Wheel Well Help

[TallPaul1]

I would like to know how to detail my wheel wells.
Do you use APC and wash off or is it a waste of time?

Do you use some kind of dressing or some black paint?


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[Tuck91]

Re: Wheel Well Help

Is it pretty much black plastic lining?

If so, you could try car wash soap and water, APC and a brush. Then dress them with something like All Season Dressing or Hyperdressing.

I like clean and dressed wheelwells:

[JSM]

Re: Wheel Well Help

Nice work, Tuck. Is that All-Season Dressing on your tires, too?

[Murr1525]

Re: Wheel Well Help

Yeah, I use APC and a brush. Then rinse out.

I'll follow up with a dressing sometimes.

[Innovative Detailing]

Re: Wheel Well Help

Definately a must.....

-APC+
-Long arm wheel well brush
-Rinse
-While still wet liberally mist your rubber/vinyl treatment in the wheel well area
-Make sure all 200 degrees of the painted edge of the arch is free of tar or contaminants.

I have always felt that clean, treated and conditioned wheel wells compare to wearing a clean pair of socks when your dressed up and your shoes are polished like a mirror. JMO....

Nothing worse than seeing a freshly detailed car and the wheel wells are either grey or brown and chalky looking or poorly detailed.

[J. A. Michaels]

Re: Wheel Well Help

Yes, I also clean the wheel wells, I use APC and a long handle toilet bowl brush I picked up from the Dollar Tree. Then I usually dress them in All Season Dressing. I also agree a clean ww is a must.

[agp56]

Re: Wheel Well Help

Did anybody else hear ZZtop playing "Sharp Dressed Man" when reading post #5 on this thread? Just wondering.......

[Autobrite]

Re: Wheel Well Help

Did anybody else hear ZZtop playing "Sharp Dressed Man" when reading post #5 on this thread? Just wondering.......

[akimel]

Re: Wheel Well Help

I spray the wheel wells with APC+, let it sit for a minute or two, brush them, and hose them down. After they dry, I have been dressing the wheel wells with Stoner Trim Shine, but I suppose that any aerosol or trigger tire/trim dressing would also work. One of these days I'll pick up a gallon of Hyper Dressing.

[Michael Stoops]

Re: Wheel Well Help

Try doing this at each corner of the vehicle:

1. Liberally spray APC or APC+ up into the wheel wells
2. Spray the same onto the tire sidewall
3. Spray the appropriate wheel cleaner onto the face of the wheels, and as effectively as you can through the spokes
4. Using a quality wheel brush that is soaking wet with water lightly agitate the wheels to remove brake dust, etc. If you are lucky enough to have a Meguiar's Versa Angle Wheel Face Brush in your arsenal then you're in luck. These will actually hold quite a bit of water and will do a decent job of rinsing the wheel cleaner off, or at least diluting it, while you work on a given corner.
5. Using a stiff brush scrub the tire sidewalls clean
6. Using a long handled toilet brush scrub the wheel liners clean
7. Rinse thoroughly with a generous flush of clean water

Doing it in this process will give the APC a longer dwell time on the wheel liners and tires and less dwell time for the wheel cleaner - which is what you want.

Whether you do this before or after you wash the rest of the vehicle is up to you, but once you're done washing move onto the drying process, again working just one corner at a time:

1. Dry the wheel face with a clean, soft towel. If you have painted wheels then treat them to the same type of towel you would use on the rest of the painted surfaces of the vehicle, but perhaps dedicate a towel or two just for wheels.
2. Dry the tire sidewall with a terry cloth towel, paying attention to the lowest point of the tire/wheel bead as this always seems to collect a fair bit of water.
3. Apply your favorite dressing to the tire sidewall.
4. Apply a light coat of wax to the wheel face (assuming a painted or clear coated wheel, of course)
5. Liberally spray your favorite vinyl/rubber dressing up into the wheel wells. Don't be shy here, let 'er rip!

Do the above 5 steps to all 4 corners, then go back one by one and wipe off the hazed wax. As a final step, go back around to all 4 corners, one by one, and give the tire sidewalls a final wipedown with an old terry towel to remove any excess tire dressing, preventing potential sling. Doing the sidewall wipedown dead last will ensure that the dressing has soaked in/dried pretty thoroughly, letting you get the most out of it.

The entire process outlined above allows plenty of drying time for the wax and tire dressing, without wasting time just sitting around waiting for things to dry.

[1970judge]

Re: Wheel Well Help

I clean my well with a brush and soapy solution, then dress them with HOT shine tire coating....although that is the more expensive route, it works very well!

[Tuck91]

Re: Wheel Well Help

Nice work, Tuck. Is that All-Season Dressing on your tires, too?

Yeah, I think so.

[HCAD]

Re: Wheel Well Help

I'm very similar to the rest of you, but I spray Super Degreaser in the wheel well instead of APC. Follow it with a scrub from a long handle (stiff) brush. After all else is said and done I hit the tires and wheel wells with All Season Dressing. I used the Hyper Dressing at first but it didn't seem to last anywhere near as long as the ASD.

[TallPaul1]

Re: Wheel Well Help

Wow, Thanks Everyone. Great info. I am planing to clean Wheels tomorrow. I will need to hit the Dollar store on the way have two get a long handle brush... I bet they are more that a Dollar.....


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