How do I look after alloy wheels?

Alloy wheels are painted and lacquered like the body, and they sit right next to a brake that fires hot metal particles at them. Nothing on a car degrades faster if it is left alone.

Safety

What you'll need

• pH-neutral wheel cleaner
• A soft wheel brush and a detailing brush
• A separate bucket and mitt for wheels
• Wheel sealant (optional)
• Iron fallout remover (optional)

Step by step

1. Clean the wheels first, and cold.First, because the dirt is the worst on the car and you do not want it in your body wash water. Cold, because cleaner dries instantly on a hot wheel and stains it.
2. Keep separate tools for wheels.A dedicated bucket, mitt and brushes. A mitt used on wheels and then on paint carries brake dust particles that scratch straight through lacquer.
3. Rinse thoroughly before applying anything.Loose grit off first, so the brush is not dragging it around the rim.
4. Use a pH-neutral cleaner unless you know the finish.Acidic cleaners are effective and are also how people ruin polished, anodised and diamond-cut wheels. Neutral cleaners take a little longer and cannot destroy the finish.
5. Let it dwell, then agitate gently.A soft wheel brush for the face and the barrel, a smaller detailing brush around the bolts and the valve. Time and the right brush do the work, not pressure.
6. Use an iron fallout remover for embedded dust.It reacts with the iron particles and turns purple as it works. This is what removes the specks that a normal wash leaves behind.
7. Do the barrels and the backs where you can.Most of the brake dust is on the inner face. A long-handled barrel brush reaches it and it is the difference between clean wheels and wheels that only look clean.
8. Rinse completely and dry.Any residue left in a crevice keeps working on the finish. Dry with a dedicated towel so no water sits around the bolts.
9. Seal the wheels.A wheel sealant or a durable wax on clean, dry wheels means brake dust sits on the coating instead of embedding in the lacquer, and the next clean takes a fraction of the time.
10. Check for kerb damage while you are there.Cosmetic scuffing on the rim edge can be refurbished. Cracks, flat spots or a bent flange are safety issues and need a wheel specialist.
11. Keep the valve caps on and check the pressures.You are already crouched by each wheel — it is the natural moment to do the monthly pressure check.

Tips

• Different pads produce very different amounts of dust. If your wheels are filthy within a week, low-dust pads at the next brake service change that.
• Never use a scouring pad or an abrasive cream on a lacquered wheel. It removes the lacquer and the wheel then corrodes from the inside out.
• Kerb rash can be refurbished for far less than a new wheel, and a set of refurbished wheels transforms an older car.

Common mistakes

• Using an acidic cleaner on unknown wheels — Polished, anodised and diamond-cut finishes are permanently damaged by acid, and the damage appears as staining or a milky patch that cannot be reversed.
• Cleaning wheels with the same mitt as the paint — Brake dust is hard iron particles. Carrying them onto the paintwork puts scratches into the lacquer that then need machine correction.

If it doesn't work

Questions people ask