Car Wheel Cleaner
Not all wheel cleaners are created equal

Like so may areas of detailing, choosing a car wheel cleaner will be a confusing task for most people.

It is yet another area of car care and auto detailing that is filled with much hype from not only the industry itself, but from many misinformed people marching around as experts.

In many ways the auto detailing industry is much like a visit to the "Wizard of Oz". With the use of hyped-up marketing and advertising the industry is forever trying to elevate itself to Hollywood celebrity status. For many of us this hyped-up celebrity status is very seductive and appealing.

And has a way of separating us from our money!

Car Wheel Cleaner:
Driveway Detailer or Enthusiast

Car owners, driveway detailers, or car enthusiasts generally have different needs than a detail professional that would be doing many cars or "volume" work. Your specific needs will often determine the type of product you choose and this is often determined based on how the product is packaged or whether it is what is considered a ready to use, or a bulk product that is a concentrate and must be diluted down in a separate container.

Adam's Wheel Cleaner

Adam's Deep Wheel Cleaner 16oz - Tough on Brake Dust, Gentle On Wheels - Changes Color As It Works

• Ready to use car wheel cleaner requires no mixing and comes in a ready to use, dedicated spray bottle
• Perfect for anyone with limited use of any car wheel cleaner
• Chemically reacts to ferrous (metal) brake dust (turns purple as it works to clean your wheels)

Car Guy's Wheel Cleaner

Wheel Cleaner 1 Gallon Bulk Refill - Safe for all Wheels Tires and Rims - Works on Alloy Chrome Aluminum Clear Coated Painted Polished & Plasti Dip - Motorcycle Tire Cleaner by Car Guys Auto Detailing

• Ready to use (you will have to supply your own sprayer and spray bottle)
• Bulk size to be more economical
• Safe for use on ANY type of wheel

Car Wheel Cleaner:
Going Green

The older I get, the more I realize the error in my ways. One of those ways is not paying attention to the impact I have as a car owner/detailer in the chemicals I use. Chemicals that are not only harmful to me and my body, but harmful to the environment in the form of run-off.

For this reason I am continuously looking for more friendly products that are safer for both people and the environment. For this reason I have become a big fan of the Simple Green products for general cleaning of both the inside and outside of cars.

Simple Green 19128 Crystal Industrial Cleaner/Degreaser, 1 Gallon Bottle

• My "go-to" product for virtually any cleaning job
• Safe for you, safe for me, safe for the environment, safe for your car
  
• Can be used "as is" or diluted down to more mild concentrations

Darren's Tips: If you have a car that is either brand new or the previous owner has maintained the wheels, you do not have to overthink the exact type of car wheel cleaner you get and use. Any basic cleaner will work to help break down the combination of brake dust and dirt that will accumulate naturally on your wheels. I have never met any car wheel cleaner that will not require the use of some manual agitation and/or high-pressure washing to get them perfectly clean.

If this is true (which it is) then I know that even if I use the most aggressive, acid based wheel cleaner there is, I will still need to manually agitate and/or use very high-pressure water to get that wheel clean. If I will be required to use manual agitation, then why not go with a chemical car wheel cleaner that is safe for both myself and the environment.

Professional Grade Car Wheel Cleaner
Professional Grade Results

Like everywhere else in life, not all things are created equal and the world of wheel cleaners is no exception. And just like the actual car wheel cleaner formulation, the way these wheel cleaners are packaged will be a case by case.

Unless you are a professional detailer looking to clean lots and lots of car wheels, you may find the following sizes of wheel cleaners over-kill. But with that said, I love having clean wheels and even if I am only taking care of a single car, I like the idea of buying in bulk as it is more economical.

Car wheel cleaners have come along way due to chemical engineering; that is the good news.

The bad news is that the subject itself is filled with much hype and controversy regarding between the many types of auto wheel cleaners that exist in the market.

And like so many area of auto detailing, it is an area that doesn't have to be overly complicated if you ask the right questions and ask the right person.

"Darren, I am tired of all the hype! Many people talk of Ph balanced formulations or factory safe products,  but I just want a car wheel cleaner that works without all the complication."

Professional Car Wheel Cleaner:
Meguiar's Acid Based and Non-acid Based

To begin with, I will show you what I used to use professionally every day to clean and detail virtually every kind of wheel from daily drivers, to wheels on $300K luxury and exotic automobiles.

