How to clean fender wells the lazy way!

[Mike Phillips]

How to clean fender wells the lazy way! (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/ask-expert-featuring-mike-phillips/62725-how-clean-fender-wells-lazy-way.html)



Okay, the best way to REALLY get your car's fenderwells clean is to jack-up the car and remove the wheels and tires. This way you can easily get to the entire fenderwell area.

The problem with this is,


It takes a lot of time


You need to know the torque settings for the lug nuts and it helps to have a little experience in removing and then replacing and correctly re-torquing the lug nuts so as not to warp your rotors.


Did I mention it takes a lot of time?




So here's what I call the lazy guys way to clean fenderwells and that's to simply lift the body of the car. Don't remove the wheels, just lift the body as far as possible to create more space between the wheel and tire and the surrounding fenderwell.

Not a perfect fix to the problem but in most cases you can get enough extra space to make it a lot easier to get a brush into the fenderwell area and scrub, scrub scrub.

Here's what you need...

A good all purpose cleaner...


http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/1816/How_To_Clean_Fenderwells_001.jpg


A good fenderwell brush...

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/1816/How_To_Clean_Fenderwells_002.jpg


A reliable hydraulic floor jack and at least two quality jack stands for safety reasons...

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/1816/How_To_Clean_Fenderwells_003.jpg


Lift the car
Choose either the front or rear of the car to start with and lift the car as high as the body will go without raising the tires off the ground and then place the jack stands at approved points where they are able to support the weight of the car and then carefully lower the jack so that the weight of the car is predominantly on the jackstands.

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/1816/Jacked-Up.jpg


More Working Space
This is the working space you create by lifting the body of the car up using a hydraulic floor jack without having to remove the wheels.

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/1816/Jacked-Up_Space.jpg



Saturate fenderwell with all purpose cleaner
Next, spray your all purpose cleaner thoroughly over the inside of the fenderwell, cover everything you want to clean and later dress.

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/1816/How_To_Clean_Fenderwells_004.jpg

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/1816/How_To_Clean_Fenderwells_005.jpg

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/1816/How_To_Clean_Fenderwells_006.jpg

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/1816/How_To_Clean_Fenderwells_007.jpg



Agitate all purpose cleaner
Scrub and agitate inner fenderwell, frame and any other area or component you want cleaned...

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/1816/How_To_Clean_Fenderwells_008.jpg

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/1816/How_To_Clean_Fenderwells_009.jpg

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/1816/How_To_Clean_Fenderwells_010.jpg


http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/1816/How_To_Clean_Fenderwells_011.jpg

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/1816/How_To_Clean_Fenderwells_012.jpg



Yeah... it can get kind of filthy in the fenderwells...

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/1816/How_To_Clean_Fenderwells_013.jpg

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/1816/How_To_Clean_Fenderwells_014.jpg



Blast with water
Next spray a strong blast of water over the entire fenderwell area...
http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/1816/How_To_Clean_Fenderwells_015.jpg

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/1816/How_To_Clean_Fenderwells_016.jpg

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/1816/How_To_Clean_Fenderwells_017.jpg

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/1816/How_To_Clean_Fenderwells_018.jpg



You're probably looking at road grime that's accumulated in the fenderwells since this car was new...

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/1816/How_To_Clean_Fenderwells_019.jpg

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/1816/How_To_Clean_Fenderwells_020.jpg


And there you go... a clean fenderwell. Now do the other side...

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/1816/How_To_Clean_Fenderwells_021.jpg

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/1816/How_To_Clean_Fenderwells_021c.jpg

After you finish with one end of the car, raise the car body, remove the jack stands, lower the car body and move to the opposite end of the car and repeat the process.

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/1816/How_To_Clean_Fenderwells_022.jpg


Have all your tools ready to go...

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/1816/How_To_Clean_Fenderwells_023.jpg



Using the lazy man's method you can do a pretty good job of cleaning your fenderwells fast and easy...


On Autogeek.com

Detailer's Cleanse-All Exterior Cleaner (http://www.autogeek.net/dp320.html)

Mothers Fender Well Brush (http://www.autogeek.net/mothers-fender-well-brush.html)


:)

[Mike Phillips]

Dressings and other options

After you've cleaned your fenderwells at this point you could apply your favorite dressing to restore that new car look.

