This is the first in a series of write-ups I'm working on for the forums.
These "how do I wash/clean/wax/polish" come up a lot, and I figured it would be
nice to share what I've learned with my Scion brethren.

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Here is how to properly clean and detail a wheel.

I spend about 5 minutes a wheel if I'm just cleaning, or about 10-15 a wheel if I'm
detailing for a show.

All you need is an inexpensive wheel or body brush from Wal-Mart.



It doesn't have to be a really expensive one, the finish on wheels are way tougher
and resistant to scratches then your cars paint.

A basic wheel cleaner spray and a hose with a good spray/jet



The Greased Lightning is my current favorite. The Meguiar’s stuff is good, even simple
green is good, though I can't stand the smell. Window cleaner has AMONIA which
eats away at your paint...that's bad for those who weren't sure.


The method is simple.

WHEN THE WHEELS ARE COOL, hose down the wheel to get rid of any debris.
Spray down the wheel with your favorite cleaner, and let work for 30-60 seconds.
DO NOT LET WHEEL CLEANER DRY ON WHEELS!!
Scrub off gunk and dust with your inexpensive wheel brush, then hose off.
It can't hurt to scrub your wheel wheels, calipers, and springs if you can reach 'em!

Your wheels should sparkle!

Now, take a good microfiber cloth:



And wipe down the wheel to get rid of any smearing and water droplets. You don't
want water spots on your wheels.

NEVER, EVER use a microfiber cloth on your paint after you've used it on your wheels!!
As I've said, the paint on your wheels is tougher then the finish on your car.
Any brake dust picked up by this microfiber cloth can scar your paint!
Also, NEVER EVER use a microfiber cloth you've dropped. It's probably picked up
thousands of small rocks and whatnot and you don't want to rub that into your paint!

Ok, enough ranting, back to wheels.

Now that the wheels are cleaned, and now dry, use your favorite liquid wax or quality
detail spray to protect your wheels. Just a few squirts, let soak in, buff off with a clean
microfiber cloth.



I suppose you could use a paste wax, a good carnuba, but why go through all the
effort when a good liquid wax/detail spray will do just as well.

I go through this method once a week. I get compliments at every show, and I'm
constantly asked "did you get new wheels?"

I hope this helps out some...hmm...I think I'm going to repost this and ask for a sticky.



At the time of this writing, these wheels are 6 months old.


Edited: A video from www.adamspolishes.com Some MUST SEE DETAILING VIDEOS!

http://www.adamspolishes.com/videos/...eels_tires.cfm

 

Hey, thanks for that write up. Seeing this easy process makes me want to take more time to detail my wheels. What do you use for *tire* treatment? Do you prefer shiny or no?

 

Thanks for the writeup, Raven. If this rain will ever end, I will get to waxing. I've always cleaned my wheels fairly well, but never waxed them. I am interested to see how much better they look and for how much longer. I have newer wheels in a darker color with a polished lip.

Perhaps this should go in another thread, but I have Meguiars Endurance Tire Gel. It lasts really, really long. Longer than any spray I've used. It leaves my tires with a low gloss, and can be taken down to a lesser shine with some buffing.

 

very nice write up.

 

Yeah, I thought that too (I wasn't trying to thread jack) but I didn't know if the shining monkey stuff is what he was using on the tire. Thanks for the tip though Max. I'll have to try that Meguiars stuff. I have some stuff that doesn't work well but I'll take that to another thread.

 

I'm still working on a Tire Shine a like.

What you see (or don't see as I like it) in the photo is Grape
Tire dressing. I thought it was THE BEST out there, because
it sticks and doesn't sling. It can be sprayed on from a small
spray bottle ( 99 cents at Walmart) or applied with a tire
sponge like any Gel. It's Semi Gloss and can be buffed down
for lesser (simple black) finish, or it can be built up for a
nice shine.

The drawback...it coats the wheel (builds up) and if you touch
the wheels at all, you'll get all this dark black goo on your
hands and clothes that's just greasy and icky. It for sure
doesn't sling, it's just like a skin of gel that keep the rubber
black and really water repellant...and is very messy.

