Courtesy of ‘shine authority’ Meguiar’s

Meguiar’s has been cleaning and caring for wheels and tyres on the world’s planes, trains and automobiles since 1901.
It says the below is what it has learnt in those 120-plus years:

1. Wheels must be cool to the touch for cleaning. If they’re hot or even warm, you run the risk of damaging their finish.
2. Wash your wheels first – otherwise there’s a good chance crud from cleaning the wheels and tyres will splash all over your freshly washed paintwork.
3. Clean your wheels regularly. Brake dust left for too long will etch into the wheel’s surfaces – at which point it will be almost impossible to ever get them looking new again.
4. Avoid highly acidic wheel cleaners, when used incorrectly they have the potential to ruin your wheel’s finish. If in doubt, test on a small inconspicuous area.
5. If your wheels are heavily soiled, you’ll need a powerful wheel cleaner – like Meguiar’s Factory Equipped Wheel and Tyre Cleaner. Even then, Meguiar’s only recommend it for OEM wheels that are clear-coated or chromed.
6. For regular wheel cleaning, as well as for polished/billet wheels, Meguiar’s says its Ultimate All Wheel Cleaner is its safest, most gentle wheel cleaner. It also has a colour-activated formula to help with the cleaning process. *Note: Wheel cleaning only removes contamination, therefore billet and/or un-coated wheels will need to be periodically polished to keep them shining.
7. Wheel and tyre cleaning is always more effective with agitation. Meguiar’s says its Wheel Face Brush and Universal Wheel Brush are ideal for getting into every surface and into all those fine detail areas.
8. Use an old chamois or drying towel to dry your wheels. This is especially important with polished/billet/un-coated wheels, as they’re quite prone to water spotting. Compressed air, or an electric leaf blower are also great for drying wheels.
9. After scrubbing the tyres clean, apply a tyre dressing to improve appearance. A premium dressing will also protect against UV attack, cracking, browning and premature ageing. Beware of cheap dressings, they wash off at the first sight of water and have a horrible tendency to sling residue up the side of your car.
10. Meguiar’s has three different dressings for a few different looks. Long lasting Endurance Tire Gel will give your tyres that ‘new’ look through to moderately shiny. Whereas, Insane Shine (aerosol) and Hot Shine (pump pack) deliver a deep, dark, ultra wet-look that Meguiar’s says lasts for weeks.

For more information, visit www.meguiars.com.au