Maniac-Auto Tutorials: Wheel & Tire Cleaning and Protection
DETAILING STEP N°1 BIS: CLEANING AND PROTECTING WHEELS
When should you clean your wheels?
This is THE first question to ask yourself! At what point should you wash your wheels during a full detailing? Well, at Maniac-Auto, we recommend cleaning them just before the two-bucket wash of your vehicle, and protecting them during the finishing steps (waxing, dressing). Of course, you are not required to perform every step shown in this video each time. However, it is very important to do so during a full renovation or when the wheels are really dirty.
Essential products & accessories?
- 1 wheel cleaner
- 1 degreaser for tires and wheel arches
- 1 wheel brush
- 1 chemical-resistant brush
- 1 or more dilution bottles
- 1 tar remover
- 1 iron decontaminant
- 1 tire dressing
- 1 wheel wax
- 1+ suitable microfibers
- 1+ applicators for wax and tire dressing
We can break this tutorial down into several steps, here they are:
- Wheel & tire cleaning
To be done just before the two-bucket wash, wheel cleaning is the first step. It allows you to remove the bulk of the dirt, somewhat like a pre-wash step for the bodywork.
Here are the products used in the video:
- Bilberry Safe Wheel Cleaner, Valet Pro
- Orange Degreaser, Chemical Guys
- EZ Detail Brush, EZ
- Chemical Resistant Brush, Valet Pro
- Maniac-Auto dilution bottle
- Removing brake dust and tar
Once the majority of the dirt has been removed, only certain stubborn contaminants will remain. The most common? Brake dust and tar.
For this, here are the products used in the tutorial:
- Iron X, Car Pro
- Citrus Tar & Glue Remover, Valet Pro
You can of course use the brushes from the wheel cleaning step to apply these products.
- Waxing
Before applying a protective wax to the wheels, it is important to dry them thoroughly. Do this with a black microfiber cloth as shown in the video — this will prevent it from looking dirty. That is perfectly normal! It is there to clean your beautiful wheels.
Here, the choice is entirely up to you! If you prefer a simple-to-use product with a few weeks (or months) of protection, we recommend a sealant such as one of the following:
- Wheel Armour, Prima
- Wheel Guard, Chemical Guys
- Wheel Sealant, Poorboy's
If you have a little more patience and want long-lasting (1 year) and rock-solid protection, we highly recommend the G5 Wheel Armour ceramic coating, Gtechniq.
- Tire dressing
You are not going to forget the finishing touch, are you?! And what about your tires... Here, it is simply a matter of look, application and durability. Some products are very glossy, others satin or matte. To choose the one that suits you, feel free to check our product pages — we explain everything!
A little selection we love at Maniac-Auto:
- Classic Protectant, Valet Pro
- Slick, Fictech
- Satin Tire Gel, Auto Finesse
- Black Diamond Tire Gel, Wolfgang
- New Look Trim Gel, Chemical Guys
Don't forget the right applicator! ;)