how to clean wheel wells
You are more likely to see damage to the wheel wells of your car than any other area of it. As our wheels travel through the streets, splatters of dirt, grime, oil, tar, brake dust, leaves, roadkill, and everything, splatters out as if it were a movie. There is a complete coverage of the underside of the arches as a result of it. We as a society fail to give enough attention to our wheel wells when it comes to cleaning and detailing our vehicles. Among many other things, it has been discovered that many people don’t know how to clean wheel wells properly or what the benefits of doing so are.
Considering that wheel wells are mostly hidden from our sight, it is quite easy to forget that they are there. In spite of the fact that wheel arches are often hidden from view, they still require attention. It’s time to take you through the Pro Gyeon Quartz wheel well maintenance guide today, in which we will cover how to properly and completely clean the wheel wells of your vehicle.
If you stick with us, your wells will be looking just as pristine as they were when you tested out your new car for the first time.
The wheel wells are one of those areas that is often overlooked when it comes to keeping them clean, but they are actually quite important and can truly detract from all the effort you put into making your tires and wheels look great. You might even want to remove your tires before you get started if you are cleaning your own vehicle at home (if you have the ability to do so) just in order to make things easier for yourself.
How to Clean & Protect Wheel Arches
It is probably the most dirty area of the car, the wheel arches, or wheel wells. In addition to catching brake dust, tar deposits from rubber and road grime, they can also catch anything else that you can find along the road. As a part of our cleaning process, we use the following products:
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Gyeon Quartz Q2M APC
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Gyeon Quartz Q2M Iron
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Gyeon Quartz Q2M Tire Brush
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Q2M Smoothie
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Gyeon Quartz Q2M Tar
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Q2M WetCoat
It would be helpful if we could clarify a wheel well before we get down to the nitty gritty. Is it possible to find it and what does it look like? The wheel well is one of the most important parts of the exterior of a vehicle. The absence of this protection makes the engine of the car susceptible to damage and can cause extreme dents and dings on the body of the car. This is where the wheels are placed in relation to the vehicle, and it can sometimes also be referred to as the fender well or wheel arches. The outside fenders usually protect this area of the car against the dirt and grime from the road, but they can also collect everyday grime.
Stage One
Step 1. Wheel Off
While it’s not absolutely necessary to take your wheel off in order to clean your arches, especially if there’s enough clearance, in this guide, we’ll go the extra mile to give our brake calipers and suspension a bit of a kick, and it will be easier to do so with the wheel out of the picture.
Step 2. Rinse (For Big Messes Only)
You should probably use a hose to get rid of any caked oil, dirt, and grime that is clinging to your arches, but if you don’t see too much going on, you should be able to apply Gyeon APC dry after you give the arches a quick blast with a hose before you apply Gyeon APC wet. Whenever there is encrusted dirt or mud on a surface, it is usually recommended that you wash it down with a hose.
Step 3. Applying Gyeon Quartz Q2M APC to the Wheel Well
It is a multi-purpose cleaner with all-purpose applications that can be used for degreasing and cleaning surfaces both on the exterior and on the interior, as well as removing stains from all surfaces. Dilution ratios are determined by the specific task at hand as well as the nature of the material. Suppose you are just going to give the paintwork a once over, and you just want to give it a good once over, a 1:25 dilution will suffice, but if you are trying to clean up some gnarlier areas, then you will need a 1:1 mix.
The full-fat, concentrated solution is fine as long as you do not use it for cleaning the paintwork, and make sure you wear gloves when handling the solution. This solution can be used to clean wheel wells and engine bays, but please stay away from the paintwork.
APC is sprayed behind the arch and behind the well, which are then allowed to do its magic for a couple of hours before being finally raked back up. For now, let’s focus on the brake calipers for a moment, but in the meantime, let’s talk about the brakes.
