My Muc Off came from Chain Reaction Cycles in less than 24 hours so I'll give it a try as soon as temperatures rise above freezing.

I have no claim with LR as my 19" were bought off eBay second hand but I have not seen this problem with the Stormers - only the 19" wheels. The Stormers...as we all know...have other issues.  2006 Range Rover Sport TDV6 HSE, Java/Ebony/Cherry, Privacy, Sunroof, PTI, Premium Sound, SatNav, Cold Climate, Tow kit, CarStyle coded grill and vents, Tasmods, Stormers, JE Exhaust, Autobiography badge

Try using brake fluid. Just soak a cloth and off the dirt goes. Remember to use rubber gloves as the liquid is agressive not only on dirt but as well on human skin.
Ehh.. oohh don't tap from brake pipe  2007 RRS TDV6, Java/Ebony/Rhodium/Dynamic Pack/TV/20" 10 spoke/SunRoof/Logic7

Brake Fluid? Bit savage, would need a thorough wash down afterwards or there'd surely be no paint and lacquer left? Wouldn't thinners be a safer but equally effective option??

Here's a thread from autopia.org - a detailing forum I subscribe to. It discusses the risks and merits of various wheel cleaners...mostly the risks. It seems that products containing hydrogen fluoride (HF) are the most effective...it's just that they may kill you. Same with products containing ammonium bifluoride (ABF). I would suspect much the same caution applies to using brake fluid. There's a health risk to be considered as well as an environmental one. After all...you're going to flush this off down the drain.

http://autopia.org/forum/detailing-product...l+cleaning

The bottom line here is that the only real solution is going to be hard work  2006 Range Rover Sport TDV6 HSE, Java/Ebony/Cherry, Privacy, Sunroof, PTI, Premium Sound, SatNav, Cold Climate, Tow kit, CarStyle coded grill and vents, Tasmods, Stormers, JE Exhaust, Autobiography badge

More on the brake dust thing...

To discuss cleaning methods/chemicals, we should first discuss the agents that attack your wheels. The main culprit is brake dust. Brake pads are made from several components, including monofilament carbon fibers, metal filings, Kevlar fibers and polymer based adhesives. The brake pad adhesive is the root of most of our problems. When the adhesive residue (a component of brake dust) becomes wet, it turns acidic and may etch your wheels. The metal filings, during braking, will become red hot and tend to "burn" tiny holes in the finish of your wheels. If you have small droplets that look like road tar on your wheels, this may not be road tar, but may in fact be re-polymerized brake pad adhesive. These polymer adhesives flocculate and form droplets that wind up on the wheels where they adhere with a vengeance. The only sure way to stop all this etching/burning/flocculating (sounds kind of kinky) is to refrain from using your brakes. Such a course of action is not usually desirable, even though some drivers are proponents. One of the keys to maintaining your wheels is a coat of wax. The wax acts as a sacrificial protectant. The damaging effects of red-hot brake dust, brake dust acids, pollution and ozone are unleashed upon the wax and not your wheel.

There are several ways to clean your wheels, choose the least aggressive method that will get the job done. A quality car wash/water solution is the least aggressive and will probably remove most of the dirt/brake dust from the wheel. My favorite is Sonax Gloss Shampoo at a dilution of _ measuring cupful per gallon of water to clean wheels. If car wash does not do the trick, then try a quality wheel cleaner. My two favorite wheel cleaners are both made in Germany, P21S and Sonax. Be careful when choosing a wheel cleaner, as most of the popular brands are highly acidic and may damage the finish on your wheels. The active ingredient in many wheel cleaners is hydrofluoric acid (the same stuff they use to etch glass). A current class action lawsuit in California alleges that a popular advertised brand is damaging to almost all wheel finishes. I get 2-3 calls a week from people who have stripped the finish off their wheels with this or other highly acidic products. P21S and Sonax are pH balanced for the German wheel finishes. They may not be as aggressive as other brands, but neither will they strip the finish off your wheel.

Most wheel cleaners work best on a dry wheel. Spray the cleaner on the wheel and work evenly into all areas of the wheel with a soft cloth, soft sponge or wash mitt. Try to smooth out any drips or runs so there is an even coating of cleaner over the entire wheel. Allow the wheel cleaner some time to work (3-5 minutes) and gently scrub the wheel with your cloth/sponge/mitt. Some areas of a dirty wheel may require gentle brushing with a soft brush to dislodge the dirt. If areas need additional cleaning, respray with wheel cleaner and gently brush. I repeat the warning, the keywords here "soft" and "gently". The finish on many wheels is acrylic enamel or a high temperature lacquer that is relatively soft and may scratch. Once the dirt/brake dust is loosened, rinse thoroughly with water and dry.

If some areas of the wheel are still dirty, you may have to resort to a stronger solvent, such as Oil Flo Safety Solvent to spot clean these areas. Test all solvents on a section of the wheel that does not show, to insure that the finish will not be damaged. Spray the solvent on a cloth and spot clean the dirty area. Again gentle brushing may help. Rinse thoroughly, wash with a car wash/water solution and dry completely.

