I tried something yesterday that worked so well, I had to post it.

My daily is a 1997 T-bird. It has nice, factory painted, alloy wheels. The problem is they are a son-of-a-B to clean.

Every time I wash the car, I wash the wheels, but the brake dust really sets in there. In the past I've used wheel cleaner solution (I used Armorall brand because it doesn't strip off any tire protectant), but it only ever worked so-so well. So for the past year, I haven't used any special cleaners, and they got REALLY bad.

Yesterday, I washed the car, and just for the helluvit, I tried using wheel cleaner again, as my wife had bought me some last Christmas. It did an OK job, especially if I used a little elbow grease and a sponge along with the chemical cleaner. It wasn't good enough, but since I was able to remove a fair amount of the stains, I figured there was some hope there. (I had feared that they were too far gone to clean)

Then it struck me.

I dug out our Scunci Steamer (http://www.asseenontv.com/prod-pages/scunci_steamer.html?gg=scuncisteamer) (we had picked it up at the drug store for $30-$40 last year.

I re-sprayed a wheel with Armorall Wheel Cleaner (http://www.armorall.com/prodcat/pages/wheelcleaner_2.21.html), let it sit for a minute, then used the nylon brush attachment on the steamer, and HOLY CRAP! Years of bonded-on brake dust and other crap melted right off!

My wheels haven't looked this good in years!

Toss the Amorall and get Orange Blast, found in many auto stores and supermarkets, I swear by this stuff. Phenominal on engines and wheels. Smells nice too!

http://www.twoguysgarage.com/img/misc_prods/600/gl_orangeblast.jpg

Toss the Amorall and get Orange Blast, found in many auto stores and supermarkets, I swear by this stuff. Phenominal on engines and wheels. Smells nice too!

What does this do to the tires? If it degreases, it must strip off any protectant, right?

Armorall is evil stuff, hate it. :)

[What does this do to the tires? If it degreases, it must strip off any protectant, right?

What protectant do you have? Tire shine does nothing to protect and I don't know of anything else either. You don't need much of this stuff anyway and the sprayer is easy enough to direct only onto the rims.

I use good old fashioned Armor All (http://www.armorall.com/prodcat/pages/protectant_2.2.html)

:arrow: Guards against UV damage
:arrow: Renews and restores surface appearance
:arrow: Protects against discoloration and fading
:arrow: Slows the aging process
:arrow: For rubber, plastic and vinyl

Armorall is evil stuff, hate it. :)

Why?

What protectant do you have? Tire shine does nothing to protect

I don't use "tire shine". Tires do not have a glossy, shiny or "wet" look when they are manufactured, so I think high gloss on a tire just makes it look "painted".

Anyways, I think you guys are missing the point. This point was not to debate which is the best chemical to use on tires. The point of this post was to share the fact that a STEAMER used in combination with a chemical can give you WAY BETTER results, than with a chemical alone.

This technique is not limited to wheels.

The problem with ArmorAll Steve is that if it is used on tires or wheels any excess will sling onto the panels behind the wheels and permanently stain them in many cases. It is especially dangerous on white or light colored surfaces. It says so right on the bottle!

Also, ArmorAll has been shown to degrade and discolor plastics. Check out the detailing boards such as Autopia.com for many discussions about this product. There are other products from Zaino, Meguiars, Sonus, and others that are safer for the interior or exterior.

this steamer thing looks interesting. i saw the info-mercial a couple times but never thought to use it on the car wheels. thanks for the tip.

never thought to use it on the car wheels

Don't stop there. Think about how much better your favorite engine degreaser would work.

i seeeeeeeeeeeeee, you can add stuff to this steamer other than water. i bet i could get some of the grime off my block with this thing.

great post - thanks - oaw

you can add stuff to this steamer other than water

The manufacturer says not to, but since when do we listen?

I did try a little cleaner mixed with the water, but the chemicals affect the boiling point of the water, so it doesn't operate the same way as it does with plain water.

Before doing that, I would try just spraying the degreaser on the engine and let it sit. Then use the steamer with plain water (instead of a garden hose). That's what I did for the wheels, and it worked WAY better than just rinsing them with the hose.

One note of warning I used the orange blast on my polished (not clear coated) wheels and yes they were cold but it stained the hell out of them. Some of the cleaners such as Simple green and orange blast do not take kindly to un coated aluminum I found out the hard way. Harald K

One note of warning I used the orange blast on my polished (not clear coated) wheels and yes they were cold but it stained the hell out of them. Some of the cleaners such as Simple green and orange blast do not take kindly to un coated aluminum I found out the hard way. Harald K

READ THE LABEL!! it does warn you against that. To use Orange Blast on unprotected metals you should dilute it as per the instructions. They also make a milder form designed for wheels but I just prefer to dilute it and I've never had a problem.

You are correct and I did take heed to the warning and deluted it quite a bit but it still caused a great deal of discoloration it works great on painted surfaces but dulls polished aluminum like crazy.

77SS wrote: I dug out our Scunci Steamer (we had picked it up at the drug store for $30-$40 last year.

I re-sprayed a wheel with Armorall Wheel Cleaner, let it sit for a minute, then used the nylon brush attachment on the steamer, and HOLY CRAP! Years of bonded-on brake dust and other crap melted right off!

My wheels haven't looked this good in years!

Well, I also have a Scunci Steamer that I purchased it in the hope to help clean the engine compartment. But for my Elky, it really just didn't work out. So, I just use the Scunci Steamer around the house and the outside grill.

When I read 77SS's post, I decided I would try it (just took me a little while to get around to it). I figured a good test would be my daily driver '96 truck w/ factory wheels.

The pictures below show the before and after. I did the same procedure that Steve mentioned, but also added a couple of other steps. After the cleaning using the Wheel Cleaner w/ Scunci Steamer, I used some Westley's Bleech-Wite on the tires, followed by some Poorboys Wheel Sealant. I really didn't spend much time or get real picky about it. I just wanted to try the procedure out.

My final opinion would be that if you have a Scunci Steamer or can borrow one, it is worth a try. The wheels did come out pretty damn good, with minimal effort. I'm not to sure I would go out and purchase one just for wheels. Up here in the North East, they are still going for $50 bucks. :mad:

http://elcaminocentral.com/albums/album347/b4_2.jpg

http://elcaminocentral.com/albums/album347/after_1.jpg

The pictures below show the before and after.

Holy crap Jay! That looks awsome! I'd say it is worth the $50

I use a chemical that i get from our local janitorial store. ( I buy all my engine degreesers,car soap,acid here ..its WWAAYY cheaper and its in the gallon) It works flawlessly on aluminum nonclearcoated wheels. You can use it on clearcoat but you will have to dilute it. Its a aciid like solution that tanker truck drivers use on the tankers. Like milk haulers and such. this stuff will eat the ugly of your mother in law. 8 bucks a gallon. You have to use it outside as the vapors will make you cough!

Ok so what do you call this stuff? Or are you going to keep us in suspense? I have often wondered how they keep the tank so shinny on the milk trucks and would it work for the aluminum under our hood or the wheel

Its labeled under there compant name. It just says" aluminium tanker cleaner" I thought maybe yall hit up your local janitorial store and they might have the same stuff under their name.