Do You Wash Your Wheels First or Last?

[Blueline]

Re: Do You Wash Your Wheels First or Last?

Wheels and tires last. Any dirt that gets sprayed up, I just rinse it off. I see no purpose in washing the car with dirty and possible gritty wheel water, and less of a purpose (for me) to have a separate bucket just for wheels to do them first. I do have a separate microfiber wash mitt for wheels only. My good sheep skin is for paint only.

[DasBurninator]

Re: Do You Wash Your Wheels First or Last?

Wheels and tires last. Any dirt that gets sprayed up, I just rinse it off. I see no purpose in washing the car with dirty and possible gritty wheel water, and less of a purpose (for me) to have a separate bucket just for wheels to do them first. I do have a separate microfiber wash mitt for wheels only. My good sheep skin is for paint only.

I just see this as making more work for yourself. By the time the car is clean and you've taken time to clean wheels, tires, and wheel wells, the water that was on the car is now drying or dried into water spots. You're splashing more dirt onto paint that you just rinsed off. So now you have to rinse it again, possibly dry it again too depending on how you plan on avoiding water spotting from washing the car first.

The other part of this too is how long does it take you to wash your wheels? For me, washing wheels, tires, and wheel wells takes me longer than washing the rest of the car. It is a much more tedious process partially due to my OCD and partially due to complexity with what it takes to clean wheel wells and tires on a lowered car. But even the daily driver, which is a midsized SUV takes me a while just due to the extra size of things. Obviously if you are only cleaning the face of the wheels, ignoring the wheel wells, and just doing a once over on the tires it takes much less time.

Before I bought a dedicated wheel bucket I would either use my rinse bucket and rinse it out, or just hose off my tools as I go and not use a bucket at all for wheels. (I tend to only use a wash mitt on my wheels for rinseless, otherwise I use various brushes mainly)

This is just how I was taught to wash from a pro, and how many other pro's wash as well. There is something to be said for that in itself.

Is either method right or wrong? No. They are just different methods to the madness.

[Blueline]

Re: Do You Wash Your Wheels First or Last?

I just see this as making more work for yourself. By the time the car is clean and you've taken time to clean wheels, tires, and wheel wells, the water that was on the car is now drying or dried into water spots.

The cars get a rinse after each wheel and never dries before I am ready to dry it. No waters spots, nada. I have learned lots of things from pros that I later found to be not so pro. Anyway, I really don't think it makes a hoot of difference which we do first as long as we are careful not to introduce swirls or scratches. You say too-MA-toe, I say too-MAY-toe, same red fruit, and both make a wonderful sandwich.

[davey g-force]

Re: Do You Wash Your Wheels First or Last?

Wheels and tires last. Any dirt that gets sprayed up, I just rinse it off. I see no purpose in washing the car with dirty and possible gritty wheel water, and less of a purpose (for me) to have a separate bucket just for wheels to do them first. I do have a separate microfiber wash mitt for wheels only. My good sheep skin is for paint only.

^^ Exactly this!

The cars get a rinse after each wheel and never dries before I am ready to dry it. No waters spots, nada.

^^ And this!

But again, whatever works best for you!

[DasBurninator]

Re: Do You Wash Your Wheels First or Last?

The cars get a rinse after each wheel and never dries before I am ready to dry it. No waters spots, nada. I have learned lots of things from pros that I later found to be not so pro. Anyway, I really don't think it makes a hoot of difference which we do first as long as we are careful not to introduce swirls or scratches. You say too-MA-toe, I say too-MAY-toe, same red fruit, and both make a wonderful sandwich.

You keep those red fruits away from my sammich :P

Is either method right or wrong? No. They are just different methods to the madness.

I think the biggest take away from this discussion is as you stated, proper washing methods more than anything. The rest comes down to preference.

[Eldorado2k]

Re: Do You Wash Your Wheels First or Last?

I wash the wheels & tires 1st, no bucket needed. Just D143 and a couple of my trusty brushes.

Sometimes I use D108 & D140, depending on the level of dirt and brake dust.

[Captain Rad]

Re: Do You Wash Your Wheels First or Last?

