How to Maintain and Care for Your Alloy Wheels

One of the main draws of alloy wheels is their look: the aesthetics of an alloy wheel cannot be denied. But unless you only drive short distances on pristine roads, they will quickly begin to accumulate a layer of road dust, rock salt (especially in winter, when roads are gritted against ice) and even fine particulates from the brakes and the engine, leaving your beautiful, delicately tinted alloy wheels looking a little bit sad. The answer is to correctly maintain and care for your alloy wheels – here’s how. 

Keep Them Clean 

The first steps to alloy wheel maintenance is to keep them clean. Depending on how often you drive and how grimy your car gets during those drives, you can clean your car (you might as well do the whole thing, rather than just the wheels and tyres!) weekly, fortnightly or monthly. Ireland’s roads tend to be well-kept, especially in lovely Larne, for the most part, but there are occasional rough patches, potholes and places where the dirt seems keen to hitch-hike a ride on your beautiful new alloy wheels to somewhere – anywhere – else! Keeping a regular cleaning schedule in place will help you to monitor the condition of your wheels, so you will be aware of what your wheels should look like and thus be more easily able to spot should something go wrong with them – if something serious does go wrong, however, you will need to replace your wheels promptly, which you can easily do by purchasing Tyre Safety Centre’s alloy wheels in Larne. Clean your alloys carefully, using: 

• Mild soap: strong soaps can strip the shine from your alloys or even discolour or dull them 

• Clean water of the right temperature: overly hot water can affect the look of your alloys by dulling the shining or affect the subtlety of the colour, while very cold water can work to ‘set’ greasy grime, making it harder than ever to dislodge. 

• Use Soft Cleaning Products: soft-bristled brushes, clean fabric cloths or chamois, and moderately powered jet cleaners are the order of the day. Anything rough or abrasive can damage the outer surface of the alloys, not only making it look unsightly, but also providing a lodging place for fresh layers of dirt and even causing damage to the alloy that might need remedial attention sooner rather than later (see below). 

Wet the wheels, so any loose dirt is washed off, and then use the cloth to apply the mild soap (in the form of sudsy water) all over the wheel, making sure to get inside the spokes or any decorative swirls and patterns – these are perfect spots for dust and dirt to accumulate. Leave the suds in place for five to ten minutes (longer if the instructions on the soap or detergent you are using say so) and then rinse well with another bucketful of clean warm water. Visually check over the wheels and see if there is any dirt left in place. If so, these areas can be spot-cleaned and rinsed. Once you are happy that the wheels are clean, gently remove the excess water with a clean, dry towel or chamois. 

By making sure that you wash your wheels by hand, you will be protecting your alloys from rough brushes and cloths that might scrape the finished surface, causing damage and worse. 

Apply Protective Coat  

If you have one available, apply a protective coat to your alloy wheels (check your tyre manufacturers’ recommendations if you aren’t sure which one to use). These products leave a thin layer on the wheels’ surface which acts as a repellent to dirt and grime, and also provides a ‘cushion’ against small scrapes and scuffs as might be incurred during a regular commute. 

Finally, pay attention to any scuffs and scratches that do occur, whether this is through a mistake when cleaning your wheels or something that has occurred during your commute, unnoticed by you. Get these small errors repaired as soon as you can: this will help to prevent damage from worsening, and can also stop corrosion from getting a hold on your wheels. Corrosion is the alloy equivalent of rust, but unlike iron-based wheels, it shows as whitish residue rather than the distinctive reddish-brown of iron corrosion or rust.