Griots wheel cleaner rocks!

[RKT BMR]

Let's start out by acknowleging that there are a variety of good wheel cleaners out there -- this is not meant to be a "mine's better than yours" thread.

That said, I've tried about a half dozen different products over the two year life of the RKT. Included in this bunch is Simple Green, and some sort of caustic crap from PepBoys that is supposed to be a spray on, rinse off affair that I later learned was bad bad bad for painted wheels (thanfully before I did any apparent damage).

I won't list everything in my detailing graveyard for cleaning wheels. I wanted to talk about the Griots product.

I was skeptical shen I first got a bottle (35 oz, with sprayer). Looked to me like a variation on Simple Green. Same color. Similar (although not the same) odor. Same claim of environmental friendliness. Blah blah blah.

Well, it's not Simple Green. SG was lousy at helping loosen the stubborn brakedust deposits on my wheels when I have been particularly neglectful, and let them go for weeks without care. In fact, as far as I can tell, SG does no more than plain rinsing with water -- knocks off the loose, recent dust, leaves behind stuff that takes a fair amount of manual effort to remove.

Griots wheel cleaner, OTOH, is superb! I did a full wash and detail a week ago, after neglecting the wheels for probably six weeks. They were, well, almost black with brakedust.

Much to my surprise, after generous dousing with Griots wheel cleaner, letting it sit for just a few minutes, most of the crap rinsed off. What was left behind wiped off easily with a three-finger sponge -- no rubbing/scrubbing neccesary. A real surprise and delight!

But that wasn't the best part: This weekend, vowing to keep the wheels in better shape, I resolved to clean them before they got bad. I'm planning to try and hit them once a week. So, yesterday I filled the wash bucket with soapy water, got my other stuff ready (towels, 3-finger sponge, creeper, etc.) and got started. Sprayed the first wheel with Griots cleaner. Gave it two minutes, then rinsed it off.

WHAT? All the brakedust rinsed off!! Never had this happen with any other product I've tried (although some have come close). What a joy! I then just had to dry the wheel -- no scrubbing, sponging, etc. necessary. Did all 4 wheels, and dumped out some perfectly good soapy wash water, unused.

Griots does it again! :smile:

[GimpyMcFarlan]

I agree that the Griots wheel cleaner is superb, however I've whiched to the BMW wheel cleaner. The Griots freight charges were just to expensive for me to continuously purchase it. I can swing by either of the BMW dealers in Columbus and pick up a bottle of the BMW cleaners anytime. :P

[RKT BMR]

I agree that the Griots wheel cleaner is superb, however I've whiched to the BMW wheel cleaner. The Griots freight charges were just to expensive for me to continuously purchase it. I can swing by either of the BMW dealers in Columbus and pick up a bottle of the BMW cleaners anytime. :PHmmm... I'll have to check that out, and compare prices. Did you consider purchasing a gallon of the stuff? That's what I do with the Griots products I like, which helps with the shipping charges. I go through gobs of SpeedShine, and usually order two gallons at a time. I added a gallon of wheel cleaner and rubber cleaner in my last SpeedShine refresh after I had purchased the 35 ounce sprayer version, and determined that I liked 'em.

[Masskrug]

Much to my surprise, after generous dousing with Griots wheel cleaner, letting it sit for just a few minutes, most of the crap rinsed off. What was left behind wiped off easily with a three-finger sponge -- no rubbing/scrubbing neccesary. A real surprise and delight!

But that wasn't the best part: This weekend, vowing to keep the wheels in better shape, I resolved to clean them before they got bad. I'm planning to try and hit them once a week. So, yesterday I filled the wash bucket with soapy water, got my other stuff ready (towels, 3-finger sponge, creeper, etc.) and got started. Sprayed the first wheel with Griots cleaner. Gave it two minutes, then rinsed it off.

WHAT? All the brakedust rinsed off!! Never had this happen with any other product I've tried (although some have come close). What a joy! I then just had to dry the wheel -- no scrubbing, sponging, etc. necessary. Did all 4 wheels, and dumped out some perfectly good soapy wash water, unused.

Griots does it again! :smile:

I can't say I've had the same experience with the stuff. Maybe I'm using it wrong?

[RKT BMR]

Well, it rocks a little less after rain.

Water seems to glue brake dust to the wheels. I did the same treatment yesterday that I had the week before, and the grime just didn't rinse off as thoroughly. The only difference is that the wheels had gotten wet Friday in a very light drizzle. So, I had to resort to bucket, soapy water, and three-finger sponge.

