# Why do people wash wheels first?



## dave-g (Nov 14, 2009)

Genuine question, why do I see this being done? Surely all youre doing is rinsing the bodywork mess onto the car?

Trying to understand....


Cheers
Dave


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## Nally (May 30, 2012)

I have thought this before and from what I gather it's so all the break dust don't go on to your nice clean paint


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## Joshh (Oct 5, 2011)

Yeah just that, pressure washing your alloys off splatters grime and cleaner over the car which you'd have just cleaned so I guess it's easier to do the other way around.


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## tmitch45 (Jul 29, 2006)

I can tell you why I do it. Its so all the crud from the alloys and wheel cleaning fluids go onto the dirty car which is then washed after. If you have a nice clean car then you get curd on it from the alloys you will have to do it again. Also in years gone by when people used strong acidic cleaners cleaning the body work after ensured these weren't left on the bodywork to damage the paintwork.


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## slineclean (Dec 23, 2011)

I used to do my wheels last , but hence by the time youve washed them ( including jet wash or hose ) splashes of water went over the car where id just dried off. 

Do them first now thought


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## PugIain (Jun 28, 2006)

I clean wheels first so I don't splash the crap off them on to the dry, clean bodywork.


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## Lupostef (Nov 20, 2011)

Exactly what every one else has said :thumb: plus you don't get water marks all over your paint as its drying whilst doing your wheels


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## DMH-01 (Mar 29, 2011)

I clean the wheels right at the start then later snow foam and shampoo wash them along with the bodywork. When I apply the LSP I then seal the wheels :thumb:


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## rf860 (Jul 24, 2011)

Becuase they are the worst part of cleaning the car!!


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## RDB85 (Dec 28, 2011)

I do them first as its the dirtiest part of the car, plus if you clean them first you can then apply iron x, and clean the arches whilst you are cleaning the wheels and tyres. Then its just on to your normal routine


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## Ultra (Feb 25, 2006)

rf860 said:


> Becuase they are the worst part of cleaning the car!!


^^ this


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## rtjc (Apr 19, 2009)

Haha yeah, get the wheels done and out of the way. As everybody has said, it stops you from making a mess of your clean bodywork. I usually jetwash rinse, foam, and as that's doing its thing i go around doing all the wheels before rinsing the whole lot


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## ArcticVXR (Apr 10, 2007)

Always do the wheels first as others have said due to all the crap splashing all over the car!


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## MA3RC (Jun 19, 2012)

I've got to be fair doing the wheels IMO is the worst part of washing a car, yet it's probably the first thing I notice on a clean car


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## mr.t (Oct 1, 2010)

S1600Marc said:


> I've got to be fair doing the wheels IMO is the worst part of washing a car, yet it's probably the first thing I notice on a clean car


true true.


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## vroomtshh (Nov 23, 2009)

I do them first because my Dad told me to back when I first passed my test :lol:


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## -Raven- (Aug 26, 2010)

I wash my cars wheels last when I bother to wash them. My wheels are coated in C.Quartz, a squirt with the pressure washer gets them impressively clean. I wash them with the left over car wash from washing the car, no chemicals etc needed! 

Other people's cars wheels get washed first. Spray wheels with Sonax Extreme, snow foam car, wash wheels, rinse everything, wash car. :thumb:


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## martin_46 (Aug 7, 2012)

Yup I wash the wheels first as I have the most energy then to do a good job and it means the once I've washed the body I'm done and can dry the car before the water starts to dry in.


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## xJay1337 (Jul 20, 2012)

Sorry to bump this topic, I guess it's better than making a new one! 

But I do wheels last which to me makes more sense.

Maybe it's just because I'm a moron :lol:

With a hosepipe and an attachment on jet (non pressure) you can easily modulate flow or select a "rinse" setting on your attachment and avoid any sort of water to paint issues. For me at least, if I do get any sort of spray from rinsing it's the smallest amount, nothing that a normal MF cannot easily cope with!

For those of us who have expensive wheels with polished/exposed and/or the misfortune of not having a unit to work from, you clean the wheels first and then you have to dry them almost immediately otherwise, even on a warm day in non-direct sunlight the water will bake onto the wheels.. 

On the driveway I much prefer to do my wheels last and that is after months of "trying" to do it first - It just feels more natural to me.
If I had a unit I could wheel the car into then I'd probably do the wheels first, jet and snow foam them sort of thign.
We all have our odd methods.


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## Naddy37 (Oct 27, 2005)

The alloys of the e250 get done first. Means I can get on my hands and knees and give them a good clean. If I did the wheels last, then I'd get wet.......simples.