Acid Based Car Wheel Cleaner

(Use the link below to get yours now through Amazon)

Meguiar's D14001 Wheel Brightener - 1 Gallon

• What I literally used to use in my professional business on every wheel type except bare aluminum wheels which are virtually non-existent in today's world.
• I dilute mine down 10:1 but can be used as strong as 4:1
  
• The car forums will have you believe these are bad for your wheels and not ph balanced. If you can't get past the thought of using an acid based wheel cleaner, I have included other choices for you.
• Use on cool to warm wheels.
• Can be used on wheels that are semi hot; you just need to work fast so as to not allow the cleaner to dry as this will stop the chemical reaction process and you will need to reapply to reactivate the cleaner. (If I can keep my hand on a wheel without my hand feeling like it is geting burned from heat, then I consider this "cool enough" to use these wheel cleaners)
  

Non-Acid Based Car Wheel Cleaner

(Use the link below to get yours now through Amazon)

Meguiars D14301 Non-Acid Wheel And Tire Cleaner

• Professional grade wheel cleaner.
• Spray on, agitate, hose off.
• Both are safe for all clear-coated, O.E., and chrome wheels.
• Not for use on bare or uncoated aluminum wheels.
• You can decide between acid or non-acid wheel cleaner.
• I dilute based on the label instructions.
• Choose this if you don't like the idea of an acid based car wheel cleaner
  

Darren's Professional Tips:

Before I move on to apply greater understanding to car wheel cleaners and detailing, let me just add my professional tips for use with either of these car wheel cleaners from Meguiar's:

• I dilute to a 10:1 ratio personally/professionally.
• Can be diluted to a strength of up to 4:1
• I use it on any clear coated (typically silver in color), chromed, blacked-out wheels (both matte or gloss finished), and any painted wheel.
• Never use on hot wheels.
• Do not allow product to dry before rinsing. If it dries, simply reapply the wheel cleaner to reactivate the chemical and you are good to go.
  
• Read manufacturers directions of use.
• So many people go into "freak-out" mode whenever they hear the word acid. The forums are filled with misinformation and ignorant so-called experts who will tell you how damaging acid is for yur wheels. This is just not true. I have been using this on repeat customers' wheels for over 15 years and have never had a problem. And think about it, the actually concentrate is contained within a plastic container. If it was so damaging, I am pretty certain they would not be able to produce it in plastic containers. And just so you know; clear coat is a form of plastic.
  

Understanding the Wheels and Understanding Car Wheel Cleaners

For most of you, the organic acid based wheel cleaner from Nanoskin is all that you will ever need in order to clean and maintain your car wheels (regardless of wheel type or finish). But due to all the misinformation and bad information regarding Ph balanced wheel cleaners and factory safe car wheel cleaners, I thought a comprehensive Q. and A. would be appropriate.

Q. Do I need a Ph balanced wheel cleaner?

A. Simply put, NO! Of course if it makes you feel "better" or "safer"...then go for it! This is mostly advertising hype. As emotional based creatures we humans are subject to advertising that exploits our psychological triggers. Virtually every industry uses advertising hype to sell us consumers more and more products.

Q. But Darren, doesn't it makes sense to use a Ph balanced car wheel cleaner?

A. Sure. If you like being jerked around my marketing and the so-called experts:

• Do you know what the proper Ph balance is supposed to be based on manufacturers recommendations?
• Exactly what is the "proper" Ph balance for clear coated wheels versus chrome wheels? (I guarantee you will never have a manufacturer inform you of the "proper" Ph balance.)
  
• Do you even know what the Ph scale is in the first place and how it plays into life in general? (most people don't)

Q. But Darren, many of these car wheel cleaners have an ingredient that is some form of acid?

A. So noted, and you are correct. But what does this mean in the context of car wheel cleaners? (Your stomach contains a form of acid also...should we have our stomach removed in the name of safety?)

Q. If the wheel cleaning product has some form of acid, then would not common sense tell you it must be damaging to your wheels.

A. No. Unfortunately many areas of auto detailing and car care are over-simplified and this is only one of many ways in which manufacturers can exploit your ignorance. The chemicals contained in this and other quality wheel cleaners react to brake dust, not the clear coating on your wheels. Note that the product itself comes in a plastic container and is completely safe.

Q. So Darren, what exactly is the take away from this learning curve regarding wheel cleaners and acid?

A. Let me clarify and help you apply a broader or deeper understanding.

• Acid is simply a chemical that resides on the Ph scale towards the acid side, which is opposite the Alkaline side.
  
