Cleaning OZ Ultraleggeras EASILY

[MattyT]

Hi guys,

I'm looking for a way to clean my 16" OZ ultraleggeras in an easy, effective manner. I'd rather not have to take the wheel off, too. The rims are matt black, so they tend to show off any dirty real easy. It's even worse with brake dust, which for me is a horrid brown colour.

I have used a meguiars rim brush in the past, which is okay, but doesnt really get everything. Wash mitts seem okay, but get crazy dirty from all the brake dust. Tried a tooth brush this afternoon, WAY too fiddly and time consuming...

What else could I try?

[Wolfgang]

Try an acid free wheel cleaner. I was recommended Duragloss All Wheel Cleaner by Car Care Products, has made my life so much easier, works really well. Spray it on, let it dwell for 1-2 minutes, agitate if really dirty, wash off. Could not be easier.

I followed up with Wolf's Chemicals Decon Gel to remove any baked on dust. Spray it on, leave for 10-15 minutes, wash of (use a Gerni if you leave it on for more than 5-10 minutes). My wheels have never looked so good.

[dylan8]

maybe pull your wheels off once get them super clean and then get some wheel sealer, should last like a yr and make cleaning a lot easier

[ralp2dam]

I have a sealant on my wheels and it makes them a dream to clean. High pressure wash and they look great. Because I've got the detailing bug I use a wash mitt too. I highly recommend spending the time in taking the wheels off and applying a sealant.

[Paul_OH]

Matty, I always use a 2" soft bristle paintbrush with Duct tape wrapped around the middle metal section to prevent any scratches. Tried various brushes over the years but always revert back to ye olde faithful paintbrush in conjunction with Sonax Full Effect wheel cleaner (from Repco). Piece of cake!
I seal them probably twice a year using Nanolex but I find the effect wears off after 4-6 washes. My Team Dynamics are a 12 spoke wheel so are just as fiddly as your Ultraleggeras.

cheers,

Paul

[Buller_Scott]

paul, does the sonax wheel cleaner get caked on brake dust to loosen up?

[Paul_OH]

To be honest Scott, I don't know. I always keep my wheels clean and have never had to remove baked on dust. The closest I get is when I remove them every 4-6 months to clean the inner barrels and re-seal and one spray with a little agitation does the trick.

[geoff_gti]

Pay your housemate?

[Wolfgang]

paul, does the sonax wheel cleaner get caked on brake dust to loosen up?

Anything that won't come off with normal wheel cleaner try using either Wolf's Chemicals Decon Gel or Iron X. Both work by dissolving ferrous material (brake dust) without harming your wheels. You can also use them as a paint decontamination step to make claying easier.

[MattyT]

Cheers for all the tips guys! I was thinking some sort of paintbrush might have been an idea! Will give sonax a go too. Not sure if my dust is baked on although given that my car lives outdoors these days () it may well be.

[carcareproducts]

Matty, I always use a 2" soft bristle paintbrush with Duct tape wrapped around the middle metal section to prevent any scratches. Tried various brushes over the years but always revert back to ye olde faithful paintbrush in conjunction with Sonax Full Effect wheel cleaner (from Repco). Piece of cake!
I seal them probably twice a year using Nanolex but I find the effect wears off after 4-6 washes. My Team Dynamics are a 12 spoke wheel so are just as fiddly as your Ultraleggeras.

cheers,

Paul

Paul,

Just noticed your comments for nanolex? Thats very unusual as i personally have it on my BBS CK's for over 6 months now and still going strong.

The Cleaner your using could be too strong for the sealant which is making it slowly wear off a bit more rapidly than it should.

Decon Gel from Wolf's Chemicals however doesn't. Though i find blast with the high pressure washer and finish off with a mitt anyhow usually works fine for me.

[pog]

So will a paintbrush be soft on the rims and not provide the "swirl effect" after the clean. What sort of product/ingredient should I look out for when buying a wheel cleaner? Something to avoid that won't ruin the original paint.

I own 17" matte black OZ Ultraleggera.

