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Styling Cleaning Multispoke Wheels

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Styling Cleaning Multispoke Wheels

Mick F

Mick F

Happy Chappy
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Nov 2, 2014
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Tamar Valley, Cornwall
Our 500TA has the multispoke wheels and they seem to be a pig to clean. I've had other cars over the years with alloys, but they cleaned easily. The 500 Multispkes have narrow gaps and it's difficult to get in there.

I use a brush with the car shampoo, and wondered what other folk do to get the brake dust and grime off them.

Is there a good product out there that dissolves the muck so I can just hose it out?

Thanks,
Mick.
 

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Mick F said:
Our 500TA has the multispoke wheels and they seem to be a pig to clean. I've had other cars over the years with alloys, but they cleaned easily. The 500 Multispkes have narrow gaps and it's difficult to get in there.

I use a brush with the car shampoo, and wondered what other fold do to get the brake dust and grime off them.

Is there a good product out there that dissolves the muck so I can just hose it out?

Thanks,
Mick.
Click to expand...

Hi Mick;

I have the same 17-spoke wheels and I agree, they're a bugger to clean. I recently bought Meguairs "Factory Finish" alloy cleaner and tried it. According to the instructions it's pretty potent stuff so I was a bit nervous about using it. To be fair it did dissolve the black muck, well most of it anyway, but even so I had to clean the wheels by hand as it left a thin layer. It says it'll prevent, or perhaps inhibit, the build-up in future; I don't believe it but I'll try it next time I've cleaned the wheels.

What would help would be a spinning brush that could be fitted to the end of the hose - wouldn't be any less tedious but maybe quicker.
 
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the wheels pictured are actually quite was to clean, are you sure you're not talking about the 15" multispokes?
 
TFR and a brush. Spray, agitate and leave a few minutes to work. Hose down, presto! Just make sure it is not in direct sunlight!
 
I was hoping there would be a product available that would dissolve the grime, then be washed off with the hose. I've had the best results so far with the pressure washer, but it's a bit of a faff to get it out just to wash the wheels.

Getting down on my hands and knees with a scrubbing brush is too much work thank you! :eek:

Thanks,
Mick.
 
Nothing beats regular cleaning to keep the crud under control. The wheels on the car we have just bought are ok on the outside but the insides don't look like the have seen any action since it was new. I have ordered some Auto Finesse Iron Out which I have used before. It is cracking stuff that dissolves contamination using natural ingredients ( Beware though, It stinks) spray on, leave for a few minutes to do its work. You may need to agitate it with a brush if your wheels are really bad and then wash off. The residue turns purple when it is doing its job so don't be alarmed it will wash off with the hose pipe quite easily.
I plan to have all the wheels off now mine has turned up to give the wheels a proper clean.
It's not just for wheels it can safely be used on the bodywork too. (y)
Hope this helps
 
Have similar alloys on my 500, i used to use a Bilt Hammer ph neutral alloy wheel cleaner, spray on dry wheels, leave two minutes then hose off for spotless wheels.

Makes you sweat a bit the first time you use it, but after about 10 months of me using it the wheels are fine.
Finished the bottle and just replaced it with autoglym custom alloy wheel cleaner, not had the weather to try it yet.
 
Piccolo Nero e Bella said:
Hi Mick;

I have the same 17-spoke wheels and I agree, they're a bugger to clean. I recently bought Meguairs "Factory Finish" alloy cleaner and tried it. According to the instructions it's pretty potent stuff so I was a bit nervous about using it. To be fair it did dissolve the black muck, well most of it anyway, but even so I had to clean the wheels by hand as it left a thin layer. It says it'll prevent, or perhaps inhibit, the build-up in future; I don't believe it but I'll try it next time I've cleaned the wheels.

What would help would be a spinning brush that could be fitted to the end of the hose - wouldn't be any less tedious but maybe quicker.
Click to expand...

