How To Clean Your Car Wheels

China tire expo will share this article with you.

Your wheels may be the dirtiest part of your car, but if you are like most people, you spend much less time cleaning the wheels than cleaning other parts. Those car owners who do not maintain their wheels may not realize the price their cars pay.

It is important to learn the best way to clean wheels, both for practical and aesthetic reasons. If you want your car to travel reliably, you must remove the dirt and gravel attached to the wheels while the wheels are spinning. As time goes by, dust and dirt will continue to accumulate, affect the running ability of the wheel, and accelerate the speed of wheel damage. More importantly, every time you step on the brake, hot brake dust will be generated and stick to the surface of the wheel.

Dirty wheels can also affect the appearance of the car. When they rotate, all the dust and dirt will be sprayed on your car body. Everything you did to wax and polish the car was wasted. More importantly, when brake dust is ignored, it will solidify and cause permanent damage to your wheels.

How to Clean the wheels

Neglected tires can produce an unattractive brown tint and cracked sidewalls, so we will show you the best way to clean the wheels, how to polish car wheels, and how to wax car wheels. Before you start, here are the car wheel cleaning products and materials you need: wheel cleaner, wheel polish, wheel detail mud, a lot of non-abrasive towels, soft brushes, and a few buckets of water.

The best way to clean the wheels is to follow the following nine steps in sequence:

Step 1: prepare two buckets of water, one bucket for the car body, and the other for the wheels.

You should avoid using a bucket of water on the wheels of the car body.

Step 2: wash the edges of the wheels with a hose each time.

Be sure to use a hose with a strong flow of water!

After rinsing the rims, use a cloth to remove any dirt, grime, and brake dust from each rim.

Step 3: use detergent

Spray one wheel at a time. Use water-based, non-acidic, non-abrasive car wheel cleaning products to protect the surface of the wheels.

This will help reduce dirt and lubricate the wheels, which is very important so that you don't scratch the alloy rims.

If possible, avoid using acidic cleaners because they risk damaging the wheels, especially if their coating is transparent.

Step 4: use a soft brush

Ordinary sponges cannot scrape off all the dirt and grime accumulated on the wheels. In addition, if you use a stiff brush, you may scratch your rim.

Use a soft brush to scrub and relax any remaining dirt and brake dust. Use some physical labor, but be careful not to scratch the surface of the wheel. Use a brush that is long enough to enter the gap and clean around and in the holes of the ear nuts, spokes, and wheel holes.

When you buy car wheel cleaning products, look for a brush with a flexible valve stem and lug nut specifically for this job.

Step 5: cleaning

Rinse each wheel with a hose, including wheel holes, spokes, and lug nut holes.

Step 6: dry

Dry the wheels with a soft microfiber towel to prevent water stains.

Step 7: apply the wheel detailed clay

If dirt, corrosion, or brake dust remains, apply detailed clay to help remove the material remaining deep in the wheel.

This is a different product, from the detail clay that you use to protect your car paint. Before polishing or waxing, after washing the wheel, apply wheel detail clay. Before rubbing the clay on the wheel, be sure to re-lubricate it.

Step 8: polish the wheels

The wheels should be polished before waxing. If you want to know how to polish car wheels, the first thing to remember is that the finish of your rim will determine the type of polish used.

Most wheels are now made of aluminum alloy, and most cars are equipped with transparent coated alloy wheels. But if you or the former owner of this car polishes the wheel in the aftermarket, it means that there is a coating on the outside of the wheel and it needs to be handled with extreme care.

With a clear-coated aluminum wheel, you will want a light, non-abrasive finish that is unlikely to leave scratches.

Clean coated wheels do not require frequent polishing, because the additional coating protects the metal from environmental factors. You don't need to do more regular cleaning and occasional polishing to keep your clean coated wheels in nearly pristine condition.

Due to the lack of additional coating, aluminum wheels are more susceptible to oxidation. You can use a stronger, more aggressive polish on them.

For chrome-plated wheels, use a light abrasive polish.

key step

First, apply nail polish to a wheel with an oiling pad until the nail polish starts to dry.

Make sure to polish between the spokes. If you need more precision and power, you can consider buying wheel polishing tools and other car wheel cleaning products.

Wipe off any remaining residue or moisture with a clean soft towel.

Step 9: waxing

Now that you know how to clean car wheels, how to polish car wheels, it's time to wax your rims to give them a nice gloss, the last layer of protection against brake dust and environmental factors. Wheel wax is a protective agent, and it acts like ordinary car wax. Again, if you have coated or painted wheels, choose a safe and compatible product for this type of wheel.