Brake dust is nasty stuff
It gets into the corners around the spokes, the lug holes, and the accessible barrels behind the face. Add road grime and tire residue and a clean body can still look unfinished because the wheels are brown.
We use separate brushes, towels, and wash media for the wheels. That keeps heavy brake dust and grit out of the tools we use on paint. We clean the faces, spokes, lug areas, reachable barrels, tires, and wheel wells based on the service.
Every wheel finish isn't the same
Painted, polished, matte, coated, refinished, peeling, and corroded wheels all react differently. We check that before reaching for a strong cleaner, and we work on cool wheels so the product doesn't dry onto a hot surface.
We clean what we can reach with the wheels installed. Taking wheels off the car is not part of a normal wheel wash. Etching, corrosion, peeling clear coat, and curb damage will still be damage when the dirt is gone.
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Questions we hear about Wheel Washing
Do you clean the wheel barrels?
We clean the areas we can reach safely with the wheels installed. Full access behind the wheel would require removal, which isn't part of a normal wash.
Can you remove every black mark?
We can remove a lot of brake dust and grime. Etching, corrosion, burned-on deposits, and damaged finish may remain.
Do you use the same brushes on the paint?
No. Wheel tools stay separate because brake dust and lower-road grime are much heavier than what belongs on upper paint.