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Inside alloy rim cleaner

NeddyBear

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Just recently purchased a lovely set of the WH Statesman alloy rims and the inside of the rims is just disgustingly filthy so could anyone suggest a great rim cleaner that I could use without having to spend hours scrubbing them.

 
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TinSnips

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Acid. But I'd only really bother with trade wheel acid. The off the shelf acid cleaners are very weak.

You might have some luck with a de-ironizing product like iron-x or decon gel if they're not TOO bad. Will probably take a few applications and a bit of patience though. Still may need a regular wheel cleaner afterwards as well. Bowden's wheely clean is another product in that bracket.
 

'ssv'

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Armour all have a pretty strong wheel cleaner.
Wolf gangs decon gel is good but will still require a little scrubbing.
Just dont use steel wool or the green scotch brite type sponges as they will scratch the funk out of the rims.
 

greenacc

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I got a bottle of that armour all wheel cleaner for christmas last year. I wouldnt have ever bought it myself but it does work. Maybe even a bit too strong for regular use (on painted wheels ). I wet the wheel, spray it on then scrub it with a soft wet brush. If i remember right it contains alkaline salts and burns fingers!!
 

_R_J_K_

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Regular dish washing detergent and a brush have worked well for me before. The trick is having a brush that's sturdy but still fits into all the contours.

I've also used brake cleaner on a couple of my sets without trouble. Not sure if anybody has had bad experiences with this though.
 

toey@carfx

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what tinny said. even a strong acid will generally need atleast 2 goes on a filthy rim. off the shelf cleaners will get the job done eventually but will take a long time. you may find that there is some dark spots after it is clean that wont come off, this will be baked in metallic particals that will need one of the de-ironizer cleaners that tinny mentioned to dissolve the particals to get a properly cleaned rim.

only thing to watch is i think the machined face of those rims are not cleared and may get a white streaking look to it with strong cleaners. easiest way to tell if it got clear or not is to grab some metal polish and try to polish it, if the polish doesnt change colour its cleared, and if it goes black then its bare alloy
 

uniacidz

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Best brush in combo with tyre cleaning foam/cleaners i found is - A toilet brush
 

VR38

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I found 5 star wheel cleaner and tar and bug remover work really well, especially if used with a scrubbing brush.

CAreful not to breathe the stuff (i use a dust mask and down wind) and not to leave it on too long, especially on paint, it's caustic based.
 

mpower

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surely you could use brake dust remover.

wouldn't acid eat into the clear coat on the face of the rim?

I used to use acid years ago on non-clear coat alloy rims but I'd be scared some would dribble onto the face and mark it????

Please correct me if I'm wrong here.
 

greenacc

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Anyone know which acid is in the trade stuff?
 
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