another member on the site referred me to Pledge Multisurface cleaner after admiring how clean his oem AP1 wheels looked. I went out and bought a bottle the next day and tried it out and mine look awsome. i dont have pics of the wheels after using but the bottle looks like this:


it says its safe for metal so i dont think it can hurt the finish of the wheels. if you are looking for something new/cheap to try cleaning your wheels with, give this a shot. i got it at walmart for under $4 for a 26 fl oz bottle.

Enjoy

 

Interesting. I have used windex in the past. Ill give this a shot

 

interesting post-
oddly enough the surface of your wheels is not metal...

o.k.- the wheels are, but you would be actually using this product on clear coat- your wheels are clear coated.

i prefer to use a product that is safe on clear coat- i am not trying to change your mind, just giving you something to consider-
as long as the product is non-acid based it is prob not gonna hurt anything.
in fact, i used to use windex (harley guys use it on their chrome) on my chrome (another car) until i realized that i was not getting any protection.
i would suggest that you put some protectant (wax or preferably synthetic) on the wheels after cleaning with this cleaner.

another choice (that i use) is to use a mini duster and lightly dust the wheels... then use a detailers spray (same spray that you would use on the paint). detailers sprays come in cleaning only, or with synthetic protection or carnuba protection. imo, a detailers spray would also be a good choice cause its made for the job.

 

I bought some meguiars wheel cleaner and think it totally sucks...not much better than me going at the wheels with a sponge and soapy water.

 

btw, nothing wrong with car shampoo for cleaning the wheels... thats what i normally use when i am washing the car. car shampoo and a wheel brush.

only when i have hard to remove grime do i use a wheel product- prob the lightest and safest is p21s wheel cleaner... for tougher jobs i use a few other products including sonus wheel cleaners-

in between washes is when i use detail sprays on the wheels (they get that about once a week or so)

 

thanks wanabe! i waxed my wheels for the first time a couple weeks ago and i'll start maintaining the shine with detail spray.

 

you are welcome!
if you get a chance post up some pics-

once you get the wheels clean they stay clean pretty easily... another tip- if you can use engine braking (our cars are great at this) more and wheel brakes less you get less dust- i rarely use my brakes (use them for emergency stops- not often- and sometimes for the final stop at a light or stop sign... i find that i use my brake pedal mainly just to let the person behind me know that i am slowing down- just tap it for that) and have almost no dust on the wheels- but i love to engine brake cause i like the sound of the exhaust as i blip the engine to rev match in the downshifts!!

and the ultimate wacko wheel cleaning process:

https://www.s2ki.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=420668

 

I always downshift, too. So much fun. My car just gets dirty quickly with the 400 miles of driving I do each week. Thank goodness I have a silverstone.

A couple weekends ago, i was staring at my wheels trying to figure out how the heck to clean the wheel wells...so perfect timing with your wheel cleaning DIY.

 

Windex? That has ammonia in it.

I rinse mine with water, use detailing spray to fully cleanse them.