Step 4. Applying Gyeon Quartz Q2M Iron to the Brake Caliper
In terms of iron removal power, Gyeon Quartz Q2M Iron is considered to be one of the best products on the market. It can get rid of stubborn ferrous deposits, such as brake dust and rail dust in seconds, helping you keep your brake calipers in tip top shape!
We have managed to achieve a perfect balance between the acidity of the Iron and the pH of the solution, so we are sure that this product will be safe to use on delicate surfaces such as polished rims, despite its strength.
Using a spray bottle, spray both sides of the caliper while being careful not to damage your brake pad. You should not worry if some of the Iron gets on top of your pad, because it won’t cause any harm; all it will do is waste a bit of product, that’s all. It won’t cause any damage.
In order to work effectively, we need to allow Gyeon Iron to flex its muscles for 1–2 minutes, before we can turn our attention to the wheel wells, where the APC has began to weaken the bonds of debris, melting some of the grime away and loosening some of the bonds.
Step 5. Scrubbing The Wheel Wells with the Gyeon Quartz Q2M TireBrush
Gyeon Quartz doesn’t generally advocate the use of brushes when it comes to cleaning and maintaining vehicles; however, when it comes to wheel wells, we believe that we must make an exception, but not just any brush will do, we’re going to use the Gyeon Quartz Q2M TireBrush.
In addition to its ergonomic shape, all the features of the handle are designed to be as comfortable as possible for you to use during tough tarnishing on your tires and wheel wells. Once the APC has been agitated with your Tirebrush on the wells, let it work its magic for one more time in order to let the chemicals work their magic.
Step 6. Cleaning Your Suspension Springs
We recommend coming up with an 8–10 quick passes schedule for cars with suspensions that extend to the ground, so get a good quality tube brush wet and thread it through your wheel wells.
Step 7. Brushing Your Calipers
In order to complete this process, you can use a small wire brush to stir up the Gyeon Iron on your brake calipers. This doesn’t require you to spend a lot of time on it. If you are struggling to get the molecules moving and to get rid of the build-up in your skin, just give them a few strokes with the brush.
There is no question, as you already know, that wire brushes don’t play well with painted surfaces; therefore, if possible, avoid painting the caliper’s paintwork and focus on the side of the caliper as well as any exposed metal surfaces.
Step 8. Break Out the Gyeon Quartz Q2M Smoothie
As you might know, this isn’t the alarmingly green smoothie you suffer through every morning with your overly health-conscious friend. No, that is the super-soft, extra durable Q2M Smoothie designed to make it as easy and convenient as possible to clean your vehicle.
Let your Smoothie wet down a little bit, and then go through your wheel wells. There are special fibers in this tool that have been engineered to grab as much debris as possible, so it is the perfect tool to utilize for removing all the gunk Gyeon APC has dislodged from your car using the brush action.
Then, as soon as you have thoroughly cleaned your wheel wells using a pressure washer on a low-to-medium setting, you need to clean your brake calipers with a pressure washer on a low-to-medium setting to remove the grime.
Step 9. Rinsing the Products Off (End of the First Stage)
The first step we are going to take is to clean your wheel well and brake caliper of any Gyeon APC or iron that might be left from the previous process, as you shouldn’t allow chemicals to dry to your brake caliper or wheel well.
Stage Two
Step 1. Applying Gyeon Iron (Again)
Now that we have all but obliterated the iron deposit on your brake caliper, all we have to do is spray your entire wheel well with Gyeon Iron in order to eliminate the iron deposits everywhere, and while you’re at it, give your caliper a second treatment as well.
As soon as the chemicals have been left to do their job for two minutes, it’s time for another rinse, so grab the pressure washer because it’s time to do it all again.
Step 2. Applying Gyeon Quartz Q2M Tar
As we mentioned, there is another unwanted guest hitching a ride on our car’s wheel wells: Tar. However, Gyeon Quartz Q2M Tar can take care of it in just a couple of minutes, so we don’t have to worry too much. It’s PH-neutral, so although it works well on dried-on hydrocarbons, it’s gentle enough to use on painted surfaces, glass, plastic trims, you name it. Since it removes dried-on hydrocarbons, like Iron, this product is PH-neutral.