Still, the wheel cleaner took most of it off, and what was left required no more than a wipe with the sponge.

I suppose I could have just burned through a few drying towels and gotten them a little dirty wiping down the wheels after the cleaner and rinsing (I may try that next week), as it would save a lot of time. There's something very satisfying, though, about drying a clean wheel and only getting that white terry towel damp -- not dirty.

[Masskrug]

Well, it rocks a little less after rain.

Water seems to glue brake dust to the wheels. I did the same treatment yesterday that I had the week before, and the grime just didn't rinse off as thoroughly. The only difference is that the wheels had gotten wet Friday in a very light drizzle. So, I had to resort to bucket, soapy water, and three-finger sponge.

Still, the wheel cleaner took most of it off, and what was left required no more than a wipe with the sponge.

I suppose I could have just burned through a few drying towels and gotten them a little dirty wiping down the wheels after the cleaner and rinsing (I may try that next week), as it would save a lot of time. There's something very satisfying, though, about drying a clean wheel and only getting that white terry towel damp -- not dirty.



That's it. Rain. That's why the Wheel Cleaner doesn't work so great for me here.

Whew. Thought I was going crazy.

[Rob]

Wow. I am a more than a bit surprised. I was not impressed with the wheel cleaner (and I use a lot of Griot's stuff). Come to think of it, I am not impressed with any wheel cleaner that I have tried, including the spray on wash off versions.

But I am basing that opinion from when I used it in Chicago. Maybe I should try it again here - where it never rains, much less snows and salts.

I don't like any of them. I use a pressure washer to spray the loose stuff off followed by soap and water.

[RKT BMR]

Wow. I am a more than a bit surprised. I was not impressed with the wheel cleaner (and I use a lot of Griot's stuff). Come to think of it, I am not impressed with any wheel cleaner that I have tried, including the spray on wash off versions.

But I am basing that opinion from when I used it in Chicago. Maybe I should try it again here - where it never rains, much less snows and salts.

I don't like any of them. I use a pressure washer to spray the loose stuff off followed by soap and water.
I don't think your experiences are unusual. Spray-on, rinse-off wheel cleaner is for the most part a chimerical pursuit.

That said, having tried Simple Green, some other mass-market products at Pepboys, and the Griots, the latter has worked the best for me in two regards:
does a nice job of loosening the brake dust and other grime when I have neglected the wheels (sometimes for many weeks!), so that I can get them clean very easily with brushes, sponge, and soapy water. Without the Griots cleaner pre-treat, getting the wheels clean with said tools is much more difficult.<br /><br /> If I'm diligent and clean the wheels once a week, the Griots seems to work for spray-on wash off (avoiding the brushes, sponge, and soapy water) as long as conditions have been dry since the last cleaning.I'm going to try also doing a speedshine pass on the wheels after next weekend's cleaning to see if that helps even more -- I suspect it will. :smile:

[lemming]

Wow. I am a more than a bit surprised. I was not impressed with the wheel cleaner (and I use a lot of Griot's stuff). Come to think of it, I am not impressed with any wheel cleaner that I have tried, including the spray on wash off versions.

But I am basing that opinion from when I used it in Chicago. Maybe I should try it again here - where it never rains, much less snows and salts.

I don't like any of them. I use a pressure washer to spray the loose stuff off followed by soap and water.
I don't think your experiences are unusual. Spray-on, rinse-off wheel cleaner is for the most part a chimerical pursuit.

That said, having tried Simple Green, some other mass-market products at Pepboys, and the Griots, the latter has worked the best for me in two regards:
does a nice job of loosening the brake dust and other grime when I have neglected the wheels (sometimes for many weeks!), so that I can get them clean very easily with brushes, sponge, and soapy water. Without the Griots cleaner pre-treat, getting the wheels clean with said tools is much more difficult.<br /><br /> If I'm diligent and clean the wheels once a week, the Griots seems to work for spray-on wash off (avoiding the brushes, sponge, and soapy water) as long as conditions have been dry since the last cleaning.I'm going to try also doing a speedshine pass on the wheels after next weekend's cleaning to see if that helps even more -- I suspect it will. :smile:

waxing the wheels either with carnuba or a polymer really helps. things come right off with soap and water.

