# 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.


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## Chris424

Fantastic Guide Dave! 

Is there any way of restoring the faded black plastic parts in the arches as mine are really faded, even after the ASD? Also where is the big brush from, looks perfect for this job?!


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## Dave KG

Chris424 said:


> Fantastic Guide Dave!
> 
> Is there any way of restoring the faded black plastic parts in the arches as mine are really faded, even after the ASD? Also where is the big brush from, looks perfect for this job?!


Bryan (blr123) got the big brush and it is absolutely ideal for the task... 

Have you tried something like Autoglum Bumper Care on the faded plastics: applied one layer to really work the product in and remove any resiude immediately, then smear the second layer on and let it sit for an hour or so to "soak" before removing.


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## 94Luke

Brilliant guide Dave! I think that brush is one of these:
http://www.motorgeek.co.uk/tyrewheel-brush-p-239.html


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## Chris424

Dave KG said:


> Bryan (blr123) got the big brush and it is absolutely ideal for the task...
> 
> Have you tried something like Autoglum Bumper Care on the faded plastics: applied one layer to really work the product in and remove any resiude immediately, then smear the second layer on and let it sit for an hour or so to "soak" before removing.


Brilliant, I will give him a pm.
Ok I will try that! Thank you :thumb:


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## coopsman1

great tutorial, need to sort mine out and have often wondered what product is best to use to protect the plastics


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## Chris_4536

Simply superb Dave.

Wouldn't expect anything less from you though :thumb:


Although, I usually use two lengths of wood to support the wheel, when laying it face down on the ground.


Chris


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## Chris_4536

And as per MSN;










I would hate to discover you under a collpased Astra!

...unless you get Bryan to do the risky stuff from now on :lol:


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## L200 Steve

Not knocking you Dave, 'cos you do some nice tutorials but....

I do think that if you are going to do write ups like this showing people how easy it is to carry out a task like this that you take basic health and safety into consideration.

i.e - Placement of jacks, type of jack, wheel chock's, axle stands etc. 

I don't think that this would take an awful lot of extra time to add to the post, but it would ensure that every single person who follows these instructions is working as safe as they possibly can be.

Work smart, work safe mate:thumb:


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## Dave KG

L200 Steve said:


> Not knocking you Dave, 'cos you do some nice tutorials but....
> 
> I do think that if you are going to do write ups like this showing people how easy it is to carry out a task like this that you take basic health and safety into consideration.
> 
> i.e - Placement of jacks, type of jack, wheel chock's, axle stands etc.
> 
> I don't think that this would take an awful lot of extra time to add to the post, but it would ensure that every single person who follows these instructions is working as safe as they possibly can be.
> 
> Work smart, work safe mate:thumb:


I will add these to the tutorial with some further photographs... The jack here is located correctly, with wheel chocks on opposite corner wheel as it should be... I was lucky enough to come across a set of wheel chocks to add to my collection in the back of the Toyota I just bought ...

Basic health and safety here was followed although perhaps not explicitly laid out, I will add these to this as and when I get the time to do so.


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## Dave KG

H&S added temporarily until I have time for photographs...


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## Rich

Maybe some pics you can use from here Dave

http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=899


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## Dave KG

Rich said:


> Maybe some pics you can use from here Dave
> 
> http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=899


Thank you, yes, I will borrow these pics and link across to your thread also if thats okay? As yours covers some more advanced points for going above and beyond whats covered here


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## Rich

No worries Dave.


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## Clark @ PB

You may want to add the removal of the tar from the arches after the APC stage Dave - AS Tardis or similair products will work fine


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## Epoch

Clark said:


> You may want to add the removal of the tar from the arches after the APC stage Dave - AS Tardis or similair products will work fine


Although if there is any waxoil type coating the Tardis may remove it, but yes would agree

Could go the whole hog and remove the arch liner and then BH Dynax behind too


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## Clark @ PB

Epoch said:


> Although if there is any waxoil type coating the Tardis may remove it, but yes would agree
> 
> Could go the whole hog and remove the arch liner and then BH Dynax behind too


I think as long as you have a certain degree of common sense (and if you dont then you probably wont have managed to get the wheel off ) then you'll be fine. My car has been waxoiled and undersealed underneath and in the arches and is fine providing you make sure you keep the tar remover away from these areas 

You could always just limit yourself to de-tarring the liners if you dont want to risk waxoil/underseal removal from the other areas....


