what do you guys use to clean REALLY dirty wheels?

AintGotNoSolAintGotNoSol Wagonist
in Bodywork & Cosmetic Modifications
So I picked up these RT steelies recently, for $50. I think I did fairly well on that deal... :-)

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They look great from afar, but up close, they are fairly dirty and stained, and have some scratches in them.

This is the worst one. (after I cleaned the hell out of it)
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What do you guys recommend to clean this up a bit? I obviously would like to save the paint if possible, but it's starting to flake off on the center caps, around the holes for the lugs.

Thanks!

Comments

  • AintGotNoSolAintGotNoSol Wagonist
    BTW the ad said "doo-doo tires" and man he wasn't kidding! Four different brands, all different sizes, and not a single one holds air! So yeah, I didn't want to be misleading about how good of a deal I got, cause the tires are absolutely shit. But still, i think it was a good deal.
  • 503Wagon503Wagon moderator
    Look for something called "wheel acid". it will clean anything, just be careful to not burn yourself.
  • beastmodebeastmode Senior Wagonist
    Store: Home depot
    Brand: Zep Commercial
    Disc: Industrial Purple Cleaner & Degreaser concentrate
    Note: Dilute to desired strength but dont use on anodized metal as product may discolor depending how long you leave it on the item.
  • AintGotNoSolAintGotNoSol Wagonist
    503Wagon wrote: »
    Look for something called "wheel acid". it will clean anything, just be careful to not burn yourself.

    This sounds like it will eat through the paint, no?
    beastmode wrote: »
    Store: Home depot
    Brand: Zep Commercial
    Disc: Industrial Purple Cleaner & Degreaser concentrate
    Note: Dilute to desired strength but dont use on anodized metal as product may discolor depending how long you leave it on the item.

    I have a big ass bottle of Purple Power. Is this stuff similar? I was thinking of diluting that and seeing what happened, but I figured I would ask first...
  • 503Wagon503Wagon moderator
    Diluting stuff is for pussies! Purple power works well. Wheel acid does not burn paint unless you leave it on too long. Just mix it with water and go to town!
  • beastmodebeastmode Senior Wagonist
    Don't know if there similar but all i know is that i just used Zep commercial on my engine bay/undercarriage/all exterior plastic pieces/wheels and tires and all i could see is black/brown residue dripping from every where which told me that everything wasn't as clean as i thought they were. I was surprised by how clean my mud flaps/plastic pieces where after a quick spray 30sec-1min sit time then scrub and wash and finally using mother's brand back to black exterior bumper and trim care. As far as Purple power i say try it out and see what happens and if it works good enuff for you at least you got a cleaning product at home and don't have to spend money.
  • AintGotNoSolAintGotNoSol Wagonist
    cool man, I'll try the purple power and see what happens. I think there's a chart on the bottle that says how much to dilute it for certain uses. I'm not sure exactly how it will work, but I know that it cleans up old dirty pistons really well!
  • 1988rt1988rt Senior Wagonist
    503Wagon wrote: »
    Diluting stuff is for pussies! Purple power works well. Wheel acid does not burn paint unless you leave it on too long. Just mix it with water and go to town!

    x2 ive made some rt wheels come back from the dead with this stuff (consentrated)
  • humorwvphumorwvp Wagonist
    Did you get the lug nuts? I heard rt wheels have special lug nuts that hold the cap.
  • civtec350civtec350 Wagonist
    purple power or super clean
  • AintGotNoSolAintGotNoSol Wagonist
    humorwvp wrote: »
    Did you get the lug nuts? I heard rt wheels have special lug nuts that hold the cap.

    I have two sets (plus a few extras) of the hubcap-style lugs. one set off my del Sol, and one set that was on my 4 door when I bought it. I am really hoping they are the same ones that the RT uses. But yeah, I thought about that and I knew i had a few different ones to choose from. Thanks for the heads up though. If for some reason they are different than other hubcap style lugs, let me know. All the ones I have are like normal lugs but they have like a plastic ring near the base that's supposed to hold the cap on...
  • pizzamann132pizzamann132 Wagonist
    how did the rims come out? thinking of cleaning up mine as well. let me know how clean they get!
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