This may sound silly, but my car is silver and I dont want to wash the whole car since its not dirty. But my wheels are dirty. They have brushed centers and chrome lips. I can see alot of dust and dirt on the brakes and rotors. Is it safe to just hose the wheels down and then wipe them clean? I have heard issues of water getting in certain places making the car undriveable. So thats why I am asking.

 

You should be fine doing that. I think it is best to wait til the rotors dry, or take it easy if you start driving right away. When I wash my car, I tap the brakes many times to try to get the water off, so I can stop. After a few stops, you can brake normally. If you get on it right after a wash, and try to stop abruptly, it feels like you have no brakes for the first 100 feet. Trust me it is kinda scary. Bets of luck

 

Its a CAR!! You drive it in the rain dont you??

Just dont wash the wheels after driving it really hard (let er cool down) and dont use "brake dust cleaner with low pH chemical".

 

oh , I will drive it in the rain. The thing is that it hardly rains in Southern Cali..hehe

 

By the time you are done washing the wheels, drying the wheels etc. your brakes are dry enough to brake safely.

 

sharkey is right, let the wheels cool( warped rotors is the penalty if you don't adhere to this simple rule. if the wheels are not really bad you can use a quick detailer to clean the wheels, i do this to my car everyday, and the wheels stay clean, treat your wheels the same as the paint on the rest of your car, remember brake dust WILL corrode your wheels over time.btw alex did emc get your bumpers done?let me know ,cant wait to shine up the black mamba!!!

 

sorry goby (spidey) didn't look at the avatar close enough, although the wheels you got from alex DO look great on your car. bob willis

 

how do you clean the brakes and rotors ? Mine are full of grime and hosing it off did nothing to get that off. Being a newbie, will washing the car weekly at the hand wash place keep the grime off?

 

Jeezzz 'o pete .... are you guys like 15 years old

 

girthboy, if you really want to do the job right yourself, try p21s wheel cleaner and a pressure washer. you will also need to use at least a wash mit to agitate the dirt and brake dust, i use p&s brake buster wheel cleaner which is a proffesional detailer line not readily available to most people, p21s is a safe ph balanced non butale base wheel cleaner, the only draw back it's pricey for the amount you get. if you are going to car wash they SHOULD be able to get the job done, hope this helps. (cig1 jeeze o"peete?) generic for jesus h. ....... give the guy a break, doesn't know detailing ,said he was a novice, asked for help. my .02$

 

Girth,

Not sure if you have stock wheels or aftermarkets - some aftermarkets like mine (Champion RS97's) make things a bit easier as the ID is pretty accessible as are the calipers. I can actually wash the ID of those with a wash mitt while mounted. I thought cleaning the stock turbo twists was a pita and ineffective unless you pulled them. As a result my stock ID's are a mess.

But, first things first...

Get the wheels waxed especially on the ID. It helps a lot. I pull mine about every three months to really clean them and re-wax. Meguiar's or someone sells special "wheel wax".

Never wash them when the rotors are hot as was mentioned previously - warpage, like shrinkage, is no fun.

Doing the pressure washer thing is OK as a quickie (I have a big one at home) but no substitute for cleaning them properly. Like pressure washing the paint there will be a scum than remains. You have to agitate the deposits to get it off. I have tried a ton of different dish washing brushes, bottle brushes, wheel brushes, etc. on all sorts of wheels to be able to clean them when mounted. You'll just have to experiment to see what works for you.

After washing I try to drive right away to dry the rotors off as they corrode quickly (non PCCB). That rust off the rotors just ends up on the wheels along with the brake dust.

 

I am as **** (No Comments Please) as they come to make sure my wheels are always shining. I have HRE's. Here's what I found to be the best way to keep your wheels perfectly shining in between washes without putting anything abbrasive on them.

Just buy a small spray bottle. Fill with some distilled water. Put the spray nozzle setting on like a light mist spray. Spray the wheels lightly and wipe with a micro fiber towel. If the brake dust is thick, more water, less stregnth in wiping so it wont scratch the lip.

This is how I keep the wheels clean without having too wash the car all the time.

 

thanks! whats good to clean & polish the chrome lips and brushed rims? I have 19" zone wheels. I just used windex with paper towels since it says on the bottle that its good for cleaning chrome. Am I wrong in doing this?

And also, what do you recommend to shine the rubber tires? Armorall?

 

Shiney tires are for girlymen.......you want black...period.

Paper towels & windex?

 

You really have to experiment with all the tire dressings out there to see what suits you. Many just wash right off and streak your nice clean wheels - ArmorAll in particular. I use some kind of gel crap that I think is by Mother's or Meguiar's - it is not shiny though, just black and a little wet looking. Untreated, the rubber gets brown looking. For all the hype out there I haven't found the Griot's Garage stuff to be all that hot. The undercarriage spray though is Ok for the fender liners - and it smells nice!

I don't polish my lips, just dry them off to prevent water spots and keep them waxed.