# Cleaning Wheel Arches - Best Practice?



## bogbloke (Apr 10, 2008)

Hey Everyone

Something that I have been neglecting when washing my car of late (sorry) but something I will do in future.

When cleaning these is it best to rinse and then use a degreaser or cleaner like citrus wash etc and then use old wash mitt to get in between wheel and arch?

I don't really have old wash mitt so any recommendations on a cheap mitt I can get for this job will be appreciated.


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## Luke M (Jul 1, 2013)

I spray with an apc then a long handled brush such as the vikan one will do the trick.
I don't do this every time. As a minimum I'll spray pre wash and then pressure wash as I go round.


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## pantypoos (Aug 7, 2014)

I make wheel arches part of the wheel cleaning routine. 

Firstly I will rinse the wheel arches car and apply pre wash or snowfoam while doing the rest of the car, then before i start cleaning each wheel i'll apply some APC, then after i have cleaned each wheel i'll use either a brush or more usually my large wheel woollie and give the wheel arch a good scrub, then i rinse while rinsing the wheel.

Then after the whole car has been cleaned and i'm at the dressing stage i'll apply some CarChem Plastic & Vinyl Wax using a MF mitt to make the arches shiney and black.


Oooooo, just noticed this is my 1000th post!


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## TonyHill (Jul 28, 2015)

A good idea to keep them clean from all the salt on the roads at the moment. I've been pressure washing mine daily lol :thumb:


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## MDC250 (Jan 4, 2014)

Not a job for this time of year but when it warns up get the wheels off, deep clean and seal with something like CarPro DLUX. Mine clean up pretty much with just the PW since I did this but will every now and again agitate with something like Britemax Grimeout and a Vikan brush.


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## Shogun (Mar 21, 2010)

I use atas dimer or mafra mafrasol and the wheel archers look like new after a good rinse off


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## shine247 (Mar 1, 2010)

An easy way to clean them, at least the visible parts is with a brush, I use the one shown below, it should prove better than a mitt in most instances. I have a lot of cheap Demon Machine cleaner which I spray on and then scrub them when needed. Once clean, the pw alone is normally enough though.

Taking the wheels off is great for cleaning the whole area at the right time if you are able.

This is the brush, Go EZ detail, £17 delivered from Polished Bliss, it has gone up a couple of £ since I bought mine but with exchange rates etc. it is to be expected


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## steelghost (Aug 20, 2015)

shine247 said:


> An easy way to clean them, at least the visible parts is with a brush, I use the one shown below, it should prove better than a mitt in most instances. I have a lot of cheap Demon Machine cleaner which I spray on and then scrub them when needed. Once clean, the pw alone is normally enough though.
> 
> Taking the wheels off is great for cleaning the whole area at the right time if you are able.
> 
> This is the brush, Go EZ detail, £17 delivered from Polished Bliss, it has gone up a couple of £ since I bought mine but with exchange rates etc. it is to be expected


I've got one of these brushes too, as well as a Mothers wheel / tyre set, do a good job of getting the worst of the muck out. But mainly every time I wash the car I get the underbody lance out and give the arches a good fizz out, having sprayed them with Auto Foam along with the body work. As with so many things, little and often is the way to do it - if it gets caked on, especially eg around top mounts, it's a right pain to get them clean again.


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## Soul boy 68 (Sep 8, 2013)

I routinely wash my wheel arches by PW rinse then apply APC via foaming nozzle then scrub them with my fender brush followed by the PW rinse. Twice a year I take my wheels off and give the arches, brakes, calipers and suspension a good clean before protection is applied.


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## euge07 (Jan 15, 2011)

Big brush is no use on the arches with carpet like material. No idea why manufactures thought that type of liner was a good idea! Surfex sprayed on and jet washed off works well


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## MDC250 (Jan 4, 2014)

euge07 said:


> No idea why manufactures thought that type of liner was a good idea!


Sound isolation I think?


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## Soul boy 68 (Sep 8, 2013)

euge07 said:


> Big brush is no use on the arches with carpet like material. No idea why manufactures thought that type of liner was a good idea! Surfex sprayed on and jet washed off works well


Carpet like materials found in under arches is for sound deadening purposes, I personally don't like them for reasons relating to this thread. My M2 doesn't have them thank God, my M2s arches are so much easier to clean.


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## bogbloke (Apr 10, 2008)

Soul boy 68 said:


> Carpet like materials found in under arches is for sound deadening purposes, I personally don't like them for reasons relating to this thread. My M2 doesn't have them thank God, my M2s arches are so much easier to clean.


Thanks everyone for all the tips. I've just noticed my new v40 has this carpet material stuff, I presume from what I've read is that all I can do is bit of apc and jet wash after?

My abarth has plastic arches but I'm not sure I'll be able to get a brush between the wheel arch and tyre itself or will it it go if I'm careful?

Also what do I need to take wheels off in the summer? I'm not overly mechanicaly minded but it can't be that hard?


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## Soul boy 68 (Sep 8, 2013)

bogbloke said:


> Thanks everyone for all the tips. I've just noticed my new v40 has this carpet material stuff, I presume from what I've read is that all I can do is bit of apc and jet wash after?
> 
> My abarth has plastic arches but I'm not sure I'll be able to get a brush between the wheel arch and tyre itself or will it it go if I'm careful?
> 
> Also what do I need to take wheels off in the summer? I'm not overly mechanicaly minded but it can't be that hard?


You'll need a car jack obviously, axle stands and wheel chocks aswell as a wheel wrench. APC,jet wash and fender brush are all you need. Just take your time when taking your cars wheels off and do one wheel at a time.


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## steelghost (Aug 20, 2015)

Lots of videos on YouTube about this. Important things to get right:

Get a decent jack - SGS are a good bet. Axle stands are not strictly necessary for cleaning a wheel arch since you are not under the vehicle but still well worth having 

Make sure you have a jacking pad and know where your jacking points are, to avoid damaging the underside of the vehicle, particularly the sills. Your owner's manual will very probably have this information.

To actually remove the wheels you need a socket of the correct size for your wheel nuts. I'd get a ½" drive socket set and a compatible "breaker bar". ECP often have offers on these tools, as do many other outlets. The breaker bar is usually around 600mm long and allows you to loosen even stupidly overtightened wheel bolts without excessive effort. This means it's less likely you'll slip and injure yourself or damage your vehicle. 

Finally it's well worth while getting a torque wrench to ensure the wheel bolts are tightened "enough" but not too tight, especially for alloys wheels with conical studs. 

Given the above you're able to lift the car and get wheels on and off easily and safely, which makes it much easier to keep your wheels really clean, apply wheel sealants really thoroughly, and clean your wheel arches. You can also examine the suspension and brakes much more readily.


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