Your wheels are probably the hardest part of your car to safely clean and protect, but with the right tools you will be able to successfully clean and get inside the wheel without having to take it off the car just like a professional car detailer, as they are subject to continuous contamination by brake dust and road grime. Brake dust is a major problem for owners of cars with alloy wheels, as it is corrosive, unsightly and difficult to remove. Brake dust is the product of friction between brake discs and brake pads. When braking, the surface of brake pads are worn way, producing dust that is deposited on other surfaces nearby, i.e. your rims. Brake dust is actually a combination of carbon fibres, metal filings and adhesive residues. It is often deposited on rims at very high temperatures, meaning that it immediately etches into any protective coating.

Regular washing should be the easy bit, but is often overlooked, particularly during the winter months, when wet and windy weather often means that weekends are spent indoors and the notion of going outside to wash the car seems pointless. Believe us, it isn’t. Get your coat on and give it a quick wash. It only takes a few weeks for serious etching to set in on unprotected rims, and in the winter many weekends can pass by without a nice day. Once etching sets in you’re facing a problem a bit like rust - no matter what you do it persistently gets worse.

We recommend that wheels are washed using a microfibre wash mitt and a quality wheel brush to get inside the wheels and a gentle shampoo. Note that you should never attempt to wash your wheels when they are still hot from driving. This is because products will dry too quickly and leave stains, and you could also crack the discs if you cool them too quickly by hosing them down with cold water. You should start the washing process by hosing off any loose dirt and grime using a hose or a pressure washer. You should then use your wheel brush covered in suds to clean the insides of your wheels, it is important to always clean inside the wheels first so your not getting the face of the wheels dirty again once there clean, then scrub the tyres and face of the wheels using the wash mitt, being generous with the suds and taking the time to get into all of the nooks and crannies and remove all of the brake dust (if you continually miss some wash after wash it will become more firmly bonded, making later removal more difficult). After washing all of the wheels, rinse them off with the hose. Finally, rinse everything again and dry the wheels off using a heavyweight waffle weave microfibre towel.

It is not always necessary to get inside the wheel on every wash, i find cleaning inside the wheel on every second wash is sufficient, and just cleaning the face of the wheel and spraying a wheel cleaner inside the wheel and giving it a quick hose is enough to remove any loose dirt and keep it looking clean.

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