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## Epoch

Clark said:


> *I think as long as you have a certain degree of common sense (and if you dont then you probably SHOULDN'T HAVE TAKEN THE WHEEL OFF )* then you'll be fine. My car has been waxoiled and undersealed underneath and in the arches and is fine providing you make sure you keep the tar remover away from these areas


NAIL/

HEAD


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## Dave KG

Clark said:


> You may want to add the removal of the tar from the arches after the APC stage Dave - AS Tardis or similair products will work fine


Indeed and as mentioned in the guide itself, a more detailed guide covering many more techniques and methods will be covered in due course including protecting the wheel arch as Neil S excellently showed using Bilt Hamber products... The purpose of this guide being to keep it basic, and keep it quick using products most have lying around...


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## Neil_M

I know in this thread the Meguiars APC has been used. But im using cheapie Sainsburys APC, its leaving whiteish streaks on the plastics of the arches, its also well diluted. Any ideas why its leaving the marks?


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## dominic84

> I know in this thread the Meguiars APC has been used. But im using cheapie Sainsburys APC, its leaving whiteish streaks on the plastics of the arches, its also well diluted. Any ideas why its leaving the marks?


This doesn't surprise me unfortunately - are the streaks actually stained into the plastic?


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## Neil_M

Why does it not suprise you?

The streaks arent that bad, just after an application, working it in, then a rinse down a residue seems to be left.


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## dominic84

> Why does it not suprise you?


PM Sent - Don't want Dave's guide to go off topic.


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## addsvrs

Fantastic Guide


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## trykkertor

I would never lay my wheels down with the face direct at concrete or any other hard surface.
I always lay my wheels face down on a towel or something.
Alloy just scratches too easy, so concrete will almost certain make some minor or major scratches.


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## Dave KG

trykkertor said:


> I would never lay my wheels down with the face direct at concrete or any other hard surface.
> I always lay my wheels face down on a towel or something.
> Alloy just scratches too easy, so concrete will almost certain make some minor or major scratches.


No indeed not, though one should exercise sense when laying wheel down face down like this - the tyres (being old design, not fancy new low profile) keep the wheels up off the concrete in this example as evidenced by the fact the wheels are not scratched (beyond the kerbing left by the previous owner) but this wont be the case for the majority of vehicles.


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## Jet A1

You should consider removing what in photo 4 looks like tar specs with white spirit. I clean my alloys once a year and you would be surprised how much tar is "collected" in 12 months! Other than that, nice job and thanks


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## Alex-Clio

Very interesting guide Dave, especially for a newbie like me who is tryin to do all the research and get my ideas together. I see alot of your posts feature Vaxhalls? Is that just co-incidence or..if u dont mind me asking


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## Dave KG

Alex-Clio said:


> Very interesting guide Dave, especially for a newbie like me who is tryin to do all the research and get my ideas together. I see alot of your posts feature Vaxhalls? Is that just co-incidence or..if u dont mind me asking


Well, I'm a bit of a Vauxhall fan in honesty and have owned a couple in the past and there are several in the family... other than that, I have no connection to Vauxhall


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## blr123

Well done Dave good write up......I thought that wheel/tyre/arch was looking pretty clean......that would be what we call a "sneeky in" then eh LOL!!

Back on topic.......just to note that ADD can stain your driveway if left, I've become used to to putting paper towels under front & rear of each arch to catch any drips.

And the question about the brush as in where from that is the one in the link posted from Ron at Motorgeek as seen here: - http://www.motorgeek.co.uk/tyrewheel-brush-p-239.html and already posted by 94Nissan....Thanks :thumb:

Bryan


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## nickf1

Great guide; really well written and good, clear pictures, thanks.


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## Callu_M3

:thumb:Nice work


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## silver2009

First of all - tremendous write up. Has helped me greatly.

Is there a link to surface rust tutorial (if this was completed) mentioned by Dave KG on page 1 of this write up? 
http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=84017

I am keen to clean the wheel arch and treat surface rust


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## snapper25

Great guide, cant wait to try this out!


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## DG Cruiser

excellent guide thanks, i would reccomend to people that when replacing a wheel they use a Torque Wrench and tighten the nuts to car manufacturers guide rating , too tight can lead to problems just as being too loose can


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## Zander

:thumb: great guide! been a great help


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