• Most things can be reduced down to basic chemistry; if you understand it, you then have the understanding to know what is good, bad, or indifferent.
  
• The kind of acid contained in most wheel cleaners is an acid that reacts to brake dust; this is the good news and the reason these modern day wheel cleaners are so effective.
• The acid contained in these wheel cleaners chemically react to bare metals also; eg. iron, aluminum, etc. For this reason the product labeling warns against using on bare aluminum or un-coated wheels. (except for the Nanoskin version which is safe for even bare aluminum wheels)
  
• If it helps you... realize that these car wheel cleaners come in a plastic container for one, and your clear-coated wheels are essentially an alloy wheel coated in a form of plastic.

Q. So if you are telling me that this acid based car wheel cleaner is not only safe but effective, then why such the push from so-called experts to use only Ph balanced wheel cleaners?

A. It's called an agenda. Meaning, they have some self-serving agenda they likely are not informing you of, or are less than transparent about. They either want to sell you some of their "stuff", or they simply want to appear like an "expert".

Manufacturers and so-called experts love to take a product and make it "special". The more special they can make a product, the more you are going to want it and the more it is going to rise above the competition. So marketing/advertising use ambiguous, misleading terms and definitions that keep you chasing your tail. By creating an element of doubt or uniqueness, depending on their marketing strategy, their ultimate goal is to separate you from your money. This is done by getting you to buy more and more stuff by exploiting emotions.

"So Darren, with all that said, how do I decide on whether to use an acid based car wheel cleaner or the non-acid based car wheel cleaner?"

• I professionally use the acid based wheel cleaner and have done so for decades. (see my video below on both the acid based and nonacid based wheel cleaners.
• I would recommend that from a professional stand point, most of you will want to go with the Nanoskin organic acid based wheel cleaner.
  
• If you just can't get past the thought of using an acid based wheel cleaner, then the obvious answer is the non-acid version from above from Meguiar's.
  
• Once again, you will be jerked around by endless opinions and most people like yourself are forever confused with all the chatter found within the detail and car forums.
• If you have a brand new car and clean your wheels regularly and consistently, it really is an area you don't have to over-think as any one of the above wheel cleaners will provide excellent results.
• As a professional detailer, I deal with endless cars in endless states of condition. So I need the strength of the acid based wheel cleaner to chemically react to brake dust and make me more effective as a professional. If you have a car that has been neglected and are trying to restore the wheels by cleaning off built up brake dust, then the acid wheel brightener from Meguiar's would be your pick. nd know that you will have to apply repeat applications to remove years for built up brake dust. Also note that eventually brake dust will do permanent damage to wheels which no wheel cleaner can save at that point.

Going Deeper for Clarity...

While it may seem like a contradiction, I am going to go even deeper to shine an even brighter light on this subject of detailing and car care that is notoriously full of misleading hype.

Much of advertising and marketing is like magic; the magician gets you to focus over "here", so you don't see what is going on over "there". So it is suggested by slippery marketing tactics that using a Ph balanced wheel cleaner is the logical and smart choice.

But this conclusion is mostly irrelevant.

• Most people have factory, clear-coated wheels. (Any wheel cleaners on this page are safe for these type of wheels.)
• Every car will get brake dust in varying degrees. (foreign cars are notorious for throwing more brake dust than domestic cars)
• The acid-based wheel cleaner is highly effective at removing and breaking down brake dust due to its chemical reactivity to brake dust particles.
• All the wheel car wheel cleaners above are safe on virtually any wheel except for un-coated, bare aluminum wheels. (which at that point you would simply choose the Nanoskin wheel cleaner.)

Professional Wheel Cleaning Tools

Finding the "right" car wheel cleaner is only part of the equation when it comes to cleaning and detailing your wheels.

Effective wheel cleaning tools will take your wheel cleaning efforts to professional level status.

Use my list of professional tools listed below to take your efforts to the next level of professionalism.

Despite a wheel cleaner that is very effective chemically for cleaning and breaking down brake dust, some form of agitation will always be required based on how much water pressure you have access to when rinsing, and the amount of brake dust you are dealing with, along with the actual type of wheel you are trying to clean.

The Right Tools For The Job

Ask any auto mechanic and they will tell you how the right tool can make or break their success. Auto detailing is no exception and I love when I find the perfect tool for the job.

