| Washing the Wheels
It is highly recommended to use a different set of equipment (sponge, bucket etc) for the wheels. This will reduce the risk of scratching other parts of the paint work, as the wheels are usually the dirtiest part of a vehicle.
There are two common ways to clean the wheels of a vehicle.
The first way is to clean them with soap and a wheel brush. The choice of brush rests largely on the design of the hubcaps or rims.
First, ensure that the wheels have been rinsed with water. Next, scrub them with the wheel brush being careful not scratch the hubcaps' paint. Note: hubcaps with grooves in them can contain a lot of brake dust, as can alloy wheels. These problem areas can require extra time and scrubbing.
The second way is spray on, rinse off chemicals; directions for these should be found on the bottle.
Rinsing and drying the vehicle
An important step is rinsing all of the soap off of the vehicle. Begin at the top and spray downwards to avoid splashing soap back up to the top of the vehicle.
Afterwards, dry the vehicle with the chamois in small circular strokes. An alternative to a chamois is a pure cotton terry cloth towel. As much as possible, dry the vehicle thorougly including the nooks and crannies (door jambs, under the hood, trunk lid, etc) to prevent water spots and premature corrosion. It is not recommend to allow the vehicle to dry naturally as minerals in the water will be left behind as the water itself evaporates.  |