Give your wheels a coat of a quality Carnauba wax to help protect them. If your painted and/or clear coated wheels are slightly faded or dull looking, 3M Imperial Hand Glaze may help clean the faded clear coat/paint. Apply the glaze to a soft cloth and gently rub out the clouding and buff out. If this does not do the trick, put a generous amount of 3M on your cloth and add a small amount of P21S Metal Finish Restorer Metal Polish (about the size of your pinkie nail). Polish out the clouding with this combination. The P21S/3M combination will usually get the job done. When it has, follow up with a coat of quality Carnauba wax. If you don't want to use a paste wax on your wheels, or want a quick way to apply wax, use Sonax Spray Motorcycle Wax on the wheels. It is a pump spray hard wax that goes on easily and doesn't chalk and requires only light buffing.

If your wheels are anodized, the manufacturer may recommend a protective coating of petroleum jelly. I have tried this and have chosen to use a Carnauba wax instead. I found that the petroleum jelly attracted every dust particle within a half mile. Anodized wheels that have stain marks are difficult to restore. Most manufacturers do NOT recommend the use of any metal polish on anodized wheels. It will remove some of the anodization and change the appearance slightly. If you can live with the removal of some of the anodization and the appearance change, a mild metal polish such as P21S Metal Finish Restorer Polish may help remove some of the stains. Test any metal polish on the back of the wheel before using. Once the wheel is done, apply a coat of Carnauba wax.

Credit to Larry Reynolds of Car Care Specialties, Inc. for this information 2006 Range Rover Sport TDV6 HSE, Java/Ebony/Cherry, Privacy, Sunroof, PTI, Premium Sound, SatNav, Cold Climate, Tow kit, CarStyle coded grill and vents, Tasmods, Stormers, JE Exhaust, Autobiography badge

I tried a wheel cleaner years ago and it made a right mess of the alloy. So never again for me. MY08 RRS TDV8 HSE, Stornoway Grey, Ebony and Zabrano, sunroof, hybrid tv, premium ICE, rear E diff, privacy glass, side steps, mud flaps, S/Grey mirror covers, Venture shield,tasmods, smoked indicators, Larini sports exhaust, etc, etc.

Is that right Singletrack.., Vaseline on your rear wheels???? Must've driven to the Blue Oyster Bar!!!

Great post Singletrack. Many thanks.

I use P21s and wax the wheels with Zymol. My Stormers, though, are dreadful.

(Edit for typo. Originally put "treadful", pun not intended.) The Power of Four


Last edited by philmw on Sun Jan 28 2007 10:22pm. Edited 1 time in total

Joking apart, it's actually a really interesting read (thanks ST), especially as alloys really are just about the single most important factor to the overall astehetic appearance of any car. I shall continue using Wonder Wheels, which is reasonably quick and easy to use, highly effective, and never cased me problems. A coat of Diamondbrite afterwards seems to prolong the subsequent treatment intervals, followed by a further coat of autoglym resin polish or Turtle Wax alloy protector when washing the car on a Sunday.., if you've got the time and enthusiasm?

The vaseline thing is crazy - as noted in the article, it will just attract dust no matter how well it protects the wheels - cure worse than the disease.

The Muc Off works well and I've found that using my other little bike cleaning brushes actually gets most of the accummulated stuff off. Mind you - as I was cleaning the accummulated crap off the deep fryer this weekend - I kept wondering if any of the caustic products I was using would work Think I'll stick to the Muc Off for now.

The best wheel brush I have found (and I've bought and imported all kinds) is the Meguiars Ultrasafe Car Wheel spoke brush. The bristles are soft enough to get into the narrow gaps in some wheels but firm enough to get the soil off the inside of the wheel. They also clear the brake calipers even on smaller wheels without jamming. They have a good sized and well attached rubber tip so your wheels don't get scratched as can happen with cheaper brushes. Only down side relative to their cost (I pay 10 EUR for them from a UK guy on eBay) is that they don't last long. About three months.

Bottom line - the consensus on autopia.org is that the best way to protect your wheels is to clean them as often as possible...even if you don't wash the rest of the car. I have to admit, that a soiled (as opposed to "dirty") car even looks half clean when the wheels are done. I have used Zymol wheel coat in the past and waxed also...but have not been THAT motivated for awhile  2006 Range Rover Sport TDV6 HSE, Java/Ebony/Cherry, Privacy, Sunroof, PTI, Premium Sound, SatNav, Cold Climate, Tow kit, CarStyle coded grill and vents, Tasmods, Stormers, JE Exhaust, Autobiography badge

By the way...do you know how you tell if your wheels are anodized or lacquered? You lick them! Anodized wheels have a metallic taste - lacquered wheels have none. My Stomers betray a hint of terroir, the tannins are still present but you sense the mellowing, with a lovely finish.  2006 Range Rover Sport TDV6 HSE, Java/Ebony/Cherry, Privacy, Sunroof, PTI, Premium Sound, SatNav, Cold Climate, Tow kit, CarStyle coded grill and vents, Tasmods, Stormers, JE Exhaust, Autobiography badge

ST said: "By the way...do you know how you tell if your wheels are anodized or lacquered? You lick them! Anodized wheels have a metallic taste - lacquered wheels have none."

Thanks ST. But I dont think I'll be licking my rear wheels.., that's what dogs do, isnt it??? However, I'm in entire agreement that you MUST wash your wheels as frequently as possible, at least once a week, and washing wheels rather than the car itself is probably the most beneficial option, should time be short. Remember not to use really hot water otherwise it washes your wax protection off. Finally, an old tootbrush is my weapon of choice.., whenever I can be bothered.