Wheel & Arch - Basics Tutorial

[Dave KG]

Until detailed photographs can be added, please heed the following health and safety warnings:

Never go underneath a car supported by the supplied jack - always use axle stands if you wish to work underneath the car (engine undersides, chassis undersides etc).

Always jack the car up at the manufacturer's recommended jacking points. Ensure the jack is in stable contact with both the jacking point (see owner's manual) and the ground. Always work on level ground.

Place a wheel chock (or brick) on either side of the wheel diagonally opposite to the one on which you are working to prevent lateral movement of the car.

Use the spare wheel - locate underneath the body either behind or infront of the jack as an additional support should the jack fail which the car can land on - do not rely on this to safe you, it is simply one of many precautions.

If you have the wheel off the car for prolonged periods of time (for waxing, polishing etc) and you are using the supplied jack, put the spare wheel on the car and lower the car back down rather than leaving it on the jack for a prolonged period. The jack is simply designed to hold the car in the air for a short time to allow wheel changes. Keeping the car in the air for a prolonged time requires the use of dedicated axle stands.


The purpose of this tutorial is to outline a basic step guide to cleaning the wheel and arch on a car... It is not designed to be fully detailed but rather give a basic outline of some methods and techniques based on general products that most detailers are likely to have lying around... more advanced techniques will be covered in dedicated guides.


The Wheel & Arch

Cleaning up the wheel and arch at the start of a detail can make a big difference to the end result... even as part of a general wash, ensuring the the wheel arches are fully cleaned out is important to ensure that car doesn't have a clean bodywork but then muddy covered arches which stand out a mile away!!

So, the wheel and arch region before:








Preparing...

As part of a full detail on your own car, it is worthwhile considering removing the wheel altogether for easy access to the wheel arch region - while you are in there, you can also check the condition of the brakes, suspension arms etc . However, professional detailers may be disinclined to remove a wheel, for very good reason that its a big responsibility to ensure its refitted correctly. However, just jacking the car up can help with good access to the wheel arch and I would recommend this even if you dont plan on removing the wheel itself...







You can see in here general dirt accumulation. Also, surface rust on the suspension strut which will be the topic of a separate tutorial

Please - observe safety when you have your car jacked up. If using the standard jack, bear in mind this is designed for a quick wheel change and not for supporting a vehicle for hours on end. I tend to use the spare wheel and place it under the bodywork either behind or in font of the jack (under the doors) to act as a support should the jack fail, and never go underneath a car that is on the standard jack!! If the jack fails and you get trapped underneath, serious injury can result!! Not trying to teach the obvious basics here, but I'd hate to see someone injured under a car, and it has happened to folks before


Cleaning the Wheel Arch

With the wheel now removed...





1) First rinse the wheel arch out to remove general loose dirt and grime...




2) If you have access to a foam lance, spray the wheel arch with snowfoam as you would do the body...





This help loosen further dirt and makes the future cleaning easier.


3) Rinse wheel arch out again to remove foam after allowing it to dwell a few minutes...




4) Now more dedicated cleaning. Spray on an All Purpose Cleaner (Meguiars APC used here, diluted 4:1). Foaming spray head here increases dwell time...








5) Agitate the APC using a brush to remove more ingrained grime...





Ensure you do not miss the top of the wheel arch!:




6) Rinse out the wheel arch again...



Directing the water upwards ensures the top of the wheel arch well rinsed out also, start here first on the principle of starting at the top and working down...




7) Dress the plastics with a suitable dressing, Meguiars All Seasons Dressing used here...




In the end, the wheel arch was a lot cleaner, especially the black plastic region:







Note heavier ingrained grime on the inner arch would require more treatment with a stronger cleaning solution, however two hits of APC here delivered a huge improvement. Surface rust can also be treated and this will be the topic of a future tutorial.


The Wheel

Before, a lot of caked on grime, dust and tar...






1) Beginning on the inside of the wheel, first spray with an All Purpose Cleaner and rinse to remove as much surface grim as possible...




2) Now move on to a dedicated wheel cleaner. Spray onto the wheel and work with a brush. Large brush for large areas...



Small brush for tighter areas...



Note: Meguiars Wheel Brightener used here. This is an aggressive wheel cleaner which can damage sensitive rims and plastic centre caps so should be used with caution.


3) Rinse wheel thoroughy...






4) Repeat on the wheel face...



Large soft bristle brush covers the face...



And smaller brush (Vikan used here) for the details...




5) Protect the wheel with a suitable wheel sealent/wax (optional*)


Wheel complete:



Note here that heavily bonded tar and grime can be removed with a tar and glue remover, not shown here. Claying can also help remove bonded grime. Corroded parts of the wheel can only be fixed by refurbishment.


Tyre

1) Clean the tyre using an all purpose cleaner and a brush to remove dirt and grime from the rubber

2) Dress the tyre (optional) using a tyre dressing (Meguiars Hot Rims used here...). Rather than spraying onto the tyre, apply with an applicator pad for more even application and less sling...





Completed

The wheel and arch region now fully cleaned and dressed. Using just simple products and tool than many detailers will have lying around, a huge improvement can be seen:










* Some users may not wish to use a wheel protection product if a lot of brake dust coverage is experienced. While a wheel sealent can make cleaning easier, for some cars the brake dust can still settle easily and be hard to clean, necessitating regular use of a dedicated wheel cleaner in which case a wheel sealent is a pointless addition to the regime.