would scrubbing to hard with car wash damage rim

[Bill1234]

My teen center is having a car wash and we will be using car wash for everything (wheels and Body ). I was wondering if using Gold Class car wash or any other car wash damage the rim if the people scrubbed too hard ?

[Webb]

All depends what are you scrubbing with.

[truckbutt]

The only thing I "scrub" on my car are the tires. Rims are often clearcoated and are just like the paint on the car with regards to scratching. Use soft wash mits and brushes designed for rims that have soft bristles. Make sure that your mits and brushes are cleaned frequently so that dirt from one car doesn't scratch another.

[Bill1234]

I have 4 mothers wheel brushes and im scrubbing with gold class car wash, Im not a noob at this stuff compared to the other kids lol, I just wanted to know if gold class and the brush combined would hurt the wheel

[Webb]

My 20's rims are clear coated,so after I spray wheel cleaner I wash with car shampoo and a sponge,I just got the Daytona wheel brush BOGO,so I try that for the hard to reach areas or when I do family members cars with 17" or 18" size wheels.

So yeah I use the car shampoo to wash my wheels.

[Bill1234]

The only reason I would like to know is because I just bought these as the kids where using a house and sponge which could scratch the car. Id rather use the right tool for the job

[KyleGates]

You will be fine. Car wash soaps do not scratch paint so they are not going to scratch wheels. Good call on the wheel brushes, just make sure they are rinsing them out after each wheel.

[ScottB]

Scrubbing is perhaps the wrong word to use as the material being used is likely more of the culprit. I could "scrub" using a MF towel and not see much harm, however a broom or cheap hard brush could damage a clearcoated wheel.

I am an avid user of safe wheel cleaners like P21S, Griots, and DP. (nothing acid based) They are designed to better remove the brake particles and dirt that wheels see over a car soap IMO. So I use a good wheel cleaner 1st, and then once wheels are cleaned and dried I use a wheel sealant or Rejex. Then for several weeks I can use a car soap. Every couple of weeks I move back to the wheel cleaner.

[Flash Gordon]

For a charity car wash I don't think it would matter if you used Ajax. No one will care

[Bill1234]

Thanks for the ideas, I also have a strong carrrand fire hose nozzel. I should win the hose fight lol. I will just use alot of water and rinse them out myself so that the others working dont destroy somebodys paint

[Flash Gordon]

Thanks for the ideas, I also have a strong carrrand fire hose nozzel. I should win the hose fight lol. I will just use alot of water and rinse them out myself so that the others working dont destroy somebodys paint

If I knew more ppl like you were in charge of the charity wash, I might let you do mine. I think you're going above and beyond the call of duty


:autowash:

[hondacare]

Bill,
I am just happy that you care about other people's car. Especially in a charity type event. It shows unselfishness and dignity of work performed. You keep those in life...you may one day see it returned back to you.

Sent from my cm_tenderloin using AG Online

[Mike Phillips]

All depends what are you scrubbing with.


I agree 100%

While the below article is primarily about body panels it applies to anything you don't want to scratch.

Factors that affect how aggressive or non-aggressive a product is (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/auto-detailing-101/28458-factors-affect-how-aggressive-non-aggressive-product.html)


When working on automotive paints, it's important to remember that it's not just the paint care products that determine total correction ability... it's anything that touches the paint and even the way the paint is touched…

Here's some factors...

Application Materials
Wool cutting pads are more aggressive than soft foam finishing pads. Applying any product with a more aggressive pad will make the process more aggressive overall. Applying any product with soft foam will tend to make the process less aggressive than if you were to use any kind of material that's more aggressive than soft foam.


Application Process
A Rotary Buffer is a powerful direct drive tool and has the ability and potential to make any chemical and any application material more aggressive than other tools.

DA Polishers have the potential to increase the aggressiveness of any paint care product by using aggressive foam or fiber pads or decrease the aggressiveness of a product or process by using soft foam buffing pads.

When working by hand you can increase the aggressiveness of any product by the application material you use and the amount of pressure you exert. Foam wax applicators are softer than terry cloth applicators so to give an abrasive hand applied polish more bite use a cotton terry cloth applicator and put some passion behind the pad. To make a product or process by hand less aggressive use a soft foam applicator and a gentle touch.

Size of work area
To increase aggressiveness of a process you can shrink downward the size of your work area, this will concentrate more product to the process. To decrease the aggressiveness of a process you can increase the size of the work area, this will act to dilute the strength of the product being used.


Product amount
Normally you want to use an ample amount of product for the procedure you're doing, that is not use too much product but also not use too little product. The reason why is because using too much product can hyper-lubricate the surface making it more difficult for abrasive to abrade paint. Using to little product means not having enough product on the surface to actually do a good job.

When it come to using cleaner/waxes on neglected surfaces, you should lean towards using the product heavy, or wet so that you error on the side of caution and have plenty of chemical cleaning agents working for you as well as any mechanical abrasives if they are present in the product. Using to little will result is less cleaning ability overall.


Number of applications
Applying a product multiple times can affect how aggressive a product is after the first application because the first application will tend to do the initial grunt work removing all the easily removed defects or topical impurities enabling second and third applications to go right to work on freshly cleaned paint.


Technique - technique is everything...
Using proper technique is vitally important. For example moving a DA Polisher too quickly over the surface will decrease a products aggressiveness because you don't give the combination of oscillating action, rotating action, the pad material and the product time to affect the paint in one area before moving the polisher further along the paint.



:)

[Mike Phillips]

My daughter was a Cheerleader all through High School and I helped her to conduct a number of Car Washes to raise money for the Cheerleading Squad.

What I noticed about teenage girls is they don't know anything about proper washing techniques and for the most part really don't care. They played hip hop music and played and most of the cars they washed received washing induced scratches.

I did my best to educate them but to no avail.

I remember standing back and watching people drop wash mitts onto the ground and then pick them up and continue to wash things like black Mercedes-Benz's, BMW's, Acura's, Lexus, etc. (This was in Irvine, California).

I watched half a wheel get wiped and the other half get nothing....


Here's a tip Bill,

Do your best to educate your teen team and then go with it....


I too admire you for caring but remember, most people don't know the difference between a squirrel and swirl (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/hot-topics-frequently-asked-questions/23142-difference-between-swirl-squirrel.html).


Reminds me of this topic...

Scratch your car for $5.00 (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/off-topic/40142-scratch-your-car-5-00-a.html)


:laughing:

[vet]

I too, applaud you for wanting it 'done right'. Like others have said, the brush is what is important, since your soap is fine.

Just make sure there are no scotch brite pads any where, LOL!