# Wheel arches - how to wash?



## evoke (Oct 6, 2007)

I've seen many references to washing the wheel arches. I've never washed wheel arches!

Hence, I'm interested in what this actually means in practise. Is it the lip of the wheels arches or underneath the wheel arches (i.e. where the shocks absorber is)?

If the latter, what's the best method to use? I'm wary of using a high pressure hose in an area that contains cables, electrics, hydraulics and braking components.


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## FallenAngel (Oct 24, 2015)

When I see car with dirty wheel wells , to me it's dirty no matter how good the paint looks and how clean is the rest of the car. Esp in the night when you shine your headlights to parked cars :wall::wall:. I use APC ( Surfex HD diluted 1:4 ) spray them first then let it dwell, then pressure wash , then spray again and agitate with a long handle brush. Rinse and then after they dry I spray Car Pro PERL (Diluted 1:5 on them an leave it to dry) They always look brand new. :car:


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## evoke (Oct 6, 2007)

Thanks FallenAngel. Luckily I have Surfex HD ready-mixed at 1:4 and PERL too! I just need to find a long-handled wheel-arch brush.

Do you have any recommendations for a wheel-arch brush?


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## shine247 (Mar 1, 2010)

Go EZ detail brush at Polished bliss, free p+p and good service.

http://www.polishedbliss.co.uk/acatalog/ez-detail-go-ez-brush-cat4.html


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## trv8 (Dec 30, 2007)

evoke said:


> Thanks FallenAngel. Luckily I have Surfex HD ready-mixed at 1:4 and PERL too! I just need to find a long-handled wheel-arch brush.
> 
> Do you have any recommendations for a wheel-arch brush?


Toilet brush will do.....nice'n'cheap......

https://www.bing.com/images/search?...ushes+only&qpvt=toilet+brushes+only&FORM=IGRE


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## euge07 (Jan 15, 2011)

plastic wheel arches are easy to clean, 
its the stupid carpet like ones are a nightmare to clean,


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## FallenAngel (Oct 24, 2015)

evoke said:


> Thanks FallenAngel. Luckily I have Surfex HD ready-mixed at 1:4 and PERL too! I just need to find a long-handled wheel-arch brush.
> 
> Do you have any recommendations for a wheel-arch brush?


I use cheap 1 euro bath back brush  . Toilet brush will do as well , like the other said.

@euge07
I see a lot of people have problems with carpet lined arches, to be honest I find them easier to clean than plastic ones. Plastic shows everything, it stains and discolor, scratch and whatever, but I found that carpet ones dont hold dirt too much or at least they dont show it, so preassure rinse to get rid of larger debris then same combination of apc and brush gets them perfect for me. And no need to dress them, they always look brand new. :thumb:


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## evoke (Oct 6, 2007)

shine247 said:


> Go EZ detail brush at Polished bliss, free p+p and good service.
> 
> http://www.polishedbliss.co.uk/acatalog/ez-detail-go-ez-brush-cat4.html


I might have that very brush at my parent's house where my old detailing stuff is still kept. I'll check at the weekend.

I bought it for wheel cleaning but found it spattered too much when pushed between the spokes so I never used it more than a couple of times.


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## steelghost (Aug 20, 2015)

evoke said:


> I've seen many references to washing the wheel arches. I've never washed wheel arches!
> 
> Hence, I'm interested in what this actually means in practise. Is it the lip of the wheels arches or underneath the wheel arches (i.e. where the shocks absorber is)?
> 
> If the latter, what's the best method to use? I'm wary of using a high pressure hose in an area that contains cables, electrics, hydraulics and braking components.


What do you think is happening in the wheel arch when you're on the motorway in heavy rain? :thumb: I mean, don't put the high pressure water right up to your brake hose unions, but from a couple of feet away rinsing it down with your PW won't do anything any harm. That said if I'm doing it "properly" ie wheel off, I tend to use a trigger attachment on a hosepipe.

I also have an underbody lance for the PW that is relatively low pressure but has a wide fan spray, which I use to just clear out the rubbish that accumulates around the arch lips and also around the top of the road spring. The amount of sand and muck left on the drive after I do this is always an eye opener, even if the car hasn't really been driven anywhere I think of as muddy!

The EZ Detail Wheel Brush is also ideal for cleaning the roadsprings, you want to look after them as minor corrosion can provoke snapping which is expensive to get put right  One of the jobs I want to get done is to take all the wheel liners out, clean behind and get the bodywork coated in anti-corrosion wax, so that rust can't develop "in secret", especially around the wheel arch lip.