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## marc147 (Nov 21, 2011)

I clean mine while the snow foam on the bodywork is dwelling


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## svended (Oct 7, 2011)

I always do them first. Even when I only need to clean the wheels, I'll give the car a quick shampoo just in case of wheel splash over.


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## James Bagguley (Jul 13, 2013)

> But I do wheels last which to me makes more sense


Me too, i do mine last.
They were ruined by the previous owners so im not too bothered, as long as the overall effect is good.

I pour my remaining bodywork shampoo from the TBW into a third bucket and give them a decent working over, then take the high pressure bit off the PW lance and give them a gentle rinse.

Dry with the 'leccy leaf blower.
Sorted :thumb:


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## Silva1 (Sep 16, 2007)

It's like washing your balls first then going onto to wash your head after it. It just doesn't work :lol:


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## xJay1337 (Jul 20, 2012)

^ lol.


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## James Bagguley (Jul 13, 2013)

Silva1 said:


> It's like washing your balls first then going onto to wash your head after it. It just doesn't work :lol:


:lol: Okay, i understand its not the norm, but i tend to wash and dry in two stages, because im outdoors and the weather sucks !

Above the side trim line gets washed rinsed and dried, then below, and i can use left over shampoo in that third bucket, drying the wheels with the rest of the lower portions.

A gentle rinse means no splash back worth a damn, and if there is any i can re rinse in a jiffy :thumb:

No bad blood, just seems to make as much sense as any other method!

Cheers peeps!


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## SBM (Jul 4, 2013)

DMH-01 said:


> I clean the wheels right at the start then later snow foam and shampoo wash them along with the bodywork. When I apply the LSP I then seal the wheels :thumb:


Snap:thumb: I also cover the wheels if I'm doing polishing/paint correction just so I don't get any flecks of polish or dust on them. You can just see them here:



Cheers
Ben


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## wadoryu (Jan 28, 2010)

I wouldn't say I do it first, I'd say during. I do it while snowfoam is soaking. By the time I'm dine pressure wash the car off, time saving is the key sometimes.


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## Rascal_69 (Sep 20, 2009)

Silva1 said:


> It's like washing your balls first then going onto to wash your head after it. It just doesn't work :lol:


:lol::lol:

Maybe alittle different to that.

Unless your balls get really dirty and you wash your body in 2 parts.

Ie body first then dry and then your privates


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## custard1 (May 15, 2013)

rf860 said:


> Becuase they are the worst part of cleaning the car!!


+1 esspecially if they are multi spokes


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## xJay1337 (Jul 20, 2012)

I washed only my wheels yesterday with my car aired out (so wheels were basically up inside the arches) and didn't get any water whatsoever on my paint.


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## cossierick (Jan 19, 2011)

Im puzzled as to how dirty your lots wheels get !!, on a weekly wash mine arnt much dirtier than the car, so with a covering of snow foam there nearly clean anyway. 

If they arnt that bad then il do them last after washing the car with whats left in the bucket. and it doesn't really splash all over the car but I dry it after everything has been washed. If it hasn't been washed for a while and the car is dirty then il prob do them first with a separate bucket


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## slineclean (Dec 23, 2011)

When people say the 2BM , mine is the 3BM. I have a separate bucket for the wheels only :tumbleweed:


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## James Bagguley (Jul 13, 2013)

I have a fourth now, i was using it for engine bay wiping duties. Oh dear, more mocking to endure...:lol: Go on then, do your worst !


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## Stevoraith (Mar 15, 2008)

Sooo, what I'm not really understanding is why people wash and dry the bodywork seperate to the wheels?

The argument seems to be "I don't want dirt from the wheels splashing onto my clean and dry paint". Why would you dry the body before you wash the wheels?

I wash the wheels last, but it's not a problem because_ if _dirty water from the wheels splashes onto the bodywork (can't say I've ever noticed it happening) it can get rinsed straight off.
Then the body and wheels are dried at the same time.

Plus, if you wash wheels first you have to fill up another bucket which takes more time rather than using what is left in the wash bucket after the bodywork.

Different strokes for different folks though I guess. :thumb:


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## Webbianno (Jun 17, 2013)

DMH-01 said:


> I clean the wheels right at the start then later snow foam and shampoo wash them along with the bodywork. When I apply the LSP I then seal the wheels :thumb:


I do this,

Spray wheels with cleaner leave for two mins, then wash with wheel thingy....

Snow foam whole car including wheels and arches...


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