Twenty-five years of experience has taught me that not all tools are created equal and finding "just the right fit" is a tough find. Often like the product choice itself, the right tool will be based on the obvious as well as the subtleties of any given tool...which is another way of labeling a tool as being both effective and having a great user experience.

Tire and Wheel Brushes

When it comes to cleaning wheels, I have found professionally that more than one type of wheel brush will be necessary in order to fully clean and detail what I refer to as the (3) areas of a wheel:

1. Wheel face (the easiest and most obvious part)
2. Lug nuts/ lug nut openings
   
3. Wheel barrel (The inside area of any wheel)
4. Brake Caliper
   

Wheel Brushes that Work

Detailing/Cleaning Wheel Barrels

If I had to pick a single wheel brush to clean inside the wheel barrel's I would opt for this car wheel cleaning brush if I was determined to clean the inside of my wheel barrels.

They are not cheap, but they last a very long time. As a professional, I can get anywhere from 9-12 months out of mine. As a driveway detailer, it could be the last brush you will ever have to purchase.

SR1 Performance Wheel Brush Kit + towels

• Soft, long bristles that are slightly feathered at ends for gentle use on any wheel.
  
• Will last years for any driveway detailer ( I have had a single one in use for over 2 years professionally. Other cheaper wheel brushes will break down)
• Handle and rod are fully covered in rubberized plastic that prevents any scratching of wheel surface.
• Bendable steel inner rod.
• Extra long for extra wide performance wheels.
• Ideal for cleaning wheel barrel for true perfection of details.
  

Vanitek 26-Inch Long Flexible Dryer Vent Cleaner & Refrigerator Condenser Coil Brush Auger Lint Remover

• Extra long reach for extra wide wheels
• Smaller center shaft to clean between extra large brake calipers/rotors found on performance vehicles 
• Bendable shaft
• Rubber tipped for protection against scratching during use
• Synthetic bristles stay durable regardless of water/chemical car wheel cleaner used

33 Inch Heavy-Duty Flexible Dryer Vent & Refrigerator Coil Brush by Konex

• Extra long reach for extra wide wheels
• Smaller center shaft to clean between extra large brake calipers/rotors found on performance vehicles 
• Bendable shaft
• Rubber tipped for protection against scratching during use
• Synthetic bristles stay durable regardless of water/chemical car wheel cleaner used

Darren's Tip: So many other times in my professional world of detailing I have to venture outside this industry to find the perfect chemical or tool. In this case it meant I needed to find a brush I could use with my choice in a car wheel cleaner that would not only stand up to any car wheel cleaner I chose, but more importantly allow me to clean the inside of the wheel barrels when it came to cleaning car wheels on any performance vehicle.

Often on the performance vehicles of any kind the brake rotors and calipers are so large, the clearance between the wheel itself and the brake calipers can be reduced down to a very tigh gap. traditional car wheel cleaning brushes intended to clean the inside wheel barrels simply will not fit.

To make matters worse, these performance vehicles often have extra shrouding used to dissipate heat. These additional shrouds (MBZ AMG models, BMW M-Series, etc.) are so big as to severely limit the space between the wheel and the shroud.Once again; the shafts of the traditional car wheel cleaners are too big for these very tight tolerances and I have found these vent brushes are a much better fit when it comes to detailing the inside of the car wheel barrels.

Detailing/Cleaning Wheel Face

You could spend more on endless choices in tire and wheel brushes, but the two brushes below are exactly what I use and know that work!

Nanoskin (85-808) 8.5" Flagged-Tip Brush

• Feather bristles at the tips for gentle cleaning.
• The extra long bristles are ideal for cleaning deep into wheel lug openings and intricate wheels.
  
• Ideal for the cleaning the face of the wheel.
• Long handled brush is used for tires and/or wheel wells.
• Feather bristle tips are ideal for both gentle cleaning and also "hold" cleaners if you want to spray cleaners onto brush itself.
• As safe of a wheel cleaning brush as I have ever seen or used.
• The exact one I use professionally.
• See separate wheel lug brush below.
• Chemical resistant and will literally last most of you a lifetime!
  

Detailing/Cleaning Car Wheel Lug Nuts

When it comes to cleaning car wheels, there is no limit to the many types of wheels you may come across. From basic in design, to highly complex. For this reason I also recommend this smaller detail brush that is ideal for use within the lug nut recesses of any wheel. You can use the brush from above to force the long bristles into the lug openings, but if time really is money, this separate lug brush is the ticket!