So guys like me that are always cleaning wheels, brushing
the springs, rotating tires...it gets messy.

My runner ups are the Shining Monkey and Meguiar's NXT
tire shine. I SWEAR they are the same product!!
The only drawback, is that I have to polish my rims after I
spray down the rubber because of overspray. I don't like
spray cans honestly, and the product is really expensive.

 

Something good to remember about clearcoated wheels is that the products you use to polish or wax your vehicels paint should be safe for your clearcoated wheels as well. When I do a full detail, I use Klasse AOI as a good cleaner/polish and then follow up with DP's Wheel Glaze for protection. It works like a charm everytime and really does a nice job of keeping the brake dust at a minimal.

 

nice write up :D

 

I meguiars 3 stage my wheels the dirt just washed right off. give it a try its hard work cause you have to take off all the wehels but its totally worth it.

 

anyone try the maguires wheel wax? or is it a waste of money, ive used the maguires spraywax, and gotten some great results.

 

Any wax would be better then no wax. Meguiars in general
makes good products.

 

I use the same orange spray cleaner. 1st time was on my brother 86 GMC Safari van that hadnt been washed for over a year. They spray and a wheel brush ate the grease and dirt off. The best part is Wal-Mart sells it for $4.88 a bottle

 

what does wax on the wheel do?

 

wax on the wheel is like putting wax no the car, it protects it and makes easier to wash

 

and beads water

 

I was going to mention that if you do use glass cleaner use eagle 1 20/20. I have been using it for like 5 or 6 years on my car since it doesn't fade your tint. I use it on the car for touch ups but with a clean towel. It helps to take off any over spray if you have silicon tire shine. Also, if you do use something called cover all by Superior, use a tire Swipe by Eagle one to wipe it in. It works great and if you have any kind of tire shine it helps to wipe your dressing into the tire. I usually do two coats and I roll the car forward slightly after the first application to get the complete 360 of the tire. Oh and if you do use some kind of silicon tired dressing , always check your paint and use eagle one to wipe it off. That's my 0.02$..

 

Oh one other thing to add....i put this in another post but if you don't want to buy the wheel cleaner trie some liquid dawn power plus. It's basiclly a degreaser and works great on wheels / tires / and engine. Don't let it dry either. I usually do one side and spray and then the other side. It is also good for doing your wheelwells. I also found some stuff called purple power. It works great on engins but make sure the engin is cool. ....I have one other question ....has anyone put up a thread on how to run a high speed buffer on their car. I used one at a dealership before but never got heavy into it. I have some scratches and I want to touch it up and buff it out.

 

Good writeup.

My method (if I'm being lazy) is to use Meguiar's Wheel Brightener (part of their Detailer line, only comes in one gallon jugs) diluted 4:1 with a foaming spray nozzle. I spray it on there good, inside and out, let it sit for 30 seconds and then rinse off with a pressure washer. Removes everything and I never touch the wheel. Now, some words of warning... Wheel Brightener is STRONG stuff. It is not recommended for every wheel type. Also, it should not sit too long and you should not use it often. After I do this I apply some sort of sealant (I like Klasse products) inside and out. After that, it doesn't take much to maintain them. I'll reapply new sealant every 1-2 months.

 

hmmmm... another detailer eh?

wheel brightener is not something that i would use on my own wheels. something like poorboy's spray and rinse is plenty strong enough for me. I do admit to owning a gallon of WB for cutomer cars though (wheels that have definitely seen better days in other words).
Klasse AIO topped with four star's ultimate paint protection is my weapon of choice for sealing my wheels. I did AIO/UPPx3 on my 18's when i first got them back in early march. It's early may now and still all i need to do to get my wheels brake dust free is to take a garden hose and spray them off. the brake dust just rinses off w/o any agitation whatsoever.

 

Yeah, I won't do it on my own wheels because I never let them get dirty. However, if they're only lightly dirty, soap and water is fine. The method I describe is for extremely dirty wheels.