Wheels take brake dust at temperature, which is why they need something stronger than car shampoo. That strength is also why wheel cleaner should never come near coated paint.
Separate tools, a separate bucket, and the wheels done first so their grit does not end up in the wash water.
Our pick A pH-neutral iron-removing wheel cleaner.
Out of stock right now. The alternatives below are available.
Neutral, so it is safe on the finishes acidic cleaners damage, and it still shifts bonded brake dust. That combination is rarer than the shelf suggests.
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Slower than an acidic cleaner. It needs dwell time rather than scrubbing.
Same job, different trade-offs.
Soft-tipped brushes for barrels and spokes.
Out of stock right now.
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The inside of the barrel is where most brake dust lives and where almost nobody cleans. A brush that reaches it is what makes wheels look properly done.
Keep them off the paint. What comes off a wheel is exactly what you spent the wash avoiding.
A water-based tire dressing with a satin finish.
Out of stock right now.
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Water-based dressings do not sling onto the paint the way solvent ones do, and satin looks like a clean tire rather than a wet one.
Less durable than a solvent gel. It comes off in rain.
A color-changing wheel cleaner for regular use.
Out of stock right now.
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Easy to see working, widely stocked, and safe on the wheel finishes most cars actually have.
Not a substitute for a dedicated iron remover on wheels that have never been decontaminated.
A dressing for tires, trim and rubber.
Out of stock right now.
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One bottle covering tires and exterior trim, which is genuinely convenient and cheap per use.
Glossier than satin. Apply sparingly or it looks wet rather than clean.
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Bilt Hamber Auto-Wheel. A pH-neutral iron-removing wheel cleaner. Neutral, so it is safe on the finishes acidic cleaners damage, and it still shifts bonded brake dust. That combination is rarer than the shelf suggests.
No. Wheel cleaners are formulated for brake dust baked on at temperature and are far more aggressive than anything meant for a coated panel. Separate products, separate brushes, separate bucket.
First. They are the dirtiest part of the car, and doing them first keeps their grit out of the wash water you are about to put on the paint.
It makes brake dust far easier to rinse off, which is the main day-to-day annoyance of a good set of wheels. It is also a fiddly job on the inside of a barrel, which is why shops price it separately.
Published rates are a range. What you pay comes down to size, paint condition and how much correction the finish needs first. Tell us the car and we will put it in front of shops that publish their pricing.
Once a month, read off the price lists of the 552 shops that publish one. Whether you are about to buy or about to quote, it is the same data from opposite sides.
For people about to spend four figures on paint, and wanting to spend it once.
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For owners and installers pricing work against the rest of their market.
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