Question on wheel cleaner. I have been hosing down my wheels first then spraying with wheel cleaner and using the brushes. Above it describes spraying on a dry wheel.

 

Does it matter? Dry better?

I do just as you describe and my wheels come out squeaky clean. Hosing the wheels first gives you the most dwell time of the cleaner but may not give you the biggest bleed out show. Product still works as advertised 100%

[bosco1]

I believe it's a good idea to seal them after cleaning with Re-Jex or Adams quick sealant equivalent...This should make the brake dust much easier to remove in future washings....Just did mine because of the same reasons you have....