Wheel Woolies Boars Hair Detail Brush: 1 1/4" Dia.

• Ideal for use within lug nut recesses.
• Will last most of you a lifetime.
• Chemical resistant.
• Super soft and safe.
• The exact brush I use professionally.

Detailing/Cleaning Brake Calipers

Who would have thought cleaning your car wheels could bleed into so many other variables when looking for true detailing perfection. And here I am now not just talking about car wheel cleaner, but a special tool just to deal with the cleaning of the brake calipers.

Most car owners will not be concerned with cleaning anything but the wheel faces of their cars. But if you are a detail junkie and happen to have a performance car of any kind then likely you will want clean brake calipers just like you want the rest of the components of your wheels cleaned and detailed.

OXO Good Grips Bottle Brush, 12" H

• Soft bristles on a thin, long handle
• Use to clean the face and sides of the brake caliper
• Can also be used to clean the wheel barrel itself if you are not working on an overly wide wheel or a very tight clearance between the brake caliper and wheel barrel
• Will stand up to any car wheel cleaner of your choosing

Rubbermaid Comfort Grip Bottle Brush, Bottle Brush (FG6C1900)

• Stiffer bristles than the OXO bottle brush just above
• Bristles are not too stiff to cause any damage, but I find this one better suited for most brake caliper cleaning duties
• This handle is thicker than the OXO brush (Since you are using this to clean the calipers, a thin shaft is not a necessity like the vent brushes above where you need to access tight tolerances between the wheel barrel and the brake caliper
• Will stand up to any car wheel cleaner you choose

Farberware Textured Bristle Bottle Brush, Gray

• Stiffer bristles than the OXO bottle brush
• Longer bristles that extend directly from tip of brush
• Stiffer bristles, but bristles entirely safe for any caliper (powder coated or not)
• Bristles that are segregated into tighter areas rather than being evenly distributed over bristle head.
  

Darren's Note: realize that it is difficult to make a decision when presented with multiple choices. And until you get something in your hands, it is often difficult to know exactly what you are getting. So I will add that the OXO bottle brush is made with softer bristles which is perfect for people who are overly cautious about using brushes on any part of their cars. If you consider yourself one of those people and do not have excessive build-up of grime on your brake calipers then the OXO bottle brush would likely be your choice.

If you understand just how durable the powder coating on brake calipers is, then you needn't worry about scratching with either of the bottle brushes. With that said, I prefer either the Rubbermaid or Farberware bottle brush due to their stiffer bristles, the amount of bristles, and the length of the bristles that extend directly from the top.

Professional Detail Sprayers

Over the course of my professional detailing career, I have tried endless sprayer heads and the one's below are my all-time favorite and I go to them time and time again.

Darren's Caution: When it comes to spray heads there is never any guarantee as to how many sprays you are going to get. I have tried endless heads and I like these the best. But no head is ever a sure thing as I might get 20 sprays out of them, or 2,000 sprays out of them.

When using them for these wheel cleaners, I have found that if you are willing to clean them after each use by spraying water through them, they will last almost indefinitely.

Chemical Guys ACC_115_GR 320CR Heavy Duty Industrial Trigger Sprayer

• Fully adjustable.
• Perfect fit for your hand.
• I especially love these as they can be adjusted for an incredibly fine mist which is very useful in most applications.
  
• Very comfortable for your hand.
• You will appreciate all these features once you have to spray a chemical 20 and 30 times in a row as quickly as possible!
• I have tried the two-way sprayers that spray both when you pull and while you release. The added efficiency is nice in many applications based on the chemical you are using and the situation, but for the money, I am not sold so I have stuck with these for the past 15 plus years.

Not All Car Wheels Are Created Equal

As you can see if you have made it this far down the page, car wheel cleaners and car wheels themselves is an area of car care that many would consider basic and fundamental, but just like so many other areas of the business, there is much ground to cover for full understanding.

So with that said, I am going to add this section to help you gain greater understanding and help you know all the proper techniques in using this wheel cleaner when it comes to the many wheels and the many ways in which wheels are constructed.