Forgot to mention another reason I do them first. I really do not enjoy doing it and I want it to be over and done with.

[JET_Fusion]

I agree. Cleaning the tires, rims, inside of rims, tire/rim seam, valve stem pocket, lug nuts and pockets, balance weights, wheel wells, wheel well fastener perimeter seam, calipers, brake lines, etc for all 4 corners takes the same amount of time as the rest of the vehicle. I'd rather get it done quickly as possible.

[Eldorado2k]

Re: Do You Wash Your Wheels First or Last?

That's why I hate performing a "regular wash" on lifted trucks with big tires.^

Because it's not as if you can just half arse the tires & wheel wells, not to mention they're usually trashed and full of mudd so you end up spending a good amount of time on them..

From now on I'm raising prices on all trucks. Lol.

[Nappers]

Re: Do You Wash Your Wheels First or Last?

Wash wheels first with 2 buckets, change water and do rest of the car from bottom to top then flood rinse. Grit guards in place as well.

I do change water from bottom of body if it's bad, like road salts covering or mud from winter. No need to scratch one's car up.

[Top Gear]

Re: Do You Wash Your Wheels First or Last?

By the way guys, ever heard of rinsing and reloading the bucket, and using more than one mitt? Who washes a car and all the wheels with the same bucket of water?? I've even used two buckets' worth just for the paint alone if it's really greasy, etc. I usually use two buckets' worth for the wheels, because of all the brake dust in the barrels of the wheels.

Because I dry with the leaf blower, if I'm done with the paint and then have to do the wheels, there will be water spots before I even start drying, hence, I do the wheels first, reset the bucket, and I use a different mitt. Then, when done, I can do a full blow dry with no water spots.

[Eldorado2k]

Re: Do You Wash Your Wheels First or Last?

I can't recall the last time I used a mitt to clean the wheels but it must be years if ever.. For me it's spray, agitate, hose off.

The only thing I don't like about doing the wheels 1st is they get the 1st water and typically get dried last.

For me, 1st drying priority is the glass, which I quickly hit with a squeegee immediately after the sheet rinse in order to prevent water spots. It's still not done, but the majority of the water is off. Then either blow dry the nooks & crannies [but skip the wheels & tires] and follow with a quik wipe dry with Water Magnet.

And then I begin to blow dry the wheels & tires. But by then they're usually far from perfect due to the water staying on them too long and require a quik wipedown with D114/D115/or D156.

And finally clean the glass w/D120.

I have wheel covers in the garage, but I rarely use them. The neighbors would probably think I'm nutts if they saw that. Lmao.

[Spazzz]

Re: Do You Wash Your Wheels First or Last?

I do the tires/wheels first when doing a 2 bucket wash.
Using a separate bucket, with brushes and walmart microfibers, I can do the barrels and wheel wells while being way more liberal and aggressive.
I do not like having to be careful after I have dried the car.

With a rinseless they are done last with the remaining D114

[Aenygma]

Re: Do You Wash Your Wheels First or Last?

I do the wheels and tires first with its own bucket and brush and mitt (I like to put my hand inside the wheels the best I can and do the inside of the wheels as well).
After that, the rest of the car with yet another bucket and 2 mitts.

[The Guz]

Re: Do You Wash Your Wheels First or Last?

I can't recall the last time I used a mitt to clean the wheels but it must be years if ever.. For me it's spray, agitate, hose off.

The only thing I don't like about doing the wheels 1st is they get the 1st water and typically get dried last.

For me, 1st drying priority is the glass, which I quickly hit with a squeegee immediately after the sheet rinse in order to prevent water spots. It's still not done, but the majority of the water is off. Then either blow dry the nooks & crannies [but skip the wheels & tires] and follow with a quik wipe dry with Water Magnet.

And then I begin to blow dry the wheels & tires. But by then they're usually far from perfect due to the water staying on them too long and require a quik wipedown with D114/D115/or D156.

And finally clean the glass w/D120.

I have wheel covers in the garage, but I rarely use them. The neighbors would probably think I'm nutts if they saw that. Lmao.

Blast them dry with the sidekick until you start washing. It will only take a few extra minutes.