I have been getting a lot of questions of how I am cleaning/protecting wheels, tires, and wheel wells these days, so I figured why not write up a tutorial with a ton of pics. Thanks to Patrick Holland for coming out and taking pics for me (with his camera). If I miss anything, please point it out, thanks.
Products Used
-Meguiar's
Wheel Brush
-Meguiar's
Spoke Brush
-Meguiar's Tire Brush
-A hose with a spray nozzle
-Eagle 1 Wheel Acid cut 50/50 with water in a spray bottle (
www.sparkleauto.com)
-Hi-Temp Extreme APC cut 3:1 in a spray bottle (
www.topoftheline.com)
-A
car wash solution to keep the brushes in (I used Meguiar's NXT wash)
-Your choice of polish (I used
Klasse AIO)
-Your choice of sealant (I used
Menzerna FMJ)
-Your choice of tire/wheel well dressing (I used Poorboy's Bold N Bright)
-MF Towels
-MF Applicators
-An old mitt for the wheel wells (I use synthetic sheep skin)
-A designated tire mitt (I use genuine sheep skin)
-GLOVES and MASK for protection
Here is a before shot. The rims are caked in black brake dust that is in desperate need of removing. The tires are dirty and the wheel wells are no better.
You want to start by hosing down the area to cool it off. If the vehicle was just driven, allow it to sit for at least 10 minutes to cool a bit on its own. Spraying cold water on hot wheels/brakes is a big no no and can cause to many types of failures. For this entire procedure, work in the shade.
Once wet, you want to spray the APC solution onto the tires and in the wheel wells generously. Now, I've tried MANY APC's and some are better for certain things. This Hi-Temp APC absolutely chews up grime. You can see the suds from it turn brown almost instantly noting that it is working. From there you want to take your tire brush and scrub the entire tire working each area about 5 times. With the wells, use an old wash mitt or sponge (and ONLY USE IT FOR THIS). Once done, replace in the soapy solution and agitate contaminants off with hands. Sorry, no pics for this part.
From there, you want to generously soak the rim in the wheel acid solution. Make sure to spray the interior of the rim. A clean rim thru and thru makes for a far better appearance. Allow this to dwell for 30-60 seconds depending on the soil amount. There is speculation on the use of wheel acid. While this stuff can be dangerous, after doing 10+ cars ranging from chrome to painted to clearcoated, I have had no ill effects using these methods. Be sure to steer clear of uncoated aluminum or anodized metal with this stuff. Also, acid should not be used all the time. As noted below, a sealant on your wheels will become a best friend.
Begin with the Meguiar's wheel brush and agitate every angle spending special time in small corners and around the lug nuts. Then put the brush back in the soapy solution
Linear Mode
