I picked up my 997 a few weeks ago and have been hand washing it at home. Takes only 20-30 minutes, and based on prior posts I'm nervous about taking it to a local car wash. At any rate, it's been a while since I've gone the do it yourself route..and I've got a have a couple questions. Any help is appreciated.

1. What material are the factory rims made of? Aluminum? There are several different types of rim cleaner made for different composites and I want to make sure I get the right one. Any brand recommendations?

2. When spraying the rim cleaner on the rims, is it bad if the solution gets on the brakes and/or brake discs? It's difficult just cleaning the "spokes" of the rims without the cleaning solution hitting both.

Thanks!

 

P21s has always done a great job for me. I apply some right before I start cleaning the car, let it sit for a few moments, and go at it with a soft rag. Helps to get those spots that you can't reach with a cloth.

 

I don't know how far down the detailing wormhole you (or your friends and family) want you to go, so I'll stick to answering your direct questions.

-For wheels (including calipers and rotors), don't wash or spray them with cool water while they're still hot/ just driven. Let them cool down for 20 mins after a ride before you hit them with water.
-As for what to use, you want just a gentle car shampoo for the entire vehicle. Personally, I use Zaino, but more readily available is Meguiar's Gold Class, which is fine. Using that gentle shampoo with a microfibre towel on your wheels is all you need to get the brake dust off of any wheel finish. Since the shampoo is gentle you can use it all finishes. It may just require an ounce more elbow grease. P21S spray is great, and does seem to loosen brake dust effectively, but you will still need elbow grease. Hence, a deep bucket of safe (gentle shampoo such as Meguiars, Zaino, Eimann Fabrik, etc.) suds, a pack of microfibre towels, some knee pads and elbow grease= all you need.
CATTMAN

 

Don't know how far you want to go, but it takes me 30 min/wheel when I try to do a complete job on the inside of the rims. Top detailers remove the wheels and then can get the calipers also. For tips try http://www.detailingdynamics.com/detailing-101-how-to

 

Absolutely! You can go as far down the wormhole as you care to. For a Concourse Event, you'd need to. The level of perfection you seek will determine the advice you get.
CATTMAN

 

And, don't forget, once you do get them clean, coat with Rejex, or equiv. to make the next time much easier!

 

agreed - just use regular car soap and if you spend the time to wax your wheels once in a while (I use Poorboy's, but there are others available) it will make cleaning off brake dust a breeze. it's tough to find a wheel cleaner that doesn't have any acids or harsh chemicals in them since they're designed for the lazy car owner.

to answer your other question, factory wheels, like the vast majority of alloys for passenger cars, are made of aluminum.

 

If you have picked up a car with stock OEM wheels, then they are all painted, or have some form of clear-coat on them. (ie. not bare alumimum...etc). So treat the surface as you would the paint on the car.

BobR

 

Soap and water all over the wheels inside and out and brakes are fine. I use Simple Green on the brakes all the time and have for years. Washing the brake calipers and a good water spray on the rotors to wash out the brake dust is part of my weekly washing routine.

 

I got some cleaner and brushes from Griot's. The cleaner is probably no big deal, but it is mild - I used to just use regular car wash soap. But the brushes are amazing - soft, long, flat, no metal - perfect - best wheel brush I have come across.

For in between washings, a Swiffer Duster is perfect - use a clean one, dust the interior of the car 1st, then use it one the wheels. Swiffer the wheels before washing too - keeps much of that dust from turning into a black mess.

Waxing the wheels as mentioned makes all the difference too.

 

Been using P21S for years with no issues. Spray on, hose down and then use regular car wash (P21S) for the body and the wheels. I do the wheels and wheel wells first, then a fresh bucket & new mitt for the body. If you wash regularly enough, you don't need to bother with rejex or wax on the wheels.

 

Costco sells a degreaser similar to Simple Green that doesn't have the Simple Green smell of which I am not a fan. Works without harming your wheels or brake parts. You still have to agitate the wheel surface after applying it but any of the non-acidic cleaners require a little effort to work correctly.

 

I actually save each previousl California Car Duster and use it for the wheels, then do the wash. (Well I should say each time im in from a drive. If its real dirty I avoid it so as not to scratch them). I've just been usning my regular zymol clear bathe that I use on the car, also for the wheels.

*** AND TRY THIS SOMETIME.......... Go to your local CVS or Walgreens and get a old-school shaving brush made of boarshair. Works excellent and super soft for the wheels and gets in the little corners real nice. Works faster than you might think ***

 

That's a great idea. Going to try that for sure.

As for a wheel cleaner. I use nothing but P21S. I have seen first hand what harsh wheel cleaners can do to wheels. My first AUDI's wheels were destroyed, wheels went from being glossy to a matte finish.

 

The great thing about P21s that I did not see mentioned above (hopefully I did not overlook it) is that with it being PH balanced, you can spray the gel on the wheel and literally let it sit for 2 hours if needed. Granted, who has time for that.

I have never had to use elbow grease when using P21s. Spray it on all 4 wheels, let it dwell anywhere from a few minutes to 20-30 minutes (longer if needed for heavily soiled wheels). Use a horse hair brush, ace power stick or daytona speed brush (uber brush too) to clean the wheels and agitate the P21s. Rinse off. I have done this on all three different sets of wheels (all different materials) without issue and it does a great job. I apply Collinite 845 Insulator wax as my wheel wax of choice. It does a great job of making dust easy to wipe off.

Others have told me Rejex works great, but I have not found the need to go with that stuff just yet.