After waxing or washing your car, it looks nice and shinny. As you step back to admire your hard work there’s something that doesn’t look quite right. Finally you realize that the tires and wheels are still looking dirty and grungy.
As we’ll find out there is a right way and wrong way to clean them, and doing it correctly will save you time and money in the long run. If you are going to wash your car, save the tires and wheels for the last thing you do.
Your wheels and rims are filled with brake dust, and if you wash these along with the rest of your car, every time you dip your sponge into the wash bucket, it will pick up the loose brake particles in the water and act as an abrasive on your car’s paint.
What Is Brake Dust?Every time you slow down or stop your car, the brake pads leave a slight residue behind due to the friction between the pads and the brake rotor/disk. As time goes on, this dust can accumulate and cake onto the wheel, along with small metal shavings.
This dust can start to damage your car’s wheels because it starts to rust over time. This is especially true for chrome wheels, which can become pitted and marred if not cleaned periodically.
Get the Right CleanerEver notice that using a garden hose with a spray gun doesn’t really help in getting rid of all the brake dust? It would be great if it did, but the right way to clean off this material is to purchase specially made wheel cleaners for the job.
But whichever product you choose, don’t use regular household degreasers and cleaners because these products may contain chemicals and ingredients that could damage your tires or wheels. Just stick with automotive wheel cleaners and you should be fine.
Once you apply the wheel cleaner, let it soak in for about 5 minutes before scrubbing and washing the residue off.
Breakout the BrushesYou can’t use any old brush to clean your wheels. Wire bristles or even some nylon brushes may scratch and damage your wheels, especially if you have shinny chrome plated ones.
Pick a brush that is soft but sturdy enough for the job. Some car fans like to use boar’s hair brushes or other animal hair brushes to clean car wheels.
You can also purchase wheel cleaning brushes from the auto store, but they’re essentially plain brushes that have been marked up in price because they are auto care items. If you do things right, you can get a set of cleaning brushes from your local department store on the cheap.
Clean the TiresA wet tire always looks like new. But when it dries it appears dirty again. To really get your tires clean, you’ll have to apply some elbow grease and scrub down the tires with a stiff brush and cleaner. It may take more work, but it will be worth it.
After cleaning, you can apply your favorite tire dressing or wax.
Wax Your Wheels TooIt would be shame if your hard work was spoiled in only a few weeks due to brake dust again. So to avoid this from happening, spray down your wheels every so often to prevent the dust from building up.
There are also wheel wax product you can buy that will protect your wheels from grime, dirt, and dust.
Source:
IncrediblyDetailed