I have a Nilfisk power washer with just such a brush. It would probably get your wheels clean with a bit of angling. It is the best product I have ever owned bar none and cleans wheels in 4 minutes flat. You do get rather wet though!! I have 3 different cars to do periodically and it deals with them all with a bit of fiddling. On cleaners I use Armourall post clean protection spray which seems to help. Minute wheels cleaner seems good but pricey and G4 cleaner from Lidl and Aldi is a s good as any other cleaner and cheap. Hope this is of interest.
 
petercresswell said:
I have a Nilfisk power washer with just such a brush. It would probably get your wheels clean with a bit of angling. It is the best product I have ever owned bar none and cleans wheels in 4 minutes flat. You do get rather wet though!! I have 3 different cars to do periodically and it deals with them all with a bit of fiddling. On cleaners I use Armourall post clean protection spray which seems to help. Minute wheels cleaner seems good but pricey and G4 cleaner from Lidl and Aldi is a s good as any other cleaner and cheap. Hope this is of interest.
Click to expand...

Thanks, I'll investigate that.

As Mick implies the real problem for some is probably having to get down there to work on the wheels. I sit on a milk crate, if I got down on my knees I wouldn't be getting up again in a hurry! Now that Spring is here and there is a point in actually cleaning the car I'll have to give the Meguair's a fair go before trying others - I've paid for it after all.
 
Mick F said:
Our 500TA has the multispoke wheels and they seem to be a pig to clean.
Click to expand...

Mick, it's not so much about the cleaning as about what you do to protect the surface after you've cleaned it.

Just as with the car's bodywork, applying a good quality sealant &/or wax makes subsequent cleaning much easier. Visit any of the detailing forums for as much discussion as you want about which product to use, or read this article for a quick summary.

We could debate for many pages about which is the best product, but using any of them will make subsequent wheel cleaning much, much easier than just cleaning & leaving them unprotected.

The first time you do this, it's worth removing the wheels so you can properly clean and seal the inside face as well. Claying the wheels after cleaning will remove a surprising amount of additional contamination and get them into the best possible condition for applying whatever protection system you choose.
 
jrkitching said:
Mick, it's not so much about the cleaning as about what you do to protect the surface after you've cleaned it.

Just as with the car's bodywork, applying a good quality sealant &/or wax makes subsequent cleaning much easier. Visit any of the detailing forums for as much discussion as you want about which product to use, or read this article for a quick summary.

We could debate for many pages about which is the best product, but using any of them will make subsequent wheel cleaning much, much easier than just cleaning & leaving them unprotected.

The first time you do this, it's worth removing the wheels so you can properly clean and seal the inside face as well. Claying the wheels after cleaning will remove a surprising amount of additional contamination and get them into the best possible condition for applying whatever protection system you choose.
Click to expand...

Agreed.
My vote goes to Poor Boys Wheel sealant. I have used it for a few years and it does repel brake dust contamination really well for around 3-4 months effectively before it will need doing again.
 
Thanks for all the advice so far.
Please understand that I'm not that fussy about "showroom condition" of a my car, but I do like it to be clean. I'm not going to spend a fortune and hours on end to achieve a concourse shine.

Our 500TA has one 18,600miles now and I cannot even go out in her without returning with (variously) horse poo, mud, dust, dirty splashes, bits of grass .......... You know the sort of stuff you get in a rural location.

If I could wash her with good quality wash+wax (Autoglym is great) and wash the wheels at the same time, I'd be happy. The trouble is, the wheels need scrubbing very intricately by dint of their design and it's a right pain in the bum.

I want something cheap and easy to spray onto them, so I can then wash and rinse it off.

petercresswell said:
Minute wheels cleaner seems good but pricey and G4 cleaner from Lidl and Aldi is a s good as any other cleaner and cheap. Hope this is of interest.
Click to expand...
Thanks for that.
Cheap is good! :)
Which G4 cleaner from Lidl's?

Thanks all,
Mick.
 
All you need to clean your wheels is water with maybe a drop of auto shampoo and a small soft spounge or even better a microfiber wash mitt or cleaning glove.

Forget these fancy wheel cleaning substances. Most of them not only clean your wheels, but also improve the adhesion of dirt. This means that if you start using them, you have to continue using them, since water with a drop of auto shampoo will no longer do the job. The success of these products is mainly based on this despicable kind of customer retention.
 
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Thanks! :)
Just ordered some via Amazon.

£12.44 with free delivery.
Not exactly cheap, but I'll give it a go and report back to this with photographs of before, during and after.

Thanks again,
Mick.
 
These are the wheels I have on my Grande Punto Eleganza, and I absolutely love the design of them, but like the wheels on your 500 TA, they are an absolute git to clean, lol!
 

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