# rinsing first...



## -Kev- (Oct 30, 2007)

just wondering who rinses wheels, tyres and arches before applying their chosen cleaning chemical and agitating them? keep seeing in many showroom and studio posts that wheel cleaners and apc's are applied to bone dry wheels, tyres and arches.....
always rinsed thoroughly first myself...


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## Bratwurst (Jan 23, 2009)

I foam and rinse the entire car before doing anything Kev. I suppose I 'pre-clean' the wheels before getting out the wheel cleaner...


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## CraigQQ (Jan 20, 2011)

I snowfoam onto dry car and always include the wheels and arches.. then rinse them with the car before cleaning the wheels and arches so yes I rinse before wheel cleaner ect too..


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## CraigQQ (Jan 20, 2011)

wee_green_mini said:


> I foam and rinse the entire car before doing anything Kev. I suppose I 'pre-clean' the wheels before getting out the wheel cleaner...


 snap

brilliant minds think alike..

or is that simple minds dennis :lol:


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## Bratwurst (Jan 23, 2009)

Probably the latter :lol:


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## dazzyb (Feb 9, 2010)

i walways rinse off first too, might aswell got off as much dirt as possible without touching the car. reduces the possibility of damage. plus makes it tht little bit easier to clean i think


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## Dixondmn (Oct 12, 2007)

depends on the level of contamination. if the car doesnt need snowfoaming, then i'll apply iron-x or other chosen product to a dry wheel... then PW off.


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## CraigQQ (Jan 20, 2011)

but If you were to rinse the wheel first removing most of the loose brake dust, then the Ironx would be more effective on the ground on stuff, not reacting early with tons of loose stuff that could be rinsed off with no chemicals.


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## gally (May 25, 2008)

I can't remember ever seeing products applied to dry wheels.


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## -Kev- (Oct 30, 2007)

gally said:


> I can't remember ever seeing products applied to dry wheels.


no? ive seen it in the gallery a few times recently, tyre is bone dry so they can't of rinsed first..


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## gally (May 25, 2008)

Strange not something i've ever seen. Not sure why anyone would do that.


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## -Kev- (Oct 30, 2007)

me either, rinsing first can remove more than some people think....


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## Will-S (Jun 5, 2007)

Always rinse first to get the surface dirt off as much as possible. That way you're not grinding it into your alloys.:wall:


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## John @ PB (Aug 25, 2010)

Always rinse first. 

You loosen surface grime letting the product then get to work on the more ingrained stuff.


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## Scrim-1- (Oct 8, 2008)

I Always rinse everything before applying any sort of product.


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## alan hanson (May 21, 2008)

I though snow foam stuck better to dry panels?


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## PaulN (Jan 17, 2008)

I apply wheel & arch cleaner to a dry car then in summer just rinse off or winter snow foam. This remove 80% dirt.

When i go back to wash the wheels and arches i simply use brushes and car shampoo. 

Recently ive been just scrubing the arches with a brush before rinising which got me thinking about a pre rinise though.


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## alan_mcc (Oct 28, 2008)

gally said:


> I can't remember ever seeing products applied to dry wheels.


Can't be looking very hard - I notice it all the time. Like kev says bone dry tyres. Personally always thoroughly pre-rinse myself, makes things a lot easier to clean, cleaners are generally foamier and more 'active' and just nicer to use.


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## cotter (Aug 31, 2008)

Always rinse first, especially wheels and arches


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## John @ PB (Aug 25, 2010)

alan hanson said:


> I though snow foam stuck better to dry panels?


But by doing that all you're doing is foaming the very loose surface dirt.

Blast off the surface dirt, then foam. The foam should slide off the car, taking with it, dirt from the surface whilst it softens baked on dirt too.


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## alan hanson (May 21, 2008)

John @ PB said:


> But by doing that all you're doing is foaming the very loose surface dirt.
> 
> Blast off the surface dirt, then foam. The foam should slide off the car, taking with it, dirt from the surface whilst it softens baked on dirt too.


true, must foam my car once or twice a year tbh not a massive fan, just though wet surface slides off quicker therefore less time to soften and loosen the dirt?


