Should I Use A Low-Acid Cleaning Solution On My Painted Wheels?

There are many wheel-cleaning products on the market, many claiming to be specifically for use on painted wheels. But how can you know what’s safe to use and what’s going to corrode the finish on your pristine wheels?

If your painted wheels have been finished with a clear coat protectant (as all painted wheels worth their salt should be), they should always be cleaned with a non-acidic and non-abrasive product. 

It may seem that ‘low-acid’ falls into this category too, but unfortunately, many commercial products labelled ‘wheel cleaners’ are not actually safe to use with painted, clear-coated wheels. 

Any product that instructs you to ‘spray on and remove within 2–5 minutes’ or similar is likely a low-acid solution, which will absolutely burn off brake dust… but it will also eat away at the clear coat. 

It takes a scarily-short amount of time for low-acid cleaners to burrow under the clear coat and start to ruin your wheels’ lustrous finish. This compromising of the clear-coat also allows external conditions (salt, rust, etc) to corrode the wheel. 

Acid damage shows up quite quickly on painted wheels, looking like white spiderwebs beneath the clear coat. 

Sadly, even some full-service carwashes use acid-based cleaners to clean wheels as quickly as possible, so make sure to do your research and only go with car washes that don’t use these chemicals.

Some simple and reliable products we recommend for cleaning painted wheels yourself include P21S, Simple Green, and Wheel Wax. Wheel Wax actually has an added advantage of working to prevent brake dust from sticking to wheels in the first place, and makes anything that does stick far easier to remove.

If it’s too late and your wheels have been damaged by acidic cleaners, give the Utah pros at Salt City Wheels a call today at 801 425 3044. Our expert wheel-repair technicians will have your wheels back to tippets-top shape in a jiffy!