Spray wheel cleaner to remove oily residue??

[CAMAROBOY69]

I have polished aluminum wheels and normally they just wipe off. I was wondering what you guys use as a spray to remove the oil,PS residue, tar, or whatever from the wheels. Normally I just wipe the dust off of them or clean them with Mothers polish but I need some kind of degreaser to get the greasy PS fluid off of the driver wheel. I want something safe or is pretty much every wheel cleaner safe?

[CarlC]

I use the citrus orange cleaners avialable from Home Depot by the gallon. Hose off the wheel, spray the citrus orange on, let it set for a few minutes, and use a soft brush for the heavy stuff. Hose the wheel off and spend a few minutes drying with a towel.

[BA.]

I can't exactly vouch for these on aluminum rims, BUT, i've had excellent success with road tar removal using 2 products.

1. Castrol Super Clean (purple....and pretty darn strong. Dilute it)
2. Turtle Wax - Bug and Tar Remover

Both are very safe for paint and chrome. I do always flush with water when done though just to be safe.

[CAMAROBOY69]

Ok sounds like just about any degreaser will be safe since only 2 of you replied. I just didnt want to damage them trying to get grease and oily stuff off. This is the first time I have ever had an oily residue on my wheels. Usually its just dirt or brake dust. That just wipes off or gets a quick blast with mothers polish.

[BonzoHansen]

Dilute stuff. Better to be too weak then too strong.

[blkzed28]

It all depends on wheter the wheels are clearcoated or not. If they are clear coated you can clean them with a wheel cleaner that is safe for all finishes. Wheels that are not coated will be heavily stained if you use degreaser or anything similar. I detail cars for a living and i've seen plenty of screw ups of people using the wrong cleaners.

[CAMAROBOY69]

Mine are not clear coated. Any recomendations since you detail cars for a living.

[blkzed28]

In my work i almost exclusively deal with late model cars that have clearcoated wheels. I know that there is a product, the brand name escapes me, that is specifically made for uncoated aluminum wheels. I have see it at advance auto, any other auto chain should have it. Any other cleaner you try, you should spray on a rag first and see how it reacts on the wheel, never spray it directly on the wheel as that may stain it. Try to find the specific cleaner for your wheel first though.

[ProTouring442]

Here's a little secret I use for anything that needs to look good, but can be oily-greasey: S-100. S-100 is an all-over motorcycle cleaner. You may not think about it, but motorcycles pose a problem on the cleaning front as everything is piled on top of everything else. So, whatever you use to degrease must not harm paint, aluminum, or rubber, etc. It doesn't hurt the polished cases on my '69 Triumph Bonneville, unless you let it sit in the sun and dry on the aluminum. I use it to clean wheels, engines, etc.

Oh, it's also the best tub & tile cleaner I have ever used. A bit pricey for this, but if you have soap scum all over the tile, this stuff takes it right off.

Shiny Side Up!
Bill
'72 442 "Inamorata"