Darren's Professional Advice:

• Brake dust is caustic. If allowed to remain on your wheels long enough, it can become virtually impossible to remove brake dust that has become embedded permanently onto your wheels.
• As any other area of car care; cleaning and maintaining wheels from the beginning will save aggravation in the future.
• Keeping your wheels clean and perfect for the life of your car can be achieved through the use of any of the above car wheel cleaners and tool choices.
• If you are coming into the game late and your wheels have never been detailed past the wheel face, it may require additional labor and scrubbing based on the level of accumulated brake dust.
• Some high-performance and luxury cars have brake assemblies so big that no wheel brush is able to fit between the wheel barrel and the brake calipers/rotors. In this event, rotating the wheels will be required to achieve full detailing of wheel. (Rolls Royce, Range Rover, some Mercedes AMG models are a few examples)

Labeling the Different Wheel Types

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Factory Clear-Coated Wheels: Silver Finish

The (2) wheels below are the most common type of factory wheel you will find. The car wheel cleaner form Meguiar's is ideally suited for these type of wheels.

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Chrome Plated Wheels

Once again, the Meguiar's car wheel cleaner and tools mentioned above are ideally suited for these type of wheel finishes.

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Combination Wheel Types: Black Painted w/ Polished Lip

Colored or blacked out wheels have become very popular in the past 5years or so. As a rule, the black surface will always be a non-issue and completely safe, the polished or chrome outer ring is a different story. This is where you will have to test. As a rule, 90% of the time this polished ring will be clear coated. If it is chrome, it obviously will not be an issue as this wheel cleaner is safe on chrome wheels.

If you are unsure, you need to test. Spray a quarter size amount of car wheel cleaner from Meguiar's on a section of the outer silver area and see if the area begins to foam to a whitish appearance. Wipe with a cloth and see if a dull, satin shadow has been created. If so, you now the out ring is bare aluminum and if you used this wheel cleaner, you would need to follow up with some form of mag wheel polish designed for use on aluminum wheels to restore original shine.

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Blacked-Out Wheels: Gloss Finish

Meguiar's car wheel cleaner is once again perfectly safe for these blacked out type of wheels.

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Blacked-Out Wheels: Matte Finish

Completely safe! Regardless of color or finish, the Meguiar's car wheel cleaner is completely safe. Both wheels below have a slight polished, unpainted contrasting lip that is coated so no chemical reaction takes place.

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Factory Clear-Coated Car Wheels: Silver and Polished

Just when you think you have covered all bases, the industry keeps coming up with variations to wheels. Despite (2) types of colors or finishes, these wheels are completely clear-coated and completely safe.

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Anodized Factory Car Wheels

Anodized wheels are rare and most often are mis-labeled as such. The anodizing processes is basically irrelevant as any modern day wheel is going to be coated with a factory clear-coat in virtually 99% of all wheel cases and therefore completely safe.

This wheel from a Cadillac is the closest I have come to as to what many people would call an anodized wheel due to its translucent appearance of the black/grey color.

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White Powder Coated Car Wheel

There are not too many all white wheels on the road today. Just like every other area of life, trends come and go. All white wheels are a trend that had its time and now black seems to be he greater trend.

But despite the fact that it is all white, this car wheel cleaner is completely safe of ruse on these wheels that can actually be painted any color and don't have top be truly powder coated.

The Exception To The Rule

Yes, for every rule there always exists the exceptions. And below I lay out the exception to the rule which is not so much an exception as it is simply a warning. And not so much a warning as it is the proper understanding of what we are dealing with when it comes to use of this Meguiar's car wheel cleaner that also has certain off-label uses. (uses that do not fall under traditional uses and therefore not listed on the label itself, or actually warned against using the product in such a manner)

Mag Wheel and Bare Aluminum Polishing

Since we have learned that chemistry is relevant in any industry, understanding chemicals and chemical reactions is important when it comes to car wheel cleaners and cleaning wheels.

If you have stayed the course and read this entire page (you are a tenacious soul if you have), then I need to add a section dealing with mag wheels that are made using aluminum and can be either cast, forged, or billet. These types of bare aluminum wheels are very uncommon these days but still exist.

When I am paid to polish aluminum wheels, I will often pre-clean them by etching them with the acid based wheel brightener from Meguiar's to remove all forms of brake dust before I attempt to polish them.

