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How to clean aluminum rims at home?

clean the rims
Artur Owczarek
Artur Owczarek

Brand Product Manager Moje AutoHe has been involved in the automotive industry for years. He is passionate about cars and detailing. On his blog, he shares his knowledge and experience, offering tips on how to effectively care for your car and extend its life.

For many drivers, the cleanliness of a car is a kind of calling card. When cleaning the car from dirt and other contaminants, we should not forget about one important element, which are the rims. They often have an unusual structure, which makes some of their nooks and crannies difficult to clean. So how? clean aluminum rims? We advise you - a great way to do this is to use specialized products intended specifically for aluminum rims.

Types of contamination of car rims

Wanting to identify what kind aluminum rim cleaner will be the best in our case, we should consider what type of contamination each one contains aluminum rim decorating our car she may have had to deal with.

The most common contamination of car rims is: operational contamination deposited on the rims and much more difficult to clean contamination caused by metallic dust from brake pads. While operational dirt is not difficult to remove and we can get rid of it at any car wash, removing dust from brake pads can be quite a problem.

What type of dirt should we assign to the first mentioned category? Operational dirt includes, for example, mud that settles on rims and wheels while driving the car. In winter, what the external elements of our vehicles often come into contact with are snow, sand and salt. In summer, car wheels are often covered with tar or asphalt and metallic dust from brake pads - specialized cleaning agents should be used to remove this type of dirt.

The second category of contaminants includes those whose removal requires appropriate knowledge, time and professional resources, because they facilitate the removal of dirt. In many cases, the use of specialized products is necessary because only they can clean properly. Only the force of their action can bring a satisfactory effect, because the dust that settles is very difficult to remove.

How to care for your rims?

how to clean aluminum rims

Taking care of your rims, to put it simply, is a fight against time from which only regularity can save us. Drivers who take care of their vehicles do not want to take risks and regularly clean their rims. This brings many benefits because they always have well-kept cars and do not have to put much effort into cleaning the rims, regardless of how dirty they are. These easy-to-remove dirt come off immediately, and when the dust settles, it is removed before it can bake.

When we start cleaning the rims, when the dirt has already settled on the rims, we need to be patient and use professional car cosmetics.

Can a poorly selected aluminum rim cleaner damage the paint?

Of course. That's why I want to get down to business cleaning aluminum rims, we should absolutely read the description of a given preparation and choose from among the offers on the market the one that is perfectly suited to our rims. If we choose a detergent that is not suitable for aluminum, we may permanently damage the finish of the rims and the paint itself, the renewal of which may involve high costs. If you need a proven one preparation for cleaning aluminum rims, you should check out the Moje Auto offer, where you will find numerous products for cleaning and washing rims, such as Krwawe Koło rim cleaner. If you use it according to the instructions, you will successfully clean your alloy rims without damaging them.

What is the price of painting aluminum rims?

cleaning aluminum rims

If we disregard cleaning aluminum rims or they are simply heavily used, their surface deteriorates over time. They can be brought to such a state that even thorough cleaning will not make them look aesthetic again. What can we do in such a case? Go to a specialist service that offers services such as: painting brake calipers or aluminum rims. If our service technicians determine that renovation of our rims is possible, they will be able to start removing any mechanical damage, removing old varnish, degreasing and preparing the surface of our rims, and then painting them properly.

The price of such a service usually depends on the size of our rims and the man-hours involved. In the case of smaller hoops, it usually costs around PLN 100, for standard-sized ones, the price is around PLN 200, and for larger ones, prices start from around PLN 300. The given prices are, of course, for individual pieces of rims.

What preparation should be used to clean aluminum rims?

Wanting to be alone clean the rims, we should definitely focus only on preparations adapted to them. Aluminum rim This is an element of car equipment that is definitely worth cleaning due to its wear and aesthetics.

Numerous products of this type can be found in the Moje Auto range. This manufacturer's extensive offer includes, for example, one using a specialized formula liquid for cleaning aluminum rims called Bloody Wheel, which, when used, informs us that it reacts with abrasive shavings from the brake pads.

Cleaning aluminum rims it may also turn out to be much easier if we invest in a product such as Moje Auto Virage, i.e rim brush with a comfortable handle that allows you to clean them without damaging their surface.

My Auto Bloody Wheel Rim Cleaner

Moje Auto Bloody Circle

Moje Auto Krwawe Koło – a preparation for cleaning rims

In response to the needs and expectations of users, the Moje Auto brand has introduced a rim cleaning agent to its offer "bloody rim"  named My Car Bloody WheelIt is an efficient cleaning fluid that reacts with strong contaminants. Removes troublesome operational dirt of all types steel, aluminum, chrome and painted rims. Using the liquid, washing contaminated surfaces becomes quick and efficient. There is no risk of damaging the cleaned surface. The preparation has neutral pH. After spraying, the preparation on the rim turns purple-violet; such a color change indicates that it has been dissolved by the main ingredient sodium thioglycolate, dust from brake pads. The effectiveness of Moje Auto Krwawe Koło is high and the color change effect is spectacular.

Moje Auto Krwawe Koło rim cleaner. How to use in 5 steps:

As with any other activity, when cleaning rims, they must be properly prepared. In order for the chemical agent used to have the best effect on the rim, it must be spread precisely. It is crucial to strictly follow the manufacturer's recommendations, because this will bring the best effect.

Step 1: Before applying the preparation, make sure the rim is cool. We do not use the preparation on hot wheels because we will not use its full potential. In case of very heavy dirt, you can rinse the rim with water, but in the case of smaller dirt, this is not necessary. Remember - we wash rims in places where we can drain dirty water directly into the sewage system, because this way we do not violate the regulations.

Step 2: Simply apply the rim cleaner to the rim, spraying it evenly over the entire dirty surface.

rim cleaning

Step 3: After applying the product, wait 90 seconds. During this time, the preparation will turn purple-purple. Please remember not to allow the product to dry on the cleaned surface.

rim cleaning

Step 4: For stubborn dirt, you can use a delicate brush or sponge.
In the case of slightly dirty rims, the "bleeding" effect may not occur.

Step 5: When the rim cleaner has done its job, rinse the rims with high-pressure water.

Moje Auto Bloody Circle

Why is cleaning rims so important?

Many car owners underestimate the problem of contaminated rims. How do we clean them when washing the car body? In the meantime, they deserve a little more attention. It is worth spending as much time on them as cleaning other elements.

See also: What preparation should be used to wash car rims?

Rims are the second element, after tires, in contact with the road surface. There may be various chemical substances there, more or less aggressive to the rims, foreign bodies, etc. Care and cleaning are intended to neutralize the effects of contact of the rims with chemicals. This is so important because chemicals have a harmful effect on the rim material and its varnishing. It doesn't matter whether it is an aluminum, steel or magnesium rim. Surface damage is visible on each of them sooner or later.

Summary

Also read: News! An indispensable brush for rims and hubcaps and a 2-in-1 funnel when cleaning your car.

Chemical damage can be felt through rust on steel or micro-damage to aluminum and similar metals. It's not noticeable at first, but the rim material weakens and tends to deform, bend and eventually crack. That's why it's so important to clean them regularly.

The effects of cleaning are not only about the nice appearance of a well-kept rim. It is primarily about road safety when using a car. A contaminated rim may transfer dirt, e.g brake pads. This is where there is a serious risk to the safety of the driver and passengers. Therefore, as you can see, the cleanliness of the rims is as important as the cleanliness of the entire car.

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