Roll Into Summer Proudly With Gleaming Wheels

Do wheels make the car? A longtime car care expert thinks so.

“Dull vehicle wheels are like dirty shoes with a nice suit,” said Michael Pennington of Meguiar's car care products. “Shining wheels are a great way to express yourself. “If the wheels look good then your entire vehicle looks better.”

Pennington has been attentive to the details of wheel care since he first joined Meguiar’s some 34 years ago. He’s tackled every contaminant found on vehicles–road grime, sap, pollen, brake dust, road tar, bug goo, rain residue, bird droppings and soda spills.

“Wheels get hammered by contaminants because they’re close to the ground,” Pennington grieved. “Dull wheels just bring down the entire look of your vehicle.

“Wheels catch and reflect sunlight in a way that auto body paint does not.”

Not all divers have the time to meticulously clean their vehicle’s wheels the way Penningotn and other professions do when entering an auto show. Pennington has a simple, inexpensive solution. 

Step 1 - Before You Begin

“Drive-through car washes don’t remove all the grime and brake dust,” Pennington said. “You need to clean inside the honeycombs and crevices if you want your wheels to shine at your next summer event.”

Pennington suggests investing in the following items:

• Use a hose sprayer attachment or power washer for removing pieces of gunk and soil. Remove as many of the contaminants as possible before manual cleaning.
• Work with wheel brushes for the angles and recesses of today’s molded and spoked rims.
• Apply “all-wheel” cleaner designed for automobiles. Household chemicals–dish soap, porcelain cleaners and the like are too harsh and could stain or damage wheel surfaces permanently.

Step 2 - What is “good enough”?

One driver’s gleam is another driver’s “Meh!”

For Pennington the goal is clean, attractive wheels that continue to look good throughout the year. A vehicle entered into a show requires more diligence than a family car shuttling kids to and from sporting events.

“Cleaning can be as easy as using a spray detailer and wiping down the wheel,” Pennington said. “Or it can be as meticulous as taking off the wheel and cleaning the back side as well as the calipers.

“Most drivers just want to keep their wheels looking good without spending a lot of time.” 

Professional detailers want to achieve the brightest results. They usually select cleaners designed for specific types of wheels–powder coated, anodized, raw aluminum, chrome as well as three-piece wheels mixing different types of metals.

“There are so many variations of wheels on the market choosing the right cleaner can get tricky,” Pennington said. 

The choice of cleaners becomes problematic.

““You need a delicate cleaner for aluminum wheels,” Penningtone said. “Antique vehicles may have painted surfaces or even wood with urethane coating.

“Never use chrome wheel cleaner on an aluminum wheel.”

What’s the answer?

“Most drivers and home detailers can get great results with an all-wheel cleaner,” Penningon said. “It is safe and effective.” 

Step 3 - Simple steps to “Wow!”

Over many years of taking care of his own vehicles–including his rebuilt 1967 Chevy II Nova– Pennington has created a process for bringing out the shine in all his vehicles. 

“Always start with the wheels before washing the rest of the vehicle,” Pennington said. “That way you avoid splattering corrosive wheel grime on surfaces you just cleaned.”

Pennington shared other wheel and tire cleaning tips he has acquired over decades of vehicle care:

1. Keep a set of wheel cleaning brushes nearby to help remove brake dust and other embedded contaminants. Brushes also help speed up the job of cleaning wheels. 
2. Rinse off all the wheels with a spray nozzle or power washer. Use a light pressure setting to avoid damaging the wheel surface coating. 
3. Spray wheel cleaner and brush the wheel. An all-wheel cleaner makes a good choice for most wheels.
4. Clean wheels when the surface is cool to prevent solution from drying before you have a chance to rinse it off. 
5. Give wheels thorough rinse every time the wheel is sprayed and brushed. Wheel cleaner residue may damage the surface. 
6. Clean one wheel at a time. Spray the wheel cleaner, brush crevices and rinse thoroughly with water.
7. Shake the brush in the water bucket after every use to prevent contaminants from being transferred to other surfaces. 
8. Dry wheels thoroughly with a soft, clean cloth such as a microfiber towel. 
9. Use a tire brush to remove the browning haze that causes tires to look dull. Rinse the tire thoroughly.
10. Add a layer of wax protection on the wheel to keep contaminants from adhering and make future wheel cleaning easier.

“Cleaning wheels can help prevent permanent stains, etching and corrosion,” Pennington said. “Good-looking wheels also help improve the value of a vehicle and give your vehicle the ‘wow’ factor.”