In this example, there was some white overspray paint on the inner fenderwell panels and I checked with the owner and he preferred that I did not apply a dressing as he would prefer to apply some fresh paint or undercoating.


In a case like this it's even more important to really get these areas clean for good adhesion of either an exterior paint or undercoating.


:)

[Mike@DedicatedPerfection]

Nice tip Mike.

Wont work for my BMW. She sits to low and can only get the jack under one jack point at a time. lol

[Mike Phillips]

Nice tip Mike.

Wont work for my BMW. She sits to low and can only get the jack under one jack point at a time. lol


Ahh yes... BMW's are very special cars...


This won't work for everyone but if it will work for the car you're working on it will make doing the job faster and easier.


:)

[thebamboo23]

^ use 2x4 ply wood and staircase the blocks up enough so there's more clearance

Or you can buy a low profile jack

[JSou]

:props:

[RedXray]

Great tips Mike!

I use a flex nozzle on my pressure washer to get inside the wheel houses.
Now I just have to get my pressure washer back from my brother inlaw.
Gosh I hate lending my stuff out :doh:

http://www.shoppressurewasherparts.com/v/vspfiles/photos/87105960-1.jpg

[Nick McKees37]

Great review Mike!

I put together a wheel well detailing kit based on this review just for forum members and it consists of a 32 oz. bottle of Detailer's Cleanse-All, a Mothers Fender Well Brush and a 3-pack of Microfiber All Purpose & Wheel Detailing Towels for $29.99 - that's a retail value of $45.95!

This special is only available through Monday, April 8th! Call or leave a note in the comments box to have this kit added to your order. :righton:

[Mike Phillips]

^ use 2x4 ply wood and staircase the blocks up enough so there's more clearance

Or you can buy a low profile jack



That will work. The important thing is however you create clearance to do so in a safe way that will not cause you harm nor the car you're working on.






Great tips Mike!

I use a flex nozzle on my pressure washer to get inside the wheel houses.



A flexible nozzle on a pressure washer is a great idea too if you're using a pressure washer. A surgically clean surface usually requires a combination of a good all purpose cleaner, brushes to agitate the cleaner and then the power of a strong blast of water to flush everything off...


:)

[Mike McDonald]

It's funny you post this - I just did it this past weekend! My M45 sits too low, and the wheels are on too tight from the shop so I just improvised. Works just as well, and looks great, too!

[Pats300zx]

Great info Mike !!!!!

[Mike Phillips]

It's funny you post this - I just did it this past weekend!

My M45 sits too low, and the wheels are on too tight from the shop




Good to hear...

IF the wheels are on too tight, be careful. A tire shop torqued a set of my wheels on too tight and warped the rotors.

With a large 4-way wrench and all my weight and muscle, I couldn't break the lug nuts free. I took the car back to the tire shop and demonstrated this to the store manager and then asked him to try...

He couldn't do it either.


After he embarrassed himself they did a brake job including turning the rotors but they were never smooth after that when you hit the brakes.

This is why I included in this article the part about having to know the correct torque specs to re-install wheels correctly. I'd say the average person does not have the knowledge, the correct wrenches not the skill to install their own wheels and torque them down correctly while at the same time not making any mistakes, like even scratching their rims in the process.

Thus, using a hydraulic jack and simply lifting the car enables you to avoid the entire hassle of removing your car's wheels or more importantly, your customer's car's wheels.

This won't work for all cars but for the cars it will work for it enables you to get into the wheel well to more easily and more effectively clean this area quickly, easily and safely.


More Working Space
This is the working space you create by lifting the body of the car up using a hydraulic floor jack without having to remove the wheels.

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/1816/Jacked-Up_Space.jpg







Great info Mike !!!!!




Just trying to help others with a real simple tip...


Sometimes the little things are the big things...



:)

[Yancy]

Nice tip Mike.

Wont work for my BMW. She sits to low and can only get the jack under one jack point at a time. lol

Feel your pain, mine is the same way.

[Mike@DedicatedPerfection]

Dont want to hyjack your thread Mike but for anyone needing to break lug nuts off that have been impacted down by the tire gorrilas at your local tire shop pick up an electric impact gun. Much nicer and easier to use than a pneumatic gun.

Yancy, what do you drive?

[thebamboo23]

Im just saying, we have tricks to jack up cars like these with 0 problems.. so stock low cars should be no problemo :xyxthumbs:

http://www.canibeat.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/FG-Slammed6.jpg