Wheel Maintenance Guide - What’s the Best Way to Maintain Wheels?
It’s the wheels that make your ride stand out—so how do you best take care of them?
We’ve prepared a wheel maintenance guide with easy steps to help protect your wheels and ensure lasting style.
Why do you need to clean and maintain your wheels?
In the day-to-day of driving, your tires and wheels are up against dirt and mud, road grime and debris, even melting snow and salt. If you want to keep that factory finish, it takes regular hand-washing care to keep your wheels clean and free of harsh contaminants.
- When road grime or salt is buried under dirt, moisture can become trapped and cause corrosion
- Some automatic car washes are unable to deep clean all the nooks and crannies in your wheels—and the brushes and products used can sometimes be too abrasive
- Wheels that have been neglected could risk a void warranty
What should you use to clean your wheels?
Be careful, many household cleaners contain ingredients that can be too harsh for wheel maintenance, and can actually damage the finish. The best bet? A mild dish soap or car wash soap.
Wheel maintenance steps for chrome wheels, painted wheels and aluminum wheels
Step 1: Before cleaning wheels, make sure they’re cool to the touch, long after driving. Splashing water on hot wheels can damage the finish.
Step 2: Using a mild dish soap or car wash soap, lukewarm water and a gentle cloth, rub your wheels to remove grime.
Step 3: Dry immediately with a soft cloth so you don’t get spotting.
Step 4: For all wheel finishes, especially chrome, it is recommended to apply a non-abrasive polish or wax to maintain your wheel warranty and protect against corrosion.
How should you clean your wheels in winter?
In many parts of Canada, winter roads see salt, gravel and de-icing agents that can degrade the finish and appearance of wheels. If you really want to extend the life of your wheels, wash them even more regularly through the winter months.
Want to know more about popular wheel choices for winter? Read our guide of popular steel and aluminum (alloy) wheels.
