[city2491]

Hello again Team-BHP

Today, in my Instagram archives I saw that my beloved City had got her new alloy wheels 3 years ago, in 2020. While I came back to appreciate their beauty, I was greeted with dirt and brake dust. Ugh.



Matte Black wheels look great, but only when clean. It's also very difficult to keep them clean. Dust is visible very clearly on black wheels.

Anyway, much to my driver's dismay, I asked him to assist me in removing the wheels entirely, to take them upstairs and clean them in the bathroom. I know I could have simply dropped down my 30 m pipe from the 7th floor and hosed them down but no. I wanted them to look exactly the way they looked when they first arrived. Brand spanking new, inside and outside.

While we attempted to remove the wheels, the nuts were so tight, they wouldn't budge even if we stood on the damn wrench. Fail? No...

Driver was eager to say, "Leave it boss, we'll do it some other day" but no. I drove down to the nearest tyrewala bhaiya and asked him to loosen my (wheels') lug nuts. He used his pneumatic gun wrench and out they came. While he was ready to tighten them, I asked him to let me do the honours. I ensured the nuts are snug, not overtightened, and came back.

We borrowed a jack from our Crysta, and got to work. Lifted the front of the car under both points, put two spare wheels (one City's and one from my Ciaz) under the car and took the wheels home.

I'll be honest, I didn't think of posting this here until I started cleaning the second wheel so I don't have pictures before the same, but I'll attempt to somewhat compensate.

We'll just be using common dish soap, water and the jet spray here. No fancy stuff required. But beware, this will leave your washroom messy.

Soaping it up!


Your girlfriend (or wife?) will refuse to touch you for a week after this. Fair warning, don't blame me later. Luckily I don't have one.


The dirtiest and most neglected part of the wheel. It is very difficult to clean this without removing the wheel. Removing the wheels isn't easy either.


So much filth!


Use an old toothbrush to clean hard to reach places.


Brush inside the (wheels') nuts. This step is also very difficult without wheel removal.


A close look at the MOMO branding, and other information printed on the tyre.


The tyres and black wheels look clean when wet, even if they're not. We must keep brushing until the foam stops turning brown and remains white.


Inside the wheel, most of the dirt and grime has disappeared.


Unless you want to wait for the wheels to air dry, you can use your household vacuum cleaner, just insert the hose on the outlet and it turns into a blower!


This dries the wheel quickly, the dirt we see is just surface dirt, which we can easily wipe with a cloth. This is only visible on matte black wheels.


Appreciating these beautiful wheels.


Use a soft cloth as a finishing touch.


This is a good time to apply tyre dresser on the sidewall, the wheel will never be in such a convenient position again very soon. (Unless you apply polish on the tread)


Exactly the result I wanted.


Someone was wondering why there are tread marks in the elevator.


Before reinstalling the wheels, there was one important step remaining. Bringing the red callipers back to their former glory! 3 years of dirt and grime turned them somewhat dull. Although I clean my wheels periodically, it's very difficult to clean the callipers properly. The wheel was removed so it was the perfect opportunity to clean the callipers too.

Not a very bright red.


Some soapy water and an old toothbrush does the trick.


My dumb ass realising I could turn the steering instead of trying to insert myself completely in the wheel well.


The other side!


Finally attached the wheel. Notice how the red actually pops out now. (I know, the curb rash is going to get fixed soon)


This picture was taken just after installing the new wheels back in 2020. I hadn't gotten the callipers painted red back then.


While they don't add 5 hp to the car, the callipers do look awesome in red.


Took me around 4 hours to complete the entire job, of which 2 were spent in the washroom. The result is definitely worth it.


Happy car, happy me!


That's it from me for now,
Peace out!

[astrodex]

Wonderful weekend activity. The cleaned out red calipers adds extra ooomph to the ride!

Did you paint these yourselves?

[Kosfactor]

I think a wheels-off cleaning is the best way to preserve your alloy wheels, Well done!

It is good to have a Torque wrench and breaker bar around if you are going to do this regularly.

[benbsb29]

Good work on the DIY effort to get those matt finish alloys looking as good as new. I’ve got matt finish alloys on my 4x4 and use a different approach so as not to get tied down with removing and refitting the wheels.

I use this spray which breaks down the buildup and also allows for the tyre to be scrubbed down till clean using the brush. The small brush to get into the lug holes make that a bit easier as well. A quick wash down with a hose or pressure washer and it looks great.

[AKSarkar1]

Haven't really been a fan of this generation of the city until I saw your ride in this thread, really really clean and tasteful!

I'm also super impressed by how these wheels have held up over time, a true testimonial to the quality of certain aftermarket companies.

[vaibhavyagnik]

Nice DIY. Those headlights look after market. Were they bought like this was the refrofit done after opening them?

[NA-driver]

Originally Posted by city2491

A close look at the MOMO branding, and other information printed on the tyre.

Hi,

The alloys are looking great post-cleaning, can you please also share the name of these alloys?

I'm looking for new alloys for my car, it has the same PCD & tyre size, but I couldn't find these on the official momo wheels website.

[GTO]

Those alloys look delicious! Good enough to eat out of.