[Doug]

What PDZ said...wax really helps

[lemming]

What PDZ said...wax really helps

i like to think that polymer stuff lasts longer, but any old wax seems to really make cleaning wheels painless.

just my 2 cents.

that wheel wax stuff from tirerack is okay. got the same results with el cheapo waxo from autozone, though.

haven't ever tried to use wheel cleaner, though.

[Terry Kennedy]

Wow. I am a more than a bit surprised. I was not impressed with the wheel cleaner (and I use a lot of Griot's stuff). Come to think of it, I am not impressed with any wheel cleaner that I have tried, including the spray on wash off versions.
I have been happy with the BMW wheel cleaner - I wet the wheels with the hose, spray on the cleaner, do an in-and-out pass in each spoke (I have Type 73's) with the BMW wheel brush, swirl around the face with the brush, and then rinse with the hose. Takes about 2-3 minutes a wheel.

[Rob]

Well, part of the problem with this discussion is that we may have differing standards of what a clean wheel is. Rkt, I have seen your car and I think you are probably as nuts as I am. But if a speck of brake dust is present, I am typically not satisfied. It makes for long car wash sessions. Yes, I take the wheels off about once a month to clean and wax the insides . . . that doesn't necessarily mean I have a problem.

Terry, unless you have some mystic powers that I don't, I would never be satisfied with your process. Not that they wouldn't be clean, just that I would be able to find more break dust to clean off. I search for it, you see.

As for wax, it definately helps, but it doesn't last long. Speed shine is great, but unless you spray the loose dust off first, you have rags that are covered in break dust. I stopped using speed shine on the wheels every day when Kelley complained about the lines the rags were leaving in the washing machine at the water line. If you spray the loose stuff off first, well - you have the hose out already and maybe the pressure washer. If you are me, you end up washing the entire car.

So I use soap and water. But I am going to try Griot's wheel cleaner again. I still have lots. I have noticed that if you use the pressure washer first, the wheels are not difficult to clean with soap and water. Especially the smooth e36 contour wheels.

[Terry Kennedy]

Terry, unless you have some mystic powers that I don't, I would never be satisfied with your process. Not that they wouldn't be clean, just that I would be able to find more break dust to clean off. I search for it, you see.
Well, before a show I'll pull the wheels and clean the inside surfaces as well. But with this basic regimen, I've done well at competitions. As an example, at the Old Westbury Concour in September I scored all 30 points out of a possible 30 for wheels & tires. And this is with Type 73's, which most people seem to dislike because of how hard they say they are to keep clean. Maybe I do have some sort of magic system - I don't think they're hard at all to clean. Perhaps it is the BMW wheel brush I'm using - it fits in the spokes nicely and cleans 100% of the area of the spoke in 2-3 passes.

[operknockity]

I have been happy with the BMW wheel cleaner - I wet the wheels with the hose, spray on the cleaner, do an in-and-out pass in each spoke (I have Type 73's) with the BMW wheel brush, swirl around the face with the brush, and then rinse with the hose. Takes about 2-3 minutes a wheel.
I also use the BMW wheel cleaner, a big bristle brush and the BMW wheel brush kit right now, and I find them satisfactory. It takes me more than 2-3 minutes per wheel, but that's because I go far too long between cleanings so the brake dust really gets a chance to cake up. Getting the front fascia clean really is wet/squirt/wait/brush/rinse. Getting the inards clean is another matter which is where the curved brush from the BMW brush kit comes in handy. And I've got the stock Style 96 wheels which are really easy since they don't have all those little nooks and crannies. Of course I have much lower standards than folks who show their cars!

[Rob]

Terry, unless you have some mystic powers that I don't, I would never be satisfied with your process. Not that they wouldn't be clean, just that I would be able to find more break dust to clean off. I search for it, you see.
Well, before a show I'll pull the wheels and clean the inside surfaces as well. But with this basic regimen, I've done well at competitions. As an example, at the Old Westbury Concour in September I scored all 30 points out of a possible 30 for wheels & tires. And this is with Type 73's, which most people seem to dislike because of how hard they say they are to keep clean. Maybe I do have some sort of magic system - I don't think they're hard at all to clean. Perhaps it is the BMW wheel brush I'm using - it fits in the spokes nicely and cleans 100% of the area of the spoke in 2-3 passes.

*looks around nervously* Are you a good wizard or a bad wizard?

I could never get my wheels clean enough to show in 2 to 3 mins each. I will have to check out this "bmw wheel brush" and see if it is the source of your magical powers. Perhaps the BMW wheel cleaner is your magical brew. Perhaps each are but simple spell components . . .