Don’t forget to spritz a generous amount of Gyeon Tar over your entire wheel wells just as you did with APC and Iron, and don’t forget to take care of your suspension as well! After the chemicals have been mixed, let them rest for at least two minutes before using them.
Step 3. Agitating Gyeon Tar
To make sure Gyeon Tar is working at its maximum potential, grab a Q2M Smoothie and shake the product vigorously so it gets the maximum benefit from it. Taking advantage of your pressure washer at this point will allow you to flush the wells thoroughly once you’ve knocked loose as much debris as possible.
Step 4. Applying Gyeon Quartz Q2M WetCoat
You may have a clean wheel well, but it doesn’t mean that they have protection. You’ll be able to collect a lot of filth if you pop your wheels back on and take your ride for a spin before you break 60 mph if you do that now.
It is very important that you apply Q2M WetCoat, our breakthrough hydrophobic compound, to your wells before burning some rubber, in order to keep them clean.
If you want to give your wheel wells and chassis a chemical-resistant, self-cleaning coating to make them look good, simply spray WetCoat liberally on them, and rinse them off immediately after.
Stage Three
Step 1. Lifting Your Car and Drying Your Wheel Well.
In order to get those last few finishing touches on your car, it is necessary to put it on a lift. The wheels will need to be refitted, and then it will need to be driven into a garage for repair. In order to remove all moisture from the wheel well and the surrounding materials when your vehicle is in the air, we recommend using the AIR-GT Car Blower once it is in the air.
Step 2. Applying Gyeon Quartz G2 Trim
You are now ready to apply the Gyeon Trim ceramic-based sealant to your wheel wells; you will need to add 15–20 drops of the sealant to the Gyeon MF Applicator and spread the sealant from bottom to top. To check if you’ve missed any spots, use a powerful light that you’ll be able to see clearly, like the Gyeon Prism Mini.
Step 3. Top-Ups with Gyeon Quartz G2M Preserve
Well done, you have done what you set out to do. You can eat off of the wheel wells now, and they will stay clean for the future road trips you may undertake. In order to take care of the Gyeon Trim coating, all you have to do is top it up every week with G2M Preserve after you clean it.
Gyeon Preserve can be applied by diluting it 1:2 with water, spraying your arches, then using an AIR-GT dryer to blow the solution into each and every hard-to-reach area, providing you with a complete sealing of your windows.
Cleaning Wheel Wells Wrap Up
The following video will provide you with information on how to clean and protect the wheel arches of your car, with our expert Yves Heylen demonstrating how to revitalize the wheel wells of a car with 60,000 kilometres on the clock.
As for the rest of the details, that’s about it, folks. As long as you keep up with your Gyeon Preserve applications, you won’t have to worry about having to do a deep clean again for as long as you keep up with Gyeon Preserve applications. After all, if you keep up with the application of Gyeon Preserve, you won’t have to worry about needing to do one in the near future. Let’s meet on the road! I’m looking forward to seeing you!
Conclusion
When it comes to detailing, if you are an expert, you are obviously aware of the importance of not overlooking the little things. It is not uncommon for this type of customer to enjoy inspecting every nook and cranny in their vehicle, and wheel wells are one of those areas that will either impress them, or they will be slightly disappointed by, for this type of customer. Wheel wells are not one of the more obvious parts of a car, but by giving them the attention they deserve, you can really make your detailing business stand out from the rest.
It is important to keep your vehicles clean and well-maintained, even if you are just your average Joe, to make sure that they won’t rust or corrode over time. If you are also experiencing rock chips on your car’s paint, take a look at our blog post on how to fix and prevent them.
There is nothing better than spending a few extra seconds on each tire if you want to eliminate the substances that can cause scratching or pitting inside the wheel well.