Also love how tastefully your City is done up. The body kit, white colour, black roof, rims, tinted effect are just perfect. Perfect. Maybe get 205 mm tyres at the time of the next replacement?

Reminded me a wee bit of an ex-flame of mine:

[city2491]

I'm not a very athletic person, and my legs and back hurt each time I try to move. But reading all your wonderful comments make this entire effort so worth it. Thank you all for appreciating my beloved.

Originally Posted by astrodex

Did you paint these yourselves?

I'd have loved to, but I got it done from a reputable customs shop.

Originally Posted by AKSarkar1

Haven't really been a fan of this generation of the city until I saw your ride in this thread, really really clean and tasteful!

Thank you, the stock City gets really bland looking thin wheels, specially the pre-facelift. This was one of my favourite upgrades.

Originally Posted by vaibhavyagnik

Nice DIY. Those headlights look after market. Were they bought like this was the refrofit done after opening them?

These were bought as is. While they look absolutely stunning, the output is not great. Do take the time to read one of my other DIYs of installing LED fog lights.

Originally Posted by NA-driver

Hi,

The alloys are looking great post-cleaning, can you please also share the name of these alloys?

I'm looking for new alloys for my car, it has the same PCD & tyre size, but I couldn't find these on the official momo wheels website.

These are called Momo Raptors, and I believe they have been discontinued now. They were a part of the series launched when Momo officially entered the Indian market long back. (So I was told by the dealer who arranged these)

Originally Posted by GTO

Those alloys look delicious! Good enough to eat out of.

Also love how tastefully your City is done up. The body kit, white colour, black roof, rims, tinted effect are just perfect. Perfect. Maybe get 205 mm tyres at the time of the next replacement?

Reminded me a wee bit of an ex-flame of mine

Thank you for the kind words GTO. I did want 205 section tyres while upgrading but since the stock was 175, the steering would become too heavy and the already abysmal fuel efficiency would further reduce. So I found these 195 section tyres to be the perfect balance. Also, when she went from MRF ZVTVs to Michelin Primacy 4, the ride, handling and noise completely transformed. It's a shame Michelin is no longer available in India.

[srvm]

Waah! Kya baat hai. The outcome shows that you really care about your car It looks beautiful with super-clean alloys and that smoking red-hot calipers.

Originally Posted by city2491

Hello again Team-BHP
.....
Someone was wondering why there are tread marks in the elevator.
....

On a lighter note, maybe because climbing the stairs was tiring

[DhinaStark94]

Originally Posted by city2491

We'll just be using common dish soap, water and the jet spray here. No fancy stuff required. But beware, this will leave your washroom messy.

Hi,
Really loved your post , i dont have a car (yet) but i love to keep my alloys clean on my bikes as i clean them and my engine fins every month.That new look you get after cleaning them is just priceless and will put a smile on your face no matter how much effort or time it took you to clean them. Although you did great it would be more easier if you could some dedicated tyre cleaners and brushes rather than removing them for cleaning. I usually watch Pan the Organiser YouTube channel and he reviews some good products for tyre and alloy care!. Would suggest you to take a look, might save you a lot time . Oh and i love your black roof and black alloy white car combo by the way, its dream combo that i hope one day ill do in my car.

[city2491]

I have changed the wallpaper of my phone because I couldn’t get enough of these wheels

Originally Posted by srvm

On a lighter note, maybe because climbing the stairs was tiring

Haha definitely.

Originally Posted by DhinaStark94

Although you did great it would be more easier if you could some dedicated tyre cleaners and brushes rather than removing them for cleaning.
...
Oh and i love your black roof and black alloy white car combo by the way, its dream combo that i hope one day I'll do in my car.

I do have tons of detailing brushes and cleaners, for regular use. I don't like dirty wheels and I clean them regularly. This wheels-off approach is like a once in three years phenomenon, fuelled by the sort of anniversary of the wheels, and having a lot of time at hand.

This car is exactly what I had in mind since I was a kid (I'm still 20 though ) Now I have access to some bigger and more expensive cars but I still enjoy my City the most.

[Neil Roy]

Am I the only one seeing this?
One photo shows a fully muddy tyre against a western closet toilet and a hand spray which means that you have one very dirty restroom after your DIY.( You must have a super patient family)
Another one shows a fully cleaned wheel and tyre in a living room( that's pushing the patience boundaries a little bit further)
And the icing on the cake is the photo on the elevator. ( Talk about patient neighbors who see a guy taking dirty wheels up and clean wheels down the elevator).
If there is one thing I have understood, your passion for cars and cleanliness of wheels is borderline obsessive and the right amount of crazy to be a bhpian

[dolphinjazz]

Originally Posted by Kosfactor

I think a wheels-off cleaning is the best way to preserve your alloy wheels, Well done!

Very true. Without this process the inner side of the wheels always remain dirty. Service centers or car washes do wash the inner part but never polish them. So once the car dies up after some time, whitish inner side looks very odd.

Great effort.

[viXit]

A trick for when you can't get your lug nuts off.

Place the wrench onto the lug nut with the rod extending to the right,
place jack below rod and start opening/lifting the jack. will work every single time.

Keep your distance. Try at your own risk.

standing on your wrench can be bad for the car.

Here's a picture.