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## Bratwurst (Jan 23, 2009)

It might use a wee bit more foam, but why not just foam and rinse twice, then you know you're getting the most off that you can before you physically touch the car. Best of both worlds with the rinse-or-not-to-rinse question?


Kev, in response to the whole dry wheels thing... I just had a flick through a selection of wheel cleaners on Shinearama (as they have 'read the label' option) and none out of about 5 said anything about rinsing first. Mind you they didn't say don't rinse either.


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## Matt_Nic (Apr 15, 2011)

I ALWAYS apply wheel cleaner to dry wheels!

Why? Because it doesnt stick to wet wheels long enough. 
Just make sure they're not red hot (IE after a long drive) or else any cleaner will bake on and dry on. 

Most wheel cleaners I have ever bought say to apply to "cool dry wheels" 
I also dont tend to buy limp wristed ones either, things like Megs will take the dirt off without aggitating.


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## John @ PB (Aug 25, 2010)

But aggressive wheel cleaners (Meguiar's Wheel Brightener for example) will have a long term detriment to the wheel lacquer being chemically aggressive; as will polishing, you should use the least aggressive option possible to do the job.

I don't understand the fascination at the moment with touchless wheel cleaning; rinse, couple of sprays of a product, quick agitate, rinse: job done.

We _always_ recommend rinsing first.


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## paulmc08 (Feb 3, 2009)

CraigQQ said:


> I snowfoam onto dry car and always include the wheels and arches.. then rinse them with the car before cleaning the wheels and arches so yes I rinse before wheel cleaner ect too..


+ 1 :thumb:


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## ITHAQVA (Feb 20, 2011)

I Jetwash the entire car for about 3/4 to remove most of the dirt before i even start washing, i do this every week :thumb:


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## Demetrios72 (Jun 27, 2011)

I always rinse first then apply product


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## spyder (Jun 15, 2010)

I spray p21s red gel on to dry wheels and leave to dwell 10 min. I rinse with just a hose and the cleaning power is amazing. I then go over the wheel with my brushes and shampoo. Works well for me.


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## Matt_Nic (Apr 15, 2011)

John @ PB said:


> But aggressive wheel cleaners (Meguiar's Wheel Brightener for example) will have a long term detriment to the wheel lacquer being chemically aggressive; as will polishing, you should use the least aggressive option possible to do the job.
> 
> I don't understand the fascination at the moment with touchless wheel cleaning; rinse, couple of sprays of a product, quick agitate, rinse: job done.
> 
> We _always_ recommend rinsing first.


I could understand people babying expensive aftermarket alloys. 
But I have 10 year old OEM wheels. I really dont need to nancy around with them.

Spray on, leave for a minute, PW off, beautiful. Been doing this weekly for a year and they look the same now as they did then.

I make extra special effort not to get the wheels wet first as it just dilutes the cleaning power. 
I'm currently trying Simoniz Wheel gel at the moment, thats nice and cling on a dry wheel and not very clingy at all on a wet wheel.

If I'm going to use a "mild" cleaner I might as well just mix up some shampoo and do the wheels rather than waste a load of money on a "dedicated" cleaner.


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## happypostie (Jul 1, 2009)

+ 1 for a quick rinse before adding wheel cleaner :thumb:


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## chillly (Jun 25, 2009)

Depends how dirty they are and then determin what im going to use on them No thrills Kev


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## John @ PB (Aug 25, 2010)

Matt_Nic said:


> I could understand people babying expensive aftermarket alloys.
> But I have 10 year old OEM wheels. I really dont need to nancy around with them.
> 
> Spray on, leave for a minute, PW off, beautiful. Been doing this weekly for a year and they look the same now as they did then.
> ...


A mild cleaner is very different to a shampoo solution; different chemicals.

Of course, if you pre-rinse, you might get away with using a mild cleaner.....


