i cant get in those wheel wells!

[mwtaco]

hi all
i have an audi a5. i like my wheel wells clean. theres not much room between the wheel well and the tire. i have a short handle square shaped wheel brush. i can barely fit the brush in there and it basically is useless. i also have the wheel brush that is shaped like a bristly qtip on a short handle. while it fits, the bristles arent dense enough to be effective.

taking the wheels off is not a practical option for me. i wont take the time to do that.

any product suggestions? something low profile but with a dense brush or sponge? ive seen the red/black daytona but it can anyone confirm it really does work for wheel wells? been looking for a household brush or even some type of toilet brush. pics or links would be appreciated.

i was in a hotel last week and saw the housekeep staff holding this long handled toilet brush with a big head. boy was i eyeing that thing. i know...kind a sad huh? and no. i did not offer her money for it. come on. it was used. ;)

[LuxuryMobile]

The Daytona brush should work.

If you take care of your car pretty often, wheel wells shouldn't get too bad. At least not bad enough that the Daytona and some APC cant clean up.

[toycar18]

If you can't get a brush in there, then you probably can't see in there very well, especially on a low car like that. I would be more worried if it was a SUV or truck.

I would just pressure wash them at a car wash.

Or you can try using a spray to make them look black like Griot's Garage Undercarriage Spray.

Griot's Garage Undercarriage Spray, Griots Garage Undercarriage Detailer, Underbody spray (http://www.autogeek.net/griots-undercarriage-spray.html)

It works good and hides the dirt.

[TLMitchell]

i was in a hotel last week and saw the housekeep staff holding this long handled toilet brush with a big head. boy was i eyeing that thing. i know...kind a sad huh? and no. i did not offer her money for it. come on. it was used. ;)

Actually, there's a wide variety of toilet brushes that some use for just that purpose. Look around the Housewares departments, it's surprising what kind of nuggets you can unearth.

With restricted access, in order to dress the wells and keep them cleaner try a no-touch tire foam. When I see off-brands on sale cheap I always stock up. FWIW, Armor All Tire Foam, IMO, is crappy for tires but it's pretty versatile. In addition to wheel wells it works real well on grungy underhood pads. Just enough cleaning action and protection to clean 'em up and keep 'em that way.

TL

[Rsurfer]

The Daytona brush should work.

If you take care of your car pretty often, wheel wells shouldn't get too bad. At least not bad enough that the Daytona and some APC cant clean up.

IMO the Daytona was meant to clean wheels and not wells. The brush is too long and won't conform to the curve of the well. They do make fender brushes with long handles for wheel wells. Fender brushes may still be too big and not work for the OP. To the OP, would turning your wheels help?

[ScottB]

Spray the area well with something like ARO, often it works better if wells are lightly damp. Find something like a thin toilet brush to scrub as needed.

[Jimmie]

These deep reach brushes fit in the tightest wells, plus I like them on wheel barrels.
Wheel brushes for spoke wheels, deep set spoke wheel brush, large wheel brush, wheel brushes (http://www.autogeek.net/derewiwhbr.html)

Plus, I'm with killr on easy to maintain with sprays of ARO.

[LuxuryMobile]

If the wheel well has a gap like this...

http://i1224.photobucket.com/albums/ee371/LuxuryMobile2/5853334399_b67f0fd5b2_s.jpg


Then your best bet would be to spray them down with cleaning product of your choice (many options) and pressure rinse.

[Rsurfer]

These deep reach brushes fit in the tightest wells, plus I like them on wheel barrels.
Wheel brushes for spoke wheels, deep set spoke wheel brush, large wheel brush, wheel brushes (http://www.autogeek.net/derewiwhbr.html)

Plus, I'm with killr on easy to maintain with sprays of ARO.

Those Tampico Brushes are too rough for me.

[Jimmie]

Those Tampico Brushes are too rough for me.

Agree there. I won't use them on the outside of a wheel.

[Kristopher1129]

Jack it up. If you get a jack on the frame, and raise it up...the wheels will move away from the wheel well and give you space. I've done this before, works well if you absolutely need to get in there.

[mwtaco]

thanks for the help guys

ive got 18s. not nearly as tight as the ones in the pic stephen has on his reply. can still see the wheel wells. would be happy to leave em alone if they were covered by the wheels.

power washing sound like a good idea, perhaps the best solution. but i do mostly rinseless washes now and i dont own or want to purchase a pressure washer. at least not at this point.

im gonna try turning the wheels althought that wont really help for the rear wheel wells.

will keep an eye out for a good household brush/cleaner. really surprised there isnt a dedicated product for this.

i also have a honda odyssey. even its wheel wells are fairly tight for a brush.

[mwtaco]

Jack it up. If you get a jack on the frame, and raise it up...the wheels will move away from the wheel well and give you space. I've done this before, works well if you absolutely need to get in there.

thanks for the suggestion. that would certainly drop the wheels but want something i could do quicker and more routine. ill try this for a more major detail though.

[mg6045]

spray with APC, let dwell than rinse.

and then once every 2 months jack the car up and clean both wheel wells on the left side, than move the jack over and do the other side.

this is what I do.

My car has zero wheel gap.

[CEE DOG]

My Daytona brush and 3" wheel woolie can get in there to clean but sealing the wheel well is not possible to do on low sitting cars including my Saturn Sky.

What I do is after it's all washed and dried I jack up one side... Not off the ground but just enough to raise it up so all the weight is not making that gap so narrow. Then I reach in there and seal it up with Ultima Trim & Tire Guard.

After that it's good for many many months just spraying it off and using my Daytona with some regular car soap.

I've recently started using permanon to spray into those areas without jacking it up but that is cost prohibitive long term since the product is so pricey.

UTTG and a jack :dblthumb2:

*Using UTTG for the smooth plastic molded wells, not the textured wells.