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## Derek-Eddleston (Aug 17, 2016)

steelghost said:


> What do you think is happening in the wheel arch when you're on the motorway in heavy rain? :thumb: I mean, don't put the high pressure water right up to your brake hose unions, but from a couple of feet away rinsing it down with your PW won't do anything any harm. That said if I'm doing it "properly" ie wheel off, I tend to use a trigger attachment on a hosepipe.
> 
> I also have an underbody lance for the PW that is relatively low pressure but has a wide fan spray, which I use to just clear out the rubbish that accumulates around the arch lips and also around the top of the road spring. The amount of sand and muck left on the drive after I do this is always an eye opener, even if the car hasn't really been driven anywhere I think of as muddy!
> 
> The EZ Detail Wheel Brush is also ideal for cleaning the roadsprings, you want to look after them as minor corrosion can provoke snapping which is expensive to get put right  One of the jobs I want to get done is to take all the wheel liners out, clean behind and get the bodywork coated in anti-corrosion wax, so that rust can't develop "in secret", especially around the wheel arch lip.


I drop the wheel arch liners out of my daily driver at least twice a year and I'm always amazed at the amount of wet mud that comes out from the wedge shaped area between the liner and the 'A' post. The car is a VW Golf, and it isn't helped by living down an unmade road, but once the mud is in there, it cannot dry out even in the height of summer because it gets wet again every time I wash my car. A tedious but worthwhile job.
Derek.


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## shine247 (Mar 1, 2010)

evoke said:


> I might have that very brush at my parent's house where my old detailing stuff is still kept. I'll check at the weekend.
> 
> I bought it for wheel cleaning but found it spattered too much when pushed between the spokes so I never used it more than a couple of times.


Right, it is not a great brush for wheels, the bristles are firm so as well as being harsh it prone to exaggerate the splash back.


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## steelghost (Aug 20, 2015)

I think the EZ Wheel Brush is one of the most divisive detailing tools going. For me the trick is to use it to clean the barrels, use a mitt or similar to clean the spokes. It also only works well for this if the spokes are sufficiently widely spaced. But if they are, it does a grand job and with a little care, spatter is minimised.


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## phooeyman (Jul 13, 2016)

mmmm good tip will try a toilet brush..


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## Soul boy 68 (Sep 8, 2013)

I PW my arches then a spray of APC foaming nozzle setting then give the arches a good scrub with a fender brush then PW away, dry down then apply bare bones, they come up great every time.


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## shine247 (Mar 1, 2010)

steelghost said:


> I think the EZ Wheel Brush is one of the most divisive detailing tools going. For me the trick is to use it to clean the barrels, use a mitt or similar to clean the spokes. It also only works well for this if the spokes are sufficiently widely spaced. But if they are, it does a grand job and with a little care, spatter is minimised.


The EZ is a great brush but the Daytona was made because it is softer on wheels if one likes the style of brush. I use one amongst others on barrels, a mitt like you elsewhere and on the barrels if spokes allow. Just in case you did not know about the Daytona.


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## Chris H1 (Jan 30, 2016)

Get yourself an angled lance for your preassure washer for cleaning the wheel arches. Link below will give you an idea of what your looking for.

Angled lance


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## Matt306 (Jan 7, 2007)

Also do lock to lock for each side to give you more access.


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## steelghost (Aug 20, 2015)

Plenty of clearance around my wheels on my high riding family bus  but if you're struggling for access best just to jack up the car and have the wheel off IMO.


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## cheekymonkey (Mar 15, 2008)

trv8 said:


> Toilet brush will do.....nice'n'cheap......
> 
> https://www.bing.com/images/search?...ushes+only&qpvt=toilet+brushes+only&FORM=IGRE


comes with free holder :lol:


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## evoke (Oct 6, 2007)

I checked which brush I had at my parent's house and it's not an EZ Detail Go EZ brush, but the older EZ Detail Wheel brush. That has a plastic bit sticking out at the of the brush end. It's this one here:

http://www.polishedbliss.co.uk/acatalog/ez-detail-wheel-brushes-cat4.html#aMasterEZDB0000

Hence, it would be wholly unsuitable for wheel arches, so I'll need to get a new brush. The Vikan long-handled brush looks to be a good one and isn't too expensive.


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