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## Dream Machines (Mar 13, 2006)

-Kev- said:


> just wondering who rinses wheels, tyres and arches before applying their chosen cleaning chemical and agitating them? keep seeing in many showroom and studio posts that wheel cleaners and apc's are applied to bone dry wheels, tyres and arches.....
> always rinsed thoroughly first myself...


tyres dont like water actually. but I agree, should rinse all other things first with high pressure


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## PugIain (Jun 28, 2006)

i apply cleaner,scrub with a brush and rinse off.
i normally just use some shampoo in a squirty bottle as my wheels are very rarely dirty enough to need anything else.


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## Leemack (Mar 6, 2009)

I tend to first spray a little wheel clener onto the dry wheel and leave it there whilst I foam or pre rinse the car then go back to the wheels an blast them off. Then go back at them with cleaner and a brush.

I don't rinse them first with water (Unless sealed)


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## kempe (Jan 9, 2011)

1) Pressure wash wheel and arches 
2) APC on tyre, wheel and arches 
3) Scrubbed the arch, tyre and wheel 
4) pressure wash wheel and arches

Then its cleaning the wheel and tyre using the 3rd bucket using a mitt and brushes and a stiff brush for the tyres


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## mean172 (Jun 15, 2010)

All depending on the alloy wheel I pressure wash the wheels and arches first, clean all 4 alloys and arches with relevant cleaners, brushes and wash mitt, snowfoam the whole car wheels and arches just to pick up any debris I disturbed pressure wash car again, then I go on to TBM plus I have a third bucket just for alloys with some suds in to give them a final clean.


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## -Raven- (Aug 26, 2010)

Everything on my cars gets rinsed first. Snow foam everything, then do the rims while the snow foam is doing its thing.


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## R0B (Aug 27, 2010)

Pressure Rinse full car wheels arches etc before doing anything else with chems


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## gerz1873 (May 15, 2010)

I snowfoam the whole car, without rinsing, including wheels then while snowfoam dwells on paint work I agitate wheels with washmitt and brushes and rinse off whole car 
If its good to practice to snowfoam the paintwork without rinsing then it must be good enough for wheels ?


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## The Cueball (Feb 8, 2007)

I never put any snowfoam or chemicals on a dry car, be it bodywork, glass or wheels and tyres...

always spend a good while rinsing the car down with the power washer...

:thumb:


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## alan_mcc (Oct 28, 2008)

gerz1873 said:


> I snowfoam the whole car, without rinsing, including wheels then while snowfoam dwells on paint work I agitate wheels with washmitt and brushes and rinse off whole car
> If its good to practice to snowfoam the paintwork without rinsing then it must be good enough for wheels ?


The difference is, you're agitating the wheels, and simply rinsing off the bodywork.


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## McClane (Dec 9, 2010)

Every day's a school day.

I always pre-rinsed for a long time with the hose in my "previous life". But when I started using all these potions, I picked the habit of up putting them on before any water. Be that snow foam, pre wash, or wheel cleaner.

I might stop now. Makes sense to save them for the "stuck stuff".


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## Derekh929 (Aug 28, 2011)

Dry for foam all over wheels arches etc, and then good power wash down before cleaning with apc , degreaser for me


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## Franzpan (Mar 2, 2009)

I always apply my wheel cleaner and snow foam to a dry car. I use AS smartwheels and I find it gets to work much better on a dry wheel. If your applying it to a wet wheel you are only diluting the product. Cant see any benefit in wetting first.


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## gerz1873 (May 15, 2010)

alan_mcc said:


> The difference is, you're agitating the wheels, and simply rinsing off the bodywork.


I dont buy into the rinse alloys but each to his own :thumb:


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## alan_mcc (Oct 28, 2008)

I find them a lot easier to clean, and there's less change of causing damage, and the wheel cleaner foam's up a lot more. Worth it for the sake of a extra minute or so of rinsing.

Each to their own like you say :thumb:


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## Trip tdi (Sep 3, 2008)

I'm sure snow foaming in hot water, will give better results than snow foaming with cold water.

I assume just using a hot pressure washer, will shift alot of muck and grime away on its own, without the need of a snow foam, correct me if i am wrong here.


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## gerz1873 (May 15, 2010)

Changed my mind  think I will rinse first see how I get on :thumb:
I'm worse than a woman :doublesho


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## Posambique (Oct 20, 2010)

Starting by snow foaming everything is how I do it


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