How To Clean Alloy Wheels

After a few months new alloy wheels do lose their sparkle. Grime, minor scratches and tar spots will be too stubborn for a wet sponge. Wash the alloy wheels first with your usual shampoo and a sponge. Use a good quality car wax and a soft cloth to lightly polish the surface. This will remove spots of tar and minor surface scratches and help to throw off water. Never try to polish a dirty wheel; the cloth will pick up pieces of dirt and grit and could score the surface.

Wash the face of the alloy wheels first, then round the inside of the spokes using plenty of water. This stops a run-off of dirt from the back of the alloy wheel collecting in the corners of the spokes and starting to corrode the aluminum.

Don’t forget those tyres too. To protect them tyre manufacturers actually recommend a light coating of wax, rather than one of the many tyre cleaners which you can buy. The cheapest solution is ordinary shoe polish applied with a shoe brush. Buff lightly and the polish will bring the tyre to a nice black shine which does full justice to your alloy wheels. It also helps to keep the rubber clean by throwing off water and protecting it from road salt and UV from the sun.

Care must be taken when driving over humps. Many alloy wheels have a deep dish which means the inner rim can be unsupported. The soft aluminum alloy is easily flattened if you hit a speed hump too fast. The outer rim is usually well supported by the spokes. It is also advisable not to run up kerbs when parking etc. Much damage can be caused at a very low speed. A flattened front alloy wheel rim may have a slight wobble on the steering at low speeds, whereas a flattened rear alloy wheel will cause a drone at high speed. If you have a CD player which is prone to skipping and jumping, the cause could be a flattened alloy wheel.

For the real enthusiast, getting your alloy wheels clean is really important. For the very best clean it is worth removing your alloy wheels. The reflection from the bright alloy behind the spokes and around the inside of the wheel rim dramatically improves the appearance of your alloy wheels.

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