Ta

[carcareproducts]

So will a paintbrush be soft on the rims and not provide the "swirl effect" after the clean. What sort of product/ingredient should I look out for when buying a wheel cleaner? Something to avoid that won't ruin the original paint.

I own 17" matte black OZ Ultraleggera.

Ta

pog,

i would suggest sealing your wheels with some sealant to avoid as much contact as possible when you clean. Hit them with the high pressure washer, and only use a gentle/soft mf mitt or soft brush to clean what hasnt come off (which shouldnt be much)

acidic free you need, but depending on what you use/brand wise its hard to say what will and wont mar or mark the wheels.

I know wolfs decon gel wont, duragloss 821 and autoglym custom wheels are safe to use

[Buller_Scott]

To be honest Scott, I don't know. I always keep my wheels clean and have never had to remove baked on dust. The closest I get is when I remove them every 4-6 months to clean the inner barrels and re-seal and one spray with a little agitation does the trick.

^^^^^ i have to thank you, paul.

i'd pretty much given up on my wheels - they're round and they're as light as i could find for a small OEM wheel, so they suited my needs just fine, but for around TWO YEARS now, they've just had so much brake dust caked on them, i'd given up - an occasional clean with a MF using leftover wash water every now and then when they were getting pathetic, but not much more than that.

i'd tried using different car wash soaps, scrubbing the brake dust off with a fingernail brush, even lightly polishing them with my OPT hyper polish, but i figured i'd have to bite the bullet and get them sandblasted and resprayed if i wanted them to go back to looking clean and nice.

tried the SONAX extreme wheel cleaner, that isht is AMAZING.

the brake dust just melted off the wheel - any of the REALLY stubborn, 1mm high caked on stuff, just needed some gentle agitation with a paint brush, and presto - my wheels are now pretty much as clean as when i first had them fitted to the car.

i never ever thought i'd actually seal these wheels, given that i'd given up on them, but tonight i gave em a layer of opti-seal - the rest of my car's clean, my tyres are black, and now the weakest detailing link (the wheels) are damn clean, and not letting the rest of the car down like they used to.

best stuff ever. i couldnt believe my eyes when the brake dust was just getting murdered by the sonax as if it was nothing more than a minor challenge.

if sonax can get the kind of caked on isht that was on my wheels, off, then i can only recommend this stuff for you other folks as well. $21 for a 500ml bottle from your local autobarns.

[carcareproducts]

^^^^^ i have to thank you, paul.

i'd pretty much given up on my wheels - they're round and they're as light as i could find for a small OEM wheel, so they suited my needs just fine, but for around TWO YEARS now, they've just had so much brake dust caked on them, i'd given up - an occasional clean with a MF using leftover wash water every now and then when they were getting pathetic, but not much more than that.

i'd tried using different car wash soaps, scrubbing the brake dust off with a fingernail brush, even lightly polishing them with my OPT hyper polish, but i figured i'd have to bite the bullet and get them sandblasted and resprayed if i wanted them to go back to looking clean and nice.

tried the SONAX extreme wheel cleaner, that isht is AMAZING.

the brake dust just melted off the wheel - any of the REALLY stubborn, 1mm high caked on stuff, just needed some gentle agitation with a paint brush, and presto - my wheels are now pretty much as clean as when i first had them fitted to the car.

i never ever thought i'd actually seal these wheels, given that i'd given up on them, but tonight i gave em a layer of opti-seal - the rest of my car's clean, my tyres are black, and now the weakest detailing link (the wheels) are damn clean, and not letting the rest of the car down like they used to.

best stuff ever. i couldnt believe my eyes when the brake dust was just getting murdered by the sonax as if it was nothing more than a minor challenge.

if sonax can get the kind of caked on isht that was on my wheels, off, then i can only recommend this stuff for you other folks as well. $21 for a 500ml bottle from your local autobarns.

Alternative B. The re-formulated Decon Gel from Wolfs Chemicals which does exactly the same as Sonax at a much better cost, less usage of product and better result for $26 for 1 Litre. Basically attacks carbon/brake/metal fall out from painted surfaces/alloy surfaces.