Washing wheels is an important part of cleaning your vehicle. Neglect the wheels and the car won’t appear to be completely clean with just a car wash alone. Cleaning and protecting the wheels can be approached in a similar way that you wash the car’s paint. The wheels are typically much dirtier than the car’s paint surface since the wheels not only collect dirt and abrasives, but also collects brake dust that comes off of the brake pads. These particles are much more abrasive than the typical contaminants because they can be made up of may organic materials, as well as metallic ones.

Washing your car is fundamental to maintaining your vehicle whether you’re doing an occasional maintenance wash or getting the vehicle ready to perform a more involved detail. The main purpose of washing the exterior is to remove light contaminants on the surface of the paint. This is done as a general car wash to make your car look clean again, but it also prepares your car for more detailing if you decide to go that route.