hey guys i have the satin black RPF1's and a buddy of mine advised me not to use any wheel cleaners on them because it would wear down the finish on the rims, is this true or is he jerkin my chain? he said just use dish soap and water. imo that would be worse than wheel cleaner, am I right? thanks in advance

dave

 

for your regular washes, OTC wheel cleaners are probably not a good idea. they are acidic, and this will wear down the finish. I'd just use regular car shampoo for your regular washes. Dish soap imo is..... not an option but it can be debated.

When it's bad though, pulling out the acidic wheel cleaner wouldn't be a bad idea. It'll make your job a lot easier and probably better. You can polish the wheels right after too!

There are wheel cleaners that are generally safe to use though. The most famous one (if you've been around this section enough) is P21S Wheel Gel. It's pH neutral, so it won't dull your finish. You can leave it on as long as you want to. It's got the best cleaning power I've seen in a wheel cleaner product available in the states.

Some good acidic ones include Meguiar's wheel brightener and any APC. I recommend Meguiar's APC+ at 4:1 dilution, CG Grime reaper at 4:1 or 5:1 dilutions. I know I'm forgetting a bunch, and I hope someone can remind you (and me!) of them. You don't want to leave these acidic ones on too long because they will hurt the finish. In general though, if it's bad, these will be your go to cleaners. The rest f the time.... I'd say stick to car shampoo and some good brushes.

 

READ THE LABELS! Acid cleaners are for cleaning bare aluminum. Some cleaners are intended for clearcoat.

Dish soap will strip wax. If you wax your wheels dont use dish soap unless you intend to strip the wax and re-wax.

 

+1 for p21s wheel cleaner gel. there are other products that have come out to replicate this though, and some of them might be good to use as well such as Chemical Guy's wheel gel and Menzerna wheel gel

 

cool thanks guys for the help, much appreciated