• The chemical in this car wheel cleaner will react to bare aluminum and etch it completely clean, but will leave it in a satin finish (basically it will turn it from a polished wheel to a clean, satin finished wheel...ready for polishing if you choose.
• The acid will not hurt the wheel, only etch it and expose superficial flaws that may not have been visible in its polished state.
• Since not all wheels are produce with the same quality of alloys and machining, not all aluminum mag or billet wheels are created equal. There is a big difference between a cast and billet aluminum wheel.
  
• Billet means the wheel has been machined out of a single block of aluminum. This will be a much higher degree of quality and cost. This wheel acid responds best to a high quality wheel like billet aluminum. You can realistically polish a billet wheel by hand back to near chrome like appearance.
  
• Cast aluminum wheels are molten aluminum that is then poured into a mold. These are less expensive and will never shine to the degree a true billet wheel is possible of doing. As a general rule I do not recommend using this car wheel cleaner on this type of mag wheel as it will be difficult at best to polish it back to life by hand.

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Billet Wheel Before Etching and Polishing

This is a billet wheel from a truck I was hired to polish. I wanted to start with a clean slate so I used the Meguiar's Wheel Brightener wheel cleaner to completely clean and etch the wheel prior to polishing.

Etching Aluminum Wheel

This is what the chemical reaction looks like as I have sprayed the Meguiar's Wheel Brightener. You can see the brake dust running down the face of the wheel and the wheel foaming up due to the chemical reaction. After I have sprayed the wheel with wheel acid, I give the wheel a thorough rinsing and either move onto polishing, or give it another acid bath if some brake dust is still remaining.

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Metal Polish for your Car Wheels

CSI Alumin-X Polish 16oz 62-M215

• Great metal polish; perfect for billet wheels.
• Can be used any most hard surfaces for polishing.
• The most versatile metal polish on the market.
• Ideal for polishing away water spots and oxidation on the chrome bumpers found on the many c-class RV's
  
• Also ideal for polishing the chrome side mirrors on any RV
• This product is actually labeled to suggest it is for marine use only. Just know it is suitable for any metal polishing whether you are dealing with a car, boat, or RV. Chrome and aluminum can be found in so many places and this product will be your trick.
• Use with any micro-fiber cloth (micro-fiber will be the safest type of cloth for any metal polishing you choose to do.
• Apply a small amount to your cloth and then proceed to rub
• Buff of residue with second micro fiber cloth and repeat as necessary until desired results are achieved
  

Darren's Tips: I have seen endless chrome polishes or mag wheel polishes that promise to be the best in the world. But at the end of the day, all metal polishes require you to do plenty of rubbing to get the results you want. This product is no different in that regard, but it is the polish I prefer.

A few things to point regarding billet aluminum wheel polishing:

• I have completely doused the entire wheel with the acid based Meguiar's wheel brightener.
  
• The foaming action (as seen in above picture) is the chemical reaction taking place.
• The center hub is chrome and therefore not chemically reacting. (not foaming up)
  
• DO NOT let the wheel cleaner dry during this process.
• DO NOT use on hot or warm wheels. Will cause cleaner to flash dry.
  
• DO NOT let the black brake dust accumulate and remain standing during the cleaning process as you can begin to see it form at the bottom of the apex of the wheel. (as you are spraying the acid and it begins to run down and accumulate at the bottom, use the wheel brush to keep the wheel acid and brake dust moving as you continue to spray until you have fully saturated the wheel and are ready to hose it down)
  
• For complete removal of all brake dust, you will still need to agitate the wheel with the brushes (and a tooth brush if needed) from above.
• You may want to repeat this step to ensure complete removal of brake dust and to create the most consistent satin finish possible before attempting to polish.
• Once you are satisfied with the results, make sure you rinse thoroughly and then use a leaf blower or compressed air to completely dry the wheel.
• Use the Flitz metal polish and a micro-fiber cloth to begin polishing to perfection.
  
• Simply follow manufacturer's label for directions.
  

Polished Aluminum Billet Wheel

While you will be able to see a difference between the before and after, let me add that in real life, the difference is even more dramatic. And yes, I did this by hand. Professionally, I plan on about 20 minutes per wheel if I am going to undertake this process. And that 20 minutes does not include the cleaning/etching process.

Car Wheel Cleaner Summary

If you have endured all the information on this car wheel cleaning page then I commend you!

Consider yourself among the outliers of society. Those willing to take the time to learn the nuances of a given subject for deeper understanding and the application of this greater depth of knowledge.

I hope I have enlightened you to a much greater degree than you ever imagined on a subject most would consider mundane at best!

Sincerely,

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